Chapter 7 - The Mastermind UnmaskedThe name on the secret purchase offer attached to Prado’s files was Gabriel Ruiz.
Renata stared at the screen, her grip tightening on her coffee mug until her knuckles turned white.
Gabriel Ruiz wasn't a stranger. He was her ex-fiancé from four years ago in Mexico City—the man whose corporate fraud scheme she had helped expose before moving to Guadalajara.
Gabriel had spent three years in federal prison because of Renata’s testimony. He had been released seven months ago on early parole.
It all connected.
Gabriel couldn't approach Renata directly because of a permanent restraining order. So he had tracked her down, discovered she was dating Mauricio, and approached Ofelia at the casino in Zapopan.
Gabriel had purposely fed Ofelia high-stakes card games, gotten her hooked, and then introduced her to Prado to load her up with unpayable debts.
The master plan wasn't just Ofelia’s stupid greed. Gabriel was orchestrating the entire plot from the shadows, using Ofelia and Mauricio to strip Renata of her property, bankrupt her financially, and ruin her life as revenge for sending him to prison!
"You cowardly snake," Renata whispered, a cold, lethal rage burning in her chest.
She picked up her phone and dialed Captain Vargas immediately.
"Vargas," she said as soon as he answered. "We need to expand the indictment. Héctor Prado wasn't acting alone. He was hired by Gabriel Ruiz."
"Gabriel Ruiz?" Vargas sounded shocked. "The Vanguardia case developer? Are you sure?"
"I have the offshore escrow transfer records right here," Renata said, typing rapidly on her keyboard. "Ruiz put up the funds for Prado's firm to buy out Ofelia’s debt. The contract specifies that once my apartment was seized, title ownership would be transferred to a holding company owned by Ruiz’s brother."
"Dammit," Vargas swore over the line. "Ruiz is on parole. If he's orchestrating illegal extortion rings, his parole is revoked instantly. But we need hard proof connecting him directly to the physical threat made against you."
Renata looked around her quiet apartment. A slow, dangerous idea began to form in her head.
"He wants my property, Vargas," Renata said softly. "And he thinks I'm currently vulnerable because of the media storm."
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"Renata... what are you thinking?"
"I'm going to set a trap that Gabriel Ruiz can't resist," she said. "He spent months hiding behind Ofelia and Mauricio. Now it's time to pull him out into the light."
