Chapter 3 - DUAL FACES
At 8:00 PM sharp, I pulled up to Teresa’s luxurious house in the gated community of Valle Real. It was a massive two-story mansion paid for entirely by company dividends—dividends earned on the land my father had provided.
I adjusted the hidden microphone clipped inside the lining of my leather jacket, took a deep, steadying breath, and rang the doorbell.
Teresa opened the door instantly. She was wearing a soft beige sweater and a look of deep maternal sorrow. She threw her arms around me, pulling me into an embrace that smelled of cheap perfume and betrayal.
"Oh, Valeria, thank God you came!" Teresa cried, ushering me into the marble-floored foyer. "Look at you, you look so pale and thin! Come into the dining room."
As I stepped into the dining room, Alejandro stood up from the mahogany table. He had changed out of his suit into a simple polo shirt, looking disheveled, exhausted, and deeply remorseful.
"Valeria," Alejandro said, taking a step toward me with his hands outstretched. "Thank you for coming. I haven't slept a wink since this afternoon."
I stepped back, avoiding his touch, and sat down at the far end of the table. "Don't touch me, Alejandro. Just tell me the truth. Is Mónica your wife?"
"No! Absolutely not!" Alejandro exclaimed, slamming his hand over his heart. "She's a lunatic, Valeria! She's been obsessed with me for months! She bought that dress herself! She threw that plate because she was jealous that you were giving me attention!"
"And what about the message on your phone?" I asked coldly. "'Wear the red dress I bought you'?"
Alejandro stammered, his face flushing bright red. "She... she took my phone while I was in a meeting and sent that to herself to make it look like I bought it! I swear to you on my life!"
I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of his lie, but I kept my face solemn. "And the six hundred thousand pesos from my mother's inheritance? Where is it, Alejandro?"
Teresa quickly chimed in, sitting beside me and grasping my hand. "Valeria, my dear, Alejandro used that money to pay off urgent tax liabilities to keep the government from shutting down the factory! He didn't want to worry you with business stress! He was trying to protect you!"
"Protect me?" I looked at Teresa directly. "Then why is that six hundred thousand pesos currently sitting in the account of Inmobiliaria Vanguardia—a company registered under your name and Mónica’s name?"
The air in the dining room instantly turned ice-cold.
Teresa’s warm, maternal expression froze. Her grip on my hand loosened, her fingers going rigid.
Alejandro looked at his mother in utter shock, clearly not expecting me to know the exact name of their shell corporation.
"Where... where did you hear that name?" Teresa asked, her voice dropping its soft tone and taking on a sharp, defensive edge.
"I have my ways," I said calmly, leaning back in my chair. "I know about the Panama transfers. I know about the deeds. And I know that you, Teresa, have been helping Alejandro transfer factory assets out of my reach."
Teresa slowly stood up from the table, dropping the fake sweet persona like a worn-out coat. She smoothed her skirt, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked down at me with pure, unadulterated contempt.
"So what if I did?" Teresa sneered, her eyes narrowing into cold slits. "You think you're so smart, Valeria? You think a simple girl like you deserves to own a multi-million-peso manufacturing empire?"
"Mother, stop!" Alejandro warned, his face pale with panic.
"No, Alejandro! Let’s stop playing games!" Teresa barked, turning her wrath on her son before pointing a manicured finger at me. "Your father was a nobody, Valeria! A dirty farmer who got lucky buying cheap dirt in El Salto! My husband and my son built Empaques Rivera into what it is today! You think just because your father provided the land, you get to sit back and enjoy our wealth?"
"That land was legally my father's," I said, ensuring my voice was clear for the recording microphone. "And you forged my signature to steal my inheritance."
"Prove it!" Teresa laughed harshly, a chilling sound that echoed through the mansion. "The inheritance waiver has an official notary stamp from Licenciado Vargas! A judge will never take the word of an unemployed housewife over a state-certified notary! That six hundred thousand pesos? Consider it back-pay for all the years we had to put up with your pathetic family!"
"Mother, shut up!" Alejandro yelled, standing up so fast his chair fell backward onto the rug. "She’s recording this!"
Teresa gasped, her eyes darting to my jacket.
I didn't wait. I stood up, unzipped my jacket slightly to reveal the flashing red light of the professional digital recorder clipped to my lapel, and offered them a smooth, victorious smile.
"Thank you, Teresa," I said softly. "You just gave me everything my lawyer needs to put you both in prison."
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Alejandro lunged across the table to grab the recorder, but I snatched a heavy glass pitcher of ice water off the table and threw its contents directly into his face. As he sputtered and blinded himself, I turned and sprinted toward the front door.
"Get her!" Teresa screamed from behind me. "Don't let her leave with that tape!"
