Chapter 2 – The Secret That Would Ruin Everything (Part 4)
Valeria's fingers trembled as she stared at the email.
For a long moment, she couldn't bring herself to open it.
The subject line alone felt like a betrayal.
Regarding Ms. Torres' Stability.
She looked up slowly.
"Mauricio..."
He said nothing.
"Tell me this isn't what I think it is."
His silence was louder than any confession.
Adriana gently handed her the printed copy.
"You deserve to see it."
Valeria unfolded the page.
The email was dated three years earlier—the same week she had been offered the partnership in Guadalajara.
She began to read.
To Mr. Eduardo Ramos,
I understand your company is considering Ms. Valeria Torres for a leadership position.
While I normally avoid interfering in professional matters, as her fiancé I feel morally obligated to inform you that she has recently been under considerable emotional stress.
She has experienced episodes of impulsive decision-making and may not yet be prepared for the pressure such a role requires.
I ask only that you exercise caution before making a final decision.
Respectfully,
Mauricio Herrera
Valeria lowered the paper.
She couldn't speak.
Three years.
For three years she had believed she simply hadn't been good enough.
She had blamed herself.
Worked longer hours.
Taken extra certifications.
Questioned every business decision she had ever made.
All because of one email she never knew existed.
A memory came rushing back.
She had called Eduardo Ramos after receiving the rejection.
"I thought the interview went well."
He had sounded uncomfortable.
"It did."
"Then what happened?"
"I'm sorry, Valeria. We decided to move in another direction."
At the time, she accepted it.
Now...
She finally understood the hesitation in his voice.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Not because she had lost the job.
But because someone she loved had stolen it from her.
She looked at Mauricio.
"You destroyed my career."
"I protected our future."
The answer came instantly.
Almost automatically.
Valeria stared at him in disbelief.
"Our future?"
"You would have moved."
"It was one city away."
"You'd have been traveling."
"It was my dream."
"You already had everything you needed."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"No."
She folded the email carefully.
"I had everything you allowed me to have."
Several guests exchanged uncomfortable glances.
One woman quietly whispered to her husband,
"How many times has he done this?"
No one answered.
Alejandro Salazar stepped forward.
"I have a question."
Mauricio frowned.
"I'm not answering questions."
"You will answer this one."
Alejandro's voice remained calm.
"How many employees have you described as emotionally unstable?"
Mauricio looked confused.
"What?"
"In the last five years."
Silence.
Alejandro continued.
"Because if you casually sabotage your fiancée's career..."
He paused.
"...I wonder how you've treated everyone else who depended on you."
Carlos called again.
Mauricio ignored it.
The phone rang a third time.
Finally he answered.
"What?"
Carlos spoke rapidly.
"The investigators found the Rivera contracts."
Mauricio closed his eyes.
"I'm aware."
"No."
Carlos swallowed.
"They also found another file."
"What file?"
"The confidential personnel reports."
Mauricio's grip tightened around the phone.
"...Destroy them."
"It's too late."
"They've already copied everything."
Across the courtyard, Adriana noticed Mauricio's expression change.
She quietly asked,
"Is something wrong?"
No one answered.
But Alejandro had seen enough boardroom negotiations to recognize panic when he saw it.
Something much larger than a failed wedding was unfolding.
Valeria wiped away a tear.
"I kept wondering why opportunities disappeared."
Another memory surfaced.
A conference in Monterrey.
She had been invited to give the keynote presentation.
Two days before the event...
The invitation was withdrawn.
The organizers claimed scheduling conflicts.
She remembered crying in the kitchen.
Mauricio had hugged her.
"They don't deserve you."
She had believed him.
Now she wondered...
Had he contacted them too?
Adriana reached back into the folder.
"There are four more emails."
Valeria looked up sharply.
"What?"
"Different companies."
Different years.
Different opportunities.
The same pattern.
Each message portrayed Valeria as emotionally unstable, unreliable, or overwhelmed.
Never enough to sound malicious.
Just enough to plant doubt.
Just enough to make employers hesitate.
Elena covered her mouth.
"My God..."
She turned toward Mauricio.
"She trusted you."
He looked exhausted.
"I did what any husband would do."
"You weren't her husband."
"No."
Valeria's voice was quiet.
"You made sure I never became anything except someone who needed your permission."
For the first time since leaving the church, Mauricio's confidence cracked completely.
He looked around desperately.
Searching for someone.
Anyone.
Who still believed him.
His mother looked away.
His grandmother refused to meet his eyes.
His business partners had stepped back.
Even his cousins stood in stunned silence.
He was alone.
Then an unfamiliar voice came from behind the crowd.
"Excuse me."
Everyone turned.
A young man in a dark suit walked through the courtyard carrying a leather briefcase.
He approached cautiously.
"Mr. Herrera?"
Mauricio frowned.
"Who are you?"
The man reached into his jacket and produced an official identification card.
"My name is Daniel Ortega."
He handed Mauricio a sealed envelope.
"I've been instructed to deliver these documents to you personally."
Mauricio stared at the envelope.
His hands suddenly felt cold.
He recognized the logo immediately.
It belonged to one of the country's largest law firms.
"What is this?"
Daniel answered professionally.
"You've been formally notified."
"Notified of what?"
"A civil lawsuit."
The courtyard became silent once again.
Mauricio tore open the envelope.
His eyes scanned the first page.
Then widened.
"No..."
He flipped to the second page.
Then the third.
His breathing grew uneven.
Valeria looked toward Adriana.
"You knew about this?"
The attorney nodded once.
"My client decided to wait until today."
"For what?"
"So you would never again question whether leaving him was the right decision."
Mauricio looked up from the documents, his face drained of every trace of color.
At the top of the lawsuit, printed in bold letters, were the names of five different plaintiffs.
Claudia Herrera.
A former executive assistant.
A former financial controller.
A former operations manager.
And...
To Valeria's complete shock...
One name she recognized immediately.
Eduardo Ramos.
The very CEO whose company had rejected her years earlier.
Valeria's heart pounded.
If Eduardo Ramos was joining the lawsuit voluntarily...
Then Mauricio's manipulation had reached far beyond their relationship.
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It was about to become a public scandal that could destroy everything he had spent years building.
End of Chapter 2 – Part 4
