Chapter 7 - The Eviction
By 3:00 PM that afternoon, a fleet of flatbed tow trucks and police cruisers pulled up outside the three-story Zapopan estate.
Neighbors gathered on the sidewalks, whispering and recording videos on their phones as court bailiffs began slapping official yellow seizure seals across the front garage doors.
Inside the house, Sofia was frantically throwing designer hand bags, gold jewelry, and fur coats into cardboard boxes.
"You can't take my personal belongings!" Sofia screamed at two court officers who were cataloging the high-end artwork on the walls. "I bought these with my own money!"
"With receipts, Mrs. Vale?" a bailiff replied dryly. "Unless you can produce tax returns showing independent income for the last three years, all luxury items purchased during the operational period of Vale Holdings are considered assets derived from fraud and are subject to immediate confiscation."
A large black SUV pulled up to the curb outside.
The rear door opened, and Gabriel stepped out. He was dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, his hair neatly cut, looking every bit like the powerful, wealthy man he truly was.
He walked up the driveway, flanked by Victoria Sandoval and two security guards.
Sofia ran out onto the front porch, her makeup ruined by tears, clutching a small leather bag against her chest.
"Gabriel!" she cried out, dropping to her knees on the porch steps. "Gabriel, please! Tell them to stop! I didn't know what Roberto was doing! He lied to me too! He told me he was earning all that money from his investments!"
Gabriel stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking down at her with cold, unyielding eyes.
"You stood in the alley yesterday, Sofia," Gabriel said softly. "You called my wife a 'trash monster.' You threatened to lock my starving four-year-old son outside until Monday while you drank imported champagne inside a house built with my sweat."
"I was wrong! I’m sorry!" she sobbed, reaching out toward his shoes. "Please, don't leave me on the street! I have nowhere to go!"
Gabriel reached down and gently took the designer leather bag from her hands, handing it directly to the court bailiff behind him.
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"You have the street, Sofia," Gabriel said softly. "The exact same concrete you forced my family to sleep on."
The bailiffs escorted Sofia off the property perimeter, leaving her standing on the public sidewalk in her ruined dress, clutching nothing but her personal ID as the gates of the estate were locked and sealed forever.
