Tied To You

E

Scientia Potent Est
(Knowledge is Power)

She had arrived home and seconds after arriving the rough hand of her grandfather landed across her face.

"How dare you bring shame and embarrassment to this family! This isn't how the heiress of our fortune should act! You are a disgrace to this family!" Her grandfather yelled slapping her multiple times across the face. Her parents couldn't do much, despite wanting to help her, but they knew the extent of Raul's rage. "Try to stop me son, and I guarantee a slapping isn't all that she will get." Raul said with conviction. Ava's father stepped back and mouthed 'sorry' to his daughter. Ava stood there taking every last palm to the face, to the point where her mouth was bleeding. "Because of your actions and reckless behavior you have made a target for this family. So to fix this mess of yours, you will get married to that Solis boy by the the end of this month." Her grandfather proclaimed.

"You can't do this to me!" Ava cried.

"But I already did. And since when did you learn to talk back to your elders! You are a very disrespectful young lady, you must've rubbed off from your no good brother." He said spitting I her face.

"I only give respect to those that have earned it. And you don't deserve a bit of my respect. All my life I was obedient to you and this is how you treat me! It's no wonder why this family is falling apart. You chose to be greedy and narcissistic." Ava fiercely stated. She's a fighter and will do whatever it takes to prove a point.

"You women shouldn't have been educated or even exposed to the outside world. You should've stayed home where all women belong." Her grandfather protested, leaving Ava on her knees bleeding fine her nose and mouth.

"I never wanted to hurt you Ava, but you drove me to do this. Now go clean up yourself. I hope this teaches you a lesson to not cross me, you're lucky you only got slapped. I could've done something much worse." Her grandfather stated helping Ava up. Ava didn't say a word as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Dad! Why did you do that?!" Ava's father scolded.

"The girl needs to be taught a lesson. You've given her too much freedom and she became rebellious. She needs to know who's above her and who she needs to fear my son. Something you should know and Instill on your own family. But after what happened with Evan, it seems like you don't listen, you're stubborn like your brothers and mother." His father stated placing a cigar in his mouth. The Montenegro's were good at instilling fear on people. Despite having all the power, money, and influence, the fear they cast made them superior to everyone else.

"I am sorry Ava I wasn't there to stop your grandfather." Ava's mother sobbed heavily as she embraced her daughter. She couldn't bear to see her daughter in that mild bloody state.

"Mom, you don't need to apologize, I understand and it's best you didn't interfere or it would've been the both of us." She cried, as her mother wiped the blood from her nose and mouth.  "Why does he have to be so heartless?" She added. As the sting of the alcohol hit her lip.

"Your grandfather has been blinded by power and greed. To the point where he's willing to hurt his family. There isn't anything we can do with him, until he's still alive all the strings are being pulled by him." Her mother stated. "All I want you to do is proceed with the wedding with Michael. And from there your father and I will handle everything else. Just trust us. I know the timing and situation isn't ideal but I promise you everything will be okay." She assured her daughter as she kissed her forehead.

Suddenly a knock landed on the bathroom door. "Ava, are you okay?" Her father asks with worry on the other side.

"She's okay honey. I am just patching her up. No need to worry. Remember she's a Valles and Montenegro, strong and free-willed. Just give us a second." Ava's father waited patiently for his daughter to exit the bathroom. When she came out the blood on her face was gone but the bruises remained. Ava's mother stood behind her as her father handed her an envelope with her name on it. "I want to give you this, it's best if you read it on your own. Victor told me to hand it to you personally. I know once you read this you'll understand somewhat of why we put you in this situation. I'll leave you to read this on your own, your mother and I have some important matters to deal with." And with that they left, leaving Ava in with the note written by Victor as she walks to her room.

My Dearest Ava,

The time has come for me to leave, I pose a big threat to your family, whom, like myself  wants the best for you. If it means having to move across the country for your safety I am willing to do it. Remember not to trust anybody but yourself, you are not safe. You are a threat to the Valles Montenegro family. You carry a target on your back. So be careful. By the time you have read this letter I will be on a plane to another country with a new identity, so don't bother looking for me. It hurts to say goodbye like this, but I know it's what's best. Always keep in mind "scientia potent est" whenever you are dealt with a serious matter. You are smarter than the rest of your family and I have faith that you will change the course of history. You are my love, my special princess. I wish you the best of luck with life. I will always be here with you in thought and in spirit.

With love and grace.
Victor

She read the letter from start to end and couldn't help but cry. She knew she would no longer see Victor, but she had to be strong, not just for him but also for herself. After reading the letter she was able to understand why her parents made sure she was educated and why she was put in an inevitable situation that would change her life.