Chapter 7 - THE FORTUNE BENEATH THE TREES
Valentina had never understood how wealthy Rodrigo truly was.
El Nogal wasn't simply a ranch.
The property stretched across thousands of acres.
Beneath part of the land sat water rights worth millions.
A development company had been trying to purchase the southern acreage for years.
Carmen had opposed the sale.
Rodrigo continued refusing after her death.
Sebastián wanted the deal.
“If you sell, the boys are protected for life,” Sebastián said.
“They already are.”
“You're sitting on twenty million dollars because of sentiment.”
Rodrigo's eyes hardened.
“It's not sentiment.”
“What is it?”
“A promise.”
Carmen had wanted the ranch kept intact for Mateo and Tomás.
Sebastián laughed.
“Carmen is dead.”
Rodrigo stood so quickly the table shook.
Mateo flinched.
Valentina saw it.
Rodrigo saw it too.
He stopped himself.
“Get out.”
Sebastián gathered the papers.
Before leaving, he looked at Valentina.
“You should understand something.”
She met his gaze.
“My brother has always had a weakness for broken things.”
Rodrigo moved forward.
Valentina stopped him.
“No.”
She looked directly at Sebastián.
“And you should understand something.”
He paused.
“I didn't know what Rodrigo owned when I came here.”
Sebastián smiled.
“But you know now.”
He left.
That night, Valentina packed her suitcase.
Rodrigo found it on the bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“No.”
“You don't get to decide that.”
“Neither does Sebastián.”
“This is about your sons.”
“So are you.”
Valentina stared at him.
Rodrigo seemed surprised by his own words.
From the hallway came a small voice.
“No.”
Mateo stood there.
His face was pale.
“You can't leave.”
Valentina's throat tightened.
“Mateo—”
“You said people can love you and still hurt you.”
“Yes.”
“But you didn't say they should leave every time things get hard.”
Valentina couldn't answer.
Mateo grabbed her suitcase.
He dragged it into the hallway.
“You're staying.”
Tomás appeared.
He took the other handle.
Together, the boys carried the suitcase back toward the closet.
Rodrigo looked at Valentina.
May you like
For the first time, she realized she wasn't being asked to stay because she was useful.
She was being asked to stay because she mattered.
