Chapter 15
Chapter 15: The Son's Betrayal
Alonso was led into the courtroom in handcuffs. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, refusing to look at the gallery, refusing to look at his mother, and especially refusing to look at Renata.
He was sworn in, his hand shaking violently on the Bible.
"Mr. Ibarra," the prosecutor began, pacing in front of the witness stand. "Can you explain to the court who originated the idea to create shell companies using the stolen identity of your ex-wife, Renata?"
Alonso gripped the edges of the wooden stand. He leaned into the microphone.
"My mother," Alonso rasped, his voice echoing in the silent room. "Evangelina de Ibarra. She came to me when our primary firm started losing money. She said Renata was a 'blank check' because she had no relatives to ask questions if things went wrong."
"Liar!" Evangelina shrieked from the defense table, slamming her handcuffed wrists against the wood. "You ungrateful, pathetic liar! I gave you everything!"
"Order in the court!" the judge roared, banging his gavel. "Restrain the defendant!"
Two bailiffs immediately stepped behind Evangelina, placing heavy hands on her shoulders, forcing her back into her seat. She was breathing heavily, glaring daggers at her own son.
"Please continue, Mr. Ibarra," the prosecutor said smoothly. "Did your mother coerce you into forging the documents?"
"Yes," Alonso wept, burying his face in his hands. "She said if I didn't help her, she would cut me out of the trust fund. She orchestrated the entire thing. She told me to gaslight Renata, to make her think she was going crazy, so we could have her committed to a psychiatric ward when the audits came."
The courtroom erupted into horrified murmurs. Reporters typed frantically on their laptops.
Renata watched the man she had once loved publicly eviscerate his own mother to save his own skin. It was a pathetic, ugly display of cowardice. The Ibarra family, who had spent decades meticulously crafting an image of aristocratic superiority, was tearing itself apart like starving wild dogs fighting over a bone.
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Evangelina stared at Alonso, her chest heaving. "I should have drowned you when you were a baby," she spat, loud enough for the microphone to catch.
The judge hammered his gavel again. The destruction of the dynasty was complete.
