CHAPTER 21
1588 Words
Bruno’s Homecoming and the Company’s Debt Unveiled.
Bruno's driver dropped him down at the front of his family's mansion in one of their expensive cars.
As he stepped down, he realized that, despite having neighbors, the Sanchez estate had never felt more desolate.
"So I am now home alone," Bruno muttered with a sorrowful heart as he entered his father's mansion.
Bruno stood in the huge corridor, his sneakers booming against the marble, gazing up at his father's towering painting.
Mr. Ignacio Sanchez was a wonderful man, a visionary, a businessman, and the now-former CEO of Digital Studios— his face was permanently painted with confidence and power. But the man was no longer alive, having been killed in a fiery car explosion prepared by men who were still free under the disguise of imprisonment— the corruption of the government.
And his darling mother, Mrs. Maria Sanchez— whose laughter he barely remembered in the corners of his memory, her life was also cut short by another cold blood accident.
Together, their absence created a stillness louder than any music Bruno has ever performed.
He pressed his fingers against the strap of Gloria's case draped across his back, the only steady companion who had stood by him through sadness.
It was strange to be here alone in a house that was once filled with warmth, instructors, and family dinners.
Now the estate felt like a museum: cold, vast, and haunted.
However, he was burdened by more than simply memories.
It was the letter his father had left behind.
Bruno had read it a hundred times since coming from Massachusetts, each syllable imprinted on his heart:
"Son, when you turn 21, the company will be yours. Protect it at any cost. Digital Studios is more than simply entertainment ; it is our family’s name, tradition and legacy. It must be defended, even in silence and in pain. Protect it at all cost my son.”
Bruno was now twenty-one and in his finals at school. And the world expected him to follow in his father's footsteps.
But he wasn't certain he wanted to.
He was a musician and not a businessman. His heart lived in songs and guitar strings, not boardrooms or numbers.
However, as he strolled through the estate, the weight of duty pressed on him. Digital Studios was more than just a business; it was all he had left from his parents.
So Bruno Sanchez, the youngster who had previously composed love songs under a tree with Catherina, was now the heir of an empire.
That evening, he sat at the grand piano in the music room, his fingers brushed the keys. The sounds of chords, their music, filled the air and echoed softly against the walls.
As he played, memories flooded back—Catherina's laughter in Harvard's library, her silver dress at the Prom, her emerald gown at the Met Gala, her tears as he departed for New York.
She was still at Harvard, finishing law school, with her path set and her future as a lawyer secured.
He promised to come back for her.
But promises were uncertain.
The next morning, Bruno entered Digital Studios' headquarters in Manhattan, New York. The glass towers glistened in the bright sun, bold and futuristic, but the atmosphere within was somber. Executives welcomed him with courteous grins that did not extend to their eyes.
In the boardroom, an older advisor cleared his throat. "Mr. Sanchez, the numbers do not lie. The corporation is drowning. The debts your father incurred to expand are enormous.”
Bruno stiffened. "How bad?" He questioned.
"Bad enough," the man responded. "If something isn't done, Digital Studios could collapse within the year."
‘Collapse’. Bruno heard the word like a discordant chord. His father's empire, the legacy he had been ordered to protect, was already crumbling.
Another board member leaned forward, voice low and deliberate, as he suggested. "There might be a way out. Mr. Rodriguez, an investor, is a wealthy and influential businessman. He is willing to clear the debts on one condition."
Bruno narrowed his gaze. “What condition?” He inquired.
The response came like a dagger wrapped in silk.
"You'll need to form a personal alliance with his daughter Tracy. He wants you to date her. And Eventually... marry her." The man said.
The only sound in the room was Bruno's heartbeat. Date someone on business. Marry for legacy, not love.
Catherina's face flashed before his eyes, her sweet smile, the way she had looked at him when she had made him swear to come back for. Could he betray that for the sake of the Sanchez familybrand?
His jaw stiffened. "And if I refuse?" He asked. "Then you risk losing everything your father built." The man responded.
The words hung in the air, heavy like shackles.
Bruno's gaze shifted to his hands. His strong hands were designed for music, not these brutal games.
But life didn't give him a choice.
Bruno was no longer just a musician. He was Bruno Sanchez, Digital Studios' heir, and now, possibly, a pawn in a wider game.
As he left the boardroom, he felt his father’s words echo again: “Protect it, no matter the cost.”
What if the cost was Catherina?
That night, Bruno was unable to sleep. The mansion walls appeared to shut in on him, his father's image glaring down, as if demanding answers he didn't know.
Restless, he entered his father's old study. The room still had a faint fragrance of leather and cigar smoke. Rows of vinyl albums, trophies, and framed contracts adorned the shelves, each representing a man's life as he balanced art and empire.
A memory surged over him like a tsunami.
Bruno was ten years old when his father, Mr. Sanchez, first brought him to Digital Studios. He remembered fiercely grasping his father's hand as they walked through the crowded halls. Musicians tuned their instruments, producers shouted into microphones, while interns ran around with clipboards.
"Papa, is this… all yours?" Bruno questioned, wide-eyed.
Mr. Sanchez grinned and placed a strong hand on his son's shoulder. “No, Bruno. This is ours. "One day, you will understand." He responded.
They entered Studio One, the largest recording space. The lights were low, and the air was electric with potential. A whole orchestra practiced, their instruments blending into a wall of sound that made Bruno's chest tremble.
His father leaned down and inquired. "Have you heard that? Music is more than just music; it is power. It has the power to change hearts, win wars, and build empires."
Bruno nodded, enthralled as he spoke. "I want to make music too, Papa."
Mr. Sanchez smiled warmly, with pride in his eyes, as he spoke. "You’ll. And you will also defend the place that makes it feasible. Digital Studios is more than simply a business, Bruno; it's a haven for voices like yours. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will not let it die.”
Young Bruno had placed his small hand on his father's. "I promise you Dad."
Mr. Sanchez brushed his kid's hair and said quietly, "Then you'll be more than my son. "You will be my legacy."
When Bruno returned to the present, the recollection struck him like a razor. His father's voice still echoed through the study's walls. But so did the crushing weight of expectations.
Bruno dropped himself into his father's leather chair, marveling at the slight scratches on its arms from years of late nights. His hands trembled while resting on the desk.
The promise he made as a child now needed to be kept.
Even if it meant sacrificing his freedom.
Even if it costs him Catherina.
And when the city lights flashed beyond the glass, Bruno Sanchez recognized that homecoming wasn't about returning to his peace. It was about fulfilling responsibilities.
When he visited his father's old study, he noticed that the mahogany desk was still packed with unopened files. The leather chair was pulled back slightly, as if Mr. Sanchez had only stepped out for a moment. But the reality struck him like a bullet: the man would never return.
He then held his father's old wristwatch, the last thing Mr. Sanchez wore before the explosion that killed him, and said into the darkness, "I won't let you down, Dad. I'll keep this name.” He whispered.
He was about entering the fire his father had left behind.
Bruno stood on the Sanchez estate's large balcony that night, the city lights glowing dimly in the distance like scattered flaming embers. The corridors behind him were silent, which was unusual for a house that used to reverberate with laughing, music, and his mother's soothing voice calling his name. Now he only had walls, memories, and the weight of a company in his hands, which could either crumble or rise.
But as the frigid wind swept against him, Bruno couldn't escape the picture of Catherina's smile— the only thing that still felt warm, genuine, and untouched by betrayal. Somewhere deep down, he knew the battles ahead would necessitate sacrifices he was not prepared for. Between love and responsibility, music and business, promises made and hearts already breaking, his strings of fate were already tightening.
Tomorrow, the world would recognize him as Digital Studios' new heir. But tonight, in the city's haunting glow, Bruno Sanchez was still just a boy longing for his parents, clinging to love, and bracing himself for a future in which nothing came without a price.
- Writer
