Episode 2

Don Enrique Lopez's office still exuded power. The dark wood, the smell of cigars impregnated in the furniture, and the heavy velvet curtain blocking any trace of natural light created the perfect atmosphere for non-negotiable decisions.

Fernando entered with firm steps, but his eyes were heavy.

Now, at 30, he was a man shaped by scars. The absence of his parents no longer burned in his chest, but it had left a void filled with obligations, losses, and, above all, bad choices.

More than a decade with Valeria Garcia had turned him into an emotional survivor. The passion of youth had given way to a tortuous love, marked by comings and goings, hushed-up scandals, and empty promises.

Sitting behind the desk, old Don Enrique Lopez watched him with the coldness of his almost 80 years.

"Sit down."

Fernando remained standing.

"I prefer to stand."

His grandfather raised an eyebrow, as if seeing there the repetition of a pattern he no longer wanted to tolerate.

"It's been ten years, Fernando. Ten years of procrastination. Of postponement, of silent shame for this family. You're not a boy anymore."

"I am what you made me," Fernando replied, without hesitation.

Don Enrique Lopez ignored the provocation.

"I've been patient enough. I let you live your illusion with that woman. But the time is over." Don Enrique slammed his hand on the table. "The marriage to Elena Gutierrez will happen." The older man's eyes narrowed. "Or you will lose the right to command."

The name Elena hung like an accusation. Fernando clenched his fists.

"This is blackmail."

"This is destiny," Don Enrique retorted with a grave voice. "You swore to your mother, on her deathbed, that you would honor the family agreement. You swore before me that you would fulfill your role."

Fernando took a step closer with a threatening look.

"I was 20 years old. I had just buried my parents. I was lost."

"And I offered you structure!" the old man shouted, rising from his chair with difficulty and feeling his chest tighten. "I gave you direction. And all I ask now is that you fulfill your part. Elena Gutierrez has waited for a decade. Discreet, loyal... she knows more about our business than you imagine. By her side, you will be like a king. By the side of that Valeria..."

Don Enrique let out a dry laugh.

"You will be just another man humiliated by loving a woman who loves the mirror more than you."

Fernando clenched his teeth.

"I can't live a lie. Call a woman with no appeal my wife."

"Then watch your brother take your place. Alejandro is ready. And unlike you, he doesn't confuse loyalty with desire, he recognizes the value of Elena Gutierrez."

The silence exploded like a shot between the two. Fernando stared at his grandfather for a few seconds and then, without saying anything else, turned his back and walked to the door.

Before leaving, he spoke without looking back:

"I'd rather lose everything than live with a woman I don't love. Alejandro can make good use of it."

And he slammed the door with the force of someone who had just broken years of devotion.

The apartment that Fernando kept for Valeria was located in the center of Madrid.

It was a luxury meticulously set up to impress. Everything screamed status: the Italian armchairs, the modern works of art, the mirrors with gilded frames. But nothing overshadowed her brilliance, who, even at 28, seemed more and more dazzling.

She was in front of the dressing table, applying scarlet lipstick when the doorbell rang.

She smiled. She knew who it was.

Fernando entered without waiting for an invitation, his eyes still carrying the weight of the argument with his grandfather.

Valeria Garcia left the room and ran to him enthusiastically, hugging him as she always did when she wanted something.

"You're early... I wasn't expecting you," she lied.

He didn't return the hug, he was tense.

"Did something happen?" she asked, recoiling slightly.

Fernando looked her in the eyes. Her amber eyes still hypnotized him, even after so many years. Even with all the fights, the lies, and the reconciliations, part of him still wanted to believe that there was love there.

"He wants me to marry Elena Gutierrez," he said.

Valeria blinked a few times, surprised.

"That's not news. This subject comes up every year."

"This time it's definitive. Either I marry her, or Alejandro takes over the organization."

She crossed her arms defensively. It wasn't in her plans to lose the status of Mrs. Lopez.

"And what did you answer?"

"That I prefer to be with you." He pulled her into a hug. "I made it clear that I don't care about power. I said I can start over somewhere else, a new life with you."

The silence that followed was chilling.

Valeria Garcia's eyes widened. The smile that had previously shaped her beautiful face like a mask disappeared. She took two steps back.

"You... refused to command the organization?"

"Yes," Fernando replied, seriously.

"Fernando! You refused the organization? For me?"

"Yes, for us. For our story." He gave a wry smile. "Finally free, with no games and no pretense."

"And your grandfather?"

"Forget him. I'm 30 years old, I have some savings and investments, I can take care of you..."

"Fernando... the organization..."

Before he could continue, his phone rang, it was his grandmother Maria del Pilar.

📱 "Fernando, come home."

📱 "No, Grandma. I will not join a child Valeria and stay with her."

📱 "Your grandfather is not well..."

📱 "Call a doctor. I will not go back on my decision. He was very well when I left there..."

📱 "He is no longer and he asked for you."

The trembling voice of his grandmother made Fernando realize that something was wrong. He grabbed his coat and ran out of the luxurious apartment where he had kept Valeria Garcia for 10 years.

When he arrived at the mansion, night was already falling. The lights in the house were not all on, and there were different cars parked.

Maria Del Pilar was waiting for him, her face grave and her eyes moist.

"He is still conscious. He asks for you..."

Fernando took a deep breath, trying to swallow a lump that rose in his throat.

"Is this serious?"

"Very. Your brothers are arriving soon."

He passed her without saying anything else. With each step he took through the corridors, memories came: the forced classes, the scoldings, the unquestionable orders...

The shadow of Don Enrique had always been present in every decision of his life.

Upon entering the wing reserved only for medical care, he found his grandfather lying down, pale, with tubes connected to his nose and a heart monitor beeping at a slow pace.

Don Enrique opened his eyes when he felt his presence. For the first time his expression was not one of command. It was of supplication.

Fernando knew that from there on, his life would change, but he had no idea how much.

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