Chapter 3 – The Empire Begins to Fall
Chapter 3 – The Empire Begins to Fall
By sunrise, Mexico City had awakened to chaos.
News alerts flooded every phone.
RIVAS GROUP UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
Trading on the company's stock was suspended.
Banks froze corporate credit lines.
Major investors demanded emergency meetings.
Inside headquarters, executives abandoned Santiago one after another.
Nobody wanted to drown with him.
His phone never stopped ringing.
Every call brought worse news.
Another contract canceled.
Another partner withdrawing.
Another lawsuit filed.
By noon, television helicopters circled the building.
Reporters shouted his name.
He refused to answer.
Meanwhile, I sat inside a quiet hospital suite while doctors monitored my pregnancy.
Stress had caused early contractions.
“Your baby is stable,” the physician assured me.
“But you need peace.”
Peace.
I'd almost forgotten what the word meant.
My attorney entered carrying a tablet.
“The recordings have been verified.”
She pressed play.
Santiago's voice filled the room.
"Your baby is going to grow up without a mother."
Another recording.
"You'll disappear. No one will ask where you went."
The evidence was devastating.
Kidnapping conspiracy.
Domestic violence.
Fraud.
Attempted unlawful imprisonment.
Each charge carried years in prison.
Ricardo looked at me.
“We can destroy them.”
I took a slow breath.
“No.”
He frowned.
“I don't want revenge.”
“What do you want?”
May you like
“I want justice.”
There was a difference.
