One investor, Don Santiago Arriaga, slowly set down his glass.

“Rodrigo,” he asked, “why are you so afraid of the video being saved?”

No one answered.

That silence hurt him more than any accusation.

Valeria looked at Rodrigo, waiting for him to defend her.

“Tell them this is ridiculous,” she said.

But Rodrigo did not even meet her eyes.

For the first time, Valeria understood that being near power was not the same as owning it.

Mariana opened a folder.

“Because of tonight’s incident and the preliminary review, the Salcedo Trust may recommend suspending the bridge financing immediately.”

Rodrigo clenched his jaw.

“You can’t do that because of a marital problem.”

Renata tilted her head.

“If this is not a marriage issue, then we can discuss it technically.”

She listed everything: Valeria attending a restricted dinner without a conflict declaration, interfering with investor seating, physically attacking her, Rodrigo trying to stop evidence from being preserved, and the suspicious expenses.

Valeria’s eyes widened.

“Irregular expenses?”

Rodrigo whispered, “Renata, enough.”

She signed the report without shaking.

“No,” she said. “That word belongs to me now.”

PART 3

At seven the next morning, Grupo Ibarra’s board met in a room full of tension.

Rodrigo arrived in the same suit from the night before. He looked exhausted, but still carried the attitude of a man who believed disaster could be renamed as a misunderstanding.

Renata appeared by video from her office in Lomas de Chapultepec. Her hair was perfect, her white blouse crisp, and the red mark on her cheek still visible.

She had not covered it.

That mark was now evidence.

The chairwoman began the meeting by naming the issues: the Polanco incident, the governance review, and Valeria Duarte’s conduct.

Rodrigo leaned forward.

“I regret what happened last night.”

Renata did not blink.

The chairwoman asked, “What exactly do you regret?”

“The interruption of the dinner.”

The room went colder.

“Try again,” the chairwoman said.

Rodrigo swallowed.

“I regret that Valeria hit Renata.”