Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Siege
The news of the scandal hit Monterrey like a category five hurricane.
By Monday morning, every major newspaper and television network in northern Mexico was reporting on the arrest of Mauricio Peña and the downfall of the conspiracy against the founder of Norte Firme. Stock prices for our commercial subsidiaries fluctuated wildly as rumors spread that the cartel had infiltrated our financial structure.
At 9:00 AM, I entered the glass-and-steel skyscraper of Norte Firme’s corporate headquarters in the financial district of San Pedro.
The main board executive suite on the 30th floor was filled with twenty-two board members, shareholders, and legal representatives. The atmosphere was thick with anxiety and tension.
When I opened the heavy double mahogany doors, the murmurs instantly died down.
At the head of the long conference table sat Hector Garza—the company’s chief financial officer and a man who had long aligned himself with Mauricio’s grand ambitions. Sitting beside him were three representatives from Inversiones Capital Norte, a shadow investment fund secretly controlled by Roberto Mendoza.
"Renata," Hector Garza said, standing up with an insincere smile. "We are relieved to see you in good health after the... unfortunate personal events of the weekend."
"Cut the fake sympathy, Hector," I said, walking straight to the empty chair at the head of the table. I did not sit down. "You called an emergency board meeting without my authorization."
Hector cleared his throat, adjusting his gold tie. "As CFO, I am required to protect shareholder value. The publicity surrounding your husband’s arrest and the federal investigation into money laundering has severely damaged Norte Firme’s reputation. Inversiones Capital Norte has called for an immediate vote of no confidence."
The three representatives from the shadow fund nodded sternly. One of them, a cold-eyed lawyer named Alejandro Ruiz, leaned forward.
"Mrs. Renata," Ruiz said smoothly. "Under Section 14 of the corporate charter, if the founder becomes embroiled in federal criminal proceedings that endanger the company’s operating licenses, the board has the right to strip executive power and appoint a temporary receiver."
I looked around the room. Several of the older board members—men who had backed me when Norte Firme was just a small warehouse rental business—looked away in shame. They had been bribed or intimidated by Mendoza’s operatives over the past forty-eight hours.
"A temporary receiver?" I let out a low, humorless laugh that echoed through the silent boardroom. "And let me guess, Ruiz. The temporary receiver you’re proposing is Hector Garza?"
Hector straightened his jacket proudly. "It is the most logical choice to stabilize the market, Renata. You need time to recover from your trauma. You need rest."
"You think I'm traumatized, Hector?" I leaned across the table, placing my hands flat against the polished wood, staring straight into his eyes. "You think because my worthless husband tried to poison me, I forgot how to run the empire I built from dirt?"
I reached into my briefcase and pulled out a sleek black tablet, tapping the screen twice.
The massive video wall at the end of the boardroom instantly flashed to life, displaying a series of encrypted bank transactions, offshore wire transfers, and recorded phone logs.
Hector Garza’s jaw dropped. The three representatives from Inversiones Capital Norte froze in their seats.
"These are the secondary ledgers for Norte Firme’s logistics division in Apodaca," I announced, my voice slicing through the room like a steel blade. "Over the past eighteen months, eight hundred million pesos were funneled through Hector’s private accounts into shell companies registered to Alejandro Ruiz."
"This... this is confidential corporate data!" Ruiz shouted, jumping from his chair. "How did you get this?!"
"I built the servers this company uses, Ruiz," I said coldly. "Did you really think I didn't keep a back door into my own financial architecture?"
I tapped the tablet again. A audio recording began playing through the boardroom speakers. It was Hector Garza’s voice, recorded forty-eight hours ago.
"Once Renata is out of the picture and Mauricio takes over, we transfer thirty percent of the Santa Catarina industrial parks to Mendoza’s group. The board won't suspect a thing."
The remaining independent board members gasped in shock. Two of them stood up, pointing fingers at Hector.
"You corrupt bastard!" one of the senior directors yelled. "You were selling our assets to the cartel!"
"Security," I called out quietly.
The double doors opened, and Julian Torres entered the room with six armed state officers.
"Hector Garza and Alejandro Ruiz," I said, stepping back from the table. "You are fired. Effective immediately. And these officers are here to escort you to the State Attorney General’s office for corporate treason and organized crime conspiracy."
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Hector collapsed into his leather chair, weeping as the officers pulled him out of his seat. Alejandro Ruiz glared at me with pure hatred as the handcuffs were slapped around his wrists.
"Tell Roberto Mendoza that his little corporate raid failed," I whispered into Ruiz’s ear as he passed me. "And tell him that Norte Firme is coming for every single asset he owns in Nuevo León."
