Chapter 7 - The Patriarch's Secret
Arthur Aranda took the oath and sat down on the witness stand. He looked directly at his wife with deep contempt.
Victoria Vance stepped forward. "Mr. Aranda, please state for the record your relationship to the petitioner and your current health status."
"I am Arthur Aranda, husband to Teresa and father to Rodrigo," he said, his voice deep and commanding. "And despite what my wife has told the public, the board of directors, and even our own son, I am completely healthy. I was never sick."
The courtroom erupted into whispers. The judge banged his gavel. "Order! Mr. Aranda, please explain."
"Three years ago, my wife discovered that I was planning to restructure the family trust to allocate a significant portion of the shares to independent charitable foundations, reducing her personal control," Arthur explained clearly. "With the help of a corrupt medical professional, whom she paid handsomely, she had me declared mentally incompetent and forced me into a private facility in Switzerland. She kept me isolated, controlling my access to the outside world, using my absence to run the company into the ground and manipulate our son."
Rodrigo stood up, his face twisted in horror. "Dad... Mom told me you had advanced dementia! She said you didn't even recognize my name!"
"She lied to you, Rodrigo," Arthur said softly, looking at his son with pity. "Just like she lied about everything else. She threatened the staff at the facility that if I ever contacted you, she would cut off all funding for the clinic's specialized research wing."
Arthur then turned his gaze toward me, his expression softening into profound respect. "Two weeks ago, Daniela’s lawyer tracked me down. Daniela didn't ask me for money. She didn't ask me for shares. She managed to smuggle a letter to me, showing me a picture of my granddaughter, Lucía. She told me what Teresa was doing to her. Daniela risked everything to break me out of that facility and bring me back to the country."
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Arthur looked back at Teresa, his voice hardening into steel. "My wife claims the Aranda family has had brown eyes for five generations and that Lucía doesn't belong. Well, I am the patriarch of this family. And I am telling this court that Daniela Salgado is the finest woman to ever hold the Aranda name, and Lucía is my true granddaughter. I am revoking Teresa’s access to all family funds immediately."
Teresa collapsed back into her chair, her eyes wide with defeat, realizing her empire had just crumbled into dust.
