Charpter 1

It is ten o'clock in the morning in the mansion of the Soler family, everyone is gathered in the main hall, the lawyer of the family will read the will left by the grandfather.

—A month ago Mr. Soler made the decision to leave a will," announces the lawyer, "I ask everyone's attention and please understand that this was his last will and testament, so please respect it," he takes out the document and proceeds to read it.

To my beloved children and grandchildren if you are listening this means that I am no longer with you and I am sorry, I was loved and happy, never doubt that, I love you all, but I know you were waiting for this day to share my inheritance, but you were wrong, you will not have it so easy.

Hearing the first words, everyone starts to get indignant.

—But what is this! —shouts one of his sons in anger.

—Calm down, gentlemen," says the lawyer, "please listen.

Fifty percent of my fortune will be divided equally between my children and my wife, who helped me to build the companies and our family empire, on the other hand there are my two grandchildren, Alvaro has always followed in my footsteps, he is a successful businessman and he inherited that from me.

Alvaro stands up feeling victorious when he hears his grandfather's words.

Sirus on the other hand has always contradicted me and has never done anything for his life, only wasted the family's money and nothing else.

Alvaro laughs out loud in satisfaction.

But one thing is certain, neither of you have any sense of the importance of family and much less the respect due, both of you are spoiled and immature, that's why the other fifty percent of my inheritance will go to the first grandson who marries and has a child.

Now let's see if they still don't intend to settle down.

The lawyer looked away from the document and everyone was in a state of surprise, Alvaro fell down sitting on the sofa, marriage and a son, the old man had spoken loud and clear.

—May the best cousin win," Sirus whispered, causing Alvaro to clench his jaw in a sign of retained anger, they have competed since they were children and year after year the competition has gone up a level until they became inveterate enemies.

The lawyer gathered his things and left, silence was present in the room, no one dared to say a word until Alvaro's father let out a loud laugh.

—I would expect nothing less from my father, he lived with style and no doubt died with it.

At the same hour, but in a much more humble house, Ana Lucia woke up.

—Good morning my offspring, it's time to go down for breakfast," her mother announced, entering her room and opening the curtains to let the sunlight in.

—Good morning mother, I'll be down in a few minutes.

His mother approached his bed and placed a kiss on his forehead.

—Don't be long, it's getting cold," she said before leaving.

When her mother came downstairs, breakfast was on the table, and they sat down together to eat.

—I know you will do well in today's interview, my love, you are perfect for the job.

—I hope so, Mom, we really need him to get this job, otherwise the debts will overflow," she said, saddened.

—Don't think about it, we will get ahead, you will see, we have always done it together, we can," he encourages her causing Ana to smile.

—Thank you mommy for being my rock, you are the strongest woman in the world.

Her mother blows her a kiss in a gesture of love because words are superfluous, it has always been just the two of them and they have managed well until now, Ana must pay the student loans she requested to pay for her studies and the money her mother earns is not enough, she has gone to thousands of interviews but has not gotten any answers, time is running out and she must pay soon.

Breakfast ends and Ana Lucia runs to take the bus to get to the interview on time, while she is leaving her mother thinks that if she is not called again for this job she should do something for her, her daughter was beautiful, intelligent and a great woman, she should find her a husband, a man able to take care of her and love her, so she decided to make a couple of calls to some friends and bingo! He got her a date with the son of an old friend.

He doesn't need his grandfather's inheritance, he has already created his own empire, but the mere fact of letting his cousin win makes him hysterical, he has never thought about getting married and even less about having children, would he be able to do it just to win? When he gets to the company, the ballet gives him the keys to the car and goes to park it while he enters the building.

—Good morning, sir," his assistant greets him as soon as he arrives at the reception desk.

—Good morning," he replies.

—I already have your agenda for today," he informs him as they both walk together to the elevator, "Your first meeting is scheduled in twenty minutes with the new investors.

They both enter Alvaro's office and he settles down at his desk.

—Well, bring me breakfast and my coffee, please," he orders and the girl leaves.

Alvaro's cell phone rings with an incoming call, he picks it up and verifies that it is his mother, he answers on the third ring.

—What are you doing tonight? —they ask on the other end of the line.

—Mom, we're not really doing this.

—Of course we will, I'm not going to let your aunt and cousin take Grandpa's estate.

—I have enough money mom, I don't need it.

—This is a matter of pride my dear, but don't worry I'll take care of everything, I'll find the best woman and we'll start today, you have an appointment at the Hilton restaurant at nine o'clock.

—Mother, I have a meeting, I don't have time for this," he says exasperated.

—I understand but I'll call you later to remind you, you can't miss her, she's beautiful I assure you, you'll love her," Alvaro hangs up without letting her continue.

This will be a Chinese torture, he thinks.

The afternoon falls and Ana returns home, the interview went well but she has been told the same as in the previous ones, we will call you, she begins to lose hope.

— Mom, I'm home —she announces as she closes the door, her mother comes down the stairs of the small house excited.

—How did it go?

—I guess it went well, but they were supposed to call me," she answers as she throws herself on the soft sofa, snorting.

—Calm down my girl, they will call, but I have some news that I'm sure will make you happy, you have to make yourself pretty because I've got you a date.

Ana gets up suddenly from the sofa and looks at her mother with a frown.

—A date, with whom, why?

—Because you need it, you must find love and it will also serve as a distraction from all the problems, they must meet at nine o'clock so you know," she got up and left without leaving Ana time to reply about this madness, she had no head to meet anyone at this time, she threw herself back on the sofa covering her face with her hands, without realizing it she fell into a deep sleep.

—Get up, you'll be late! —His mother shouts from the kitchen, "It's seven o'clock, you should start getting ready right now.

Without arguing she got up and went up to her room, she didn't feel like going out and even less like meeting someone, but that would make her mother happy, so she would put on her best smile and act as much as she could, she got into the shower and started to get ready for the date.

Once ready she went downstairs to meet her mother.

—Oh honey, you look beautiful! —She exclaims when he sees her, I'm sure he will fall surrendered at your feet — take this is the address of the restaurant, I have sent him a picture of you so he will find you.

—And I'm not going to have a picture of him? It's a bit unfair.

—Shut up! It's romantic, just let yourself go, be yourself and everything will be fine my love, good luck, his name is Alvaro Alarcon," he says giving her a kiss and pushing her to the front door of the house.

Once outside, Ana takes a deep breath and gets into the cab that was waiting for her, she looks at the address written down on the paper her mother gave her and passes it to the driver.

When she arrives at the restaurant, a man at the entrance asks her.

—Good evening, do you have a reservation in whose name?

—Wait, I don't remember the name," Ana pulls out her cell phone to call her mother but there are no batteries, she thought, "Too bad about you, the name was Alvaro something.

The manager checks the list.

—Oh yes, here we have Mr. Alvaro Soler, he is waiting for you, please follow me.

Ana follows him closely without knowing the huge misunderstanding she has gotten herself into, her appointment was Álvaro Alarcón, but the man was a doctor and he had a sudden medical emergency and could not make it, her mother has been calling her but Ana has run out of batteries, what about Álvaro's appointment? You may wonder, she is not going on a blind date, she was going to stand him up, we can call it fate or coincidence but Ana Lucia and Alvaro Soler's paths would cross that night.

—Hello," greets a man standing up as soon as they approach the table, Ana is surprised, he is very handsome, nothing compared to what she had imagined.

—Good evening," she replies courteously, he holds out his hand and she takes it in greeting, when their hands touch their gazes cross for a brief moment, moment in which the connection is created.

They take a seat and the waiter brings them the menu.

—Bring me the usual," says Álvaro.

—Of course, sir, and the lady?

Ana doesn't usually drink alcohol because it goes to her head, but when she heard that Álvaro was a regular customer of that luxurious place, she felt embarrassed to ask for a simple juice.

—A glass of red wine please.

The waiter leaves to bring their drinks.

—Well, what a pleasure to meet you, what a pity about you, but what's your name, my mother organized this dinner and we don't talk much about her.

—We are in the same situation, it seems that our mothers want to play the role of matchmakers, my name is Ana Lucia by the way.

—Beautiful name, Ana will be honest with you, I came to this dinner because of my mother, but I think that dates should not be given in the same way.

—Beautiful name, Ana I will be honest with you I came to this dinner because of my mother, but I think that dates should not happen this way, you are beautiful and surely we will get along well, but I hope you know that this is new for me.

—I'm glad to know that we think exactly alike in this, my mother insisted a lot and I was forced to accept, but it's the first time I go out on a date with a stranger.

—I understand you, what if we have dinner and then we leave, we make like this never happened —he proposes, which disappoints Ana a little, maybe she doesn't like me at all, which she understood perfectly, but it hurt her ego a little.

—Of course, no problem," she replied with a smile.

The waiter brought their drinks and food, Ana drank her glass of wine quickly, thinking that the alcohol would surely relax her a little from so much tension, the waiter brought her another one, and so without realizing it she drank more than 6 glasses during dinner.

—I think you are overdoing it with the alcohol," commented Álvaro.

—Of course not, it was just a few drinks.

—You're carrying a whole bottle of wine by yourself.

—Oh God, what a pity about you, I let myself get carried away by the nerves and the tension of the moment," she confesses.

—I don't want you to be tense, I just want you to be yourself, I'm sorry if my words made you feel that way, it's just that I thought I should be honest with you, my parents are thinking of marrying me off to someone, but I'm not ready for that.

As Alvaro speaks he sees how Ana's eyes close involuntarily which makes him smile with discomfort.

—Come on Ana, I'll take you home, you need to rest," he says getting up and taking her by the waist to help her to the car.

While they are in the car, the alcohol takes over Ana's system making her act like never before in her life.

—Open the roof," she says to Alvaro, noticing that it is a convertible, "and turn up the music, I want to dance while the wind ruffles my hair.

—Are you sure? It's getting really cold.

—He obeys her to keep her calm and opens the roof of the car, Ana raises her arms in the air and screams at the top of her lungs as they drive down the highway.

Ana dances and sings to the rhythm of the music, Alvaro just looks at her and at the end starts to enjoy her craziness and spontaneity, she makes him laugh genuinely and it has been a long time since that had happened.

—Do you want to go dancing? — he asks her when he sees her so happy.

Ana's face lights up with a smile.

—Yes, please let's go dancing! — she begs him.

— Okay, I know a place.

They enter the discotheque and Ana pushes him to the dance floor, she starts to move her body to the rhythm of the music and he follows her, he places his hands on her small waist and together they let themselves go, after a while they go to the drinks bar and order some tequilas, this is usual in Alvaro's world, but poor Ana never drinks and probably never will again because she just woke up completely naked on a bed and a room she doesn't know.