Chapter 14
Chapter 14: The Trial of the Matriarch
The federal courthouse in Mexico City was swarming with journalists, camera crews, and paparazzi. The trial of the Ibarra family had become a national spectacle—a Shakespearean tragedy of high society, greed, and ultimate betrayal.
Renata sat in the front row of the gallery, flanked by Valeria and Agent Salcedo.
The heavy wooden doors swung open, and Doña Evangelina de Ibarra was escorted into the courtroom by two armed guards.
The matriarch had tried to maintain her dignity, but the prison system had stripped it away. She was forced to wear the standard beige uniform. Her dyed blonde hair, lacking its weekly salon treatments, showed harsh roots of stark white. Without her expensive contouring makeup and diamond jewelry, she looked incredibly small, old, and deeply bitter.
As Evangelina walked to the defense table, her eyes swept the gallery and locked onto Renata.
Evangelina's lip curled into a snarl, her eyes burning with pure, unadulterated venom. She still blamed the "orphan from Iztapalapa" for the destruction of her empire, utterly incapable of recognizing her own hubris.
Renata didn't flinch. She simply met the older woman's gaze with absolute, unshakeable indifference.
The judge struck his gavel, the sharp sound echoing off the high ceilings.
"The prosecution may call its first witness," the judge announced.
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The lead federal prosecutor, a tall man with a booming voice, stood up and adjusted his glasses. "The State calls Alonso Ibarra to the stand."
A collective gasp swept through the reporters in the gallery. The ultimate betrayal was about to play out on the public stage. Evangelina’s head snapped toward the side doors, her face turning a violent shade of purple.
