Chapter 6 - The Boardroom Battle
At 3:00 PM, the top floor of the Villaseñor Tower in Santa Fe was tense. The massive glass-walled boardroom was filled with the company’s major shareholders, including several elderly men who had been allies of Diego’s father.
Diego walked in, holding a folder. He did not sit at the head of the table; instead, he stood, looking down at the men who had spent years trying to control him.
"Diego, this is madness," one of the senior board members, Hector Gomez, began. "The Robles Group has pulled out of the Riviera project. Our stock is down four percent since this morning. All because you had a domestic dispute with Paulina over a maid?"
"It wasn't a domestic dispute," Diego said, tossing the folder onto the center of the glass table. "It was the dismissal of a woman who threatened my family."
Hector opened the folder. Inside was a copy of the official DNA test results, signed by Dr. Silva, along with a newly filed petition to recognize Valentina Villaseñor as Diego's legitimate daughter and sole heir to his personal estate.
A collective gasp went through the room as the documents were passed around.
"She is my daughter," Diego said, his voice echoing in the silent boardroom. "My father and his legal team used threats and bribery to hide her from me four years ago. They lied to her mother, threatened her family, and forced her to raise my child in poverty while I was groomed to run this company."
"Diego, even if this is true, the public relations disaster—"
"I don't care about the public relations," Diego interrupted. "I am the majority shareholder of this company. My father left me fifty-one percent of the voting stock. If any of you feel that my commitment to my daughter compromises my ability to run this company, you are welcome to sell your shares. I will personally buy them back at market value."
The board members looked at each other in stunned silence. None of them wanted to sell their shares; Villaseñor Group was incredibly profitable, and Diego’s leadership had doubled their margins in three years.
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"And as for the Riviera Maya project," Diego continued, leaning forward on the table. "I have already contacted the Al-Maktoum group. They have been looking for an entry point into the Mexican luxury resort market for years. They will buy out the Robles share by tomorrow morning, with twice the capital."
Diego picked up his folder, buttoned his jacket, and looked around the room. "My family is no longer a tool for your mergers. Good afternoon, gentlemen."
