My name is Camila Ledezma, I'm 21 years old and I am the sole heir to the Ledezma empire, a hotel chain spanning all of Italy and franchises around the world. I have beautiful honey-colored eyes, brown hair, pale skin, full lips, and a goddess-like figure. Everyone might think that being a millionaire I'd live a life of luxury, but I've actually lived like any middle-class girl. Today, however, I take possession of what belongs to me, and let whoever needs to fall.

Years ago.

I was 13 when we were at one of our mansions in the Bahamas, enjoying a spectacular vacation with my parents. Everything was wonderful; we visited beautiful places, I bought plenty of things to bring back gifts for my employees and my nanny. Just as we were about to leave for the airport, my dad was informed that a bomb had been disarmed on the plane belonging to our family. My father, the great magnate Renato Ledezma, ordered his men to investigate. My mother could do nothing but hug me and cry. Three hours later, Fabricio, my father's best friend and right-hand man, arrived. He was also the head of our family's security team. They spent a long time in the office, while my mother and I looked at each other with big questions and a lot of curiosity about what was really happening. When my father and Uncle Fabricio emerged, it was already night. My father went out to the garden with my mother, and I just watched her cry, my poor father with a sad face embracing her. I didn't understand; after all, nothing had happened to us—or so I thought.

My mother, somewhat calmer, sat down in the living room. Her face was filled with sadness and anxiety. Even though she wanted to show she was fine, I could sense her distress until I couldn't bear it anymore and asked them what was happening. That's when my father told me that the attack aimed at ending my family's life was orchestrated by his business partner, Mr. Donato Rocuso. I was shocked as I knew this man and had even spent time with his daughter, Fernanda. I couldn't believe it, but I was even more astonished when my father began to recount how he met Donato and how he gave him 30% of his business.

Yet, I didn't understand why he wanted to end us, especially me. That's when my mother told me about a clause in the business agreement stating that the heirs must be the CEO and married in order to take possession of everything. Since my mother owned 70%, the CEO position would be for her heir, and if she had no children, it would pass to Donato's heir. If neither had any children, it would go to charity. I reproached my parents for such a clause; now I understood why I was always engaged to Leonel Lombardo, heir to the Lombardos, the most famous car company in Italy and beyond.

My father just let me speak, and when I calmed down, he hugged me and apologized, saying that the clause was foolish and that he did it because he felt indebted to Donato, who had been my mother's suitor before my father, unaware, fell in love with her. And truthfully, who wouldn't—my mother is a spectacular woman. But the problem was that this man had harbored jealousy toward my father ever since and thus wanted to destroy him and take everything. If I were to die, the CEO position would pass to Fernanda once she became a professional and was married.

My father looked at me and said that we had to disappear because this wasn't the first time Donato had tried to end my life.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, nor could I understand why my father said it wasn't the first attempt on my life.

Renato: Remember the shopping center bombing, where you were trapped in one of the stores and if it wasn't for that boy who saved you, you wouldn't be here today? Well, I just found out Donato was behind that too. And I can't let anything happen to you; you are my entire life.

Camila: Then why not just give him everything and let us live in peace?

Renato: Even if I give him everything, he'll still destroy us. With the full power of my assets, there'll be no human power that could touch him.

I couldn't take it any longer and ran to my room.

I spent the entire night in my room crying, unable to believe what my father had told us, especially the part about wanting to separate us. I cried so much that I didn’t even realize when I finally fell asleep.

The next morning, feeling slightly calmer, I made my way to the living room where my parents were having breakfast with sadness etched on their faces. That’s when I decided not to make this moment any harder for them. I would listen, and we would all look for a solution together. So, I gave my mother and then my father a kiss, and we ate breakfast in complete silence. A few hours later, we were back in the living room when my father began talking about how much he loved my mother and me. The tears wouldn't stop; my heart felt like it was breaking because I had never seen my father cry before. The idea of what he was proposing meant we would be apart for a long time, and then he told me that I had to leave with my mother for another country. We would have to start over with new identities and fake our own deaths. Meanwhile, I would receive training, get married, and be ready to take my place as CEO. With that authority, Donatello wouldn’t be able to harm me. My mother sobbed as she listened to Dad; to lighten the mood a bit, I told them that this was not an ultimatum for our family. Even if we didn’t see each other for a while, we would always know where we came from and what our place was. After this, we embraced; we could stay only a few more days under the pretense of extending our vacation. We forgot everything during those days and created beautiful family memories until the day arrived. My father left in the morning for Italy, and we were to follow after in a plane rigged with explosives to stage our deaths for the world.

Meanwhile, my uncle Fabricio, who with my father had decided he would be our guardian, accompanied us to California, United States. He would pretend to be my mother’s brother to avoid raising suspicions.

Upon arrival in California, our identities were already changed. I was now Melisa Smith, my mother was Carolina Cifuentes de Smith, and my uncle went by Raul Cifuentes. There was chaos at the airport as everyone had heard the news of the plane explosion owned by the Ledezma family with Carmine de Ledezma, Camila Ledezma, and Fabricio Bustamante on board - the family and right-hand man of the businessman Renato Ledezma - it was a significant event.

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd regarding the news on the broadcasters, we managed to quickly leave the airport and head towards an apartment my uncle Fabricio had purchased to start our new life. This apartment was not like the mansion we lived in, but it was quite nice and cozy, as we could not stand out too much in society. As we turned on the TV, an interview with my father was being broadcasted. He was in tears and refused to speak; whereas Donato emphasized that everyone on the plane had died, leaving Renato alone. He showed a smile that soon turned to a sad expression, emphasizing that my father would always have his and his daughter Fernanda’s support.

Days passed and my mother was very sad. I began studying at home until, three months later, my father showed up at our door, though only for a few hours as he didn’t want Donato to suspect anything. He had traveled for business, and although the time was short, we cherished it immensely. My father stayed with mom through the night, and by dawn, he was off, making us promise to take care of ourselves, and that he would always watch over us until the danger had passed.

From that day on, my mother decided not to fall apart. Together with my uncle, they opened a florist shop to keep busy and not raise suspicions about our finances. Days, weeks, and even years passed; my mother owned five florist shops. My father would visit us once every six months, covertly at dawn. During one visit, he revealed that Donato had been embezzling from the company but was careful not to leave evidence. However, he would get the proof he needed since Donato didn’t know that his secretary was an informant for my father.

On the other hand, Uncle Raul kept us safe and was falling for one of the girls working in the florist shop, though he denied it. As for me, I was studying and helping my mother with the shop. We had changed our looks, wearing large clothes and glasses to avoid recognition.

Camila Ledezma, (Imagine her with glasses).

Hello, my dear readers, this is my first novel and I hope you like it. There might be some spelling errors, but I hope they don't bother you. I'm trying to give my best. 😘😘😘😘😘😲😲

To be continued.

I'm about to enter college. My father donated a large sum of dollars to Harvard University for a hundred scholarships and for me to study there without raising suspicions. It was unnecessary for me to get a scholarship through connections, because I don't mean to brag, but I am incredibly intelligent. So much so that I am going to study two degrees simultaneously: Business Administration and International Trade. My mother was sad because the university was in Massachusetts, and as a scholarship student, I had to stay in the university lodgings.

Today was the big day. My mother accompanied me to the university along with my Uncle Raul. My mother could not stop crying, but I just hugged her and whispered that it wouldn’t be long before I would be back with Dad and this helped my mother to stop crying. The moment came when we had to say our goodbyes before entering the university accommodations.

Inside, I had to share a room with a very beautiful girl named Lucrecia, who was also on a scholarship. She lived with her grandparents because she was an orphan; her parents had died in an accident when returning from a trip. Since then, she had been alone, looking after a small textile company with her grandparents. Despite having everything she needed, she always lived with the fear of being alone because her only relatives were her elderly grandparents. Listening to her, my heart ached, and without thinking, I told her that she found a sister in me and that I would never leave her by herself. She just smiled and hugged me, a sincere hug; that's how I met my sister friend, Lucre as I affectionately call her.

Harvard

The main entrance of the university. (Harvard).

Carmina Ledezma, (my mother).

Federico (Raul, my uncle)

Renato Ledezma (my father).

Lucrecia (best friend),

Four months had passed since we started university. I was popular, not for my beauty but because I was the top student of the university. My father had provided me with security from the shadows.

One night, Stiven Bustamante, the heir of the Bustamante textile firm, a very handsome but arrogant and womanizing guy, approached me. He asked me to go out for a drink, but I declined as he didn't give me a good impression, and he had a reputation for having been with most of the girls at the university. Still, as days went by, Stiven kept insisting. I couldn't deny that I liked him because he was very attractive, and since he started courting me, I hadn't seen him with other girls. I offered him my friendship and helped him study, which allowed him to catch up on many subjects he was failing.

Stiven Bustamante.

I'm known at the university as the treasure hunter, as there’s no jewel I haven't possessed in every sense. The only one resisting me is Melissa, the very naïve girl who believes I'm genuinely interested in her. I'm only using her to pass my subjects so my father won't disinherit me. She thinks I don't date other girls because I'm pursuing her, but what she doesn't know is that I've almost had them all; it's just her and her friend who haven’t yet succumbed to my charm, but she will soon, and then I'll go after Lucrecia. Although Lucrecia doesn't show it, she's quite desirable. Meanwhile, I satisfy my carnal desires by having great sex with the models from the factory, while continuing to play the good guy role.

Tonight, I'll ask Melissa to be my girlfriend until I have had my way with her. Perhaps I’ll keep her around until I finish my degree, so she can help me pass my subjects.

Stiven Bustamante.

It's 9:00 p.m., and I'm outside the women's dormitories waiting for Melissa to take her to dinner. When I see her come out, to my surprise, she's not alone but with Lucrecia. I initially think I'll end up in a threesome, but quickly regain my composure when Melissa greets me, asking if it’s alright for Lucrecia to join us. Naturally, I say it's no problem, although this won't interfere with my plans—it might even help me get closer to her friend. The dinner was delicious, and the company wasn't so bad after all; they turned out to be quite a lot of fun. While Lucrecia went to the bathroom, I seized the opportunity to ask Melissa to be my girlfriend. She just looked at me and said she would think about it, that she wasn't entirely sure of my intentions. I pretended to be offended but told her that I understood if she needed her time, that I would wait for her. In any case, she would fall for it eventually.