Chapter 39 - The House of CardsHector Del Rio stood frozen, his wine glass slipping from his fingers and shattering on the marble floor.
The sea of armed agents parted, and Renata Garza walked into the room, flanked by Prosecutor Mariana Silva.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Hector roared, trying to summon his usual terrifying authority. "I will have all your badges! You have no right to be here!"
Renata ignored him. She gestured to a team of specialized agents.
"The wine cellar. Behind the third rack of Bordeaux. You'll find a biometric scanner. Break it open."
Hector’s face drained of color. The absolute panic he had spent his life inflicting on others finally washed over him. He lunged toward Renata, but two federal agents slammed him onto the banquet table, forcing his hands behind his back.
Ten minutes later, the agents emerged from the cellar carrying dozens of heavy, black leather-bound ledgers and hard drives.
The politicians in the room began screaming at each other, trying to run, realizing that their darkest secrets were sitting in those books. It was a complete, chaotic collapse of an empire.
Hector lay pinned against the table, his cheek pressed against the cold wood. He looked up at Renata, his eyes filled with venom and disbelief.
"You are just a lawyer," he hissed, his voice cracking. "You were nothing."
Renata knelt down so she was perfectly eye-level with the fallen titan.
"You're right, Hector. I was nothing. I was broken. But every time men like you break a woman, you forget one crucial detail."
"What?" he spat.
May you like
Renata smiled, a beautiful, terrifying smile.
"Broken glass is sharp."
