PART 4 — The Collapse of an Empire
PART 4 — The Collapse of an Empire
Within hours, the Rivas mansion was no longer a home.
It was a crime scene.
Men in suits arrived.
Lawyers.
Federal investigators.
People Santiago used to control… now ignoring him completely.
Beatriz tried to leave.
Security stopped her.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
Santiago stood in the middle of it all, disoriented.
His phone rang nonstop.
No one answered him.
His companies.
His accounts.
His partners.
Gone.
One by one.
Destroyed quietly.
Efficiently.
My father didn’t even look at him.
He was holding me now as I struggled to stand.
“You’re safe,” he said softly.
But I wasn’t crying.
Not yet.
Because something inside me still hadn’t broken free.
Not the fear.
The anger.
Santiago whispered behind us:
“You think this is over?”
I turned slightly.
And for the first time in two years…
I smiled at him the same way he used to smile at me.
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“No,” I said.
“This is just the beginning.”
