Then he dropped the ring onto the folder.
The small tap against the paper echoed in the silence.
—There will be no wedding.
Sofia opened her mouth.
—What did you just say?
—That’s it.
Mateo grabbed her arm.
—You’re making a mistake.
Camila broke free with a sudden movement.
—Don’t ever touch me again.
He took out his phone, tapped a notification, and looked up at the giant screen.
The lights in the living room dimmed.
First, the Halcyon Technologies logo appeared. Then, a line of white text:
*MAJORITY OWNER: CAMILA BENÍTEZ — 68%.*
A murmur rippled through the tables.
Mateo stared at the screen as if someone had pronounced his sentence.
“That can’t be true,” she whispered.
Camila held the microphone with both hands.
—Mateo works for my company.
Sofia took a step back.
And for the first time since Camila had known her, the woman couldn’t find anything to say.
But that revelation was just the beginning.
Because when the screen changed for the second time, a financial report appeared with the name Sofía Valdés in red letters.
And below, a figure that made several guests get up from their seats.
Chapter 2: The Price of Betrayal
The number appeared in the center of the screen.
*UNAUTHORIZED CORPORATE EXPENSES: $2.4 MILLION.*
Below was a list of purchases, dates, invoices, and bank transfers. Each line was accompanied by the name of Sofía Valdés or by the name of a private company that Halcyon’s auditors had linked to her.
Sofia looked at the screen, then at Camila.
Her face lost its color.
“Turn that off,” he ordered. “Turn it off immediately!”
Camila didn’t move.
—I can’t do it, Sofia. It’s a presentation protected by the legal department.
—I’m telling you to turn it off!
—And I’m telling you that you don’t give orders here anymore.
A gray-haired man, sitting near the stage, stood up. It was Arturo Salgado, Halcyon’s finance director and one of the few executives who knew Camila personally before the company became a tech giant.
“Camila,” he said cautiously, “do you want us to intervene?”
—Not yet, Arturo. I want everyone to see the same thing the council saw this morning.
Mateo moved forward towards the screen.
“This is a farce!” she shouted. “Camila is using private information to destroy me!”
She turned slowly towards him.
—I have not shown a single figure that has not been reviewed by our auditors.
—I’m the director of operations for Halcyon!
—You were the director of operations.
Mateo’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out, convinced he’d find a message from an executive willing to back him up. Instead, the screen displayed a notification from the corporate system.
*COO ACCESS: COMPLETED.*
He tried to open the email application.
Access denied.
He tried the financial platform.
Account suspended.
Then he dialed his assistant’s number. The call never even connected.
Camila watched his attempts without showing satisfaction.
—The systems have already received the board’s order. Your credentials are suspended while the irregularities are investigated.
Matthew raised his head.
—You can’t do this to me in front of all these people.
—You chose to turn my wedding into a real estate negotiation.
—I did it for us!
—Then explain to me why there are jewelry purchases of one hundred and eighty thousand dollars charged to the corporate card.
The screen displayed photographs of watches, exclusive handbags, and receipts from a Beverly Hills store.
Sofia put her hand to her necklace.
—Those purchases were work gifts.
Arturo frowned.
—Ms. Valdés, there is no authorization for those expenses. We reviewed the receipts three weeks ago.
—You have no right to speak to me like that!
“I have the right to inform the board about company money,” Arturo replied. “And that’s exactly what I did.”
Camila took a folder from the gift table. She opened it and took out several sheets of paper.
—Here are the transfers made from an executive expenses account to a company called Silver Coast Holdings. Does that sound familiar?
Sofia pursed her lips.
Matthew stepped between them.
—Stop. You have no idea what you’re doing.
“Then help me understand,” Camila said. “Why does the company that received that money have a mailing address linked to your personal lawyer?”
The silence was immediate.
Mateo looked at his mother.
It was just a second, but Camila noticed it.
Sofia too.
“Don’t look at her,” the woman snapped. “You said the records were clean.”
Camila raised her eyebrows.
Mateo closed his eyes for a moment.
Sofia had just confessed much more than she intended.
“What records?” Camila asked.
“I didn’t say anything!” Sofia retorted.
—Yes, you said it —a voice chimed in from the tables in the back.
A woman in a navy blue suit stood up. It was Elena Cruz, an external lawyer for Halcyon, who had attended the ceremony as Camila’s guest.
