Chapter 5 - THE AUDIT OF VENGEANCEBack in Guadalajara, the conference room of Transportes Carranza looked like a war room. Maps of distribution routes covered the long oak table, surrounded by financial ledgers, tax documents, and digital printouts of encrypted messages retrieved from Sebastián’s personal laptop.
Javier sat at the head of the table, reviewing a spreadsheet detailing the company’s real estate holdings. Beside him sat Attorney Montes and three senior forensic accountants hired directly from Mexico City.
The heavy glass door clicked open. Don Eusebio walked in, moving with a surprising vitality, though his steps were still measured. He took his seat at Javier’s right hand.
"How are the books looking, son?" Don Eusebio asked, pouring himself a cup of black coffee from a silver thermos.
"Worse than we thought, Don Eusebio," Javier replied without looking up from the screen. "They didn't just sell three regional hubs. They stripped the pension fund of every single veteran driver who retired over the last decade. Over twelve million pesos are missing from the employee trust."
Don Eusebio’s jaw tightened, a muscle jumping in his cheek. He slammed his coffee cup down onto the saucer with a sharp clatter.
"My drivers," the old man growled, his voice trembling with genuine fury. "Men who drove through cartel territory, through hurricanes, through broken roads to build this company. Men who trusted me with their futures. And my own flesh and blood stole from their pockets to fund luxury vacations in Cabo."
"They won't get away with it, sir," Javier said firmly. "Attorney Montes has already filed emergency motions to freeze every personal asset registered under Rogelio and Claudia's names—including their primary residence, their vehicles, and their private investment portfolios. The court granted the seizure orders an hour ago."
Just then, the conference room door burst open.
Rogelio and Claudia stood in the doorway, escorted by two private security guards. They looked disheveled, their expensive designer clothes wrinkled and stained with travel dust. Rogelio’s face was bruised from the scuffle he’d had with building security downstairs, and Claudia was openly sobbing mascara tears down her cheeks.
"Dad! Please!" Claudia wailed, dropping to her knees on the polished floor and trying to grab the hem of Don Eusebio’s trousers. "You can't do this to us! We’re your family! Send us to prison and you destroy our entire legacy!"
Don Eusebio looked down at his daughter with a gaze so cold it felt sub-zero.
"Family?" Don Eusebio’s voice was a low, dangerous hiss. "When you locked me in a dark room behind the servants' quarters, when you watched me choke on dust and counted down the days until my funeral so you could split my wealth—did you consider yourself family?"
Rogelio clenched his fists, his face twisting with bitter resentment. "You always favored the outsider! You gave him a job when he was nothing more than a warehouse grunt, while your own flesh and blood had to beg for crumbs!"
"Javier earned his place through sweat, honesty, and loyalty," Don Eusebio retorted, standing up from his chair with the authority of a general facing mutineers. "You earned yours through entitlement and theft. Security—get them out of my building."
As the guards hauled Rogelio and Claudia screaming toward the elevator, Don Eusebio turned back to Javier.
"There's one more thing, Javier," the old man said, pulling a heavy, old-fashioned brass key from his vest pocket and placing it squarely in the center of the table.
"What is this?" Javier asked.
"That," Don Eusebio said quietly, "is the key to the main safe in my private office. Inside is the final deed of ownership for Transportes Carranza. Effective as of midnight, my shares are no longer part of the family trust."
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Javier stared at the key in stunned disbelief. "Don Eusebio... I can't accept this. I'm just an employee—"
"You are the only son I ever truly had," the old man interrupted, placing a heavy, warm hand on Javier’s shoulder. "Now, go down to the lobby. The press is waiting downstairs, and I think it's time you introduced yourself as the new master of the fleet."
