Chapter 4 - The Handcuffs and the Shadow Cartel
"No! Get your hands off me!" Ricardo screamed as two federal officers pulled his arms behind his back and slammed him against a decorative marble pillar. "Mariana! Tell them it’s a mistake! You’re my wife! You can't testify against your husband!"
Mariana stepped right up to Ricardo, looking directly into his terrified eyes.
"In Mexico, spousal privilege doesn't apply to financial crimes committed against a company where the spouse is the primary shareholder," Mariana said smoothly. "I looked up the legal code last night while I was ironing your suit."
The entire ballroom erupted into gasps, followed by scattered applause from several female executives who had long suffered under Ricardo’s sexist management.
Paola was lifted off the floor in handcuffs, her silver dress torn, mascara running down her face as she wept hysterically. "Ricardo! You told me she was stupid! You told me she would never find out! You ruined my life!"
"Shut up, you stupid bitch!" Ricardo spat at Paola, entirely dropping his polished gentleman act. He glared at Mariana with pure venom. "You think you’ve won, Mariana?! You think this billionaire gives a damn about you?! You’re nothing! You’re just a cheap orphan in a flea-market dress!"
Alejandro walked over calmly. With a casual flick of his wrist, he slapped Ricardo hard across the face. The sound cracked through the room like thunder. Ricardo’s head snapped back, blood dripping from his lip.
"That is for speaking to the owner of Valdés Enterprises like that," Alejandro said coldly. "Take them away."
As the police dragged Ricardo and Paola out of the ballroom in shame, past dozens of high-society guests taking videos on their smartphones, Ricardo screamed at the top of his lungs:
"THIS ISN'T OVER, MARIANA! MY PROTECTOR WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS! DON HÉCTOR WILL NEVER LET YOU HAVE THIS COMPANY!"
Mariana froze. Don Héctor.
Alejandro’s eyes narrowed instantly. The warm demeanor on the billionaire’s face vanished, replaced by an icy shadow of ancient anger.
Once the police vanished down the hallway, Alejandro turned to his head of security. "Lock down the perimeter. Put a 24-hour guard on Mariana. Don Héctor knows she’s alive."
Mariana turned to Alejandro, her heart racing again. "Who is Don Héctor? Why did Ricardo mention him?"
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Alejandro took her by the shoulders, his voice grave. "Don Héctor is the man who ordered the hit on your father thirty years ago. He stole your family’s original assets and used Ricardo’s father to cover up the theft. Ricardo didn't marry you by accident, Mariana... He married you to keep you hidden and under control so you would never discover who you really were."
Mariana felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Her entire twelve-year marriage hadn't just been an abusive relationship—it had been a calculated prison sentence.
