Garcìa

chapter 5

The guard had indeed let her through upon seeing the passport. She entered the private jet with her mouth wide open. She had never seen this much luxury. She and her parents would always fly in business class but never with a fucking private jet. She remembered how Rafael told her it was one of the planes he owned. She couldn't believe he had more.

After the plane ride, Rafael had a chauffeur ready to bring her to her grandparents' house. She greeted the man before getting in. She was constantly fidgeting in her seat. What if they didn't recognise her? Or what if they didn't want her to stay with them? She was worried about whatever would happen once she got to their doorstep. But she took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"We're here ma'am." the chauffeur said.

"Alright, thank you." she replied with a smile before grabbing her bag and getting out of the car.

She closed the door behind her and looked up at the beach house in front of her. They had always loved the beach house. She waved the chauffeur goodbye as he drove off. She took a deep breath before walking up to the front door with her duffel bag thrown over her shoulder. She stood in front of the door for a few seconds, gathering courage. She inhaled deeply before exhaling and then knocking on the front door. A second later, the door opened. Revealing Valentina's grandmother.

"Sí, I got it Pablo!" the woman yelled at her husband who asked her to open the door. "Wha-" the woman started but stopped once she saw who was in front of her.

"Ola, abuela." Valentina spoke.

"Oh, mi niña." the older woman said before engulfing her granddaughter in an iron hug.

"I thought we lost you, mi niña." Sofia said before backing away to take in her granddaughter. "You have grown into such a beautiful young woman."

"Whose at the-" Pablo said but stopped when he approached the door and saw his granddaughter. "Mi hijo!" he said before hugging his grandchild.

"Ola, abuelo." she said as she sobbed in his arms.

Her grandmother joined in on the hug and they sobbed in each other's arms.

"Look how beautiful you turned out, querido." Pablo said to Valentina who gave him a watery smile.

"Let's get you inside and a drink." Valentina's grandmother said before the three of them went into the house.

Valentina looked around the house, remembering all the great memories. It was exactly how she had remembered it. She loved the smell it held every time she came here. She followed her grandparents out onto the patio. She dropped in a chair and set her bag on the ground. Her grandmother entered the patio with drinks and snacks for everyone.

"Tell us what happened, mi niña." Sofia asked with loving eyes.

And so, Valentina started telling the whole story. Not even a second in, she started sobbing. She was remembering everything that had happened. The fear she had felt for Elijah. She sorrow of losing her parents and nobody there to talk to about it. Nobody knew her parents and nobody knew her. She did tell them about Sarah and how she had taken care of Valentina. She was very grateful that she could at least count on one person.

"Oh mi niña." Sofia said before hugging Valentina closely.

"What will you do now?" Pablo asked from besides them.

"I'll stay here for a year or so. It will give me some time to process all that has happened. Then I'll start working on getting old clients back to Garcìa Jewellery. When all that is finished, I'll go back to the United States. In the meantime, I'd love to stay here if that's okay with you." Valentina explained.

"Off course, mi niña." her grandmother replied immediately with a nodding husband besides her.

"I'll show you your room." Sofia said and Valentina followed her back into the house.

They made their way up the stairs. When she would visit with her parents, she had a room of her own. Her grandparents told her she would always be welcome and that her room would wait for her. They stopped in front of a door before her grandmother opened the door. She walked in and saw that her room hadn't changed. Still the same beach minimalistic aesthetic she was going for back then. She turned back to her grandmother with a smile of mixed emotions.

"Thank you, abuela." she said to her grandmother.

"You're family, querido. Anytime. I'll let you get settled in and call you when dinner's ready." her grandmother replied with a smile.

"Alright." Valentina replied before her grandmother left her alone in her room.

She walked around her room, looking at all the pictures she had left here. Most were with her parents. But she had some with her friends from back home as well. She wondered if her best friend Izzy would still be her best friend when she made it back home. If she still even lived there. She sighed before falling back on her bed. She had a moment of silence before her phone rang. Something else Rafael had provided for her.

"Hello." she said through the phone.

"I assume you made it." Rafael's voice rang through the phone.

"Oh yes, hi. Yes, I did make it. I'll be staying with them for a year, like we planned. Before I start regaining our clients. Then I'll go back home to get the company back and we'll bring down Elijah together." she told him, promising him she was still on with the deal.

"Alright. I'll check in every month with updates from here." he said to her.

"Okay, great. I'll talk to you in a month then." she said.

"How are your grandparents holding up by the way? Now that their granddaughter is back." he said.

Valentina smiled. He had more of a heart then he let on. It was quite adorable in her eyes that he would try to hide that part of him for her because she could always see right through the act.

"Oh wow, the great Rafael Knight shows he has a heart. What an honour." she joked.

"I was just asking." he grumbled.

"Wow, don't need to get all pissy. But they are holding up as well as they can in a situation like this. I did fill them in on everything going on because I knew they would start asking questions if I didn't." she said to him, the first part with a chuckle.

"Alright, that's wonderful. Greet them for me." he said.

"I will. See you next month, Rafael." she said before hearing a mumbled goodbye.

She hung up while shaking her head. He had a good heart he just wouldn't show it much. And when he did, it disappeared fast. She heard her grandmother from downstairs so she made her way downstairs to have dinner with her family. They were waiting for her on the patio. Valentina joined them with a bright smile.

"Rafael said hi to you both." Valentina said while getting some food on her plate.

"Did he now?" her grandmother asked with a knowing smile.

"He did. I was quite surprised that he did." Valentina replied, oblivious to her grandmother's smile.

"He was the boy who helped you, sí?" her grandfather asked her.

"Yes, he is. He has a heart but he usually doesn't show it." she replied with a cheeky smile.

The three of them laughed before falling into conversation and eating the food in front of them. For the first time in four years, Valentina felt like she was at home.