Silence fell over the boardroom like a tombstone.

Diego blinked.

Once.

Then another one.

As if his brain refused to accept what he was seeing.

—Mendoza…? —murmured Licenciado Robles.

The lawyer stood up abruptly.

—Mr. Mendoza…

Alejandro Mendoza walked slowly towards the table.

His dark suit was perfectly tailored.

His expression was calm.

Too calm.

“Good morning,” he said.

No one answered.

Diego looked at Isabella.

Then on to Mendoza.

Then back to Isabella.

—This… this is a joke.

Isabella said nothing.

He just looked at it.

With a calmness I had never seen in her before.

Alejandro stopped next to his daughter.

—Isabella.

She looked up.

—Are you finished?

—Yes, Dad.

The word landed like a bombshell.

Camila dropped her phone.

Diego stood up abruptly.

-Dad?

Alejandro looked at him.

Not with hate.

Not with anger.

Something worse.

Disinterest.

“Mr. Ramirez,” he said calmly. “Allow me to congratulate you.”

Diego frowned.

—Congratulate me?

-Yeah.

He has just made one of the most expensive financial mistakes of his life.

Robles started to sweat.

—Mr. Mendoza… perhaps we can discuss this calmly…

Alejandro ignored the lawyer.

He took a small remote control out of his pocket.

He pressed a button.

The television screen in the living room turned on.

A graph appeared.

Actions.

Stake.

Investment.

—NovaLink— said Alejandro. —Interesting company.

Diego swallowed hard.

—What does this mean?

Alejandro crossed his hands.

—It means that my investment funds own 47% of your company.

The silence was absolute.

—That… that’s not possible—Diego stammered.

-It is.

And this morning I bought another 12%.

Robles almost fainted.

—That means…

Alejandro looked at him.

—It means that I am now the majority shareholder.

Diego remained motionless.

The air seemed to have disappeared from the room.

Alejandro continued.

—It also means that the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting that I will convene this afternoon…

can remove the CEO.

Diego took a step back.

—You can’t do that.

-I already did.

He took out another document.

He left it on the table.

—Furthermore—he added—the money that Isabella “lent” when your company was about to go bankrupt…

It wasn’t an inheritance from her grandmother.

Diego looked at the document.

Her hands began to tremble.

—It was an investment.

Signed by me.

With interest.

With convertible shares.

Robles checked the paper.

Her face turned white.

-My God…

Diego looked up.

-How much?

Alejandro responded without emotion.

—18% of the company.

Diego’s mind seemed to silently break down.

Because now I understood.

He had not only lost his wife.

He had lost control of his company.

Its initial public offering.

His reputation.

All.

Camila whispered:

—Diego…

But he wasn’t listening.

Isabella got up for the first time.

She picked up her bag.

“Thank you for signing quickly,” he said gently. “Otherwise it would have been more complicated.”

Diego looked at her.

Desperate.

—Isabella… wait…

But she was already walking towards the door.

Alejandro followed her.

Before leaving, he stopped.

He looked at Diego one last time.

—Some advice, young man.

Diego was barely breathing.

—Never humiliate someone who helped you build your success.

Because sometimes…

That person is the only reason your empire exists.

The door closed.

And with that sound…

Diego Ramirez’s life began to fall apart.

Months later, NovaLink had a new CEO.

Isabella Mendoza.

And Diego…

It was just another story of arrogance.

A story that began the day he believed a silent woman…

He had no power.