Chapter 6 - The Mastermind UnmaskedThe figure stepped closer, the shadows peeling away to reveal a sharp, familiar smirk.
It was Eduardo—Andrés’s younger brother, the charming, golden-boy corporate lawyer based in Mexico City.
Carolina’s blood turned to ice water.
“Eduardo?” she whispered, her voice shaking with disbelief. “You... you were supposed to be in Madrid closing the European merger.”
Eduardo chuckled softly, walking toward the kitchen island as casually as if he were dropping by for Sunday coffee. He pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his elbows on the polished wood.
“Madrid? Oh, sweet sister-in-law, that was just a convenient fiction designed to keep my hands clean,” Eduardo said, flashing a brilliant, predatory smile. “My mother is a fanatic, I'll give you that. She gets hysterical, she makes messes, and she acts out of pure emotion. But who do you think gave her the idea to frame you? Who do you think bought those rare neodymium magnets on the dark web using a burner account?”
Carolina gripped the edge of the counter, her knuckles turning white. “You. You used your own mother as a pawn.”
“Mom wanted to save Andrés from financial ruin and preserve the family name. I wanted something much simpler,” Eduardo said smoothly, leaning forward. “Complete control of the Morales corporate empire. As long as you and Andrés were married, your digital marketing firm held twenty percent voting shares in our family holding company. When you filed for divorce—or rather, when I drafted those fake divorce papers and planted them in your desk for Mother to find—you were set to strip us blind.”
“I never filed for divorce!” Carolina shouted, her voice echoing in the dark house.
“Of course you didn’t. I did,” Eduardo corrected calmly, waving a hand dismissively. “Mom just found the drafts I planted and panicked, accelerating the timeline. She thought she was protecting Andrés. In reality, she was executing my master plan. With Mom in prison, Andrés broken and institutionalized, and you legally separated and disgraced... guess who inherits sole voting rights to the entire corporate portfolio?”
He stood up slowly, towering over her in the dim kitchen.
“By midnight tonight, your digital signature will appear on a notarized asset-transfer document, signing over every single share of your company to me. And if you refuse?” Eduardo tilted his head, his eyes hardening into flint. “Well... Valentina just left the hospital. It would be such a tragic shame if she accidentally swallowed something else, wouldn't it?”
A wave of pure, blinding fury surged through Carolina, washing away every ounce of fear.
May you like
“You touch my daughter, and I swear I will tear your entire world down to ash,” she snarled, her eyes locked onto his.
Eduardo laughed, a cold, mocking sound that rattled the silence. “You don't have time to tear anything down, Carolina. You have exactly sixty seconds to decide whether you want to sign the papers... or watch your daughter fall asleep forever.”
