flash
The hangover hit Mateo like a freight train at sunrise. Sunlight filtered through the velvet curtains of the luxury hotel suite, burning his eyes. Beside him, Valeria was still asleep, smelling of cheap neon cocktails and expensive perfume. Mateo groaned, reaching for his phone on the nightstand. / Chapter 19 / 20

Chapter 19 - The Ultimate Betrayal

Mateo tried to scramble over the balcony railing to leap into the darkness below, preferring death to whatever nightmare awaited him. But Don Hector’s men grabbed him by his arms, pinning him violently to the ground.

"Get off me! I’m Mateo Garza! I’m the founder of Garza Capital!" he screamed into the rain, his voice cracking hysterically.

"Garza Capital was dissolved two years ago," Camila whispered, kneeling beside him so her face was inches from his. "Your name was scrubbed from every building, every corporate charter, and every plaque in this city. If you look up 'Mateo Garza' on the internet today, the only thing that appears is a short obituary stating you died penniless in a prison riot."

"Please, Camila!" Mateo sobbed, his bravado completely collapsing into pathetic begging. "I loved you! I made a mistake that night! I was drunk! Valeria seduced me! I would have picked up on the 18th call! I swear I would have!"

Camila looked down at him, her expression unreadable.

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Isabella’s artificial tears gleamed under the soft golden chandeliers of the private VIP suite, her hands trembling with a performance worthy of a grand stage. She gestured wildly toward Khloe, who lay crumpled on the cold marble, her white silk dress torn and stained with drops of spilled champagne. Marcus stood frozen in the doorway,

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"I didn't call you 17 times because I needed your help, Mateo," she revealed, delivering the final, crushing truth. "I called you 17 times because I needed the call log to show 17 rejections. I needed the jury to see every single button you pressed to dismiss my life. You thought you were rejecting a nagging wife... but you were signing your own death warrant."

The heavy black hood was pulled over Mateo’s head, drowning his hysterical screams in darkness.

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