Chapter 18: The Final Judgement
Diego and Marisol arrived back in Mexico City by helicopter at dawn, their honeymoon abruptly terminated by a frantic call from Arturo.
When Diego stormed into the local police precinct, he looked like a man possessed. His eyes were dark, lethal, and completely unforgiving. Marisol hurried behind him, her face pale with worry.
"Where is she?" Diego demanded, bypassing the front desk and marching directly toward the holding cells.
The police captain, a man who had received substantial campaign donations from the Villaseñor enterprise, quickly stepped in front of him. "Mr. Villaseñor, please. She is secured. Federal agents are already drafting the kidnapping charges. She’s looking at twenty years minimum."
"I don't want to talk to you, Captain," Diego growled, his voice dangerously low. "I want to see her."
The captain swallowed hard and nodded, leading Diego down a sterile, fluorescent-lit corridor to a stark interrogation room.
Paulina sat handcuffed to a metal table. She looked hollowed out, shivering in the cold room. When the heavy steel door opened, she looked up, her eyes widening in terror as Diego walked in.
He didn't yell. He didn't slam his fists on the table. He simply pulled out a chair and sat directly across from her.
"Diego, please," Paulina sobbed, the reality of her situation finally crushing her delusions. "I wasn't really going to hurt her. I was just desperate. You took everything from me!"
"You made a critical mistake, Paulina," Diego said softly, his voice devoid of any human empathy. "You thought this was a game of chess. You thought you could take a piece off the board to force a stalemate."
He leaned in closer. "That little girl is my soul. The woman you insulted and tried to destroy is my wife. I warned you to walk away. I gave you the chance to disappear with whatever shred of dignity you had left."
"I'm sorry!" she wailed, tears streaming down her ruined makeup. "I'll plead guilty. Just tell the judge to be lenient! Please, Diego, I don't want to die in a cell!"
"I am going to hire the most expensive, aggressive legal team in North America," Diego stated, his eyes completely dead. "Not to defend you, but to assist the prosecution. I am going to make sure the judge gives you the maximum sentence without the possibility of parole. You are going to rot in a concrete box, Paulina. And every single day, you will remember that you put yourself there."
Diego stood up, pushing the chair back.
"Goodbye, Paulina."
He walked out of the room, ignoring her agonizing screams begging him to come back.
When Diego stepped out into the precinct lobby, Marisol was waiting. She took one look at his face, saw the lingering darkness there, and immediately stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him.
May you like
Diego buried his face in her hair, inhaling her familiar, comforting scent. The lethal billionaire vanished, replaced by a terrified father who had almost lost everything.
"It's over," Marisol whispered, holding him tight. "She can't hurt us anymore. It’s finally over."
