Chapter 3 - THE UNRAVELING OF SOFÍA
"Wait! Don't hang up! Rodrigo, please!" Mateo screamed into the phone, but the line went dead.
He stared at the black screen, his breathing ragged. Around him, the mansion felt less like a palace and more like a mausoleum. Workers hired by the receiver were already placing yellow security tags on the imported furniture, mapping out every painting, every sculpture, every bottle of high-end liquor.
Sofía marched into the living room, carrying two large Louis Vuitton suitcases, her eyes red from crying and mascara running down her face.
"What did she say?!" Sofía demanded, grabbing Mateo’s silk lapels. "Is she fixing it? Tell me she’s fixing it!"
Mateo slowly pushed her hands away, his eyes hollow. "She took everything, Sofía. The house, the cars, the accounts. The entire company."
"What do you mean she took it?!" Sofía shrieked, her voice echoing off the stripped walls. "You told me you ran the company! You told me she was just a senile old woman sitting on a pension! You lied to me!"
"I DID RUN IT!" Mateo snapped, his control snapping. "I built the brand image! I did the marketing! I made us famous!"
"You made us famous on her money!" Sofía yelled back, tossing her hair. "You think those people came to our party last night for you? They came for the San Tomás name! They came because your mother allowed you to pretend to be a king! And now you’re nothing! You’re a broke peasant!"
Mateo stared at his wife, the realization dawning on him with agonizing clarity. The woman who had urged him to reject his mother’s gift, the woman who had laughed as he struck Doña Elena, didn't love him. She loved the illusion of his wealth.
"You laughed at her," Mateo said softly, his voice trembling with a mix of rage and self-loathing. "Last night... when I threw my father's coa... you laughed. You told me to put her in her place."
"Because she brought a piece of trash to a high-society party!" Sofía hissed. "She embarrassed us!"
"That 'piece of trash' was the only thing my father left behind!" Mateo roared, stepping toward her. "And now that tool is the only thing protecting her while we burn!"
Before Sofía could reply, two men in black suits entered the main living hall, accompanied by a police detective.
"Señora Sofía San Tomás?" the detective asked coldly.
Sofía froze. "Yes? Who are you?"
"I am Detective Morales from the State Financial Crimes Unit. We have a warrant for the immediate seizure of all luxury goods purchased using accounts belonging to Tequilera San Tomás over the past 24 months. That includes designer clothing, high-value jewelry, and luxury accessories."
Sofía backed away, pressing her suitcases against her back. "No! These are personal gifts from my husband!"
"Purchased with embezzled corporate funds," the detective corrected smoothly. "Your husband had no legal authority to sign off on those disbursements. Hand over the bags, Señora, or you will be arrested for possession of assets derived from unlawful conversion."
"Mateo! Do something!" Sofía screamed as the officers stepped forward and casually unhandcuffed her hands from the luggage handles, taking both suitcases. They even asked for the $200,000 diamond ring on her finger.
When Sofía refused, the female officer stepped in, calmly removing the ring from her finger and placing it in an evidence bag.
"This is abuse! I'm calling my lawyer!" Sofía wailed.
"Call him," the detective said indifferent. "Though if he’s smart, he’ll tell you to find a good criminal defense attorney. The fraud audit is sweeping through every recipient of corporate transfers."
When the police left, the mansion was completely silent. The furniture was tagged, the garage was empty, and the air conditioning had been turned off as the utility accounts were frozen.
Sofía looked at Mateo, who was sitting on the bare marble steps, holding his head in his hands.
"I'm leaving," Sofía spat, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I'm going to my parents' house in Cancún."
"With what money?" Mateo asked without looking up. "Your cards are canceled. Your car is gone."
May you like
Sofía spat on the floor right next to his feet. "I’ll find a way. Unlike you, I don't intend to go down with a sinking ship."
She turned and walked down the long driveway in her high heels, rolling her own carry-on bag down the cobblestone road toward the main gate, leaving Mateo completely alone in the echoing, empty tomb of his former life.
