Chapter 3 - The Eviction of Elvira
The elevator doors opened on the penthouse floor of the San Pedro tower. Two federal agents stood on either side of the entrance, while a team of moving contractors waited behind them with heavy cardboard boxes and tape rolls.
Inside the penthouse, Elvira was sitting at my dining table, wearing one of my silk robes and sipping coffee from my porcelain cups. Camila’s three children were playing video games on the eighty-inch television, shouting and throwing sofa cushions across the living room.
When the front door swung open, Elvira didn't even turn around at first.
"Mauricio, darling?" she called out in her sweet, calculated voice. "Did the doctor sign the paper? Did you make sure to lock the house in Santa Catarina under our name?"
"The papers are signed, Elvira," I said, stepping into the foyer.
Elvira froze. The porcelain cup slipped from her hand, shattering against the marble floor and splashing dark coffee across her legs. She spun around, her face twisting into an expression of pure, unadulterated venom.
"You?" she hissed, grabbing her silver-topped cane and pushing herself up. "How dare you step foot inside my grandsons' home! Mauricio threw you out! You are a nobody! A street vendor!"
"This home never belonged to your grandsons, Elvira," I said, walking slowly into the center of the living room. "And it certainly doesn't belong to a woman who buys industrial poisons off the dark web."
Elvira’s face went pale, her eyes darting toward the hallway where three federal officers stepped into view, holding search warrants and evidence bags.
"What... what is this?" Elvira stammered, stepping back. "Officers! Arrest this woman! She is trespassing!"
"Elvira Peña," the lead federal agent declared, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, poisoning with intent to kill, and financial fraud."
"No!" Elvira shrieked, waving her cane frantically in the air. "I am an old woman! You can't touch me! Mauricio! Mauricio, help me!"
"Mauricio is currently in a federal holding cell in San Pedro, Elvira," I said calmly, looking down at her. "He knows about the poisoning. He knows about the insurance fraud. And he knows that Camila’s children belong to Roberto Mendoza."
Elvira gasped, stumbling backward until she hit the edge of the dining table. The arrogant, untouchable matriarch was gone; in her place stood a terrified old woman whose lies had finally caught up with her.
"You... you dirty little orphan," Elvira spat, her voice trembling with rage. "You ruined my son’s life!"
"Your son ruined his own life the moment he decided my kindness was weakness," I replied, my voice hard as granite. "Every suit he wore, every car he drove, every peso he spent was paid for by the hands you made fun of. You wanted my company, Elvira. But all you’re getting is a twenty-year sentence in a state penitentiary."
The officers stepped forward, seizing her cane and pinning her arms behind her back as she screamed profanities at the top of her lungs.
The three boys stopped playing their video games, staring in absolute terror as their grandmother was led away in chains.
I turned to the team of moving contractors. "Pack up everything that doesn't belong to this apartment. Throw their clothes into trash bags and set them on the curb outside. The children will be placed in the custody of Child Protective Services until Roberto Mendoza’s legal team claims them."
Within two hours, the penthouse was cleared. The laughter, the arrogance, and the toxic presence of the Peña family were erased.
I stood on the balcony overlooking Monterrey, the cold wind whipping through my hair.
Julian walked out onto the balcony, holding two cups of black coffee. He handed one to me.
"Mauricio’s lawyer just called," Julian said quietly. "Mauricio wants to make a deal. He’s offering to testify against his mother and Camila in exchange for dropping the attempted murder charge."
I took a slow sip of the hot coffee, staring at the mountains.
"Tell his lawyer that I don't negotiate with domestic terrorists," I said cleanly. "I want the maximum penalty for all three of them."
"And Roberto Mendoza?" Julian asked, his expression growing serious. "Mendoza just realized that his front company in Panama has been frozen by the federal government. He knows you're the one who provided the intelligence."
May you like
I turned to look at Julian, my eyes burning with a fierce, quiet fire.
"Let him come," I said. "Mendoza thinks he owns this city. It’s time he learned who actually built it."
