Alejandro braked so hard that the car cracked in front of the door.
– He screamed when he got out of the car.
Graciela came out behind him with dark glasses, a creative handbag and a gesture of disgust when she saw her son’s underwear on the lawn.
– Mariana, have you lost your mind? – he said– What kind of a banal show is it?
Mariana didn’t move.
She wore a creamy, simple and elegant dress. He hadn’t covered his shots. On the contrary: the hair had been picked up so that each brand was clearly visible.
There were 2 private guards behind her.
Next to her, Valeria Ortega held a black back.
Alexander appointed the guards.
– Get out of my driveway.
One of them answered without raising his voice:
– We work for Mrs. Rivas.
Alejandro remained motionless.
Graciela squeezed her lips against each other.
– Not Rivas. It’s Mrs. Salgado. She’s your wife, Alejandro.
Mariana barely smiles.
– I’m using my last name again today.
Alejandro climbed the first step of the entrance, but the goalkeeper took a step forward.
– He can’t come in.
– It’s my house! – roar Alexander.
Ms. Ortega opened the case.
– No, Mr. Salgado. This property is owned by the Rivas Trust. He was inherited by Mariana Estela Rivas before the wedding. You have signed marriage certificates acknowledging that you had no right to this house.
Alejandro pales.
– It was a formality.
“It was a notarized document,” the lawyer replied. With 2 witnesses and their signature on each page.
Graciela took off her glasses.
– She manipulated him. My son didn’t know what he was signing.
Valeria shot a leaf.
– Curious. Because M. Salgado also signed an annex stating that he had read and understood the document.
Mariana looked at Alejandro. For years, he had been bragging about this house as if it were a trophy. He had organized dinners, invited bosses, closed shops by the lake and said with pride:
– We had a hard time putting this together.
The truth was simpler: it cost him nothing.
Alejandro changed his tone. He lowered his voice.
– Mara, come with me. Let’s talk about it. You’re upset. My mom’s here. Don’t do this in front of everyone.
Some curtains were already moving in the neighboring houses.
Mariana pulled out her cell phone.
– You asked me to shut up last night, too.
The audio started playing.
First, his own voice was heard:
– Alejandro, let me go.
And then the blow.
Then Mariana’s breathing is interrupted.
And finally his voice, cold, sure:
– Tomorrow you cover it and smile. My mother doesn’t have to find out about your drama.
Graciela looked around nervously.
– Turn this off.
“No—” said Mariana.
Alejandro took a step back.
– It’s edited.
Valeria has brandished another file.
“We also have the video of the hallway, the preliminary medical advice and the pictures taken this morning.
But the worst was missing.
Mariana opened a second filing cabinet and released printed bank statements.
– For 8 months, the money disappeared from my trust. I thought it was an administrative mistake. Until I found the transfers.
Alejandro said nothing.
Graciela yes.
– Be careful what you’re implying.
Mariana looked her straight in the eye.
-6 transfers to a company called G. M. Consulting.
Graciela’s face has lost her color.
– I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Valeria intervened:
-The company is registered under the name of young daughter of Mrs. Graciela Montes. A notice has already been filed with the bank and the legal department of the company in which Mr. Salgado.
Alejandro turned to his mother.
– What did you do?
Graciela whispered something to him, but Mariana managed to hear:
– You said she never checked.
There was a break.
The betrayal did not come just from the coup. He was back from months of looting, laughter behind his back, plans to get Graciela into the house, erase his father’s office and turn his life into an elegant prison.
In the distance, a patrol car is a…
