Chapter 5 - THE COMPANY THAT WAS ALREADY BLEEDING

Alejandra brought in a forensic accountant named Manuel Ríos.

Ricardo’s company, Mendoza Industrial Supply, was privately held, and I owned no shares.

That should have kept my inheritance far away from its problems.

Instead, Manuel found references to me in documents I had never seen.

A lender presentation described the business as expecting a “family capital injection of MXN 7,000,000 in Q3.”

My seven million.

Another internal cash-flow sheet listed:

Salgado liquidity support — confirmed.

Confirmed by whom?

Not me.

Ricardo had presented my inheritance as future company capital.

“He may have simply been planning to ask you,” Manuel said.

Then he showed me the next page.

A supplier restructuring agreement required the capital injection by June 20.

Five days away.

If the money did not arrive, several creditors could demand accelerated payment.

That explained Ricardo’s panic.

It explained the supplier calls.

It explained why the morning after I discovered Daniela, he went looking for my money before asking whether our marriage could survive.

“What happens if he doesn’t get it?” I asked.

“Potential insolvency. At minimum, a severe liquidity crisis.”

Alejandra looked at me.

“Did you ever promise those funds?”

“Never.”

“Sign anything?”

“No.”

She leaned back.

“Then someone represented something without authority.”

We requested copies of every document bearing my name.

That afternoon, Elvira called.

I almost ignored her.

Then I answered.

“Mariana, Ricardo told me you are behaving irrationally.”

I laughed.

“So he told you I know?”

Silence.

“Elvira?”

“I never wanted you hurt.”

“You just wanted me occupied.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Then tell me what it was like.”

Her voice trembled.

“Ricardo said he needed time.”

“For the mistress?”

“For the family.”

There it was again.

Family.

Always a useful word when somebody wanted me to pay for someone else’s choices.

Then Elvira said:

“You cannot take the house away from Sofía’s father.”

I stared at the wall.

“The house was given to me by my parents.”

“But Ricardo has lived there seventeen years.”

“So have I.”

She hesitated.

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Then said the sentence that told me she knew about more than the affair.

“He has nowhere else to raise the boy.”