Chapter 3 - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
🎭 SHE THOUGHT SHE BLACKMAILED ME INTO RUIN—BUT I JUST BOUGHT HER ENTIRE WEDDING! 🎭For the next forty-eight hours, Gabriel played the part of the defeated, submissive brother perfectly.
He sent a brief, text message to his mother: “The transfer is authorized. Don’t ever ask me for anything again.”
Within minutes, Ximena sent him a smug, condescending reply: “Good boy. I knew you’d understand your place. Make sure you wear a cheap suit so you don’t embarrass me in front of Emiliano’s friends. Actually, it’s better if you just stay in the back.”
Gabriel didn't reply. Instead, he spent those forty-eight hours working frantically with Uncle Alejandro and a private investigator. They uncovered a treasure trove of secrets that Ximena had desperately tried to bury.
It turned out that Ximena’s financial deception went far deeper than just Gabriel’s credit line. She had lied to Emiliano’s family about her education, claiming she held a master’s degree from an elite university, when in reality, she had been expelled for academic fraud. More shockingly, she had convinced Emiliano to sign a private pre-nuptial agreement that guaranteed her a massive monthly allowance and a luxury apartment in the event of a divorce, using forged financial statements from Gabriel’s bank account to prove she was bringing equal assets to the marriage.
Meanwhile, Gabriel made several specific, legal adjustments to the venue contract. Because he was the sole legal contractor, the venue coordinators were legally obligated to follow his instructions without notifying Ximena or Marta.
On the day of the wedding, the atmosphere at the grand Hacienda El Cortijo—the most expensive luxury venue in Guadalajara—was breathtaking. Rolling green lawns, massive white floral arrangements, and a red carpet greeted the city's elite.
Marta and Don Julián arrived early, dressed in expensive clothes bought on credit. Ximena was in the bridal suite, surrounded by her bridesmaids, sipping expensive champagne, looking at herself in the mirror with arrogant satisfaction.
"I look like royalty," Ximena boasted, adjusting her imported lace veil. "Emiliano’s father is going to be so impressed. We’re finally moving up in the world, Mom. No more living like peasants in Tonalá."
Marta smiled proudly, wiping a tear from her eye. "You deserve it, my princess. It's a shame your brother had to make such a fuss about that stupid cake, but in the end, he did his duty."
Downstairs, the guests began to arrive. Don Humberto, the billionaire patriarch of the groom's family, walked in with an air of absolute authority, shaking hands with prominent business owners and local politicians. Emiliano stood near the altar, looking nervous but proud, awaiting his beautiful, wealthy bride.
At exactly 6:45 PM, fifteen minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin, a sleek black SUV pulled up to the front of the hacienda.
The door opened, and Gabriel stepped out. He wasn't wearing a cheap suit. He was wearing a custom-tailored, immaculate charcoal tuxedo that Uncle Alejandro had arranged for him. He looked sharp, powerful, and completely unrecognizable from the tired maintenance supervisor who had been pushed around for years.
But he wasn't alone.
Holding his hand was little Nicolás. The boy was dressed in a matching miniature tuxedo, holding a small velvet pillow. On top of the pillow sat a beautifully restored, pristine chocolate dinosaur head—the very piece Gabriel had saved from the trash.
As Gabriel walked into the venue, the security guards—hired directly by Alejandro’s firm—saluted him.
"Is everything prepared, sir?" the head of security asked.
May you like
Gabriel looked at the grand ballroom, where the wealthy guests were taking their seats, and then up at the bridal suite window.
"Begin the countdown," Gabriel replied coldly. "It’s time to show my sister what happens when you throw my son’s joy into the garbage."
