Chapter 3: The Truth Behind the Empire
The boardroom was unusually quiet.
Twelve directors.
Three outside auditors.
Corporate attorneys.
And at the head of the table...
Mariana.
She wore a charcoal-gray suit instead of the dresses Andrew had always preferred she wear.
She looked composed.
Confident.
Untouchable.
Andrew laughed.
"So this is your little revenge?"
"No," Mariana replied calmly.
"This is a business meeting."
Victor distributed identical folders around the room.
"Six years ago," he began, "Escalante Capital became the silent controlling investor in Kingston Technologies."
Andrew frowned.
"What?"
The first contract appeared on the screen.
Then another.
Then another.
Every emergency loan.
Every refinancing agreement.
Every acquisition.
Each one traced back to Escalante Holdings.
Margaret slowly sat down.
Brenda's confident smile disappeared.
Victor continued.
"Mrs. Mariana Escalante personally guaranteed over four hundred million dollars in financing."
Andrew stared at Mariana.
"You..."
"You did this?"
She met his eyes.
"I believed in your dream."
"I thought we were building a future together."
His voice cracked.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You never asked."
Silence settled over the room.
One director finally spoke.
"With the withdrawal of Escalante support, Kingston Technologies is insolvent."
The words landed like a hammer.
Andrew looked around the table.
May you like
No one defended him.
Not this time.
