Chapter 3 - The Lies Unravel
Roberto’s face went from pale to a deep, ugly red. Seeing his high-society image collapsing in front of his important guests, his panic turned into desperate hostility.
"Security! Get in here!" Roberto shouted toward the front doors.
Two large guards hired for the party stepped into the foyer, looking hesitant as they took in Gabriel’s massive frame and the terrifying look in his eyes.
"Gabriel, you've gone crazy!" Roberto yelled, pointing a trembling finger at his brother. "You come into my home, ruin my party, and make crazy accusations?! Valeria is sick! She’s mentally unstable, Gabriel! I gave her money every week! She spent it all on gambling and pills! I put her in the back quarter to keep her safe!"
Valeria let out a choked gasp, shaking her head violently against Gabriel’s shoulder. "No! No! That’s not true! Gabriel, he never gave me a single peso! He told me if I tried to leave, he would use his money to take Mateo away forever and tell the police I was an unfit mother!"
"Shut up, you crazy bitch!" Sofia screamed from the doorway, stepping into the room. "You were living in a shack when Roberto took you in out of charity!"
Gabriel looked at Sofia, then at his brother. The pure, unadulterated evil of their betrayal settled deep into his bones.
"Is that so?" Gabriel said softly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his thick leather travel wallet. From it, he produced a heavy stack of official banking receipts, wire transfer confirmations, and stamped bank statements issued by the Maritime International Bank.
"Every single transfer," Gabriel said, throwing the stack of papers into the air.
The white papers rained down over the broken glass and the carpet.
"Directly into your personal account, Roberto. Stamped with your signature every thirty days. I have the digital logs on my phone. I have the receipts from the cruise line's accounting firm."
A few of the guests, including the city councillor, knelt down and picked up the receipts. Their expressions darkened as they read the figures—100,000 pesos transferred monthly, explicitly labeled: For Valeria and Mateo's Housing & Maintenance.
"Roberto..." the councillor said sternly, setting his drink down. "Is this true? Is this how you funded your capital contribution for the land development project?"
"No! It’s a misunderstanding! He’s lying!" Roberto stammered, stepping backward as his guests began looking at him with utter disgust.
Gabriel didn't wait to hear any more of Roberto's excuses. He looked at the two security guards.
"Touch me," Gabriel warned the guards softly, "and you’ll be answering to the federal prosecutor along with him."
The guards took one look at the official bank receipts on the floor, looked at the starving child in Gabriel's arms, and immediately stepped back, folding their arms and looking away.
Gabriel turned back to Roberto.
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"Keep the party going, brother," Gabriel whispered, his eyes locked onto Roberto's shaking face. "Enjoy this house tonight. Because by tomorrow morning, I am going to tear your life down brick by brick."
Gabriel turned around, wrapped his arms around Valeria and Mateo, and walked out of the mansion into the night.
