Chapter 2 - The Morning PaperworkAt six o'clock the following morning, Mauricio Ortega woke up in his mother’s guest bedroom. His head throbbed with a dull hangover from the cheap whiskey he had consumed after Valeria left.
He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and walked out into the kitchen. The apartment smelled of fried chorizo and stale coffee. Beatriz was at the stove, humming quietly as she flipped tortillas.
"Morning, mijo," Beatriz said affectionately, turning to hand him a mug. "Did that ungrateful girl call you crying yet?"
Mauricio smirked, taking a sip of the dark coffee. "Not yet, Mom. But she will by afternoon. She left her laptop and her cheap little suitcase, but how far can she get? She doesn't have more than a few thousand pesos in her savings account. By tonight, she won't even be able to pay for a motel."
"Good," Beatriz sneered, wiping the counter with a dishcloth. "She needed to learn her place. Coming into this family thinking she's special because she has a college degree. A woman who doesn't know how to serve her husband and his family isn't a wife—she's an expense. When she comes back, you make her apologize on her knees in front of your father and Gonzalo."
"Don't worry, Mom," Mauricio said, stretching his arms. "I'll handle her. I'm going to head into the office early today. I have that performance review with the regional director at nine. Once I get promoted to operations director, I’ll let Valeria come back and clean the house as my full-time housewife."
He walked back to his old bedroom, put on his best tailored suit, brushed his hair back with gel, and left for the headquarters of Trans-National Freight.
At eight-fifteen, Mauricio stepped out of the elevator onto the corporate floor of Trans-National Freight’s headquarters. He felt confident, puffing out his chest as he walked past the reception desk.
"Good morning, Mauricio," the receptionist said, though her tone sounded unusually stiff. She looked at him with an odd mix of pity and anxiety. "Mr. Alvarez wants to see you in the main conference room immediately."
"Already?" Mauricio laughed softly. "He must want to give me the news about the director position before the official meeting."
He adjusted his silk tie and walked down the wide, carpeted hallway toward the main glass-walled conference room. As he approached, he noticed through the clear glass that the room was not setup for a friendly promotion meeting.
Sitting at the head of the long oak table was his boss, Regional Director Roberto Alvarez, looking pale and thoroughly rattled. Beside Alvarez sat two stern-faced men in dark suits holding leather portfolios. But what caught Mauricio’s attention was the woman sitting calmly across from them.
She was in her fifties, wearing a sharp grey pantsuit that screamed old-money authority, with a pristine gold brooch pinned to her lapel. Behind her stood two imposing men in matching black suits with ear pieces.
Mauricio knocked once and opened the door. "Good morning, Roberto. You called for me?"
Roberto Alvarez didn't offer a smile. He didn't even tell Mauricio to sit down. He simply gestured toward the woman in the grey suit.
"Mauricio," Roberto said, his voice strained. "This is Ms. Sofia Vance. She is the Senior Managing Partner of Vance, Sterling & Partners, and General Counsel for Horizon Capital."
Mauricio frowned, trying to place the name. "Horizon Capital? The equity firm that owns our parent company?"
"Correct," Sofia Vance said, her voice dropping like an anvil into the quiet room. She didn't rise to shake his hand. She simply looked at him as if he were an unsanitary stain on an expensive carpet. "I am here on behalf of my client."
Mauricio chuckled nervously. "Your client? Did Horizon send you to review our quarter-three logistics metrics? I have all the reports ready—"
"I am not here for your logistics metrics, Mr. Ortega," Sofia interrupted coldly. She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a thick, legal blue-backed document, sliding it across the polished mahogany table. "I am here to serve you with formal divorce papers on behalf of your wife, Valeria Cruz-Vance."
Mauricio stared at the document. Then he broke into an arrogant laugh.
"Divorce papers?" Mauricio shook his head, looking at Roberto as if expecting his boss to join in on the joke. "Is this a prank? Valeria sent you? How did she even afford a firm like yours? She’s an administrative assistant making twenty thousand pesos a month! Did she take out a predatory loan just to play games?"
Sofia didn't move a muscle. "My client did not take out a loan, Mr. Ortega. She doesn't need to. She is the Founder, Principal Shareholder, and Chairwoman of Horizon Capital."
The silence that fell over the room was absolute.
Mauricio’s laughter died instantly in his throat. "What... what did you just say?"
"Five years ago, Valeria Vance established Horizon Capital," Sofia explained, her tone devastatingly calm. "Two years ago, she chose to live under her middle name, Valeria Cruz, to test whether she could find a partner who valued her as an individual rather than an asset manager holding three billion dollars in portfolio equity. You failed that test spectacular last night."
Mauricio felt the blood drain from his head. His knees buckled slightly, and he had to catch himself against the back of a chair. "Three... three billion? No. No, that’s impossible! She lived in a studio! She wore plain clothes! She drove an old hatchback!"
"Because she chose to," Sofia said smoothly. "Now, let us discuss the immediate consequences of your actions."
Sofia gestured to the two stern men sitting beside Roberto. "This is Mr. Harrison from our corporate forensics division. As of seven o'clock this morning, Horizon Capital initiated an emergency audit of Trans-National Freight. We have already uncovered roughly four hundred thousand pesos in fraudulent expense claims, altered fuel logs, and kickbacks submitted directly under your employee ID over the last fourteen months."
Mauricio’s breath hitched. "Roberto... Roberto, tell her this is a mistake! Everyone adjusts expense reports!"
Roberto Alvarez slammed his hand against the table, his face red with panic. "Shut up, Mauricio! The board of directors received the forensic report twenty minutes ago! You’ve been instantly terminated for gross misconduct and corporate fraud!"
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"Terminated?" Mauricio stammered, terror rising in his chest. "No, please! Roberto, I’ve been here four years!"
"And you will likely spend the next two in a federal facility if criminal charges are filed," Sofia added smoothly, closing her folder. "Additionally, the guarantor bond for your marital apartment was revoked at dawn. You have two hours to clear your personal belongings from the property before private security changes the locks. Have a wonderful day, Mr. Ortega."
