Chapter 2 - The Lion's Awakening
The private wing of the Salazar Medical Center was a world away from the suffocating luxury of the Rivas mansion. Here, the air smelled of cleanliness and safety. Valeria lay on a plush automated bed, monitoring wires attached to her belly, listening to the steady, reassuring thump-thump-thump of her unborn son’s heartbeat.
Ricardo sat in a leather armchair beside her, holding her hand. The fierce, terrifying tycoon was gone; he looked only like a grandfather-to-be, his eyes filled with immense guilt.
"I should have looked closer, Valeria," Ricardo whispered, kissing her hand. "When you told me you wanted to marry that man and cut off my financial help, I should have investigated him myself. I wanted to respect your independence. I almost lost you."
"It's not your fault, Papa," Valeria said, a gentle smile appearing on her pale face for the first time in months. "I was blind. I thought his charm was real. But I survived. And more importantly, I secured the evidence."
The door opened quietly, and Elena, the head of the Salazar legal team, walked in. She held a tablet and a thick manila folder.
"Miss Salazar, Mr. Salazar," Elena nodded respectfully. "The medical reports are finalized. The slight bruising on your wrist from last week's altercation has been documented by forensic doctors. Combined with tonight's livestream footage, we have filed for an emergency protective order. Santiago Rivas is legally barred from coming within 500 meters of you, this hospital, or any Salazar property."
"What about their response?" Valeria asked, her eyes narrowing. She was no longer the fragile girl crouching on the floor. The Salazar blood in her veins was awakening.
"Santiago tried to call your old phone sixty times," Elena replied with a smirk. "When that failed, his attorneys tried to contact us offering a 'quiet divorce' with no alimony, provided we drop the criminal assault charges. They still don't realize the magnitude of the avalanche that is about to hit them."
Ricardo let out a dark laugh. "They think this is a divorce negotiation? Elena, activate Phase One. I want the Rivas Group severed from the financial grid by noon."
"Already in motion, sir," Elena reported. "At 9:00 AM, our banks formally declared the Rivas Group in default of their 200-million-dollar liquidity loan. By 9:15 AM, news of the default leaked to the financial press. As we speak, institutional investors are dumping Rivas stock. Their market value has dropped by 34% in the last two hours."
Valeria listened, feeling a strange sense of liberation. For two years, Santiago had used his money like a whip, constantly reminding her that she was "nothing" without his wealth. He had controlled her clothes, her food, and her schedule. Now, his precious wealth was evaporating like mist.
Suddenly, the television screen in the hospital room, which was tuned to a financial news network, flashed an emergency bulletin.
The screen showed the exterior of the Rivas Corporate Headquarters. A crowd of reporters was swarming the entrance. Suddenly, Santiago appeared, surrounded by frantic bodyguards. His hair was messy, his tie askew, looking entirely different from his usual pristine self.
A reporter thrust a microphone into his face: "Mr. Rivas! Is it true that your company faces immediate bankruptcy? Is it true your wife has filed charges of domestic abuse against you?"
Santiago snapped, pushing the microphone away. "Get out of my face! My wife is an unstable woman who is being manipulated! The Rivas Group is stronger than ever!"
From the background, Beatriz could be seen ducking into a luxury sedan, covering her face with a silk scarf to avoid the cameras.
Valeria watched the screen, her hand resting on her stomach. "He's still trying to lie his way out of it."
"Let him lie," Ricardo said, his eyes flashing with anticipation. "Tonight is the annual Foundation Gala. The event they told you not to ruin with 'visible marks.' They think they can still show up, smile for the cameras, and convince the banks that everything is fine."
Valeria looked at her father, a brilliant, dangerous idea forming in her mind. "Papa... is my designer dress from Paris still in my old closet at your house? The midnight-blue one?"
May you like
Ricardo stared at her, then a slow, proud smile spread across his face. "The one you bought before you met him? Yes, sweetheart. It’s still there."
"Good," Valeria said, her voice dropping all traces of fear. "Santiago and Beatriz want a show tonight. Let's give them a performance they will never forget."
