PART 9: THE DIVIDEND LOCKDOWN
PART 9: THE DIVIDEND LOCKDOWN
Back downtown, the corporate board of Rivas Logistics had completely dissolved.
The remaining minority partners sat in a semi-circle inside the main boardroom, their faces pale as they looked at the massive red stock charts flashing on the projection screens. The value of the firm’s shares had hit a record low, plunging 65% in less than forty-eight hours as major institutional investors pulled their liquidity pools out of the network.
Santiago’s sister, Mariana, stood near the windows, her hands trembling as she held a glass of water.
"We can't clear the afternoon payroll," Mariana told the chief operating officer. "The bank says the primary operating account is entirely locked under a third-party audit lien. My mother’s boutique accounts are empty."
The double doors of the boardroom pushed open, and I walked inside, flanked by four federal receivership managers. I wore a flawlessly tailored slate-grey suit, my face completely calm, my eyes carrying the unyielding authority of a woman who owned the very ground they stood on.
"Valeria!" Mariana cried out, stepping forward defensively. "Please... you can't punish the entire company for what Santiago did! My fiancé and I are supposed to sign our wedding contract next month! Our entire inheritance is tied up in these shares!"
I didn't stop walking until I reached the head of the table. I didn't look at Mariana with anger or satisfaction. I looked at her like a manager inspecting an error on a balance sheet.
"Your inheritance was an illusion built on my salary, Mariana," I said, my voice dropping into a low, deadly register that silenced the entire room. "Every single weekend you spent posting videos of luxury feasts on social media, you were spending the maintenance dividends that belonged to my family’s future."
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"We didn't know!" Mariana stammered, her lower lip trembling.
"You knew enough to stay quiet when your mother told me I never belonged in this family," I replied, my micro-expressions turning into pure ice. "You rolled your eyes and called me neurotic while my own money was keeping your family's lifestyle alive. The receivership has just voted to cancel all family dividend distributions permanently."
