Chapter 4 - The Corporate War
While Lorena and Teresa attempted to salvage their collapsing lives from a cheap motel room in downtown Guadalajara, the battle shifted to the corporate arena.
News of Mauricio Cárdenas’s arrest broke on the financial news wires by noon. Sterling Industrial, a rival conglomerate that had been quietly trying to orchestrate a hostile takeover of Rivas Automation for over a year, saw an opportunity to strike while blood was in the water.
At 2:00 p.m., Esteban walked into the main boardroom of Rivas Automation.
The long mahogany table was surrounded by panicked board members, whispering anxiously among themselves. Sitting at the opposite end was Roberto Sterling Jr., CEO of Sterling Industrial, accompanied by two high-priced corporate fixers.
"Gentlemen," Esteban announced, striding into the room with absolute authority.
Roberto Sterling Jr. smirked, standing up to adjust his cuffs. "Esteban. Tragic news about your CFO, Mauricio. And I hear your personal life is falling apart just as fast. It’s a shame. But business is business. Given that your company’s financial integrity has been compromised by internal embezzlement, Sterling Industrial is prepared to initiate a mandatory buyout of your remaining shares at thirty cents on the dollar. Sign the papers, Esteban, and walk away with whatever dignity you have left."
The board members exchanged nervous glances. Thirty cents on the dollar was a disaster, but with frozen accounts and a tarnished reputation, many feared it was their only way out.
Esteban didn't sit down. He walked up to the head of the table, connected his secure tablet to the main boardroom projection screen, and tapped the glass.
A high-resolution financial ledger appeared on the massive display.
"Thirty cents on the dollar, Roberto?" Esteban asked, his voice ringing with razor-sharp amusement. "That’s generous of you. Especially considering you’re the one who funded Mauricio’s shell company in the Caymans."
The room went dead silent.
Roberto’s smug smirk vanished instantly, replaced by a sudden, sickly pallor. "What... what are you talking about?"
"Let's look at the data," Esteban said calmly, tapping the screen again to reveal wire transfer records, encrypted email correspondence between Roberto Sterling Jr. and Mauricio Cárdenas, and signed agreements detailing a conspiracy to artificially devalue Rivas Automation to facilitate a hostile acquisition. "For eight months, Mauricio fed you proprietary Rivas Automation R&D files in exchange for kickouts deposited into an offshore account that your cousin manages."
Roberto slammed his hands on the table, his face turning crimson. "This is a fabrication! These documents are forged!"
"Are they?" Esteban raised an eyebrow, walking over to the door and pulling it open.
Two federal investigators and an agent from the National Banking and Securities Commission walked into the boardroom, flashing their badges.
"Roberto Sterling Jr.," the lead agent stated clearly, stepping up to the corporate raider. "You are being detained for corporate espionage, securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit industrial sabotage. Please place your hands behind your back."
The corporate fixers beside Roberto didn't even move to defend him. They knew a sunken ship when they saw one. Within thirty seconds, Roberto was handcuffed and led out of his own attempted boardroom ambush in front of the entire stunned executive committee.
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Esteban turned back to his board members, who were staring at him with a mix of awe and sheer terror.
"The accounts are unfrozen," Esteban announced coolly, buttoning his suit jacket. "The audit is complete. Rivas Automation is more profitable than it has ever been. Now, if there are no further interruptions, I have a family to take care of."
