Chapter 12 - A Cold Cell
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The holding cells beneath the Madrid Central Police Station were damp, freezing, and entirely devoid of natural light. Beatriz Navarro sat on a hard, metal bench, her designer clothes wrinkled and reeking of stale sweat and profound desperation.
The heavy steel door rattled as a guard unlocked it, sliding it open with a loud, grating screech.
"Navarro. Your attorney is here," the guard barked.
Beatriz shot up from the bench, rushing toward the small visitation glass. Her high-priced defense attorney sat on the other side, looking incredibly exhausted and entirely unsympathetic.
"Finally!" Beatriz cried out, pressing her hands against the smudged glass. "You have to get me out of here! The food is inedible, and the women in here are animals! Where are my bail papers?"
The attorney slowly opened his briefcase and pulled out a single sheet of paper. He did not look at her with respect; he looked at her with pity.
"There is no bail, Beatriz," the attorney stated flatly.
"What do you mean there is no bail?!" Beatriz shrieked. "I am a wealthy woman! My family has connections!"
"Your family has absolutely nothing," the attorney corrected her coldly. "Alejandro’s legal team submitted a new dossier to the prosecutors yesterday. They found the yacht. They found the Cyprus accounts. The judge has officially frozen every single asset, bank account, and property under your name, Sergio's name, and your mother's name."
Beatriz staggered backward as if she had been physically struck. The air seemed to vanish from the cramped cell.
"You are completely bankrupt," the attorney continued, his voice devoid of mercy. "Furthermore, the state prosecutor is upgrading your charges to international money laundering. I am legally obligated to advise you to accept a plea deal to avoid a twenty-year sentence."
"A plea deal?" Beatriz gasped, tears of pure terror spilling down her cheeks. "I cannot go to prison! I cannot!"
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"You should have thought of that before you tortured a child and stole from a billionaire," the attorney said, standing up and closing his briefcase. "I will return on Monday to discuss your guilty plea."
Beatriz collapsed onto the cold metal floor, her screams echoing uselessly off the concrete walls.
