Chapter 10 - THE SEVENTEENTH TAB
By the time Esteban reached Exhibit Sixteen, three separate investigations had begun.
Financial regulators requested company records.
Prosecutors requested copies of the forged documents.
The BioMed board called an emergency meeting.
Northstar Meridian suspended acquisition negotiations.
Julián’s empire wasn’t collapsing because Claudia had attacked it.
It was collapsing because the foundations had been falsified.
But Exhibit Seventeen remained unopened.
Julián couldn’t stop looking at it.
Finally, Judge Aranda asked the obvious question.
“What is in the final section?”
Esteban stood.
“Something Mrs. Rivera did not discover until eleven days ago.”
Julián’s face tightened.
Esteban removed a small envelope.
Inside was a USB drive.
Arturo Méndez had disappeared from the company three weeks earlier.
Officially, he resigned.
In reality, he had contacted Claudia.
Arturo had been Julián’s financial lieutenant for seven years.
He had moved money.
Created shell entities.
Altered internal records.
He knew where everything was buried.
And then Julián made the mistake he always made.
He decided Arturo had become disposable.
Arturo discovered Julián intended to blame the entire financial scheme on him.
So Arturo copied everything.
Emails.
Account ledgers.
Voice messages.
Contracts.
And one video.
Esteban played it.
Julián appeared inside his office.
Arturo sat across from him.
The recording was dated two months earlier.
Arturo asked, “What happens if Claudia refuses the settlement?”
Julián leaned back.
“She won’t.”
“What if she does?”
“Then we release the medical story.”
Claudia’s stomach tightened.
Arturo asked, “What medical story?”
Julián smiled.
“That she’s unstable.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
A long silence followed.
Then Julián answered.
“We make sure she can’t prove anything.”
Arturo leaned forward.
“How?”
Julián’s expression changed.
The smile disappeared.
“You don’t need to know.”
The video ended.
Judge Aranda stared at the blank screen.
Nobody spoke.
Then a court officer entered through the side door.
He handed the judge a document.
Aranda read it.
Then he looked at Julián.
“Mr. Salvatierra, remain seated.”
Julián’s attorney stood.
“Your Honor?”
Judge Aranda handed the document back.
“There is an active prosecutorial request concerning evidence tampering, financial misconduct, and alleged threats against Mrs. Rivera.”
Julián stood anyway.
Two officers moved toward him.
“This is insane.”
One officer told him to remain still.
Julián looked at Claudia.
And she recognized the expression immediately.
Rage.
The same rage that had once made her retreat.
The same rage that had taught her to listen for his footsteps.
He took one step toward her.
The officers blocked him.
“Claudia!”
She didn’t move.
“You did this!”
Claudia stared at him.
“No, Julián.”
His breathing became heavier.
May you like
“You did.”
For the first time in ten years, he was the one being told he couldn’t leave.
