Chapter 6 - Confrontation
Valeria didn't wait for the shareholder meeting. The next day, she summoned Alejandro De la Vega to a private lunch at the most exclusive restaurant in downtown Madrid—a place where corporate tycoons ruined lives between glasses of wine.
Alejandro, a silver-haired man in his sixties wearing a bespoke suit, sat across from her with a warm, paternal smile.
"Valeria, my dear girl. What a relief to see you put that wretched ex-husband of yours in his place," Alejandro said, oozing fake empathy. "Your father would be so proud to see how you defended the family name."
Valeria gave him a frosty smile before taking a slow sip of water. "Oh, really, Alejandro? Do you think my father would be proud to see how funds from our Geneva subsidiary financed the smear campaign against me?"
Alejandro’s smile froze for a fraction of a second, but he instantly recovered his composure. "I have no idea what you're talking about, my dear. Swiss transactions are complex..."
"Cut the crap, Alejandro," she interrupted, slamming a copy of the forensic audit onto the table. "Your signature authorized the bailout for my ex-husband's family—on the condition that they push me out of the presidency and legally incapacitate me using that fake postpartum depression story. You wanted total control of the parent company without getting your hands dirty."
Alejandro’s paternal mask shattered, replaced by a sneer of pure contempt. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold and calculating.
"You're just as stubborn as your father, Valeria. But he at least knew when to back down. Yes, I signed it. So what are you going to do? Those papers prove a questionable financial transfer, nothing more. At Monday's meeting, the shareholders will back me. A traumatized, unstable single mother fresh out of a bitter divorce isn't what the market wants leading an empire. Take your trust fund and stay home with your kid if you don't want to end up like your father."
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Valeria’s heart sank. "What did you do to my father, Alejandro?"
Alejandro stood up, buttoned his jacket, and smirked sinisterly. "Executive stress is terrible for an old heart, Valeria. See you Monday. Try not to cry in front of the investors."
