Chapter 16 - ELENA SANTOS COMES HOME
Not to announce money.
To ask a question.
"Mom, why didn't you tell me you were a Reyes?"
Long silence.
Then Elena Santos said, "Because I wanted you to grow up free of them."
"That didn't work."
Elena came to New York two days later.
Neither woman spoke at first.
Then Carmen whispered, "You look like Mama."
Elena answered, "Don't use memory to make this soft."
The fertility records.
The forged surrender.
The trust fraud.
Javier's death.
"You used my daughter because Father taught you blood mattered more than people."
"I thought I was fixing what he broke."
"No."
"You repeated it."
The court recognized Rosa's maternal status.
The judge disagreed.
Fraud prevented informed action.
The forged surrender was void.
Then came custody.
Marco expected a fight.
Rosa surprised him.
"I don't want to remove Valentina from her home overnight."
"Time."
Regular parenting time.
Therapy.
A room for Valentina at Rosa's apartment when she was ready.
Joint medical decisions eventually.
No immediate change of school.
Marco agreed.
"You understand Ms. Santos may become equal legal parent?"
"Yes."
"And that your financial status does not give you greater parental authority?"
"Yes."
He meant it.
That was new.
Outside court, reporters shouted.
One asked, "Do you plan to take control of Reyes Global?"
"No."
"Then what do you want?"
"My daughter to know nobody bought the right to erase me."
That clip spread everywhere.
The next morning, Reyes Global stock dropped twelve percent.
"Fix this."
He answered, "We are."
"By silencing her."
"No."
May you like
"By paying what we owe."
And the amount was about to become enormous.
