Chapter 3 — The Empire Behind the Lie
Blue emergency lights flooded the mansion.
Police officers entered with arrest warrants already signed.
Santiago tried to regain control.
"This is absurd."
"My lawyers will destroy this case."
Ricardo smiled for the first time.
"No."
"They already work for me."
Santiago frowned.
"What?"
One by one, the attorneys standing behind him quietly stepped away.
They removed the gold Rivas lapel pins from their jackets.
One attorney placed a termination letter on the table.
"Effective immediately."
Another produced financial records.
Then came the real bombshell.
Grupo Salazar had quietly acquired nearly sixty-two percent of Rivas Holdings through distressed debt over the previous eight months.
Every loan.
Every unpaid interest payment.
Every hidden guarantee.
Controlled by Ricardo.
Santiago suddenly realized something horrifying.
He didn't actually own his empire anymore.
He had only been managing it.
The final loan had matured that very morning.
Ricardo looked at his watch.
"I gave you until midnight."
"It's now twelve-oh-three."
The lead attorney slid one final document across the table.
Foreclosure.
Corporate takeover.
Asset seizure.
Effective immediately.
The mansion.
The company.
The private jet.
Even Santiago's luxury vehicles.
Everything now belonged to Grupo Salazar.
Santiago lunged for the papers.
Security restrained him before he reached the table.
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For the first time in his life...
He had absolutely nothing.
