Chapter 5 - The Notary Appointment She Planned
Renata tried to recover before the night ended.
People like her always do.
First, she laughed.
Then she said I had misunderstood.
Then she claimed my mother had slipped and Renata had “helped her up.”
Then she accused Diego of manipulating me.
Then she cried.
Not because she was sorry.
Because the room no longer obeyed her.
Diego opened the legal folder and placed several documents on the patio table. The text was blurred under the lamplight, but Renata recognized the shape of official paper.
Emergency petition.
Protective order request.
Complaint filed before the family court.
Notice to preserve company control.
Temporary block on any power of attorney filing.
Her mouth opened slightly.
“You can’t do this.”
“I already did,” I said.
“You’ll destroy your reputation.”
“No. I’m correcting it.”
“My family knows judges.”
“My lawyer knows evidence.”
That silenced her.
The next morning, we went to the notary appointment.
Not to sign.
To end the performance.
Renata arrived in sunglasses, wearing cream instead of white, as if changing colors made her less guilty. Her attorney came with a folder full of prepared explanations. Two members of my company board sat in the lobby, confused and uncomfortable.
Diego placed a tablet on the table and played only thirty seconds.
Renata’s voice filled the office.
If you don’t sign tomorrow, your mother is going to end up in a nursing home where nobody visits her.
No one moved.
Then came the second line.
The company goes under my control, this house goes under my control, and your mother goes wherever I decide to send her.
The notary slowly removed his glasses.
Renata’s attorney stopped touching his folder.
One board member looked at me with horror.
The other looked at Renata like he had finally seen the woman behind the dress.
The appointment lasted less than ten minutes.
No power of attorney was signed.
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No company control was transferred.
And by noon, Renata was no longer allowed inside any Vargas Medical Supply office.
