Chapter 2 - THE NOTARY’S TRAP
Facebook Hook: The contract was worth $500,000,000. She thought she was signing her ticket to paradise, but she just signed her own arrest warrant! 😱🖋️ #Revenge #Exposed #Justice #BillionaireThe morning sun streamed through the towering double-height windows of the Mendizábal library. The room smelled of old leather, mahogany, and betrayal.
Valeria stood by the fireplace, her fingers nervously tapping against her designer handbag. Today, she wore a sharp, blood-red pantsuit. She looked like a woman ready to conquer an empire.
Beside her stood Dr. Raul Cordero, Alejandro’s personal physician, and Licenciado Marcelo Peña, a notary public who had been heavily bribed by Valeria to facilitate the transfer of Alejandro's entire estate into a blind trust controlled solely by her.
"Is everything ready, Marcelo?" Valeria whispered, her eyes darting toward the stairs.
"The documents are fully prepared, Miss Valeria," the notary whispered back, patting his leather briefcase. "Once Mr. Mendizábal places his signature and thumbprint on these three copies, full administrative power of the Mendizábal Group, all real estate holdings, and his personal bank accounts will be transferred to you. He will legally be declared incompetent to manage his own affairs due to his severe cognitive decline and blindness."
Valeria let out a soft, wicked chuckle. "Perfect. And Dr. Cordero? Your medical report is airtight?"
Dr. Cordero nodded, though he looked nervously around the room. "Yes. I have documented that Alejandro is suffering from post-traumatic dementia and permanent optic nerve atrophy. But Valeria... are you sure about the dosage of the scopolamine? If he has a lucid moment during the signing—"
"He won't," Valeria interrupted coldly. "He's been drinking his 'special tea' for two weeks. He's practically a vegetable. Just do your job, receive your five million pesos, and shut up."
At that moment, the heavy double doors of the library swung open.
Elena pushed a wheelchair into the room. Sitting in it was Alejandro. He was dressed in a dark suit, his head slightly bowed, his eyes completely hidden behind his dark glasses. He looked fragile, exhausted, and utterly defeated.
Elena’s face was pale. She had spent the morning trying to hide the bruise on her cheek with cheap makeup, but under the bright library lights, the faint purple mark was still visible.
"Ah, Alejandro, my love!" Valeria cried out, instantly transforming into a doting partner. She rushed over, pushing Elena roughly out of the way. "Let me help you. You shouldn't have walked all this way, even with the wheelchair."
Elena stumbled backward, nearly falling, but she quickly stabilized herself and stood quietly in the corner, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She looked at Alejandro with deep worry. She didn't want him to sign anything. She knew Valeria was up to no good, but she felt entirely powerless to stop it.
"Valeria..." Alejandro mumbled, his voice hoarse. "Is the notary here? I... I have a severe headache today. I can barely think."
Valeria’s eyes sparkled with triumph. She looked at the notary and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, my sweet," Valeria said, leaning down to press her cheek against his. "Licenciado Peña is here. He has the papers to help protect our family. Since you cannot see to manage the businesses, this will allow me to handle the heavy lifting so you can just rest and heal. Don't you want that, my love?"
"Yes..." Alejandro whispered, his head nodding limply. "I just want to rest. The noise... the business... it's too much."
"Of course it is," Valeria cooed. She gestured to the notary, who quickly stepped forward, laying out three thick stacks of legal paper on the massive mahogany desk.
"Mr. Mendizábal," the notary said, his voice loud and formal. "I have here the documents for the creation of the Mendizábal-Valeria Trust. By signing here, here, and here, you authorize the full transfer of your administrative rights to Miss Valeria. Do you understand and assent to this?"
"I... I understand," Alejandro said weakly.
Elena, standing in the corner, took a step forward. Her heart was pounding against her ribs. She couldn't watch this happen. She knew she was risking her mother's life, her job, everything—but she couldn't let them destroy this man who had once been so kind, so brilliant.
"Mr. Alejandro, please," Elena blurted out, her voice trembling. "Perhaps... perhaps you should wait. Perhaps you should consult with your company's board of directors first."
The room went deathly silent.
Valeria’s face turned an ugly shade of purple. She whipped around, her eyes boring into Elena like daggers.
"How dare you!" Valeria screamed, dropping her mask of sweetness entirely. "You are a lowly servant! A maid! How dare you speak during a private legal proceeding! Get out of this room right now before I have the police drag you out for theft!"
"I... I'm sorry, but—" Elena stammered, tears springing to her eyes.
"No, let her stay," Alejandro’s voice cut through the tension. It was still soft, but there was a strange, subtle shift in its frequency. "Elena... is only looking out for me. But it's fine, Elena. I know what I am doing."
Valeria sneered at Elena, mouthing the words: You are dead.
She then turned back to Alejandro, placing a expensive gold fountain pen into his right hand. She guided his hand toward the first signature line.
"Right here, my love," Valeria whispered, her breath hot on his neck. "Just sign your name, and then we will put your thumbprint on the seal. It will all be over soon."
Alejandro held the pen. His hand shook. He lowered the nib to the paper.
Valeria held her breath. Her eyes were glued to the pen. Five hundred million dollars. The yacht in Monaco, the penthouse in New York, the endless, glittering high society life she had dreamed of since she was a penniless girl—it was all just a signature away.
Alejandro began to write.
A... l... e... j... a... n... d... r... o...
He signed the first page. Then the second. Then the third.
"Now, the thumbprint," Valeria urged, her voice practically trembling with greed. She opened a small ink pad and pressed his right thumb into the dark blue ink, then pressed it firmly onto the gold foil seals on each document.
"It is done!" Valeria gasped, clutching the signed papers to her chest like a prize. She looked at the notary, a wild, victorious laugh escaping her throat. "We did it!"
She turned back to Alejandro, her expression instantly shifting from feigned love to cold, mocking contempt. She no longer had to pretend. She had the signatures. She had the power of attorney. She owned him.
"Well, Alejandro," Valeria said, her voice dropping all pretense of warmth. "Thank you for making this so easy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of changes to make in this house. Starting with your useless presence."
Alejandro sat quietly in his wheelchair.
Then, slowly, he raised his hand and took off his dark sunglasses.
He looked directly at Valeria.
May you like
His eyes were not cloudy. They were not vacant. They were sharp, piercing, and burning with a terrifying, icy rage.
"You're right, Valeria," Alejandro said, his voice no longer weak, but echoing through the high-ceilinged room like thunder. "The signature is done. But perhaps you should read exactly what you just signed."
