Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The Fall of an Empire
I stepped into the study. The room was stifling. Victoria sat behind the mahogany desk, holding a trembling glass of cognac. The fireplace roared. The marble statue stood monolithically beside it.
Bernardo got straight to the point. "Mateo. You've heard the news. Mauricio is in trouble. But we have a proposition for you."
"What kind of proposition, sir?" I asked, my voice feigning a nervous tremor.
Victoria stood up, stepping closer to me. "You are going to the police to turn yourself in. You will say you stole the car for a joyride and hit the child. In exchange, we will give you two million pesos. Your life will change. And if you refuse..." She smirked, a cruel, serpentine smile. "...I know you have a dying daughter in the slums. I will send you to prison for theft, and she will die completely alone because you won't have a cent."
She brought up Sofia. She used the fragile life of my daughter as a bargaining chip.
Every ounce of pretense evaporated from my body. I slowly stood up straight. My shoulders broadened. I looked directly into Victoria's eyes. The icy, piercing gaze, filled with the hellfire of my hatred, made her flinch and step back.
"What... what are you smiling at, you idiot?" Victoria asked, her voice faltering as she saw the corner of my lips curl upward.
"I am laughing at how pathetic you are, Victoria," I replied, my voice hardening, echoing through the room. "Do you really think you still control the board?"
Bernardo reached into his jacket. "How dare you speak to us like that? I could kill you right here."
"I wouldn't do that, Bernardo," I said calmly, pulling my second phone from my pocket and holding it up. The screen displayed a live broadcast. "This livestream has been running for the past fifteen minutes, connected directly to the investigative journalist's account. Over a hundred thousand people are watching right now. Including your offer of two million pesos, your confession that Mauricio killed the child, and your threat against my daughter."
The glass of cognac slipped from Victoria's hand, shattering against the floor.
"Turn it off! Turn it off right now, you bastard!" She screamed, lunging at me like a rabid animal.
At that exact second, Mauricio burst through the doors, sobbing hysterically. "Dad! Mom! The police! Dozens of cruisers and SWAT teams are breaking down the gates! The journalists are broadcasting live from the street! We're finished!"
Everything collapsed. Bernardo stood paralyzed. Mauricio curled up on the rug, weeping.
I walked slowly over to the fireplace. I placed both hands on the heavy marble statue, lifted it, flipped the base over, and slammed it down onto the mahogany desk, right in front of Victoria.
"Do you know what this is?" I asked, every word hissing through my teeth.
Victoria stared at the statue, her lips trembling. "It's... it's just a decoration..."
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"This is the stone you used to smash into my wife's stomach three years ago, Elena!" I roared, the tears of my long-held fury finally spilling over. "And I am Mateo. Her husband. The father of the child whose future you stole! I endured washing your cars for a year just for this moment. Elena's blood is still dried beneath this rock. The forensics team will find it tonight, right alongside the blood of the child your son killed."
Victoria's eyes bulged in absolute horror. Her face crumpled in supreme terror. She couldn't breathe. Her proud, untouchable world had been utterly pulverized.
