Chapter 3 - THE RUIN OF THE FERRER EMPIREMauricio felt as if the floor had collapsed beneath him. His knees shook violently. Adriana... Adriana is a Salvatierra? The realization hit him like a freight train. The simple woman he had treated like dirt, the woman he had cheated on and humiliated, was the sole heiress to the largest conglomerate in the continent.
Vanessa, completely unaware of the magnitude of her mistake, stepped forward foolishly, trying to save face. "Now see here! That child was rude to me! Who do you think you are, old man, coming in here and making a scene?"
SLAP!
The sound vibrated through the silent room. It wasn't Don Mateo who struck Vanessa—it was Adriana. She had closed the distance in seconds, delivering a strike so hard that Vanessa stumbled backward, landing painfully on her hands and knees, her perfect hairstyle ruined.
"Touch my daughter again, and a slap will be the absolute least of your concerns," Adriana said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm whisper.
"Security! Get this crazy woman out of here!" Beatriz screamed, rushing to Vanessa’s side. "Mauricio, call the police!"
"Shut up, mother!" Mauricio roared, his voice cracking with sheer panic. He fell to his knees in front of Don Mateo, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Don Mateo... please! There’s been a terrible mistake! I didn't know... Adriana never told me!"
"Because you never bothered to look at her, Mauricio," Don Mateo replied, his voice colder than ice. "You saw a gentle woman and mistook her kindness for weakness. You mistook her silence for helplessness."
Don Mateo snapped his fingers. His chief counsel, Tomás, stepped forward holding a leather briefcase.
"As of five minutes ago," Tomás announced loudly so every reporter in the room could hear, "Salvatierra International has revoked all financial backing for the Ferrer Group. We have called in the thirty-million-dollar loan due tonight. Furthermore, all government contracts held by Mr. Ferrer are officially revoked under anti-corruption statutes."
Mauricio’s phone began buzzing uncontrollably in his pocket. Then his secretary’s phone, then his board members' phones.
"Sir!" Mauricio’s chief financial officer sprinted up to him, his face ghostly pale. "The bank just froze all our accounts! The stock is plummeting! We are bankrupt! We’re ruined!"
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Beatriz gasped and clutched her chest, falling onto a chair, while Vanessa shrank back in horror, suddenly realizing that the wealthy man she had worked so hard to steal was now worth absolutely nothing.
"This is just the beginning, Mauricio," Adriana said, looking down at her ex-husband with utter contempt. "You thought you were taking everything from me. But tonight, you lose it all."
