Chapter 7 - The DownfallThe live television broadcast captured every single second of the Montero family’s ultimate humiliation.
Isabela screamed, kicking and cursing as a female federal agent pulled her arms behind her back, clicking the metal cuffs around her wrists. Her red dress, which she had chosen to symbolize her victory, now looked like a target.
"Alejandro! You can't do this! I am your wife!" she shrieked, her makeup running as she was dragged down the aisle in front of the flashing cameras of the global press. "You're nothing without me! You're a monster!"
Alejandro didn't even look at her as she was led away. His gaze remained cold, fixed on the horizon.
Don Fernando Montero offered no resistance. The old patriarch looked suddenly fragile, his hands shaking as the agents led him out. The empire they had built on a foundation of lies, corruption, and theft had vanished in less than thirty minutes.
Within an hour of the press conference, the market reacted with explosive volatility. But instead of collapsing, the Villareal Group’s stock skyrocketed by twenty-four percent. The transparency, the rapid exposure of the corruption, and the elimination of the internal threat painted Alejandro not as a vulnerable victim, but as an absolute, ruthless master of the corporate landscape.
Banco Occidental released an immediate public apology to the Villareal Group, terminating Sergio Vargas and instantly renewing the three-hundred-million-dollar credit line with a significantly lower interest rate to mend their relationship with Alejandro.
Later that afternoon, the quiet of Alejandro’s private office returned. The storm had passed, leaving behind a profound sense of victory.
Mariela sat at the small table, her tablet finally dark. She let out a long, exhausted breath, rubbing her temples.
"You did an extraordinary job, Mariela," Alejandro said, walking over and placing a fresh cup of coffee in front of her. "Without your courage and your intellect, the Montero family would have succeeded. I owe the survival of my family's legacy to you."
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Mariela looked up, a soft, genuine smile gracing her lips for the first time in days. "I just wanted the truth to come out, Don Alejandro. And I wanted to protect the people who protected me."
"Call me Alejandro," he said softly, his icy demeanor melting away, revealing a warmth that very few people in the world had ever been allowed to see. "You are no longer my employee, Mariela. You are my partner. And this is just the beginning."
