Mariana Castañeda: the woman who never had her place in the kitchen

The master of ceremonies smiled.

— Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of the Castañeda Council, Mariana Castañeda.

The room was filled with applause.

But Diego couldn’t breathe properly.

Mariana looked him straight in the eyes.

No anger.

No tears.

Absolute calm.

The revelation

« You… » Diego finally managed to say.

Mariana took the microphone.

– Good evening.

The entire room was listening attentively.

— For many years, I chose to remain discreet. I believe that companies should be judged on their results, not on the name of their leader.

She paused briefly.

— But tonight is special.

Diego approached the stage.

— Mariana, we need to talk.

She continued as if she hadn’t heard anything.

— The Castañeda Council announced today a new transparency policy for companies wishing to benefit from our investments.

Rafael handed a file to the master of ceremonies.

— It includes, in particular, a complete analysis of the companies participating in the Santa Fe project.

Diego turned pale.

He knew exactly what that meant.

— Your financial documents were under review.

And there was a problem.

The Alvarado group was not as independent as everyone thought.

A large portion of her early investments came from companies controlled by Mariana.

« It’s personal, » he said.

Mariana finally looked at him.

— No, Diego.

She smiled discreetly.

— My friends, this is what happened at home.

Silence fell in the room.

Valeria grabbed Diego’s arm.

— Say something.

« Did you know? » he asked Mariana.

— About you and Valeria?

She tilted her head.

— For months.

Valeria turned pale.

— Then why did you never say anything?

— Because I wanted to know how far you would go.

Diego approached.

— Mariana, I can explain.

— That’s not necessary.

– I love you.

A few people nearby began to whisper.

Mariana took a deep breath.

— You just said that after bringing another woman to the event to replace me.

Diego remained silent.

– I was wrong.

– No.

She shook her head.

— You weren’t wrong just today. You spent eight years believing I was inferior to you.

Doña Leonor tried to intervene.

— Mariana, we are a family.

Mariana looked at her.

— No, Doña Leonor. A family does not humiliate someone for eight years and then demand silence when they discover that this person had more power than they imagined.

The woman’s expression changed.

The truth on the table

Claudia slowly lowered her mobile phone.

— Did you know she was president?

Valeria replied:

— I knew nothing.

Diego looked at Valeria.

At that moment, he realized he was alone.

The woman he had taken to the ball had discovered the same thing as everyone else.

He was not the powerful man he imagined himself to be.

He was just a businessman who had been supported for years by the woman he had despised.

Rafael went on stage.

— Ms. Castañeda, the documents are ready.

Mariana nodded.

— Give them to me.

Rafael distributed copies to the council representatives.

Diego opened the first page.

This was the initial financing agreement for the Alvarado group.

At the bottom of the page was a signature.

Mariana Castañeda.

« Did you finance my business? » he asked.

– Yes.

— So you’re responsible for everything?

– No.

Mariana looked at him.

— You are responsible for the decisions you made after gaining my trust.

Diego closed his eyes.

— Why didn’t you ever tell me?

— Because I wanted to know if you loved me for myself.

She paused.

— Now I know.

The consequences

That same evening, the board of directors announced that the Alvarado group would be withdrawn from the bidding process for the Santa Fe project, pending the completion of an independent audit.

Mariana didn’t ask for it.

That was the advice.

She had simply refused to intervene.

And that difference was important.

Diego lost investors in the weeks that followed.

Valeria left the company.

Doña Leonor had to sell some real estate to repay her debts.

Claudia deleted the messages from that night.