Chapter 5 - Caught in the Act
“The Whole World Is Watching, Alejandro. Say Cheese.”At 11:30 PM, the rain began to pour over Coyoacán.
Camila sat alone in the dark living room of her parents' home. On the coffee table in front of her lay the black hard drive Paola had delivered just two hours earlier. Mr. Garza’s team of forensic accountants had already verified its contents—it was a goldmine of illegal transactions, tax evasion, and active bribery. It was enough to put Alejandro away for decades.
Suddenly, the power went out.
The house plunged into pitch-black darkness.
Outside, the wind howled, and the sound of breaking glass shattered the silence near the kitchen window.
Camila did not scream. She slowly stood up, slipping her phone into her pocket.
Heavy, wet footsteps echoed through the hallway. A flashlight beam cut through the darkness, illuminating the family portraits on the walls before locking onto Camila.
"I told you I’d turn the lights off, Camila," Alejandro’s voice growled from behind the beam of light.
He stepped into the living room. His wrist was still bandaged, but in his other hand, he held a heavy, rusted crowbar. His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes soaked from the rain. He looked like a man who had lost everything and had nothing left to lose.
Behind him, two hired thugs dressed in black hoodies stepped into the room, blocking the exits.
"Where is the hard drive?" Alejandro demanded, taking a step forward. "Paola tried to run tonight. She’s currently locked in the apartment basement, crying. She told me everything, Camila. You thought you could buy her? You thought you could ruin me?"
"You ruined yourself, Alejandro," Camila said, her voice remarkably steady despite the terror pounding in her chest. "You stole from your company. You abused your wife. You desecrated my parents' memory."
"I don't give a damn about your parents!" Alejandro roared, raising the crowbar. "You are going to sign the transfer papers right now. My lawyer is waiting outside. If you sign, you live. If you don't..." He gestured to the two thugs. "...my friends here are going to make your death look like a tragic home invasion. A grieving daughter, overwhelmed by loss, taking her own life. It's a sad story, really."
"You would murder me for money?" Camila asked, taking a step back toward the fireplace.
"I would murder you for a lot less than $25 million," Alejandro sneered. "Now, sign the papers!"
He threw a legal document onto the coffee table.
Camila looked at the papers, then looked up at him, a strange, calm smile spreading across her face.
"You really should have checked the internet connection before you cut the main power grid, Alejandro," she said softly.
"What are you talking about?" he spat.
Camila reached behind her and pulled down a small, battery-powered backup router hidden inside an antique clock.
"My father had a private, satellite-linked backup generator installed for the security system," she explained. "The power to the house is off, but the high-definition, night-vision security cameras... they are still fully operational."
Alejandro froze.
"And right now," Camila continued, pulling her phone from her pocket, "this entire conversation is being live-streamed to a private link. But don't worry, it's not a private link anymore. Ten minutes before you broke in, Mr. Garza sent the link directly to the Federal Prosecutor’s office, the national news outlets, and your company's entire board of directors."
"You're lying!" Alejandro screamed, lunging at her.
"Am I?" Camila pointed to the wall behind him.
A small, high-intensity red LED light was blinking in the dark.
Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires tore through the quiet street outside. Loud speaker systems began to echo through the rain.
"FEDERAL POLICE! THIS IS THE AUTHORITIES! GROUND YOUR WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS!"
The two hired thugs didn't hesitate. They threw their weapons down and ran toward the back exit, leaving Alejandro standing alone in the center of the room.
He looked at the window, then at the blinking red light of the camera, and finally at Camila.
With a roar of pure, unadulterated madness, he raised the crowbar and charged at her.
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"If I'm going down, you're coming with me!"
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