Chapter 4 - The Darkest Secret Exposed
The truth behind Mauricio’s sudden wealth is finally dragged into the light.As the paramedics wheeled a semi-conscious, babbling Fernanda out of the house, and police officers began questioning Mauricio, Doña Rosa’s attorney, Licenciado Vargas, entered the living room carrying a thick manila folder.
"What is this, Mom?" Mauricio stammered, sweating profusely as he sat on the sofa, handcuffed for questioning regarding the illegal substances found in the house. "What folder? I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh, I think you do, Mauricio," Rosa said, sitting across from him. "For years, I wondered how you suddenly bought this multi-million peso villa. You told me you made highly successful investments in real estate. But you never had the talent for investments. You only had a talent for greed."
Rosa nodded to her lawyer, who opened the folder and laid out several financial documents, offshore bank statements, and legal contracts on the coffee table.
"Four years ago," Rosa began, her voice cutting through the tense air, "your father passed away from what we believed was a sudden, tragic heart attack. But just before he died, he had discovered that you were embezzling millions from his logistics company to pay off your massive sports betting debts."
Mauricio’s eyes bulged with terror. "No... that’s not true! Dad's heart attack was natural!"
"Was it?" Rosa whispered, her eyes burning with a mixture of grief and fury. "Your father had a severe allergy to penicillin. He always carried an EpiPen, and his medical files strictly warned against any medication containing it. The night he died, you were the one who brought him his evening tea and his daily vitamins."
She pointed to a printed document on the table. "This is a digital receipt from a black-market online pharmacy, registered under a fake name but paid for using your corporate credit card, for high-dose penicillin powder. And here is a copy of your father’s autopsy report, which I had privately re-examined by an independent forensic expert last week. They found traces of penicillin in his system—something the corrupt medical examiner you paid off conveniently omitted from the official report."
Mauricio began to shake violently, tears streaming down his face. "No... no, it was an accident! I didn't mean to give him that much! I just wanted him to get sick so he would stop auditing the company books! I didn't want him to die!"
"You killed your own father for money," Rosa said, her voice cracking with emotion, though she refused to let herself cry. "The man who worked eighteen hours a day to put you through college. The man who loved you more than his own life. You murdered him, and then you used his life insurance and his stolen company assets to buy this house, to buy Fernanda’s loyalty, and to raise a son who thinks it is acceptable to strike an elder."
The police officers in the room exchange heavy looks. The lead detective stepped forward.
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"Mauricio Gómez," the detective said, pulling Mauricio up by his handcuffs. "You are under arrest for the suspected murder of your father, Roberto Gómez, as well as attempted poisoning and financial fraud."
As they dragged Mauricio out of the house, he screamed back at his mother, begging for mercy, but Rosa turned her back to him. The luxury villa, once a symbol of his pride, was now nothing more than a crime scene.
