Chapter 4 - The Play Button
Renata’s smile faltered. She looked at Hugo, then back at me, confused by my absolute lack of fear.
"You think I'm bluffing?" she hissed, dialing a number.
Before the call could connect, Licenciado Torres stood up. He opened his laptop, which was connected to the large presentation screen on the wall of the notary's conference room.
"Mrs. Renata Vance-Harlan," Torres said, his voice echoing with professional authority. "I am the lead counsel for the Vance-Harlan family trust. Before you make any phone calls, I believe you should view this evidence, which was submitted to a federal family court judge at 8:00 AM this morning."
Torres pressed a button.
The screen flickered to life. The camera angle was high, looking down from the patio door of our house in Colonia Del Valle. The image was razor-sharp.
On the screen, Renata was holding my mother by her silver hair, forcing her face close to the dirty wash bucket.
"If you don’t sign tomorrow, your mother is going to end up in a nursing home where nobody visits her… and next time, I won’t be this patient."
The audio was so loud and clear that the notary public, an elderly gentleman of high standing, gasped and stood up from his chair in absolute horror.
"What is the meaning of this?!" the notary demanded, looking at Renata with disgust.
But the video didn't stop there. It cut to a clip from last week in the dining room. Renata and Hugo were sitting at the table, sharing a glass of wine.
“Once Alejandro signs the power of attorney, we’ll liquidate the main warehouse,” Hugo’s recorded voice said. “We’ll leave him with the debt, transfer the capital to Panama, and leave him with nothing but his crazy mother. He's too weak to ever fight back.”
“He’s a fool,” Renata’s recorded voice replied, laughing. “He actually thinks I loved him. He’s just a stepping stone.”
May you like
Hugo’s face went entirely white. He slowly pushed his chair back from the table, his hands trembling.
Renata stood up, screaming at the top of her lungs. "This is illegal! This is a violation of my privacy! This video cannot be used in a court of law!"
