PART 4 - "The Wedding Was Only the Beginning"
"The Wedding Was Only the Beginning"
Nobody moved.
The apartment was silent except for Sofia's uneven breathing.
Alexander looked at the video one last time before handing the phone back to me.
"Carmen wants us emotional," he said. "Emotional people make mistakes."
"So what do we do?" I asked.
His answer came without hesitation.
"We make sure she makes the first one."
He pulled out his phone.
"Mateo."
"Yes, sir."
"Freeze everything."
"Already in progress."
"I want every bank account tied to the Alvarez family flagged."
"Done."
"The businesses?"
"Federal investigators are already on their way."
Alexander ended the call.
Sofia frowned.
"How?"
He looked at her.
"Because the moment I saw your bruises... I stopped thinking like a father."
His eyes turned cold.
"I started thinking like the man who built an empire."
An hour later...
The Alvarez estate looked nothing like it had after the wedding.
Luxury cars lined the driveway.
But this time...
They belonged to the FBI, financial investigators, and local police.
Search warrants were served at every entrance.
No one was allowed to leave.
Carmen stormed into the foyer wearing an expensive silk robe.
"What is the meaning of this?"
A federal agent stepped forward.
"Carmen Alvarez?"
"Yes."
"We have warrants to search this property for evidence of fraud, conspiracy, assault, money laundering, and attempted extortion."
Her smile disappeared.
"This is ridiculous."
Another agent carried out three cardboard boxes from the upstairs office.
One looked at Alexander.
"You need to see this."
Inside were neatly organized folders.
Women's names.
Wedding dates.
Property records.
Every file belonged to a different bride.
Every woman had married into the Alvarez family.
Every woman had signed away homes, savings, businesses...
Or had refused.
Like Sofia.
The room fell silent.
One detective flipped through another folder.
"There are twelve victims."
Another officer looked up.
"No..."
"Thirteen."
Carmen's face turned pale.
Alexander didn't even look at her.
He looked at the files.
Then quietly asked,
"How many lives did greed destroy?"
Nobody answered.
Suddenly...
Footsteps thundered upstairs.
"He's running!"
Javier burst from the second floor carrying a laptop.
He made it halfway across the hallway before officers tackled him to the marble floor.
The laptop hit the ground.
Its screen shattered.
A forensic technician calmly picked up the hard drive.
"Doesn't matter."
"We've already copied everything."
Javier looked toward his mother.
"Carmen..."
She didn't answer.
For the first time in her life...
She looked afraid.
As officers placed handcuffs around her wrists, she slowly smiled.
Alexander noticed.
"What?"
She laughed quietly.
"You won the house."
"You won the evidence."
"You even won your daughter."
She leaned closer.
"But you're still too late."
Alexander's expression never changed.
"What are you talking about?"
Carmen whispered,
"The money is already gone."
May you like
And then...
She started laughing.
