Chapter 13: Rodrigo’s Final Performance
Rodrigo insisted on testifying.
His attorneys advised against it.
He believed the jury needed to hear from him directly.
He entered the witness stand wearing a perfectly tailored navy suit.
Without the burgundy blazer, the yacht, or the family estate behind him, he still carried himself like a king.
“My daughter misunderstood a private family intervention,” he said.
The prosecutor looked almost surprised.
“An intervention?”
“Mariana had become obsessed with imagined financial crimes.”
“You handed her documents transferring control of her trust.”
“For her protection.”
“You arranged for Adrian to control her son’s inheritance.”
“To provide stability.”
“You ordered the yacht to leave after she fell.”
“The captain panicked.”
The captain had already testified that Rodrigo threatened him.
“You ordered the cameras erased.”
“I ordered security to protect the family’s privacy.”
“You arranged the fire at Bellavista.”
“I knew nothing about it.”
“You imprisoned Lucia beneath the hotel.”
“She was placed there for her safety.”
A murmur moved through the courtroom.
The prosecutor approached the witness stand.
“Mr. Salcedo, is there anything you are not willing to call protection?”
Rodrigo’s expression tightened.
“I protected that family for forty years.”
“From what?”
“Scandal. Weakness. Enemies.”
“Was Mariana an enemy?”
“She chose to become one.”
The prosecutor stopped.
“So when she refused to sign the transfer documents, you considered her an enemy?”
Rodrigo realized the danger.
“I considered her confused.”
The prosecutor played the office recording again.
She won’t survive.
“What did you mean?”
Rodrigo looked at Mariana.
For the first time, his composure cracked.
“She was going to destroy everything.”
The prosecutor waited.
Rodrigo continued.
“Do you understand what I built? Thousands of employees. Political alliances. Properties across three continents. One spoiled daughter believed she had the right to tear it apart.”
“So you decided she had to die?”
Rodrigo’s face changed.
He knew he had gone too far.
But the words were already in the courtroom.
The prosecutor returned to the table.
“No further questions.”
As Rodrigo stepped down, he looked at Mariana.
“You should have stayed loyal,” he whispered.
Mariana met his eyes.
“You never wanted loyalty.”
May you like
She glanced toward the handcuffs waiting for him.
“You wanted obedience.”
