Chapter 4: The Reveal
He arrived early.
I arrived exactly on time.
Alejandro stood when I approached, smiling like this was a conversation he could charm his way through.
“Mariana,” he said softly. “This has gotten out of hand.”
“Yes,” I said, sitting down. “It has.”
I placed my phone on the table.
Pressed play.
Teresa’s voice filled the space between us.
“If my son were smart, he would have put everything in his name—”
Alejandro’s face tightened.
“I can explain—”
I raised a hand.
Then I placed a second phone on the table.
Security footage.
Victor Salgado.
Alejandro leaned back slowly.
Silence.
Real silence this time.
Not avoidance.
Not hesitation.
Understanding.
“You were going to dismantle my company from the inside,” I said. “And then what? Step in as the savior? Take ownership? Sell it?”
He didn’t answer.
Because the truth had already been said.
“I loved you,” I added. “That was your only advantage.”
“And now?” he asked quietly.
“Now,” I said, “you are a liability.”
I slid a folder across the table.
Inside was everything.
Termination notice.
Legal filings.
Asset protection orders.
“And Teresa?” he asked.
May you like
I met his eyes.
“She can keep her opinions,” I said. “But not my property.”
