Chapter 4 - THE LEGAL STORM
The next morning at eight o'clock, the high-rise office of Licenciado Gustavo Mendoza—Mexico City's most formidable corporate and family lawyer—was filled with intense activity.
Mariana sat across from Mendoza, her hair pulled back into a neat, professional knot, wearing a sharp grey suit. Beside her, Commander Vega laid out stack after stack of financial ledgers, video surveillance files, and medical reports from Mateo's examination.
Mendoza, a white-haired man with piercing grey eyes, read through the medical report first. As his eyes scanned the photos of the dog chain marks on Mateo’s neck, his face grew dark.
"This isn't just a civil dispute over a house and a business," Mendoza said, slamming the file shut. "This is felony child cruelty, unlawful confinement, financial fraud, and identity theft. Ricardo signed loan agreements worth over twenty million pesos using forged power-of-attorney documents while you were on assignment."
"I don't care about the money, Gustavo," Mariana said firmly. "I want full, sole legal custody of Mateo today. And I want them removed from my parents' house before the sun sets."
"Consider it done," Mendoza replied, pulling a gold pen from his coat pocket. "Because your assignment was classified under federal security laws, your absence is legally protected. You were not an 'absentee mother'—you were a servant of the state under non-disclosure orders. Ricardo’s claim of abandonment is legally void."
Mendoza pulled out a document stamped with the seal of the Supreme Court of Mexico.
"We are filing an emergency ex-parte injunction," Mendoza explained. "The judge will grant an immediate eviction order against Ricardo, Doña Elvira, and Brenda. They will have two hours to clear out. Furthermore, all accounts associated with Aranda Construction will be frozen immediately."
"What about the baby?" Mariana asked.
"The DNA test results came back an hour ago from the clinic," Vega interjected, holding up a lab report. "The infant is not Ricardo’s. Brenda was already pregnant by her previous partner when she moved into your house. Ricardo knew he was infertile, but he helped cover it up so his mother, Elvira, would agree to kick Mateo out and focus the family legacy on the new 'grandson.'"
Mariana shook her head, a mixture of disgust and pity filling her heart. "Elvira turned my son into a dog for a child that isn't even her blood."
May you like
"She wanted control of the estate," Vega said. "Elvira convinced Ricardo that Mateo was 'cursed' like your family, hoping to push the boy into an asylum once he turned ten."
Mariana stood up, buttoning her jacket. "Let's go to the house, Gustavo. I want to personally deliver the eviction notice."
