Chapter 7 - THE SECRET WILL & THE FALL OF THE DYNASTY"You Sowed Bricks, You Shall Reap Stones."Don Guillermo Mendoza stepped up from his wheelchair, leaning heavily on his golden cane, but standing with the undeniable dignity of a titan who had built an empire from nothing.
"Yes, Rogelio," Don Guillermo said, his raspy voice amplified by the microphone. "The father you locked in an attic for fifteen years. The father you starved, tortured, and declared dead so you could feast on my sweat and blood."
The ballroom was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Guests were openly crying, paralyzed by the sheer magnitude of the revelation.
Don Guillermo pulled the sealed steel cylinder from his jacket and handed it to the Chief Prosecutor of Mexico City, who stood beside him.
"This," Don Guillermo announced, "is the Original Unaltered Royal Will of the Mendoza Estate, certified by the Supreme Court of Mexico and backed by international banks in Zurich."
The Chief Prosecutor broke the seal, opened the parchment, and read the decree aloud to the room and the millions watching online:
"I, Guillermo Mendoza, being of sound mind, hereby disinherit my son Rogelio Mendoza, his wife Ofelia Mendoza, and their issue Daniela Mendoza due to gross moral unworthiness and attempted patricide.
Every asset, including the 200 million dollar corporate portfolio, the Jardines de Morelos estate, all domestic and foreign real estate, and controlling voting rights in Mendoza Infrastructure, are hereby transferred IMMEDIATELY and EXCLUSIVELY to my granddaughter, VALERIA MENDOZA.
Furthermore, I execute a clawback clause: all funds spent by Rogelio, Ofelia, and Daniela over the past fifteen years are now classified as ILLEGAL EMBEZZLEMENT. They are ordered to make full restitution immediately, failing which all personal belongings, jewelry, luxury vehicles, and apparel shall be seized by federal marshals on the spot."
"No! NO! THIS IS MY MONEY! IT’S MINE!" Daniela shrieked, scrambling across the floor like a wild animal toward Don Guillermo. "I AM THE PRETTY ONE! I AM THE ONE WHO DESERVES IT!"
"Touch him and you die in prison," Emiliano warned, stepping in front of the patriarch with a cold, terrifying gaze.
At that exact moment, five female police officers moved in.
They grabbed Daniela, pinning her arms behind her back. Before the eyes of the media and high society, they stripped the $80,000 silk dress's designer jacket off her, ripped the stolen 8-carat diamond ring off her finger, and slapped heavy iron handcuffs onto her manicured wrists.
"Mommy! Dad! Help me!" Daniela screamed, sobbing hysterically as her makeup smeared down her face.
Ofelia was already on her knees, hyperventilating as police snapped handcuffs onto her wrists, pulling off her stolen emerald necklace so roughly that the clasp broke, scattering green gems across the floor.
Rogelio tried to run toward the emergency exit, but Javier slammed him against the glass wall, kicking his legs apart and forcing his hands behind his back.
CLICK.
The steel cuffs locked tightly around Rogelio’s wrists.
"Rogelio Mendoza," Javier said cold and clear into his ear. "You are under arrest for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, chronic poisoning, elder abuse, kidnapping, grand embezzlement, and corporate fraud. You will not receive bail."
As Rogelio was dragged past Valeria, he looked at her through bloodshot, desperate eyes.
"Valeria... please!" Rogelio begged, tears finally streaming down his pathetic face. "I am your father! I gave you life! Tell them to stop! Forgive me! I'll give you everything!"
Valeria stepped closer to him. Slowly, gracefully, she reached up with her hand and unlatched the right side of her golden mask, revealing the left side of her face.
The dark stitches, the swollen flesh, and the jagged scar running across her cheek were fully visible.
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She didn't look hideous. She looked like a warrior who had walked through hell and conquered it.
"You gave me life, Rogelio," Valeria said softly, her voice carrying absolute finality. "And today, I take yours away. Enjoy the rest of your days behind bars."
