Chương 3
I closed my eyes.
The Toluca project had been Alejandro’s.
Not entirely, but enough that his name appeared on nearly every operational memo connected to it.
“What kind of irregular approvals?”
“Vendor substitutions, expedited payments, consulting invoices.”
“How much?”
“Confirmed?”
“Yes.”
“About three point eight million pesos.”
The kitchen suddenly felt too bright.
I reached for the dimmer switch and lowered the lights.
“Confirmed as what?”
“Improperly approved.”
“By him?”
“His credentials.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“No.”
Daniel’s answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
“You’ve been investigating my husband without telling me.”
“We’ve been reviewing internal controls.”
“Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“You were investigating my husband.”
Another pause.
“Claudia and I were trying to establish whether there was misconduct before bringing it to you.”
“You should have brought it to me immediately.”
“You’re his wife.”
“I’m also the majority owner.”
“That is exactly why we were careful.”
I pressed two fingers against my forehead.
My wedding ring felt suddenly noticeable.
Not heavier.
Just present.
“When did Claudia know?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“And the board?”
“Not formally.”
“Informally?”
“Rafael knows there are control issues.”
Rafael chaired our audit committee and had the emotional warmth of a parking meter.
If he knew even half of what Daniel was describing, he would already be documenting his questions.
“Does Alejandro know?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“I know someone accessed the audit folder twice from an executive terminal after business hours.”
“Whose terminal?”
“Alejandro’s floor.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s all I have.”
I looked at the torn dress on the counter.
Ten minutes earlier it had seemed like the center of the evening.
Now it looked almost embarrassingly small.
“What vendors?”
“I’ll send the list.”
“Tell me one.”
“Grupo Marea.”
I knew the name.
Barely.
Freight brokerage, temporary storage, specialized cross-docking.
They had appeared in three proposals during the Toluca buildout and had lost all three competitive bids.
“Why were they paid if they weren’t selected?”
“They were later brought in as an emergency subcontractor.”
“By whom?”
“Alejandro’s division.”
I sat down.
The chair scraped loudly over the tile.
Daniel stopped talking.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“I didn’t ask.”
“You were going to.”
“No.”
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
Daniel had worked with me long enough to know that asking whether I was fine usually made me angry.
“What does tonight’s video have to do with this?” I asked.
“Maybe nothing.”
“But you called.”
“Because there’s something else.”
I waited.
“Your mother-in-law’s name appears in the visitor logs.”
“For where?”
“Toluca.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“She visited the temporary project office four times.”
“No.”
“Mariana.”
“She doesn’t know anything about logistics.”
“I’m not saying she does.”
“When?”
“First visit was in May.”
“Who signed her in?”
“Alejandro.”
I stood so fast the chair tipped backward.
I caught it before it hit the floor.
“What possible reason would she have to be there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you ask him?”
“Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because if he’s involved, asking too early gives him time to clean up.”
The words made me angry enough to pace.
“If he’s involved.”
“Yes.”
“He is not some stranger in an expense report.”
“I’m aware.”
“He built half that operations team.”
“I’m aware.”
“He knows the company.”
“I’m aware.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Then stop giving me reasons he deserves less scrutiny.”
I stopped walking.
Daniel rarely raised his voice.
He had not raised it now, but the edge was there.
I looked toward the dark windows over the garden.
My reflection stared back at me beside the chandelier.
“I sent you the video because I wanted HR aware of the situation,” I said.
“I know.”
“I was angry.”
“I know.”
“I may have made a governance mistake.”
“You did.”
That irritated me because it was true.
“What mistake?”
“You treated a family confrontation as if it justified corporate action.”
“I asked Claudia to freeze discretionary access.”
“For a senior executive who happens to be your husband.”
“He was present while a woman destroyed my property.”
“That’s not grounds for terminating his system access unless there is a company risk.”
“And now you’re telling me there may be one.”
“Yes.”
“But I didn’t know that when I sent the message.”
“No.”
The kitchen was quiet again.
I hated him a little for making me see it.
I hated myself more for needing him to.
“What has Claudia done?”
“Nothing irreversible.”
“Good.”
“I told her to wait for me.”
“Also good.”
“Mariana, you cannot fire him tomorrow because of what happened tonight.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
I picked up the two halves of the dress and folded them together without thinking.
The torn edge refused to align cleanly.
“What can we do?”
“Suspend privileged access pending a formal controls review.”
“Not just his.”
“Correct.”
“All executives connected to Toluca.”
“Correct.”
“Company cards?”
“Only those tied to the relevant cost centers unless we uncover something broader.”
“The SUV?”
“That’s more complicated.”
“Why?”
“It’s assigned as part of his compensation.”
“So we don’t seize it theatrically from the hotel.”
“That would be my professional recommendation.”
I rubbed my eyes.
The original version of tomorrow that had formed in my head while Teresa ripped my clothes had been simple.
Locks changed.
Vehicle recovered.
Alejandro removed.
A clean answer to an ugly night.
Now every action had become entangled with fiduciary duty, employment law, evidence, and the humiliating possibility that my anger had almost pushed me into behaving exactly as Teresa accused me of behaving.
Using ownership to punish.
“I want outside counsel involved,” I said.
“Already suggested it to Claudia.”
“Not Elena.”
“Agreed.”
“Someone with no relationship to me personally.”
“Yes.”
“And no one deletes anything.”
“I sent a preservation notice draft to IT.”
“Draft?”
“I need authorization.”
“You have it.”
“Send it in writing.”
He hesitated.
“There’s another reason I stayed late.”
I leaned against the counter.
“Go ahead.”
“I pulled the vendor registration documents for Grupo Marea.”
“And?”
May you like
“The company was incorporated eleven months ago.”
“That’s not unusual.”
