Chapter 3 - The Shadow of the MatriarchBy 2:00 PM, news of the Salgado family's arrest had spread through the high-society circles of Guadalajara like a wildfire.
The Salgados weren't billionaires, but they were old money—a family that maintained a pristine reputation of piety, charity, and traditional values while hiding dark, rotting secrets behind the heavy oak doors of their sprawling estate in Providencia.
Valeria sat inside the glass-walled conference room of Vega & Associates, holding a warm cup of black coffee. Across from her sat Santiago Vega, reviewing a mountain of financial documents.
"You took a massive risk, Valeria," Vega said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "If Bruno had used a weapon last night instead of his bare hands and a chair, you could have been severely injured."
"Bruno is a coward," Valeria said plainly, taking a sip. "Cowards rely on intimidation and surprise. Once you take away their element of shock, they have nothing left except noise. I’ve trained hundreds of women who survived men like Bruno. I knew exactly when he would strike."
"And Mireya?" Vega asked. "She’s already posted bail through a shadow firm in Michoacán. She’s out, Valeria. And she isn't going to go down without a fight. She has deep connections with the old municipal judges."
Valeria set her cup down with a deliberate clink. "I counted on her getting bail. Mireya is arrogant. People like her can't handle losing control. She won't flee the city; she’ll try to destroy me to salvage her dignity."
"She’s already moving," Vega warned, pulling out a tablet and sliding it across the table. "Look at this."
On the screen was a live stream from a prominent local news channel. Mireya Salgado stood on the steps of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Cathedral, surrounded by reporters, dressed in black mourning attire, weeping softly into a embroidered handkerchief.
"My son is a gentle man!" Mireya’s voice wailed through the tablet speakers. "He was seduced and manipulated by a woman who runs a radical violence ring under the guise of a 'self-defense school'! She attacked my boy in his own home, staged the scene, and forced him under duress to make false confessions! She is an operative trying to dismantle traditional Mexican families!"
Valeria laughed—a short, dry sound. "A radical violence ring? She’s playing the traditional family values card. It’s effective with the older demographic."
"It’s working," Vega noted grimly. "The online comments are already turning. People love a story about a scheming daughter-in-law destroying a respectable family. If this narrative takes hold before the preliminary hearing, the judge might dismiss the audio recordings as obtained through illegal coercion."
Valeria stood up, smoothing down her navy blazer. "Then we change the narrative. Mireya thinks she’s the only one who knows how to use the media."
"What are you planning?"
"Mireya wants a war of public opinion?" Valeria smiled, a ruthless edge curling her lips. "I’m going to give her a masterclass in transparency. Get the media permit for the sports center tonight. We’re hosting an open press conference."
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"At your self-defense school?" Vega asked, eyebrows raised.
"No," Valeria said, her voice dropping an octave. "At the venue where Bruno and I had our wedding reception three days ago. Let’s see how traditional her family looks when I play the rest of the tapes."
