—And he was the first to break the pact between mother and son.
I arrived at the club at eight o’clock sharp.
The party was obscenely lavish. White flowers everywhere. A string quartet. Waiters with French champagne. A five-tiered cake. All paid for, or rather, promised with money Diego thought he’d gotten from me.
When he saw me come in, he turned pale.
Vanessa looked stunning in a dress that cost more than the annual salary of many of our former employees. Diego approached me, barely contained.
—What are you doing here? I told you I didn’t want to see you.
—I came to give you your wedding gift—I replied.
—A gift? You don’t have anything anymore.
I looked at him with a sadness that burned me from the inside.
—Oh, Diego. You took my grocery money, not my fortune. And about the apartment… tell me, have you already handed the keys over to the buyer?
—Yes. He gave me three hundred thousand pesos as an advance this morning. Why?
I barely smiled.
“Because that apartment isn’t mine, son. It belongs to a family holding company. The power of attorney you took from me at the hospital isn’t valid for selling it. You sold something that doesn’t belong to you.”
I felt the blood draining from his face.
—What… what are you saying?
—That the buyer will try to register the transaction and discover they fell for a scam. That you forged an authorization. That you took advantage of a sick person. And that legally, that’s called fraud.
Vanessa approached, irritated.
—What’s going on? What is this lady doing ruining the ceremony?
I looked at her calmly.
—Enjoy the party, darling. Because the honeymoon won’t be in Paris.
At that moment, the doors to the hall opened.
