Chapter 5 - The Fall of the House of Monterrey

The man who stepped out of the vehicle was none other than Alejandro Vance, the principal investor of Guadalajara's largest real estate conglomerate, and the ultimate boss of the Monterrey family’s struggling construction firm.
He had arrived late to the wedding, expecting a lavish celebration. Instead, he walked into a silent, chaotic exodus of guests whispering furiously into their phones.
"Valeria?" Alejandro asked, looking at her torn veil and the determined look on her face, then at her parents. "What is going on here?"
Before Valeria could answer, Mauricio and Doña Leonor came running out of the hacienda, desperation written all over their faces.
"Mr. Vance!" Doña Leonor cried out, her voice cracking. "Please, ignore this! It’s just a domestic dispute. The bride has had a... nervous breakdown. We are fixing it!"
"A nervous breakdown?" Valeria asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked at Alejandro. "Mr. Vance, I suggest you ask your business partners why they tried to hide their bankruptcy by trying to force me into a marriage that would merge my logistics company with their failing assets—all while treating my parents like garbage."
Alejandro’s eyes narrowed. He was a self-made billionaire who despised elitist pretension. He looked at the folding chairs visible through the open gates, then at Doña Leonor’s panicked expression, and finally at Don Arturo’s dignified silence.
"Is this true, Leonor?" Alejandro asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You treated the parents of the woman saving your business like servants?"
"No! She’s exaggerating! She’s a lower-class girl trying to destroy us!" Leonor screamed, completely losing her mind.
"That 'lower-class girl' is the only reason your company didn't go into foreclosure last month," Alejandro said coldly. He turned to Valeria and bowed his head slightly. "Valeria, I apologize on behalf of the business community for this disgusting display. Your logistics contract with my firm is officially secure—and as of this moment, Vance Conglomerate is pulling all funding from the Monterrey Construction Group."
Mauricio went completely pale, stumbling backward. "Mr. Vance, please! That will ruin us!"
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"You ruined yourselves the moment you forgot where you came from," Alejandro replied. He turned to Valeria’s father, Don Arturo, and extended a hand. "Sir, it would be an honor to escort you and your family to a proper dinner. My treat."
THE CLIFFHANGER HOOK: As Valeria rode away in Alejandro's vehicle, she checked her phone. A viral video of her microphone speech was already trending nationwide, but the real shock came when she received an anonymous text revealing a dark secret Mauricio had been hiding all along.