Chapter 3 - THE WOLF IN THE BOARDROOMThree days later, the sun beat down mercilessly on the asphalt of the Transportes Carranza central depot in Guadalajara. Javier stood in front of the massive glass-walled boardroom, wearing a tailored charcoal suit that hadn't seen daylight in three years—a wedding gift from Don Eusebio that Verónica had forced him to hide in the back of the closet because it "looked too cheap."
Behind him walked Attorney Montes and two federal marshals in crisp uniforms.
The morning shift supervisors gathered near the loading docks, whispering among themselves. Word had spread like wildfire through the warehouse: Don Eusebio Carranza was alive, walking, and holding an emergency board meeting.
"Javier? What is the meaning of this?"
Rogelio Carranza strode across the polished marble lobby, his face flushed red from anger, having just cut short his golf trip after receiving an automated security alert from the corporate servers. Claudia, his wife, trailed close behind, clutching her designer handbag like a shield.
"Rogelio. Claudia. Good of you to fly back early," Javier said smoothly, not breaking his stride.
"You treacherous little parasite!" Claudia shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at his chest. "How dare you break into the private quarters? Where is my father? Did you kill him for his insurance money, you ungrateful—"
"Quiet, Claudia," a voice boomed from the doorway of the boardroom.
The heavy mahogany doors swung open.
There stood Don Eusebio. He wasn't in a wheelchair. He wasn't wearing hospital pajamas. He stood tall, leaning slightly on an ebony cane with a silver wolf-head handle, wearing a custom-tailored three-piece suit that smelled faintly of cedar and old authority.
Rogelio stumbled backward, his jaw dropping so low it seemed unhinged. "D-Dad? But... the medical reports... Dr. Morales said you had permanent cognitive decline..."
"Dr. Morales was on your payroll, Rogelio," Don Eusebio said, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. "Just like the nurse you hired who conveniently forgot to give me water for three days straight, hoping dehydration would finish the job your ambition started."
Attorney Montes stepped forward, opening a thick leather portfolio.
"Rogelio Carranza, Claudia Carranza, and by extension, Verónica Carranza," the lawyer announced formally. "You are hereby served with a federal injunction for corporate fraud, asset stripping, forgery, and conspiracy to commit elder endangerment."
Rogelio’s face turned the color of curdled milk. He looked frantically around the lobby, searching for support, but the warehouse workers standing near the entrance crossed their arms, their faces carved out of stone. Not a single person stepped forward to defend him.
"You can't do this!" Rogelio stammered, his voice cracking with panic. "Transportes Carranza is a family enterprise! We have rights!"
"You had rights when you respected the family name," Don Eusebio replied, stepping forward until he stood mere inches from his son. "You chose greed. You chose to lock me in a room and leave me to rot while you plotted to sell off the lifeblood of this company to line the pockets of an accountant who doesn't even know how to check a transmission fluid level."
"Dad, listen to us, it was Verónica's idea—she manipulated us!" Claudia wailed, grabbing her husband's arm as the federal marshals stepped closer, their handcuffs clicking ominously in the quiet lobby.
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Don Eusebio didn't even look at her. He turned his gaze toward Javier, who stood by the window overlooking the endless rows of freight trucks parked in the sun.
"Javier," the old man commanded. "Take the keys to the main vault. The restructuring begins today."
