Chapter 7 - The Hidden BetrayalThe forensic audit report contained fifty pages of bank statements, wire transfer logs, and tax filings dating back three years.
Daniel hadn't just been spending my money on golf and cigars.
According to the wire logs, over the past twenty-four months, Daniel had secretly transferred over 1.2 million pesos from our shared home-renovation fund directly into a private shell company called Geraldine Enterprises LLC.
I scrolled down to the corporate registration section of the report.
Geraldine Enterprises LLC - Registered Owner: Carmen Gutierrez.
Secondary Executive: Valeria Gutierrez.
My breath hitched in my throat.
They weren't just leeched off my income; they were actively embezzling my savings to build a private business portfolio behind my back.
I clicked on the asset tracing tab attached to the company name.
Three months ago, Geraldine Enterprises LLC had purchased a two-bedroom beachside condo in Puerto Vallarta.
The down payment? 850,000 pesos—the exact amount that had disappeared from my personal investment account under the guise of 'emergency home structural repairs' that Daniel had claimed our apartment needed.
They had used my hard-earned money to buy themselves a luxury vacation home while leaving my three-year-old daughter to sit on a freezing balcony with a piece of dry bread.
A cold, vicious fury spread through my veins.
I picked up my desk phone and dialed Victoria immediately.
"Victoria," I said, my voice shaking with suppressed rage. "Did you see the audit report?"
"I'm reading it right now," Victoria replied, her tone dripping with murderous glee. "Mariana, this isn't just a civil dispute anymore. This is grand larceny, wire fraud, and embezzlement."
"Can we freeze the Puerto Vallarta property?" I demanded.
"Freeze it?" Victoria laughed bitterly. "Darling, I'm filing an emergency motion for a Lien and Seizure order. Because the funds used to purchase that condo were directly traced from your stolen accounts, we can petition the court to strip the deed from Carmen's name and transfer total ownership to you."
"Do it," I ordered. "And what about the criminal charges?"
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"I'm handing this audit straight to the District Attorney's financial crimes unit," Victoria stated. "Daniel, Carmen, and Valeria aren't just going to be broke, Mariana. If the DA presses charges for corporate wire fraud, your dear husband and his mother could be facing three to five years in state prison."
"Good," I said, looking at a framed photo of Camila sitting on my desk. "Let them see how disciplined they feel inside a concrete cell."
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