Chapter 5 Chapter Five

• Ava headed down for dinner, but she was surprised to find out they hadn't prepared enough food since they weren't sure if she would join them, so they left her without dinner. She didn't mind and went back up to her room. Olivia knocked on her door and offered her an apple.
• Two months passed, and at the medical school, the director informed her that she couldn't attend classes because the tuition for that semester hadn't been paid. She arrived home furious and confronted her father, who was lounging on the couch.
• "I want the money my mom allocated for my studies," she demanded.
• "I'm sorry, daughter, there are many expenses, and that money was used for more important things," Sergio replied indifferently as he watched a football game.
• "My education is among the expenses to be covered with the family account money."
• "You don't need to study, and that money is used for the expenses of this mansion. I don't want to talk to you, can't you see I'm busy? You'd better leave."
• Defeated, she went back to her room.
• Another month passed, and Ava's disappointment grew, this time because of Helen's 22nd birthday, which was celebrated extravagantly as if she were a high society lady.
• Six months passed, and Ava's hopes of getting married were fading every day. She managed to have boyfriends, but magically, they all ended up breaking up with her. A childhood friend who was in love with her agreed to be her boyfriend in secret, and they later decided to get married. She announced her wedding plans, and everything was set, with nothing to stop it.
• Olivia was drifting further away from her and her family every day, spending more time with her high school friends, often sleeping over at their houses. Ava let her, thinking it was better than being in a lifeless house.
• Sergio wasn't going to allow that marriage to go ahead. Two days before the wedding, Helen had to use her charms to break them up. He knocked on Ava's bedroom door.
• "Come in!" Ava replied from inside her room.
• "Daughter, I know I haven't been the best father, but I want to make amends with you, and as a gift, I'm going to give you an apartment that I own."
• "I don't want anything from you. Keep it so you have somewhere to live when I kick you out of this house."
• "I'm your father, whether you like it or not. At least take this apartment that I bought with your mother's money."
• She sighed reluctantly and took the keys he offered.
• "Let's go see it, and then we'll go to a notary to transfer ownership."
• With suspicion, she left the house with her father.
• When they entered the apartment, she noticed it was unfurnished. As she inspected the place, she found Helen with her future husband in bed in one of the rooms. That's when she realized it was all a setup, and her family wouldn't allow her to get married; they would keep her under their control to not lose the money they received.
• She ran out of the place sobbing, wanting to erase the images and sounds from her mind, while her heart ached. She walked aimlessly through several streets until she reached a square, found an empty bench, and sat down. Uncontrollably, her tears flowed like a broken faucet.
• An elderly woman walking her dog in the park saw the beautiful young woman with a lost gaze and tears, feeling sorry for her. She sat beside her, searched her purse for a tissue, and offered it to her.
• "It should be a gentleman offering you a tissue, but in the absence of one, take this to dry your tears," the elderly woman said.
• Ava turned to the voice and glanced at the seventy-something-year-old woman.
• "Thank you," she uttered with a thread of voice.
• "My name is Greta," the old lady said, pulling her dog's leash; it was a Bichon Maltese that nestled between her legs. "And this is Roco."
• Ava lowered her head and stroked the dog's fur.
• "And I'm Ava Hayek," she confessed, crestfallen.
• "Why are you like this, dear? Pour your heart out to this old lady so you can feel better," the elderly woman said, placing her wrinkled hands on Ava's as a gesture of comfort.
• Ava felt a sense of trust and began to tell her about her life, her mother's suffering, the cruel father she had, and her grandfather's condition if she wanted to reclaim her mother's fortune and Olivia's custody.
• "My dear, I'll help you. Give me your phone number."
• "Thank you, Greta! All I want is to find a husband, even a street sweeper will do," she observed a man sweeping a part of the park in the distance.
• "Of course, my dear! Wait for my call."
• Ava wiped her tears, her gaze still sad, and bid farewell to the old lady. It hurt her to leave Olivia alone in that nest of vipers, but living in that house, she couldn't reclaim what rightfully belonged to them by law. She was determined not to let her father continue squandering their family's money.
• The old woman got up from the bench and approached one of her bodyguards.
• "Take me to my grandson's company!"
• In one of the country's most important technology companies, a man with a stern expression was reviewing some documents when he heard.
• "I have to come visit you to remind you that you still have a living grandmother," the old woman reproached, walking towards one of the chairs in front of her grandson's desk.
• Dante looked up and gave her a smile.
• "I was about to come visit you. Thank you for saving me the trip," he got up from his chair and greeted his grandmother with a kiss on the forehead before returning to his seat.
• "Why does God punish me with such an ungrateful grandson?"
• "I'm the only one you have."
• The old woman deliberated that the girl would be a good wife for her grandson since she sought to clear her name, and she knew he wouldn't do it.
• "Dante! As your grandmother, you know I always seek the best for you."
• "What's on your mind?" he asked, looking at her intently.
• "I want you to marry a young woman who needs your help."
• "What? Have you gone mad?"
• "Dante, darling, I found Ava crying in the park, and I offered to help her find a husband, and you need a wife to clear your name."
• "I don't care what people think of me, and my answer is NO!" He kept his eyes fixed on his grandmother. "Grandma, why are you so trusting and offering to help a stranger? She could be a swindler trying to get our money and climb up the social ladder."
• "My dear grandson, I have a good eye for seeing people's hearts, and this girl has a pure soul. Think about it! You'll be married for a year, you make it public, and you clear your name. Do you think it doesn't hurt me to read in gossip magazines that you're the arrogant gay CEO, and I know you're not?" The old woman was determined to convince her grandson no matter what.
• "No, grandma, don't even think about it."
• "Dante, please? You need a wife, and Ava needs a husband," the old woman repeated, knowing her stubborn and vain grandson.
• "I don't know her, grandma! Is the girl ugly, that no man wants her?"
• "Ava lives with a heartless, parasitic family that doesn't care about her and her sister's suffering. For her to access her late mother's assets, she must be married for a year, and this family has scared off all her suitors," the old woman sighed several times, pleadingly continued, "on any conditions you want!"
• Dante pondered the situation; the thought crossed his mind, "if it's a scam to get the fortune from my grandmother, I'll make her life miserable for messing with the wrong person."
• "Tell me you agree? For the sake of the company and your image, just one year of marriage, and you're free from her."
• "Okay, with two conditions: first, I'll pretend to be poor and see what kind of woman she is, and second, I'll be the only one who decides when we divorce because if I find out she's lied about everything you've told me, I'll divorce her immediately."
• "What joy you're giving me. Call your lawyer and set whatever conditions you want, and I'll contact Ava," the grandmother, getting up from her chair, continued, "one more thing, remember where I live, and I expect you for lunch on Sunday."
• Dante got up from his chair and escorted his grandmother to the elevators, smiling as he realized his grandmother had achieved her goal, but how could he refuse the woman who had taken care of him since childhood when his parents passed away.