Chapter 6: The Aranda Clause
“Why?” Alejandro asked, ignoring her denial. He stepped closer to his mother. “Why would you do this? You have been begging for a grandchild for five years. When Valeria got pregnant, you threw a lavish party. Why would you try to kill my child?”
It was Don Arturo who finally spoke. His voice was raspy, broken. “The trust, Alejandro. The inheritance clause.”
Esther whipped around, glaring daggers at her husband. “Shut your mouth, Arturo!”
“No,” Arturo said, shaking his head tiredly. “It’s over, Esther. We can’t hide it anymore.” He looked at his son with profound regret. “My father, your grandfather, never trusted Esther.
Before he died, he updated the family trust. If you remained childless, the estate and the controlling shares of the Aranda Corporation would pass to your cousin, Mateo, upon my death.
Esther would receive a generous stipend, but she would lose control of the board.”
Alejandro frowned, trying to follow the legalities. “But if I have a child...”
“If you have a child,” Arturo continued, “the child becomes the sole heir.
May you like
And the trust stipulates that until the child is of age, the mother—Valeria—becomes the primary trustee and executor of the estate should anything happen to you or me.
Esther would be completely cut out of the financial power structure of this family.”
