Episode 10

The following is the rewritten paragraph:

The next day, Nina woke up a little late. They had been talking late into the night about the infamous kiss, so she struggled to open her eyes. Alonzo, on the other hand, was in the same condition. He was lying there next to her without moving. Nina thought he was dead or something until he shifted, giving her a kick.

"Alonzo, you nearly broke my shin... idiot," Nina grumbled, still half-asleep and struggling to open her eyes.

As they laughed about the kicks and punches they exchanged while sleeping, Brenda, very annoyed, entered the room.

"Nina, it's late. You should get ready, and your boyfriend too. It's just an hour until the wedding, and you haven't even gotten up," her mother scolded her with a stern look, particularly directed towards Alonzo. She disliked their relationship.

Nina nodded as she got out of bed, and Alonzo lazily got up.

"Nina, let's hurry. It's better for this to end so we can have fun exploring the city. You should give me my proper tour or make your friend Camila be my tour guide."

Both got ready. Nina looked beautiful; her champagne-colored dress complemented her skin tone nicely.

Alonzo looked handsome and distinguished. He was actually the youngest of the Villaseca family, a very wealthy and well-established family. However, Alonzo was more relaxed and didn't worry much about his future.

As Nina descended the stairs with Alonzo, they noticed a commotion. Her mother was crying, and her father looked pale. The Cannats were there, wearing unfriendly expressions.

"Mama, what's happening? Why is there so much chaos?" Nina approached her mother with concern; her mother wasn't the type to get worked up over nothing.

"Nina, sweetheart, your sister Celia... she has eloped with a man I don't even know. She left a note saying she couldn't be tied to an arranged life. Now the Cannats are furious. This marriage was supposed to be secure, but we have serious problems with the company. Your father has committed several embezzlements, and we borrowed money from our friends. But now, since the shareholders see that the money isn't coming back, they are about to call in the debt," Brenda explained, tearfully, while Thomas, her father, hung his head in shame.

Nina tried to digest the news. How could her father embezzle money from the company? An arranged marriage? What debt?

Brenda sobbed uncontrollably, while Nina looked at the Cannats, uncertain about what was really going on.

"Nina, the thing is that your father has been heavily involved in gambling. He has lost a fortune at the casino. We loaned money to him so that the Ugarte company wouldn't go bankrupt, but he hasn't been able to meet the deadlines. As you know, we own our company, but we have powerful shareholders in the business field. They have been monitoring this debt," Alexander, Max's mother, explained with sadness. They didn't want to reach this point; it would be devastating for everyone.

"When they saw that the money wasn't coming back, they left us with no choice. We either execute the debt, and your father goes bankrupt, maybe even to prison, or we assume the debt by merging with the Ugarte company. This merger should happen through a marriage, with Maximiliano taking charge of that company and pushing it forward until the debt is repaid, without your father facing any trouble. We decided that the best option was a marriage, with Max as the custodian of all of our assets, houses, material possessions, etc.," Lucia, Max's mother, said sadly. They were in a conflict; they would have to execute the debt, face humiliation in front of the shareholders, and possibly see their longtime friend imprisoned.

Nina blinked, not knowing what to say. She saw her defeated father, her mother weeping, and she didn't know what to do.

"There must be another way. You can't send my father to jail," Nina said, distressed, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Nina, we don't want that either. That's why we arranged this marriage. Celia and Max would only marry to fulfill this requirement and salvage what we can for you," Alexander said seriously. This issue went beyond just a ceremony.

"I have a solution," came the hoarse and weary voice of Alan Cannat, Maximiliano's grandfather. The man entered the room with a cane fitted with a gold handle, looking proud and elegant. Despite his age, he still retained an impressive presence, and Maximiliano resembled his paternal grandfather in appearance.

Everyone turned to look at him as he cast a disapproving glance at Thomas, Nina's father. He couldn't believe the suffering Thomas was causing his family due to his vices.

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