Chapter 4 - The Art of the Counterattack
Facebook Hook: 🔥 The ex-fiancé tried to use a secret tape to blackmail the bride into giving back the empire. But he forgot one crucial detail about who actually controlled the cameras… 🔥
Desperation makes monsters out of men, and Santiago De la Vega was quickly learning how to be a monster.
Two weeks had passed since the catastrophic wedding cancellation. The De la Vega family had been forced to move out of their luxury penthouse and into a cramped, three-bedroom apartment in a middle-class neighborhood—a place Lorena treated like a medieval dungeon.
Alejandro spent his days drinking, while Fernanda fought off creditors who were demanding the return of leased luxury cars and designer jewelry.
Santiago sat in a dingy coffee shop across town, staring at a USB drive in his hand. A dark, desperate smile played on his lips. He had spent the last week digging through his old hard drives and messages with Valeria. He had found something he thought could save his family.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Valeria’s new direct office number at Continental Holdings.
To his surprise, she picked up after two rings. "Valeria speaking."
"Valeria, it's me," Santiago said, his voice dropping into a low, manipulative tone. "Don't hang up. If you hang up, the entire financial press gets a very interesting file."
There was a long pause on the line. "You have exactly thirty seconds to explain why you are calling me, Santiago."
"I have the private financial files you sent me last year when we were planning the wedding," Santiago lied smoothly, though he did possess old personal photos and private emails about her personal life from before she knew her mother’s true identity. "More importantly, I have recordings of our private conversations regarding your mother’s 'simple life' in Puebla. If the media finds out that the great Elena Fuentes hid billions of dollars from the tax authorities by pretending to be a poor factory worker, the government will audit Continental Holdings until there's nothing left. The scandal will ruin you."
Valeria let out a soft, amused sigh that infuriated him. "Is that so?"
"I want our hotels back," Santiago demanded, his voice turning vicious. "I want the leases reinstated, and I want a public apology from your mother to my family. Meet me at the Grand Plaza Hotel Lounge in one hour. Alone. Or the file goes live."
"I'll be there," Valeria said, and hung up.
One hour later, Santiago sat in the VIP lounge of the Grand Plaza Hotel—ironically, a property that had once belonged to his family but was now completely under Continental control.
Valeria walked in, looking stunning in a deep emerald blazer. She sat down across from him, refusing to order anything from the waiter.
"Do you have the documents to reinstate the leases?" Santiago asked, leaning forward, tapping the USB drive against the glass table. "Because this drive is ready to be sent to every news outlet in Mexico."
"You know, Santiago," Valeria said, leaning back, crossing her legs elegantly. "I used to think you were smart. I used to think your arrogance was just confidence. But you are remarkably stupid."
"Watch your mouth, Valeria!" Santiago hissed, sliding the USB drive toward her. "You don't hold the cards anymore. One click, and your mother’s reputation as a 'saint' is destroyed."
Valeria didn't look at the drive. Instead, she tapped her smart watch twice.
Suddenly, the large digital screens in the hotel lounge—which usually displayed stock market updates—flickered. The displays changed to show a live high-definition security camera feed of the very table they were sitting at.
Not only was the video clear, but the audio of Santiago’s blackmail attempt began playing loudly through the lounge’s state-of-the-art speaker system.
The few elite guests in the lounge turned around, staring directly at Santiago.
"What... what is this?!" Santiago gasped, jumping to his feet, his face turning pale.
"This hotel belongs to Continental Holdings now, Santiago," Valeria said, her voice loud and clear over the speakers. "Every microphone, every camera, every piece of software belongs to us. You just confessed to commercial extortion and blackmail in a public room filled with witnesses, including two undercover federal officers sitting at the bar."
As if on cue, two men in dark suits stood up from the bar, pulling out badges.
Santiago looked at the officers, then back at Valeria, his chest heaving with panic. "Valeria, please! Don't do this! We can work this out!"
"You tried to destroy my mother twice," Valeria said, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, unforgiving light. "The first time, I walked away. This time, you go to jail."
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The officers grabbed Santiago’s arms, forcing them behind his back and clicking handcuffs into place. As they dragged him out of the lounge in front of the elite crowd he so desperately wanted to impress, Valeria picked up the USB drive from the table.
She dropped it into her hot cup of coffee, watching the plastic melt, before walking out without looking back.
