Chapter 4 - THE VIPER'S RETURN
News in Jalisco traveled faster than the dry desert wind.
Within forty-eight hours, the news that the legendary Hacienda El Milagro had been handed over to an unknown pregnant woman rocked the entire region. The local newspapers ran giant headlines, and rumors spread through every village bar.
It didn't take long for the news to reach the ears of Mateo.
In a small, newly painted house three towns away, Mateo was sitting at a dining table, sipping expensive tequila while his young mistress, Sofia, painted her nails. When a local bartender burst into the house holding a newspaper, Mateo’s eyes scanned the front page.
DON ALEJANDRO DE LA VEGA DISINHERITS SON; PASSES MULTI-MILLION ESTATE TO ESTRANGED DAUGHTER-IN-LAW VALERIA.
Mateo’s glass shattered on the floor. His breath caught in his throat.
"Valeria?" he stammered, his eyes bulging. "El Milagro? The old man... is still alive?"
Sofia looked up, annoyed. "What are you talking about, Mateo? Who is Alejandro?"
Mateo didn't answer. His mind was racing back thirty-six years. He had fled El Milagro after stealing millions from his father, changing his identity to hide from the law. He had assumed his father was long dead and the estate bankrupt. He had married Valeria simply because she was quiet, hardworking, and asked no questions about his past. He had used her as a servant for twelve years, only to discard her when she became "useless."
And now, that same "useless" woman was sitting on top of the largest fortune in the state.
"That bitch..." Mateo snarled, his face twisting into a terrifying mask of greed. "She took what belongs to me! That estate is MY birthright!"
"Wait," Sofia said, her eyes lighting up with greed. "If she’s your legal wife... doesn't that mean her money is YOUR money?"
Mateo slowly smiled, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "In Mexico, without a formal legal divorce... everything a wife owns belongs to her legal husband. She didn't sign a prenuptial agreement. She didn't even know who I really was!"
Later that night, in a dark alley behind a abandoned warehouse, Mateo met with a disgraced, bitter man.
Julian.
The two brothers—one abandoned decades ago, the other disinherited days ago—stared at each other in the dim streetlight. They hated each other on sight, but their shared greed was stronger than their hatred.
"She’s living in our father's house," Julian hissed, handing Mateo a heavy iron key to the estate's rear gate. "The old man is bedridden. His heart is failing fast. If he dies before the paperwork is fully registered with the state court next week, the old will remains valid. I get the ranch, and I’ll give you thirty percent."
"No," Mateo sneered, leaning in close. "We make sure the old man dies tonight. And as for Valeria... pregnant women have complications all the time during late-stage labor, don't they?"
May you like
Julian grinned sinisterly. "I have three men waiting in the truck. Guns, ropes, and gasoline. Let's take back what's ours."
CRITICAL TURNING POINT: Greed unites two estranged brothers in a deadly pact. The darkness was closing in on Hacienda El Milagro.
