The judge upheld the validity of the will.
Andrés appealed.
He lost too.
Six months after Don Alejandro’s death, I officially received the shares that were rightfully mine. Daniela and Mateo received theirs under the corresponding legal protections.
The transfer of the country house was also formalized.
And that’s where another problem arose.
Andrés had been living there for months.
It had been installed after the funeral.
He had even changed the locks.
The first time I went for documents and my key didn’t go in, I rang the doorbell.
He opened it.
—What are you doing here?
—I live here.
—This house is part of the inheritance.
—It belonged to my dad.
—Exactly. It was his.
Andrés smiled.
—When you win all your lawsuits, come and show off your papers to me.
I didn’t argue.
Wait.
When it was finally registered in my name, we sent her a formal request to vacate the property.
His answer was two words:
“Don’t even dream about it.”
He could have gone to fight.
I didn’t do it.
We filed another lawsuit.
As that process progressed, the situation in the company became unsustainable.
Andrés remained CEO because Don Alejandro never wanted to use the company to punish him during his lifetime.
I had promised to respect that principle.
But being an owner and allowing mismanagement are different things.
After his father’s death, Andrés began to act like a cornered man.
He was yelling at the managers.
He stopped contracts out of pride.
He insisted on huge advance payments to new suppliers.
In one transaction, he wanted to advance almost the entire value of a contract to a company that had been established just months before and without sufficient guarantees.
I asked him:
—What happens if they don’t deliver?
—They will deliver.
—What support do we have?
—I know people.
—That’s not a guarantee.
He slammed his fist on the table.
—I’m still the CEO.
The operations director responded:
—And she represents the stake that controls this company.
We suspended the payment.
Then other errors appeared.
An important contract was lost because Andrés delayed the authorization for weeks.
Two suppliers threatened to terminate their business relationship.
Three managers filed formal complaints.
We document everything.
Even so, I hesitated before acting.
One night I went alone to the country house, even though Andrés still lived there and I couldn’t go in.
I stayed inside the car in front of the gate.
I remembered my last conversation with Don Alejandro.
He had given me the keys to the company’s archives and had told me:
—Don’t turn what I leave you into a weapon against my son.
Then I understood something.
Keeping Andrés around just to prove that I didn’t want revenge could also damage what Don Alejandro had asked me to protect.
So I called the corresponding meeting.
Two days later Andrés entered the room and found me, the lawyer, and the operations manager.
-What is this?
The lawyer placed some documents in front of him.
Andrés read the first page.
Her face changed.
—Are you firing me?
“Your powers as CEO are ending in accordance with corporate procedure,” she explained.
He looked at me.
—You did it.
-What thing?
—First my wife. Then my inheritance. Now my job.
—You lost your marriage when you chose to lie to us. The inheritance was never yours. And this position didn’t belong to your family name.
—It’s revenge!
I pushed a folder towards him.
—Here are the stalled contracts, the internal complaints, the financial risks, and the lost negotiations. If you want to discuss the decision, let’s discuss the results.
He didn’t open the folder.
—Who will be the director?
—Temporarily, the director of operations.
Andrés let out a bitter laugh.
—Don’t you dare sit in my chair?
—I don’t need your chair to prove anything to you.
He went away.
He also challenged that decision.
It didn’t prosper either.
The company had sufficient documentation to justify the change.
However, the house remained.
Andrés had lost his will, his job, and his appeal, but he continued to shut himself away in that property as if physically remaining there could give him back the life he had imagined.
At the trial he said:
—That was always my family’s house. I spent Christmases there. I helped my dad remodel it.
The judge asked:
—Were you ever a property owner?
-No.
—Is there a contract that allows you to occupy it currently?
-No.
—So your emotional relationship with the property does not replace a legal right.
The resolution ordered him to vacate it.
Andrés appealed.
He lost again.
They gave him a deadline to leave voluntarily.
He didn’t come out.
Finally, the execution began.
On the appointed day, I went with my lawyer and the authorized personnel to comply with the resolution and change the locks.
Andrés opened the door wearing pants.
When he saw the documents, he looked directly at me.
—Did you come here to enjoy this?
—I came to reclaim the house.
—My father’s house.
—The house that your father decided to leave.
—You’re a scavenger.
I didn’t answer.
They allowed him to pack his personal belongings.
Andrés filled two suitcases, several boxes, and a bag with clothes.
When he entered Don Alejandro’s old office, he saw a photograph hanging on the wall.
It was an old picture of his father in front of the first warehouse he had rented when he started the business.
Andrés took it down.
See more on the next page.
