Secrets Unveiled
1176 Words
That night, Anna couldn’t sleep. She sat on the edge of her bed, thinking about her next move. She knew that confronting Claudia and Marco wouldn’t be easy, especially if Sonia and Rio continued to side with them. However, Anna also knew she couldn’t allow the vineyard—and herself—to fall into the hands of people who cared only for personal gain.
She decided to seek out Giovanni, the old man who worked at the vineyard. Giovanni had long been part of the Schneider family, but he was also the only one in the house who had ever shown her genuine care.
---
Early the next morning, before Sonia woke up, Anna walked toward the vineyard. She found Giovanni cleaning farm tools in the small shed.
“Giovanni, I need your help,” Anna said softly but firmly.
The old man looked at her attentively. “What is it, Miss?”
Anna explained about the contract she had found, Claudia and Marco’s involvement, and her concerns that the vineyard might be at risk.
Giovanni sighed deeply and said, “I knew Claudia couldn’t be trusted. She’s always had hidden motives, even from the first time she appeared here.”
“What do you mean?” Anna asked, sensing there was something big behind Giovanni’s words.
“Years ago, before you married Rio, Claudia almost succeeded in taking over this vineyard. She persuaded Rio’s father to sell a large portion of the land to Marco, but the plan failed due to something that was never explained by the late Mr. Schneider.”
Anna furrowed her brow. “Why did Sonia or Rio never mention this?”
“Because they didn’t want the family’s dirty laundry to come out,” Giovanni replied. “But now, it seems Claudia is trying to continue with her plan.”
---
With this information, Anna felt more certain that she needed to dig deeper. She decided to go to the Schneider family lawyer’s office, hoping to find old documents that might help her understand what was really going on.
But before she left, Sonia suddenly appeared in the kitchen.
“Anna, where are you going so early?” she asked suspiciously.
Anna tried to smile. “I’m going to the market to buy some groceries.”
Sonia stared at her sharply but didn’t say anything more. Anna knew she had to be careful.
---
At the family lawyer’s office, Anna met a man named Enrico, who had worked for the Schneider family for many years.
“How can I help you, Miss Anna?” Enrico asked.
“I’d like to see old documents about the family vineyard,” Anna replied. “Especially any agreements or contracts involving Claudia and Marco.”
Enrico hesitated for a moment but finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll look up the archives. But this may take some time.”
While waiting, Anna thought about what she would do if these documents revealed something significant. She knew that if she made a mistake, Claudia and Marco could strengthen their positions even further.
After nearly an hour, Enrico returned with a large folder.
“Here it is,” he said. “But I must warn you, Miss. If you plan to use this information, make sure you know what you’re doing.”
Anna opened the folder and began reading. Inside, she found a copy of an old agreement between Claudia, Marco, and Rio’s late father. It turned out that Claudia and Marco had indeed tried to buy the vineyard for a fraction of its value. Rio’s father had rejected the deal at the last minute, but there was an additional note that shocked Anna: it was Sonia who had initially supported the plan.
“Mrs. Sonia?” Anna muttered in disbelief.
Enrico nodded. “Yes. At the time, she thought selling part of the vineyard would save the family’s finances. But after seeing her husband’s reaction, she backed down.”
Anna felt her blood boil. So, all along, Sonia had a stake in Claudia’s plan? Was that why she trusted Claudia so much now?
---
Anna returned home with the folder hidden in her bag. She knew she had to come up with a plan before revealing anything.
That evening, during dinner, Sonia started the conversation as usual.
“Claudia will be coming again tomorrow,” she said. “She wants to discuss a new strategy for the vineyard.”
Anna looked at Sonia sharply. “What strategy, Mother? Isn’t this supposed to be a joint decision, not just Claudia’s?”
Sonia scoffed. “Claudia knows what’s best for the vineyard more than you do.”
Rio, who had been silent throughout dinner, finally spoke up. “Anna, maybe you should trust Claudia more. She just wants to help.”
Anna felt her anger rising, but she held it back. This wasn’t the time to explode.
“Alright,” Anna replied with a small smile. “Then I’ll meet with Claudia tomorrow. I want to hear directly from her.”
---
The next day, Claudia arrived as usual, with her arrogant demeanor. Anna greeted her in the living room, carrying the folder from the lawyer’s office.
“Claudia, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Anna said, trying to keep her calm.
Claudia smiled faintly. “Of course, Anna. What is it?”
Anna opened the folder and showed her the copy of the old agreement. Claudia’s face immediately changed.
“Where did you get this?” Claudia asked, her voice starting to sound panicked.
“It doesn’t matter where I got it,” Anna replied firmly. “What matters is that I know what you and Marco tried to do before. And now, you’re trying to do it again.”
Claudia tried to smile, but her expression was no longer calm. “Anna, you’re misunderstanding. It was just a regular business matter.”
“Business matter? You nearly destroyed this family once, and now you want to try again?”
Claudia stood up from her seat. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Rio knows everything, and he agrees with my plan.”
Anna stared at her coldly. “If Rio knows everything, why has he never told me? Do you think I’ll just sit back, Claudia? You’re wrong.”
Claudia didn’t respond. She simply grabbed her bag and left quickly, leaving Anna feeling satisfied.
---
That night, Rio returned home with a tense expression.
“What did you say to Claudia?” he asked as soon as he entered the room.
Anna stood tall, looking Rio in the eye without fear. “I just asked her the truth about her plan. If she were honest, she wouldn’t have run away like that.”
Rio sighed heavily. “Anna, you don’t understand. This is all for the good of the vineyard.”
“But why involve people like Claudia and Marco? Why don’t you trust me?”
Rio fell silent. He knew Anna was beginning to uncover something he couldn’t hide any longer.
- Writer
