Chapter 5 - CRUMBLING EMPIRES
At noon, the sun shone brightly over the historic cobblestone streets of Coyoacán.
Inside the Aranda estate, total chaos had broken out.
Ricardo was pacing the living room, frantically dialing his bankers and lawyers, but every call was met with the same automated response: Account Frozen.
Brenda was weeping on the sofa, clutching her expensive leather bags, while Doña Elvira sat in the rocking chair, her face pale with confusion as the house’s electricity and internet services were suddenly cut off.
"Ricardo! What is going on?" Elvira yelled, her voice shrill with panic. "Why aren't the credit cards working? I went to buy milk for the baby and the card was declined!"
"Shut up, Mom!" Ricardo screamed, pulling his hair. "The bank says my signature is invalid! Someone reported the company for fraud!"
The heavy oak front door was suddenly pushed open.
Four uniformed court officers stepped inside, followed by Licenciado Mendoza and Mariana. Behind them stood two moving trucks and a team of federal marshals.
Ricardo dropped his phone. "Mariana... what is the meaning of this?"
Mendoza stepped forward, pulling a thick stack of legal papers from his briefcase.
"Ricardo Aranda, Doña Elvira Aranda, and Brenda Morales," Mendoza announced in a ringing voice that echoed through the high ceilings. "You are hereby served with an emergency court order. By order of the First Family Court of Mexico City, you are to vacate these premises immediately."
"This is my house!" Ricardo roared, rushing toward Mendoza.
A federal marshal immediately stepped between them, resting his hand on his holster. "Step back, sir."
"It is not your house, Ricardo," Mariana said, stepping into the center of the room. She looked around at the oil paintings her father had collected, the marble floors her mother had polished, and the dirty coffee cups left on the table. "This property was deeded exclusively to the Aranda trust. You were a guest here. And your time is up."
Elvira stood up from her chair, holding the baby, her eyes bulging with fury. "You wicked woman! You come back here throwing legal papers around? My son gave you a name! He took care of this place while you were running around the world!"
"He tied my eight-year-old child to a tree under your supervision, Elvira," Mariana said, her voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. "You fed him scraps on the dirt floor while you sat in my mother's rocking chair."
Elvira flinched, stepping back.
"You have one hour to take your personal clothes and leave," Mendoza declared, handing the eviction notice to the marshals. "Any jewelry, artwork, or furniture removed from this house will be treated as grand larceny. The marshals will supervise your packing."
Brenda burst into dramatic tears, grabbing Ricardo’s arm. "Ricardo! Do something! Where are we going to live?"
Ricardo looked at Mariana, his eyes desperate, his arrogance completely shattered. "Mariana... please. Don't do this to my family. We have a newborn baby!"
Mariana looked at Brenda, then at the infant wrapped in the pale blue blanket.
"Brenda," Mariana said calmly. "You should probably take your child and go back to his real father in Polanco. Before Ricardo finds out how much of his money you spent on your ex-boyfriend's debts."
Ricardo froze, turning his head slowly toward Brenda. "What did she say?"
Brenda’s face went ghost-white. She dropped her designer bag, unable to meet Ricardo’s eyes.
"What is she talking about, Brenda?" Ricardo shouted, grabbing her shoulder. "Is the baby mine or not?"
"Get your hands off her, sir," the marshal commanded, pulling Ricardo back.
As the argument broke out into screaming match between Ricardo, Brenda, and Elvira, Mariana turned her back on them and walked out onto the patio.
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She stood under the old orange tree. She picked up the discarded rusted chain lying in the dirt, held it in her hand for a moment, and threw it into a trash bin.
"This house is clean now, Santi," she murmured into the quiet garden air. "You're coming home."
