I hid my identity and entered to work with fake documents at my husband’s company, Grupo Monteverde. When my father died, he left me an empire of billions of pesos that he had started as a small assembly workshop in Monterrey.
I, his only daughter, handed over the entire administration to my husband, Alejandro, and decided to step aside to become the quiet wife he always supported. For three years, I believed that this sacrifice would give me a peaceful home. But Alejandro began to distance himself more and more.
The business trips became longer, and in his clothes, there was no longer just the smell of liquor… but also a feminine perfume that I didn’t know. My intuition told me that something was very wrong, and I decided to find out for myself. I put on a simple white blouse, black office pants, and combed my hair into a high bun.
No one would recognize me as Valeria Monteverde, the heiress of the group. I entered as a basic administrative assistant. On the first day, I copied documents, organized files, prepared coffee, and tidied up the meeting room. At lunchtime, the head of the area ordered me to bring a tray of drinks to the general director’s office.
The door was half-closed. I was about to touch… but I stopped dead in my tracks upon hearing voices inside. It was Camila, Alejandro’s new secretary. She spoke in a melodic tone, mocking me without knowing that I was listening.
She said I was good for nothing, that I was a dull woman, good only for staying at home, unable to understand the world of business. She boasted that she was the woman who deserved to be by the general director’s side. I was paralyzed. The tray began to shake in my hands.
I waited to hear Alejandro defend his wife. I waited for her to shut up. I waited, at least, for a little dignity. But no. He let out a dry laugh and continued the game. He said I was boring, insipid, that I had only endured for three years because I was the founder’s daughter.
He promised Camila that he would soon remove me from the middle… and then give her the place she deserved. The coffee in the cup shook. Every word was like a knife slowly piercing my chest. I took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and entered.
They both flinched and immediately separated. Alejandro adjusted his jacket. Camila stood up with arrogance written all over her face. I looked down, pretending to continue in my role as a humble employee, and put the cup on the desk.
Then Camila rushed toward me, slammed the table down, and started yelling that I was a dirty, unattractive woman who dared to touch her man’s glass. Before I could say a word, she slapped me. The slap was dry. I felt my cheek burning.
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and a warm drop fell on the corner of my lips. I took a step back, stumbling, but I didn’t fall. Camila stood in front of me with her hands on her hips, pointing at me as if I were trash.
She insulted me, called me insignificant, unimportant, ordinary. The entire executive area fell silent. Some looked at me with compassion; others with fear. I wiped the blood from my mouth and looked up. Then I saw her.
In Camila’s hand shone a diamond ring with a delicate rose design in white gold. My chest tightened. That ring was mine. I had designed it myself to celebrate our third wedding anniversary, and I had kept the original sketch in the safe at home.
Alejandro paled at the sight of her. He tried to pull Camila to silence her, but she kept shouting, demanding that I be fired immediately. I said nothing. I turned around, left the office, and closed the door softly.
All the anger that had been burning inside me began to cool down until it became something much more dangerous: lucidity. That was no longer just infidelity.
(What will Valeria do now that she knows the full truth? Click “Next Page” to continue reading…)
