Chapter 7 - The Final GambitIsabella looked down at the document. The signature line was blank, waiting for her approval.
Across the room, Federico Lagos stood with his hands crossed over his chest, basking in his apparent victory. The reporters were whispering frantically, their smartphones buzzing with live updates feeding the sensational headline: MONTIEL EMPIRE FALLS AGAIN—MYSTERY BUYER SEIZES CONTROL.
"Well, Ms. Montiel?" Lagos purred, checking his luxury wristwatch. "The clock is ticking. Fifty-one percent. You have sixty seconds before I call the press conference to announce your total insolvency."
Isabella slowly closed her laptop.
She didn't look panicked. In fact, a strange, serene calmness washed over her face. She leaned back in her leather chair, resting her hands neatly on the table.
"Lagos," Isabella said softly, her voice cutting through the chaotic murmurs of the room like a razor. "You’re a very good lawyer. Expensive suits, intimidating legal clauses, dramatic timing."
Lagos smirked. "Thank you. It pays well."
"There's just one problem," Isabella continued, tilting her head. "You didn't check who actually registered Atlas Capital."
Lagos’s smirk faltered just a fraction. "What are you talking about?"
Isabella pressed a single button on her keyboard.
The overhead screen flickered. The corporate debt document vanished, replaced by an official international financial registry seal issued by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission.
"Atlas Capital was registered in Zurich three days ago," Isabella said, standing up slowly and walking to the head of the table. "And its primary controlling shareholder is not an anonymous international fund. It is a private family trust named Ricardo & Isabella Montiel Holdings Ltd."
Lagos’s face drained of all color. He stumbled backward, staring at the screen in absolute horror. "That... that’s impossible! That debt was bought through three layers of offshore anonymity!"
"And as a corporate fraud attorney," Isabella smiled coldly, stepping right up to him, "tracing anonymous offshore accounts is my specialty. Did you really think I wouldn't audit the company’s debt structure before calling a public shareholder meeting?"
The room erupted into absolute pandemonium. Flashbulbs blinded Lagos as reporters rushed forward, shoving microphones in his face.
"Federal marshals!" Isabella called out, raising her voice over the noise.
The glass doors of the boardroom swung open once again. This time, federal investigators marched straight toward Lagos, snapping heavy steel cuffs onto his wrists before he could even process what had happened.
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"Federico Lagos, you are under arrest for corporate fraud, money laundering, and acting as a front for a criminal syndicate," the lead marshal declared, hauling the stunned lawyer toward the exit.
As Lagos was dragged past Isabella, he looked at her with pure, unadulterated terror, realizing he had walked straight into a trap designed specifically for him.
