Alejandro’s face fell. His eyes widened, disbelief and horror vying for control of his expression. “What?! You were… you were that goalkeeper?!”
“It was me,” Don Ricardo confirmed, without looking away. “And I witnessed the true face of the woman you plan to marry.
The woman who could inherit a portion of my fortune , of my legacy .” He leaned back in his chair, observing his son’s reaction.
Alejandro staggered, bracing himself against the desk to keep from falling. “Father, no… I can’t believe it. Why would you do something like this? Why such a cruel test?”
“Because my instinct told me that Sofia wasn’t the right woman for you, Alejandro.
That all she saw were the zeros in our bank account. I needed to see it with my own eyes, and I needed you to see it too,” Don Ricardo replied, his voice cracking slightly.
“And what I saw… what I saw was a cruel, ruthless woman, capable of publicly humiliating an old man without a shred of remorse.
And what’s worse, I saw my own son, my heir , remain silent, unable to defend a human being, simply so as not to upset his fiancée.”
The accusation hit Alejandro like a punch to the gut. “That’s not true! I was in shock, Dad. I didn’t know how to react. Sofia isn’t like that! She’ll apologize, I swear! I was under pressure, ashamed of the incident!”
“Ashamed of the incident or ashamed that some nobody stained her designer handbag?” Don Ricardo stood up, his imposing figure filling the office.
“Don’t fool yourself, son. A person’s true character is revealed in how they treat those they consider inferior, those who can’t give them anything in return.
Sofia loves you for your last name, for your status , for what my money can buy her. Not for you, Alejandro.”
The argument dragged on for hours. Alejandro, blinded by his own biases, refused to accept the truth. He defended Sofía tooth and nail, arguing that her father had provoked her, that he had put her in an unfair situation. His blindness to love, or perhaps his blindness to the convenience of his own position, was profound.
Finally, Don Ricardo, exhausted and with a heavy heart, made a decision. A decision that would change their lives forever. “Alejandro,” he said, his voice now charged with unwavering authority, “I’ve called my lawyer . Tomorrow, we’ll amend my will .”
Alexander paled. “What do you mean, Father? Change the will?”
“It means that if you marry Sofia, you will be disinherited from a substantial part of my estate . I won’t leave you destitute, but control of the companies, the majority of the fortune, and the position of owner of this empire will go to a charitable foundation that I will personally manage, or to a trust that will be administered by an independent board.
I will not allow my hard-earned legacy to be squandered by a woman who seeks only luxury and personal gain.”
The threat was real, and the impact was devastating. Alejandro was speechless; his world was crumbling. The idea of losing not only his inheritance but also his father’s respect and trust was unbearable.
But his pride, and his blind love for Sofía, still prevented him from seeing the truth. Don Ricardo had set an extreme condition, a debt of honor that Alejandro would have to repay with his future.
Could Alejandro choose between the love of his life and his family’s fortune? Or would he finally open his eyes to Sofia’s true nature?
The news of Don Ricardo’s imminent change to his will hit Alejandro like a bombshell, and of course, Sofía too. When Alejandro, his heart pounding, told Sofía about his father’s drastic decision, her initial reaction was disbelief, followed by icy fury.
“This is madness! Your father is senile! How can he do something like this? It’s blackmail!
A blatant manipulation to separate us!” Sofia shouted, her face contorted with anger, a far cry from the serene image she usually projected. “He can’t disinherit you! You’re his only son, his rightful heir ! It’s illegal!”
Alejandro, however, knew that his father, a man of law and business acumen, didn’t do anything without a reason. “It’s not illegal, Sofía.
He has every right to dispose of his assets as he sees fit. And he’s been very clear: if we get married, the majority of the inheritance will go to a foundation. I would only receive a small allowance.”
The gleam in Sofia’s eyes shifted from fury to shrewd concern. The image of a life of luxury and unlimited power was fading like a mirage. “A meager allowance? What does that even mean? Living on the bare minimum? I didn’t marry you for that, Alejandro! I married you to have the life I deserve, the life you promised me!”
Her mask was crumbling, revealing the true motivation behind her “love.”
The conversation turned into a heated argument. Sofia tried to manipulate Alejandro, urging him to stand up to his father, to find a lawyer to challenge the decision.
“Don’t let him take what’s rightfully yours! We’ll fight for it, darling! Together!” But her words rang hollow, filled with a selfish motive that Alejandro, for the first time, was beginning to sense.
Meanwhile, Don Ricardo met with his trusted lawyer , the respected Dr. Morales. The lawyer’s office was a sanctuary of law books and antique documents. “I want my will to be bulletproof, Morales,” Don Ricardo said, with unwavering determination.
“I want there to be no legal loophole for this woman to benefit from my fortune if she marries my son.”
Dr. Morales, a man of few words but great perspicacity, listened attentively. “I understand, Don Ricardo. We will draw up a secure trust with specific clauses that condition the inheritance on not marrying Miss Sofia, or that severely limit it in the event of marriage. We will also consider an option for your son, should your decision change.”
While the lawyer worked on the complex legal documents, the pressure on Alejandro mounted. The nights were sleepless, the days filled with arguments with Sofía and a growing sense of disillusionment. His father’s words echoed in his mind: “A person’s true character is revealed in how they treat those they consider inferior.” The image of Don Ricardo, drenched in Coca-Cola, his eyes filled with sadness, replayed itself again and again.
One day, Alejandro decided to do something he had never done before.
He asked Sofia to accompany him to a local orphanage, one of the charities his family discreetly supported.
He wanted to see how she would react in an environment devoid of luxury and status , filled only with children in need. Sofia reluctantly agreed, promising it would be “just for a moment” and that they would go shopping afterward.
At the orphanage, while Alejandro played with the children, Sofia remained distant, frowning, constantly checking her phone. A small boy approached her with a handmade paper flower and, with an innocent smile, offered it to her. Sofia looked at him with a mixture of annoyance and disgust.
“Get away, child. Don’t touch me with those filthy hands,” she snapped, swatting the flower away. The boy shrank back, his eyes filling with tears.
That moment was the turning point for Alejandro.
SEE CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE
