I had never told him who was behind that funding.
“What happens if the debt remains outstanding?” Elena asked.
Daniel responded cautiously.
—It depends on the contract, the validity of the assignment, the payments made, and the applicable legal deadlines. We can’t draw any conclusions until we verify it. But if your company legitimately acquired the rights and the guarantee remains in effect, that could affect the ownership of the shares that Mateo used as collateral.
Elena looked at the document again.
—And the house?
—It’s a different matter. The property is registered in your company’s name. The loan might explain another part of the story, but it doesn’t replace the property documentation.
She nodded slowly.
—Then find out who authorized the acquisition of that debt.
Daniel began to write.
—I’ll do it first thing in the morning.
-Not now.
The lawyer looked at her.
Elena pointed to the contract.
“Someone just sent me a photograph of documents that are inside my house. That person knows what Mateo signed and knows that we’re investigating. If we wait until tomorrow, we could lose important evidence.”
Daniel closed the property file and opened a document preservation file.
—I’m going to contact the custodian of the archives and request that all relevant records be preserved. We’ll also notify the company’s lawyers to ensure that no one alters the documents under their control.
Elena went back to her phone.
He dialed the unknown number.
This time they answered.
“Who are you?” he asked.
From the other side, a ragged breath could be heard.
—Someone who worked for your husband.
—Why are you helping me?
—Because when I discovered what they had done, I understood that I too could end up paying for their lies.
Elena stood up.
—I need your name.
There was silence.
—Not by phone.
—Then tell me where to meet.
The voice responded quickly:
—Tomorrow, at nine o’clock, in the parking lot of the old company building. Bring the original contract if you can find it.
Elena looked at Daniel, who was already taking notes.
“What do you have to prove to me?” she asked.
The answer left her breathless.
—That Mateo didn’t just use your money to build his empire. He also signed a document that gave your company the right to reclaim his shares if he failed to meet certain conditions.
Elena pressed the phone.
—And why didn’t anyone do it before?
The voice lowered until it became a whisper.
—Because Margarita knew where the original contract was. And six years ago, the night Mateo signed it, she was the only person who saw who put the money on the table.
The call ended.
Elena remained motionless.
Daniel slowly closed the computer.
—We need to check every detail before acting.
“I know,” she replied.
—And if the documentation confirms what we just read, it’s not just about infidelity or a dispute over the mansion.
Elena looked at the two thousand five hundred dollars she had left next to the folder.
“No,” he said. “It’s about discovering who has been controlling my life without my knowledge.”
At that moment, her phone lit up again.
It was a message from Matthew.
Elena, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but Mom just got a call from a lawyer. Tell me you have nothing to do with this.
She read the message twice.
Then he wrote:
Don’t worry, Mateo. You yourself taught me that every signature has consequences.
He didn’t even send a second sentence.
Because, right then, he received a photograph of the original contract.
At the bottom there was an additional signature, hidden under a seal that did not appear in the digital copy.
Elena brought the image closer to her eyes.
It wasn’t Mateo’s signature.
Nor was it Margarita’s.
It was the signature of her own father, who had died long before she met her husband.
And underneath, handwritten, was a sentence that changed everything Elena thought she knew about her marriage:
*“If Mateo betrays my daughter again, give him the truth.”*
