Chapter 6 - The Rat in the Corner
The legal battle erupted into a media wildfire. Because of Mariana’s status within the classified state department and her family’s prominence, the story of the "Coyoacán Boy" leaked to the press. Public outrage was immediate and ferocious. Crowds gathered outside the courthouse during the preliminary hearings, carrying signs demanding the maximum penalty for Ricardo and Doña Elvira.
Ricardo, stripped of his access to the Vargas corporate funds, was forced to rely on a low-tier public defender. Vanessa had completely vanished, taking her real child and leaving the country the moment she was released on bail, leaving Ricardo to face the music alone.
Sitting in a cold detention cell, Ricardo looked pathetic. His expensive branded shirt was stained, and his luxury watch had been confiscated as state evidence.
His lawyer sat across from him, tossing a thick stack of documents onto the metal table. "It's over, Ricardo. The prosecutor has undeniable evidence. They have the forensic reports of the chain, five different neighbor testimonies, and the DNA results proving you are not the biological father of Vanessa's child. Furthermore, Mariana's legal team has successfully nullified your marriage on the grounds of malicious fraud and attempted identity theft."
"I have rights!" Ricardo snarled, his eyes bloodshot. "The company belongs to me! I ran it for five years!"
"You bled it dry for five years," the lawyer corrected him sharply. "And the federal agents have traced every single peso. You're looking at twenty-five years for child abuse, aggravated domestic torture, and another fifteen for grand corporate embezzlement. Your mother is looking at fifteen years as an accomplice to child torture."
"There must be a way out," Ricardo whispered, his hands shaking. "Mariana... she used to love me. She’s soft. If I can just see her, if I can beg her, tell her my mother forced me to do it..."
The heavy iron door of the visitation room opened.
But it wasn't Mariana who walked in. It was a man in a crisp dark suit, carrying a leather briefcase. It was Alejandro Sterling, the chief prosecutor for the federal district and a close ally of Mariana’s late father.
"Mr. Mendez," Alejandro said, sitting down while the public defender immediately stood up respectfully. "I am here to inform you that your request for a plea bargain has been flatly denied by the victim’s legal representative."
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"Why?" Ricardo yelled. "I'll give her back the house! I'll sign everything!"
Alejandro smiled coldly, leaning forward. "The house is already hers. The company is already hers. You have nothing left to give, Ricardo. Mariana Vargas didn't send a message to negotiate. She sent me to tell you that she will be sitting in the front row of the courtroom when the judge reads your sentence. You wanted her family's legacy? You're going to spend the next several decades paying for it in a maximum-security prison."
