CHAPTER 2: THE WOMAN THEY HUMILIATED BECAME THE BOSS THEY FEARED
The silence inside the cafeteria was unbearable.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Three hundred employees stared at the same scene:
The CEO of Grupo Novatek standing frozen near the entrance.
His mistress beside him.
And the “ordinary assistant” he had ignored for days holding a phone that could destroy everything.
Adrián Montiel stared at the email on his screen.
His hands began to shake.
Emergency Board Meeting.
Requested by: Elena Alcázar.
For a moment, he convinced himself it was impossible.
A coincidence.
A mistake.
Maybe someone had hacked the system.
Because the alternative was too terrifying.
The woman standing in front of him…
The woman with the red mark on her cheek…
Was not Laura Méndez.
She was Elena.
His wife.
The owner.
The woman whose company he had been preparing to steal.
Renata noticed Adrián’s expression change.
“What happened?” she whispered.
But Adrián didn’t answer.
For the first time in two years, Renata saw fear in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Fear.
She grabbed his arm.
“Adrián?”
He slowly looked at her.
And for a second, Renata felt something she had never felt before.
Regret.
Because she realized something.
She had not slapped a powerless employee.
She had attacked the one person who could destroy her future.
Elena looked around the cafeteria.
The employees who had watched her humiliation were still silent.
Some looked ashamed.
Others looked confused.
A few whispered among themselves.
“That’s impossible…”
“Is she really Elena Alcázar?”
“The owner?”
Elena adjusted her blouse.
The same cheap blouse she had intentionally bought from a local market.
The same outfit that made people underestimate her.
Then she spoke.
Her voice was calm.
But every word carried authority.
“My name is Elena Alcázar.”
The room froze.
“I am the majority shareholder of Grupo Novatek.”
A wave of shock spread through the cafeteria.
Someone dropped a fork.
Someone else covered their mouth.
The woman they had ignored…
The woman they had allowed Renata to humiliate…
Owned the company.
Renata laughed nervously.
“No.”
Everyone looked at her.
She shook her head.
“No, that’s impossible.”
She pointed at Elena.
“She’s lying.”
Elena turned toward her.
“Am I?”
Renata opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because Elena already knew what she would say.
People like Renata always believed appearances mattered more than truth.
A cheap blouse meant weakness.
Simple shoes meant failure.
A quiet woman meant someone who could be controlled.
But Elena had learned something from her father:
“The strongest person in the room is often the one who doesn’t need to prove it.”
Adrián finally found his voice.
“Elena… wait.”
Everyone looked at him.
He walked forward.
His expression changed instantly.
The confident CEO disappeared.
Now he looked like a desperate husband.
“My love, I can explain.”
Elena almost laughed.
Almost.
Because that was the same sentence he had used every time she asked about suspicious expenses.
Every time he came home late.
Every time she noticed another lie.
“I can explain.”
A phrase used by people who already knew they had been caught.
“You have exactly five minutes,” Elena said.
Adrián swallowed.
“Five minutes for what?”
“To tell everyone here why you planned to destroy the company my father built.”
The cafeteria erupted.
“What?”
“Destroy the company?”
“Is this real?”
Adrián’s face turned pale.
“Don’t listen to her. She misunderstood something.”
Elena smiled.
“No, Adrián.”
She pulled out her phone.
“You misunderstood something.”
She pressed a button.
And the cafeteria speakers suddenly played a recording.
Everyone heard Renata’s voice.
“When are you finally getting rid of her?”
Then Adrián’s voice.
“After the Horizon Fund deal, I’ll move the patents into the subsidiaries.”
A second later:
“The company will be drowning in debt.”
The entire cafeteria went silent.
Nobody could believe what they were hearing.
The CEO they trusted was planning to destroy the company from the inside.
Renata’s face lost all color.
“Where did you get that?”
Elena looked at her.
“From the conversation you had in my husband’s office.”
Renata stepped back.
“You recorded us?”
“No.”
Elena smiled.
“You recorded yourselves.”
The truth was simple.
They were so confident.
So arrogant.
They never imagined anyone was watching.
Suddenly, Adrián became angry.
“You planned this?”
His voice became louder.
“You entered my company pretending to be someone else?”
Elena looked at him.
“My company.”
The correction cut deeper than a scream.
Adrián clenched his fists.
“You humiliated me!”
Elena stared at him.
“Humiliated you?”
She slowly touched her cheek.
“You mean like the woman you brought into my company humiliating me?”
The employees lowered their eyes.
Nobody knew what to say.
Then Elena revealed the second piece of evidence.
She opened another file on her phone.
“Do you want to know why several senior employees resigned?”
Adrián said nothing.
“Because they discovered something.”
She connected her phone to the cafeteria screen.
A document appeared.
Financial transfers.
Hidden accounts.
Private companies.
All connected to Adrián.
Gasps filled the room.
“You weren’t just cheating on me,” Elena said.
“You were stealing from Novatek.”
Renata’s breathing became heavier.
“No…”
Elena continued.
“You created fake consulting companies. You transferred company funds. You planned to move our patents before the Horizon Fund agreement.”
She looked directly at Adrián.
“You weren’t trying to leave me.”
“You were trying to destroy me.”
For the first time, Adrián had nothing to say.
Because every lie had been collected.
Every betrayal had been documented.
Every secret had been waiting for this moment.
But Elena wasn’t finished.
She walked closer.
“You know what hurts the most?”
Adrián looked at her.
“I could have forgiven an affair.”
The room became silent.
“I could have forgiven your ambition.”
“I could have forgiven your mistakes.”
Her voice became colder.
“But I will never forgive you for trying to erase my father’s legacy.”
Then the elevator doors opened.
Everyone turned.
Three people walked into the cafeteria.
Members of the Board of Directors.
Including Teresa Molina.
The woman who had helped Elena enter Novatek undercover.
Teresa approached Elena.
“Everything is ready.”
Elena nodded.
“Good.”
Adrián looked confused.
“What is this?”
Teresa handed Elena a folder.
“The emergency board resolution.”
Elena opened it.
Then she looked at her husband.
“Adrián Montiel.”
Everyone held their breath.
“You are officially suspended from your position as CEO of Grupo Novatek.”
The cafeteria exploded with whispers.
“No way…”
“She removed the CEO?”
“Her own husband?”
Elena continued:
“And there is one more announcement.”
She looked at Renata.
Renata’s heart stopped.
“Renata Cárdenas…”
“Yes?”
“You are no longer an employee of this company.”
Renata laughed nervously.
“You can’t fire me.”
Elena tilted her head.
“Why?”
“Because…”
Renata hesitated.
Because she suddenly remembered.
She had no power.
No title.
No protection.
Only the illusion of it.
Elena smiled.
“Because I’m the owner?”
But just as everyone thought the story was over…
Teresa whispered something into Elena’s ear.
Elena’s expression changed.
“What?”
Teresa handed her another document.
Elena read the first line.
And her entire face became serious.
Because this document revealed something even worse.
Adrián had not acted alone.
Someone else inside Novatek had helped him.
Someone Elena trusted.
Someone who had access to her father’s old files.
Someone who knew every secret of the Alcázar family.
Elena slowly looked around the room.
And realized…
The betrayal was much deeper than she imagined.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
Chapter 3: The Hidden Enemy — The Person Behind Adrián’s Entire Betrayal Is Finally Revealed
