Chapter 5 - THE FORGED WITNESS
Aline had never seen the document.
Never signed it.
Never met the notary.
Yet her name appeared in neat blue ink.
Mariana examined it the same afternoon.
“This changes everything.”
“How?”
“You’re not just a target anymore.”
“You’re a fabricated participant.”
Aline rubbed her temples.
“Wonderful.”
The signature looked like hers.
Because it was copied from her vendor permit.
The permit Samantha had accessed through building security.
Suddenly the fake theft video made more sense.
They needed Aline discredited before anyone questioned why her signature appeared on another document.
Mariana filed an emergency response.
The court ordered preservation of Samantha’s devices.
Samantha screamed at her lawyer.
Her lawyer withdrew two days later.
That was the first crack visible from outside.
Heitor learned about the side agreement from prosecutors.
He sat alone in his office after everyone left.
Bernardo found him staring at the city.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Heitor looked over.
Bernardo shrugged.
“Would be weird if you were.”
Heitor laughed despite himself.
Then stopped.
“I almost married her.”
“Yes.”
“I defended her to my mother.”
“Yes.”
“I told people she had a good heart.”
“Yes.”
“Can you stop agreeing?”
“No.”
That helped.
Police questioned the notary listed on the fake agreement.
He denied witnessing it.
His stamp had been cloned.
The print shop that made the clone took cash.
Security footage showed Samantha’s assistant, Luisa, making the order.
Luisa disappeared.
Then reappeared at Aline’s cart.
She looked exhausted.
“I need to talk.”
Aline stepped back.
“No.”
“Please.”
“No.”
Luisa began crying.
Not pretty crying.
Mascara down one cheek.
“I helped her.”
Aline froze.
“With what?”
“The permit.”
“The video.”
“The screenshots.”
Aline’s hands went cold.
“Why?”
“She paid me.”
“That’s it?”
Luisa looked ashamed.
“No.”
“She had pictures of me taking petty cash.”
Aline stared.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
Small theft.
Big leverage.
Samantha liked people with cracks.
Luisa said Samantha planned to make the fraud look like Heitor and Aline conspired together.
If the Vale refinancing failed, she would claim Heitor sabotaged her family for a lover.
If the refinancing succeeded, she would marry him and use the forged side agreement later.
Win either way.
Then Luisa said.
“She has something on Bernardo too.”
Aline frowned.
“What?”
“She says he’s the reason Vale Development is failing.”
At that exact moment, Bernardo was being escorted out of Albuquerque Capital by internal investigators.
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A transfer of $6.4 million had been discovered in an account under his name.
