Chapter 10: The Fall
Chapter 10: The Fall
The fallout was instantaneous and absolute. Before Mariana even reached the ground floor, sirens were wailing in the distance. The FBI raided the building within the hour, arresting Rodrigo and his wife in front of hundreds of their wealthiest peers. But federal prison was the least of Rodrigo's worries. The cartel, realizing they had been robbed of tens of millions, immediately put a bounty on the entire Salcedo organization.
Mariana vanished back into the night, reuniting with Julian and Nico. They watched the news from the safety of the Nevada bunker. The Salcedo empire collapsed overnight. The company stock plummeted to zero, their assets were seized, and Rodrigo, terrified of cartel assassins, begged for solitary confinement in federal custody. The family that had ruled through fear was completely dismantled.
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Weeks later, on a sun-drenched beach in Costa Rica, Mariana sat on a woven blanket, watching Nico build a sandcastle near the gentle surf. Julian had secured them ironclad new identities and offshore accounts funded by untraceable crypto he had skimmed from Rodrigo's hidden stashes before the feds closed in.
Mariana took a sip of fresh coconut water, feeling the warm breeze against her face. The darkness of the ocean had tried to claim them, but they had conquered the depths. The perfect family was gone forever, but in its place, Mariana and Nico had finally found peace.
