Chapter 4 - The Champagne in the Stolen Mansion

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While I was listening to my son’s voice in the mountain cabin, thirty miles away in the wealthy district of San Angel, the four-million-dollar estate was filled with the sound of clinking crystal and laughter.
Valeria stood on the grand marble terrace wearing an emerald silk wrap dress, holding a flute of vintage Dom Pérignon.
Beside her stood Rodrigo Morales—a slick, forty-year-old real estate speculator with gelled hair, tailored linen trousers, and a gold Rolex gleaming on his wrist.
“To the easiest four million dollars of our lives,” Rodrigo cheered, clinking his glass against Valeria’s. “The buyer from Monterrey signed the preliminary letter of intent this morning. Four million two hundred thousand in cash. We close on Friday.”
Valeria chuckled, taking a slow sip. “You should have seen the old woman’s face yesterday, Rodrigo. Standing on the porch in her cheap black dress, clutching that stupid wooden frame. She actually thought she had the right to stay in my guest room.”
“Where did you send her?” Rodrigo asked with a grin.
“The old hunting shack near the summit,” Valeria dismissed with a flick of her manicured fingers. “No electricity, three miles from the main road. At her age, the winter frost will take care of her before the probate court even opens the filing.”
Rodrigo pulled a thick blue document from his leather briefcase and laid it on the outdoor glass table.
“Here is the falsified power-of-attorney deed,” Rodrigo said in a low voice. “I had our notary stamp it yesterday afternoon. It states that Neftalí signed over full title to you two days before he slipped into the coma. Once we wire the closing funds to our corporate account in Panama on Friday, we board the flight to Madrid.”
Valeria smiled, running her crimson fingernails across the marble balustrade. “Neftalí spent his whole life working seventy hours a week building this empire. And now, I get to spend every cent of it with you.”
Suddenly, the intercom at the front iron security gates buzzed with sharp, persistent urgency.
Valeria frowned, setting down her champagne flute. “Who is that? The moving crew isn't scheduled until tomorrow.”
She pressed the video monitor.
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Standing outside the twelve-foot wrought-iron gates were three black armored SUVs, a marked federal judiciary transport van, and a tall man in a tailored charcoal suit carrying a heavy leather briefcase.
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