Chapter 4 - SUNSET IN CABOFour hundred miles away, the turquoise waves of Los Cabos crashed lazily against the white sand outside the private infinity pool of the El Dorado Spa Resort.
Verónica stretched her arms out in her designer bikini, letting the warm Mexican sun toast her skin. She took a sip from a tall glass of piña colada, humming happily as she watched the horizon.
"Honestly, we should have locked the old man away a year ago," Verónica sighed, turning to look at Sebastián, who was lounging on the adjacent Bali bed, scrolling through his phone. "Can you imagine? No more nagging, no more smelling antiseptic in that depressing hallway."
Sebastián didn't answer immediately. His eyes were glued to his phone screen, his thumb frantically refreshing an email app. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple despite the tropical heat.
"Sebastián? Babe? Are you listening to me?" Verónica pouted, sitting up.
"Verónica..." Sebastián whispered, his voice trembling. "Look at your corporate portal app. Right now."
"Why? Did the offshore transfer clear?" she laughed, reaching for her smartphone on the glass table. "Relax. Dad said the lawyers finalized the Cayman routing numbers yesterday. By tomorrow, we'll—"
She unlocked the phone.
The screen flashed a stark, blinding crimson alert.
ACCESS DENIED. ACCOUNT FROZEN BY FEDERAL COURT ORDER.
Verónica blinked, her laughter dying instantly in her throat. She tapped the screen again.
Error 404: Entity Transportes Carranza S.A. de C.V. has been placed under judicial receivership. All associated personal assets, residential properties, and corporate credit lines linked to Verónica Carranza, Rogelio Carranza, and Claudia Carranza are subject to immediate asset seizure.
"What... what is this?" Verónica muttered, her fingers tapping furiously against the glass. "Must be a glitch. Call my dad. Call my dad right now!"
"I tried," Sebastián said, his face completely drained of color as he dropped his phone onto the sand. "Your dad's phone is switched off. Your mom's phone is switched off. And look at the local news feed."
He turned his screen toward her.
The headline on El Informador de Jalisco flashed in bold, urgent letters:
TRANSPORTES CARRANZA FOUNDER RESURFACES: MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL LEADS TO ARREST OF EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS; ENTIRE ASSET PORTFOLIO TRANSFERRED TO NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE JAVIER LOZANO.
Verónica dropped her phone. It hit the stone patio with a sharp crack, the screen shattering into a spiderweb of dark lines.
May you like
For a long moment, the sound of the ocean waves was the only thing filling the air. The luxury, the champagne, the millions of pesos in the offshore accounts—it had all evaporated into thin air like mist under the midday sun.
"Javier..." Verónica breathed, her eyes widening in absolute horror as the full weight of what she had done crashed down upon her. "He... he was there."
