PART 2
The next morning, DataNova MX looked like a building awaiting judgment.
There were guards at reception, executives pacing back and forth, and rumors running through the hallways: the acquiring group had closed the deal in the early hours. Supposedly, a new administration would take over and approve the restructuring plan.
Mariana arrived in a navy blue dress, the only decent jacket she owned, and her heart was in knots. She hadn’t slept. She hadn’t resigned. That already seemed like an act of bravery to her.
Verónica was standing with the directors, impeccably dressed in a black suit, holding a leather folder. Inside was Aurora, the stolen project.
When she saw Mariana, she gave a small smile.
It was a smile that said: remember your place.
The glass doors opened.
An older man entered, carrying a cane, wearing a dark gray suit, his silver hair perfectly combed. There was no mud, no wet jacket, no trembling in his hands.
But Mariana recognized his eyes.
It was the old man from the cafeteria.
The murmur died away.
“Don Elías Cárdenas,” someone whispered.
Mariana stopped breathing. Elías Cárdenas wasn’t just any homeless man. He was the founder of DataNova, the man who had built the company twenty years earlier and who, according to rumors, had been ousted by a faction of the board.
See
