Episode 3

(Mia)

Oscar Montiel arrived with his wife and declared himself the only one capable of managing the corporation; I simply didn’t argue anything.

They settled in without asking for permission, both in my home and in my life.

There was nothing that said otherwise.

My Nana Sofia had searched everything in my parents' room and in the study where Dad worked, trying to find any documents that spoke of the supposed partnership, but to no avail.

So I crossed my arms and waited.

I was nothing more than a fragile, needy orphaned teenager; with a deep pain in my heart.

The reason the Montiels had come was not to help with my shattered life, nor to ease the infinite pain I held; it was because I owned nearly 100 hectares of vineyards, a processing plant, and the company that marketed the best wine in Argentina, in addition to all of my parents' and grandfather's bank accounts.

It was all part of a wicked plan...

But I realized that too late.

At that time, although I had doubts, I accepted without objection; after all, I thought it was my father's decision.

I didn’t know how to manage the corporation; Dad had died unexpectedly, and the only man who supposedly knew the ins and outs of the company, according to himself, was Oscar Montiel. He insisted that my father's will was for the Montiel family to take charge of everything.

"Including me"...

But with their arrival, my tragic life worsened...

Since they came and got involved in my entire environment, I felt a slight relief, as I could see that the man actually knew how to manage everything from the vineyards to the exporter.

I also felt a slight easing of my pain, as both Oscar and Eugenia were attentive, understanding, and even affectionate.

I believed them; I needed to believe them. I needed to believe that they wanted to take care of me, that they wanted to help me, and that they were doing it out of the love they had for my late father.

I lived like this for a while, although the pain of losing my parents and grandfather was immense and insurmountable, they helped me cope with everything, and that was part of their plan.

But it struck me as very strange that they tried to distance me from everyone who cared for me.

They hated my father's lawyer and spoke very poorly of him.

They told me that Dad hadn’t trusted him lately because he was a fraud.

They always told me that people only approached me for some kind of interest.

As the saying goes, “The lion judges by its own condition.”

They even tried to kick my Nana Sofia out of my own house, along with my Nana's daughter, Daniela, who was like a sister to me.

After the death of my beloved blood family, they were my only family, and I loved them.

Daniela and I did everything together; she was just a few months older, so we were in the same class at the same school; we even lived in the same house since it was a massive place.

But Eugenia Montiel constantly spoke ill of Dani, although I never paid any attention to her bad comments; however, that should have been enough to remove them from my life.

If I had been smarter, maybe my Daniela would still be alive.

Those people deceived me in the vilest way, but while they convinced me that their closeness was to help me because Dad had asked and authorized it, they could never distance my Nana, Daniela, lawyer Marco Soler, or Leonardo, who managed the whole estate; they were always by my side, even advising me to take precautions.

So the Montiels organized themselves better and intensified their strategies.

I didn’t know those bastards had children until Eugenia started talking about them; then they brought them from the university where they studied, and with the arrival of the Montiel siblings, my tragic life became even worse.

Let me tell you why...

Vacation arrived, I had finished my high school education, but I didn’t want to go to the graduation ceremony; instead, I focused on streamlining my university admission process.

After that, to make the most of the 6 weeks of vacation, I decided to go to my estate, just like I used to when my parents were alive, so I arranged the trip with my Nana and Daniela.

Eugenia did not like the idea, as she told me her children would come to spend the holidays with them and that they wanted to meet me.

However, although I allowed them to stay at my house as if they were part of the family and listened to their opinions, I always maintained my own judgment. If I disagreed with something, I simply did not accept it.

I did it this way because, even as a child, my parents always respected and supported me in whatever I chose to do; now, I wasn’t going to let strangers come in and dictate my life. It was already enough that they managed my finances; besides, I wasn’t interested in meeting their children; to me, they were just strangers.

So, I went to enjoy my vacation; after all, I felt everything was in order at the Corporate office, and moreover, my father’s lawyer told me the signature on the document Oscar had was my father's, and if my dad had signed it, it was right for him, so I should trust it.

Upon arriving at the estate, everything was different; my beloved parents were no longer there.

That warm house, which had been one of my favorite places, seemed so big and sounded so silent. The staff came out to greet me as always, but there was sadness and uncertainty on their faces.

My parents were such generous and just people; it was obvious that everyone there would miss them.

That day, I spoke with them and told them to work as if they were alive, and that I would take on my father’s role in a year. I was about to turn 17, and my parents raised me to manage Montecarlo Corporate, and I would do it to the best of my ability.

I saw Leonardo Dorantes, my father's trusted man, walking. He was a person I admired for his charisma and loyalty, and he was in charge of the entire estate.

He came up to me and said he was at my service and would do everything necessary for me to learn about the vineyards and the grape processing; so the following weeks were full of learning, as Leonardo took it very seriously to teach me, and I took it very seriously to learn.

I also had fun during that time; Leonardo's children, who were my age and also on vacation, joined us: Cristina and Victor. They became good friends; Cristina was very outgoing, and Victor was the shyest boy I had ever met. He was so thin he seemed to walk hunched over, though very handsome and intelligent.

Victor was always close to me, making me laugh with his antics.

Everyone respected me a lot; I was the heir to everything, and they were part of the people who helped me, but I always insisted they treat me like a friend.

And so it was; I sincerely appreciated them and knew they felt the same way about me.

Dani, the Dorantes twins, and I had the best time during those vacations, but unfortunately, the Montiel brothers showed up...

And that day, life changed for us.

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