“May I ask what this is regarding?” Ricardo attempted confidence.
“You’ll see.”
At precisely 1:00 PM, the doors opened.
Ricardo expected a senior executive.
Instead, Marina walked in.
But she was no longer Marina Duarte.
She wore a tailored ivory suit. Diamond studs. A watch worth more than his annual salary. Her hair styled flawlessly. Her presence commanding.
She walked to the head of the table and sat.
The silence was suffocating.
“Good afternoon, Ricardo,” she said evenly.
He stared at her, confusion morphing into dread.
“This is my company,” she continued. “My building. My department.”
Color drained from his face.
“My name is Marina Duarte Álvarez. President and majority shareholder of Grupo Solaris.”
His lips parted but no sound came.
“For the past week, I’ve had the privilege of working under your supervision.”
Gabriel placed printed photos on the table. Security footage. Screenshots. Financial audits.
And one image frozen in time—
Ricardo holding the bucket.
Marina’s voice remained steady.
“You publicly humiliated an employee. You created a culture of fear. And you manipulated departmental funds for personal use.”
His breath quickened.
“It wasn’t— I didn’t know—”