Chapter 9 - CHAPTER 8: THE BOARDROOM AMBUSH
At 9:45 a.m. the following morning, the glass-and-steel tower of the Santillán Group headquarters in Santa Fe was surrounded by news crews, security guards, and corporate executives.
Inside the grand twentieth-floor boardroom, thirty high-ranking board members, major shareholders, and legal representatives sat around a massive oval mahogany table.
At the head of the table sat Ernesto Santillán, looking immaculate in a charcoal suit, smiling smugly as he adjusted his microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the board," Ernesto announced, his voice echoing loudly through the room’s sound system. "As you know, my nephew, Alejandro, has proven himself mentally incapable of continuing his duties as Chief Executive Officer. His sudden disappearance, combined with his bizarre behavior regarding domestic staff, requires us to vote immediately on revoking his executive authority—"
The heavy double doors at the back of the boardroom swung open with a loud thud.
Alejandro Santillán walked into the room.
He wore a custom-tailored navy suit, walking with an unshakeable, royal confidence that commanded instant silence across the entire room.
Beside him walked Mariana, looking striking and elegant in a sophisticated ivory tailored suit, holding the hand of little Lucía, who wore her bright yellow raincoat and held Panquecito tightly against her hip.
Behind them walked Victoria Vance, flanked by four federal agents from the Attorney General’s Special Investigations Unit.
Gasps echoed throughout the boardroom. Camera flashes from invited press members began going off like strobe lights.
Ernesto stood up so fast his heavy leather chair skidded backward into the glass wall. "Alejandro! How dare you bring these trespassers into a private corporate session! Security, remove them!"
"Sit down, Ernesto," Alejandro commanded, his voice ringing across the room like a crack of thunder.
The four federal agents stepped forward, flashing official badges toward Ernesto’s private security guards, who immediately stepped back, refusing to intervene.
"This meeting is officially being conducted under the supervision of the Federal Prosecutor's Office," Victoria Vance announced, setting a heavy leather briefcase onto the mahogany table. "We are here to present formal legal documentation regarding the estate of the late Mateo Santillán."
Ernesto’s face turned bright red, a vein bulging on his forehead. "This is absurd! Mateo died four years ago without heirs! His estate was absorbed into the central family trust!"
"Mateo did not die without heirs, Ernesto," Alejandro stated, walking to the head of the table and placing his hand gently on Lucía’s shoulder. "This is Lucía Santillán. The biological daughter of Mateo Santillán and Mariana Ríos."
He signaled to Victoria, who opened the briefcase and pulled out a stack of sealed legal documents.
"We have here," Victoria declared, "a certified three-way DNA paternity report conducted six hours ago by the National Forensic Institute, confirming a 99.9% genetic match between Lucía Santillán and the preserved tissue samples of Mateo Santillán. Furthermore, we have the complete, unedited digital evidence revealing Ernesto Santillán’s direct involvement in the illegal clinical trials at Santa Maria Clinic, as well as the sabotage of Mateo Santillán’s vehicle four years ago."
A wave of shock rippled through the board members. Several executives stood up, shouting questions, while press photographers captured every second of Ernesto’s crumbling composure.
Ernesto looked around the room, seeing his allies backing away from him, seeing the federal agents approaching his position with iron handcuffs.
"You ruined everything, Alejandro!" Ernesto screamed, his voice turning shrill and insane. "I built this empire! Mateo was a weak fool! And you... you gave it all away to a maid!"
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"Mariana is not just a maid, Ernesto," Alejandro said, his eyes burning with absolute, triumphant righteousness as he pulled Mariana to his side. "She is the mother of the future owner of this company. And you are going to spend the rest of your life in a federal prison."
The federal agents stepped forward, grabbing Ernesto’s arms and snapping the handcuffs around his wrists, pulling him out of the boardroom as he screamed obscenities into the flashing cameras.
