CHAPTER 3: THE OWNER OF THE EMPIRE
Silence fell over the Gran Diamante once again, but this time it was a suffocating silence, thick as fog. The old man, Don Alejandro Mendieta, president of the Mendieta Group conglomerate and owner not only of the hotel chain but of half the corporations in the state of Nuevo León, raised a hand to stop the Mayor's apologies.
"Don't worry about it, Roberto," Alejandro said, finally breaking his silence. His voice was hoarse, measured, rolling his r's slightly with the unmistakable accent of northern Mexico. "The traffic in this city gets worse every day."
The Mayor swallowed hard, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the receptionist, who remained petrified. "Mr. Mendieta, we had agreed to escort you from the airport. When we found out you had decided to come on your own..."
"I wanted to walk a bit. Or at least, try to with this piece of iron." Alejandro tapped his titanium prosthesis gently with the crutch. "But it seems the hospitality of my own hotel leaves much to be desired."
Valeria felt violently dizzy. The words "my own hotel" echoed in her head like hammer blows. She tried to speak, to beg for forgiveness, but her vocal cords were paralyzed. Terror had left her mute.
"Sir... I..." Valeria managed to murmur, tears of panic beginning to ruin her flawless makeup. "I didn't know... I thought you were..."
"A nobody?" Alejandro interrupted her. His voice didn't rise a single decibel, but the coldness of his words froze the blood of everyone present. "A bum? Trash, I believe, was the word you used, girl?"
May you like
Valeria sobbed, covering her face with her hands. The Mayor signaled his guards, who formed a discreet but intimidating semicircle around the scene. The hotel guests remained frozen, witnessing the public execution of boundless arrogance.
"Call Robles," Alejandro ordered, without even looking at Valeria. His eyes were fixed on the Mayor. "Tell him to come down immediately."
