Chapter 5 - The War Room
At 6:00 AM sharp, a knock came at the door of the hotel suite.
Gabriel opened it to reveal three people dressed in sharp, immaculate business suits. At the front was Victoria Sandoval, a legendary Mexican corporate litigator known in financial circles as the "Iron Viper." Behind her were two senior forensic accountants carrying encrypted laptops.
"Mr. Gabriel," Victoria said, shaking his hand with a firm, professional grip. "Arthur Sterling called me personally at two in the morning. He informed me that you are the chief engineer who saved his flagship vessel during the Atlantic storm two years ago, and that your company has given us an unlimited legal budget."
"Come in," Gabriel said, stepping aside.
For the next three hours, while Valeria and Mateo rested in the adjoining room, Gabriel laid out every document he possessed. Bank transfer receipts, WhatsApp text threads spanning three years, photo updates Roberto had sent him showing fake progress on a house that didn't exist, and salary slips from the cruise line.
Victoria’s lead accountant swiped through his tablet, his eyes scanning the numbers.
"It’s a classic case of grand embezzlement, fraud, and unlawful confinement," Victoria noted, taking a sip of black coffee. "Your brother didn't just spend your money, Gabriel. He used your monthly three.six million pesos as collateral to secure a fifteen-million-peso commercial bank loan. He used that capital to buy the Zapopan estate and fund his private real estate agency, Hawthorne-Vale Developments."
"Is the house registered in his name?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes," the accountant replied, pulling up the Jalisco property registry. "He registered the deed under his personal shell corporation, Vale Holdings. He used your money to pay the monthly mortgage installments."
Victoria leaned back in her chair, a cold, predatory smile gracing her lips.
"Which means," Victoria explained, "that every brick of that mansion was purchased using the proceeds of crime—specifically, wire fraud and embezzlement. Under federal law, we can file an emergency asset freeze within four hours."
"I don't just want an asset freeze, Ms. Sandoval," Gabriel said, leaning across the table, his eyes burning with lethal determination. "I want him bankrupt. I want his company liquidated. I want his luxury cars seized. And I want him and his wife in federal prison."
May you like
Victoria looked at Gabriel’s unyielding expression and nodded slowly.
"Then we won't just file a civil lawsuit, Gabriel," Victoria said. "We are filing criminal charges for human trafficking, unlawful imprisonment, child endangerment, and grand fraud with the Federal Prosecutor's Office. By noon, your brother’s life will officially be over."
