Mercedes's company entered insolvency proceedings, and her role in the disputed transactions led to separate legal consequences.
Neither of them could erase the evidence.
Neither could persuade me to withdraw my account of what had happened.
Their downfall wasn't a spectacular public scene.
It was quieter.
A reputation that no longer opened doors.
Money that had to be accounted for.
Power that no longer protected them.
And a woman they had expected to remain silent who finally refused.
The day the financial judgment was finalized, Isabel called me.
"It's done, Clara."
I was standing in my office, looking at a new desk we'd just installed for our first additional consultant.
I sat down slowly.
"Really?"
"Yes. The restitution arrangements are enforceable. Your ownership remains yours."
I looked around the room.
The shelves I'd assembled myself.
The photographs of my first team celebration.
The little plant Lucía had given me when I opened the company.
