Chapter 6 - Checkmate
Arturo backed away from the locked door, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Mariana! Let me out of here! You can't lock me in!"
"I knew you would try something tonight," Mariana's voice echoed smoothly in the small room. "You are nothing if not predictable. Did you really think Salazar the investigator would keep your secret? I pay him a retainer twice as large as whatever you promised him. He gave you fake documents, Arturo. But the documents I have on you are very, very real."
Down in the ballroom, the guests were completely unaware of the drama unfolding above them. The jazz band was playing, and champagne was flowing. Mariana had pre-recorded the video trap for Arturo, leaving her free to mingle below.
In the AV room, Arturo was sweating profusely. "I'll smash the windows! I'll tell the press everything! You're a fraud, Mariana!"
"You're done, Arturo," Mariana's voice replied, devoid of any emotion. "For thirteen years, I made myself small so you could feel big. I forgave your arrogance. I ignored your petty cruelties. But when you tried to steal my father's legacy, you crossed a line you can never uncross."
"Mariana, please!" Arturo's bravado shattered, replaced by naked, pathetic terror. He fell to his knees, staring at the monitor. "I'm sorry! I'm your husband! We can fix this! Give me another chance!"
"The police are waiting for you at the loading dock," Mariana said. "Dr. Barrios handed the district attorney the final piece of evidence regarding your offshore accounts this morning. It’s no longer just a civil suit, Arturo. It’s felony fraud. Goodbye."
The monitors went black.
The door to the AV room unlocked.
Arturo stumbled out onto the mezzanine. For a brief second, he looked down at the ballroom. He saw Mariana laughing with Elias Thorne, surrounded by people who admired and respected her. She didn't even look up at him. She had completely erased him from her world.
Two large, uniformed police officers stepped out of the shadows of the hallway.
"Arturo Ledesma?" one of them asked, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silent."
May you like
As the cold metal clamped around his wrists, Arturo finally understood the absolute, terrifying power of the woman he had underestimated for over a decade. He wasn't escorted out through the grand lobby. He was marched down the back stairwell, through the garbage-filled alley, and shoved into the back of a police cruiser in total, humiliating silence.
---
