CHAPTER 2: THE EMPIRE CRACKS
By morning, the headlines had already begun.
Not the version Santiago controlled.
Not the polished lies.
But the truth.
Business Tycoon Under Investigation for Domestic Abuse and Fraud
The livestream footage had been secured, backed up, and legally documented overnight. My father’s legal team moved faster than any crisis Santiago had ever managed.
Accounts were frozen.
Contracts were paused.
Investigations reopened.
And then came the call that broke him.
“The loans…” Santiago whispered, staring at his phone.
My father stepped forward.
“Due immediately.”
Santiago looked up, disbelief turning into panic. “You can’t do that. We have agreements—”
“You built your empire on intimidation,” my father said. “I built mine on leverage.”
Silence.
Then:
“Now you understand the difference.”
Beatriz collapsed into a chair, her composure gone.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice shaking.
I stepped forward this time.
“For you to face exactly what you planned for me.”
Their own system.
May you like
Their own cruelty.
Turned back on them.
