Shadows of the past

As she arranged the scattered files, her fingers shook slightly, not from fear, but the anger still simmering in her veins. The sharp sound of a light knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Miss Sofia?” came a soft voice.

She looked up to find Rosa, one of the longest-serving maids of the Montero household, standing hesitantly at the doorway. Her weathered face was kind, but her expression was tinged with concern.

“Yes, Rosa?” Sofia said, her voice calmer now.

“I heard the noise and wanted to check on you. Are you all right, miss?” Rosa’s eyes flicked to the broken vase and the papers scattered around.

Sofia sighed and gestured to the mess. “Just me...dealing with things as usual. I’ll clean it up.”

Rosa shook her head firmly and stepped inside, already bending to gather the papers from the floor.

“Please, Miss Sofia. Let me take care of it. You’ve had enough on your mind tonight without worrying about this.”

Sofia hesitated, then stood, letting Rosa take over.

“Thank you, Rosa,” she said softly, her voice thick with gratitude. “You’ve always been too kind to me.”

“You’re still that young girl I used to watch over, no matter how much you’ve grown,” Rosa said with a gentle smile, her tone laced with affection.

Sofia smiled faintly before grabbing her phone from the desk and stepping out onto the balcony to make a call. The cool night air kissed her skin as she leaned against the railing, scrolling through her contacts until she found the familiar name. She tapped it and held the phone to her ear.

The call rang twice before a familiar, cheerful voice answered, “Well, well, look who finally has the time to call me!”

Sofia couldn’t help but chuckle at the teasing tone. “Diana, stop. I’ve been back for one day.”

“And how is the grand return going? Does the Montero family have you walking on a red carpet, or are they still pretending you don’t exist?” Diana’s question came with just the right mix of humor and concern.

Sofia sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. “Let’s just say the latter. I just had a fight with Abuelo...again.”

“Oh no,” Diana replied, her tone softening. “How bad was it?”

“As bad as I expected,” Sofia said, her voice dropping. “He all but told me I shouldn’t have come back. That I’ve disappointed the family by even setting foot in the house. He doesn’t see what I’ve accomplished overseas. All he sees is someone who didn’t fit his vision of what a Montero heir should be.”

Diana was quiet for a moment before speaking. “And you? How do you feel about it? Really?”

Sofia’s grip on the phone tightened. “Angry. Hurt. It’s like...I gave up everything, Diana. My youth, my freedom, my life, so I could prove to this family that I was just as capable as any of the men. And they don’t even care. I was alone in Europe for years, and instead of appreciating what I did, all they can talk about is what I haven’t done for them here.”

“They don’t deserve you, Sofia,” Diana said firmly. “And don’t you dare let them make you feel less. You’ve done more for that name than any of them, and deep down, they know it. That’s why your grandfather is so hard on you, he’s scared of how much power you actually hold now.”

A sad smile touched Sofia’s lips. “It doesn’t feel like power when it comes with this much resentment.”

“Well, you didn’t come back for them, did you?” Diana countered. “You came back for yourself, and for Mateo and for me too, you know I have missed my best girl. You told me that a hundred times. Don’t lose sight of that.”

Sofia exhaled deeply, the tension in her shoulders easing a little.

“You’re right. I need to focus on why I’m really here, not on their approval.”

“Exactly,” Diana said with a grin in her voice. “Now, if only I could be there to slap some sense into your grandfather—”

“Diana,” Sofia said, laughing despite herself. “Please don’t start.”

“I’m just saying!” Diana teased before her voice softened again. “Listen, I’m here if you need to vent or scream into the void. You know that, right?”

“I know,” Sofia replied sincerely. “And thank you, for everything. You’ve been my anchor through all of this.”

“What are childhood friends for?, and don't forget we have to meet up tomorrow” Diana said lightly, but her warmth was unmistakable.

As Sofia ended the call, she stared at the city lights beyond the balcony railing. Diana words resonated with her, grounding her in her purpose. No matter how much the Montero elders tried to diminish her, she wasn’t here to play by their rules. She was here to rewrite them.

********

Sofia sat alone in her room, staring out at the moonlit gardens of the Montero estate. The silence of the night had always been her companion, stretching back to when she was a child desperate for approval. Her fingers traced invisible patterns on the wooden desk as memories she had long buried began to surface.

Sofia had been just eight years old when she realized that being born a Montero came with expectations. The men were celebrated, their achievements plastered across headlines, their ambitions fostered and supported. The women, however, were little more than shadows expected to exist quietly in the background. Sofia had refused to accept that fate.

As the only girl in the family, Sofia knew she had to work twice as hard to be noticed. She excelled in everything, school, sports, music, hoping to earn her grandfather’s approval. Her days began with rigorous lessons taught by expensive tutors, and her nights ended with her silently practicing speeches in front of the mirror, mimicking her grandfather’s powerful voice.

“Perfect is what you need to be,” her grandfather had once said as he looked over her report card, the slightest hint of disapproval marring his face.

“You’re doing well, but it’s not enough. A Montero must lead, not follow.”

She clung to those words like a lifeline. No matter how hard they were to hear, they gave her purpose, a reason to push herself beyond the limits of an ordinary childhood. While other children played and laughed, Sofia worked tirelessly to craft herself into the ideal heir. But no matter how much she excelled, the warmth she craved from her grandfather remained just out of reach.

The fateful day came when she was fifteen Her father, her uncles, and her grandfather sat at the long dining table, their expressions grim yet resolved. Mateo had already been designated the heir to lead Montero Enterprises in their home country, and her grandfather had deemed it necessary to expand the family's name overseas.

“We’ll need someone trustworthy to oversee our European operations,” he announced, his piercing gaze falling on Sofia.

“You’ve worked hard, Sofia. It’s time you take responsibility for the family name.”

She remembered her stomach sinking, her breath catching in her throat. She had always thought she would build her legacy beside her family, not an ocean away.

“But, Abuelo—” she began, her voice trembling, but he held up a hand to silence her.

“This is not a punishment,” he said firmly. “It is an opportunity to prove yourself. The Montero legacy isn’t bound by geography, and you will be the one to plant our flag across Europe.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes as the weight of his words sank in. She wasn’t being rewarded for her dedication, she was being sent away. The realization shattered something within her, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. It was her duty.

Her brother had hugged her tightly the night before she left, whispering reassurances that she would return stronger and more capable. But all Sofia could feel was the ache of abandonment, the sting of being cast out by the very family she had tried so hard to please.

The plane ride to Europe was a blur of tears and silent resolve. When she landed in the unfamiliar city, she stood alone on foreign soil, burdened with expectations and a name to uphold. There was no safety net, no warm embrace waiting for her. Only the harsh realities of proving herself in a cutthroat business world.

And so, she built herself from the ground up. The teenage girl who had stepped off that plane with tears in her eyes became a young woman of unyielding determination. She learned the language, immersed herself in the culture, and studied relentlessly. With no one to lean on, Sofia had become her own savior.

Years later, as the European branches of Montero Enterprises flourished under her leadership, she often wondered if her grandfather had even noticed. Every award, every success, she had sent news of it back home. 

Now, as she stood in her childhood room, back in the place she had once called home, Sofia clenched her fists. She had returned not to beg for their approval but to reclaim the legacy she had been exiled to secure.

“I’ve sacrificed too much to be ignored,” she murmured to herself, her jaw tightening with resolve.

But no matter how far she had come, the pain of her grandfather’s rejection still lingered, hidden beneath the strength she had spent years cultivating.

Sofia’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open. Rosa, the maid, stepped inside quietly, a tray of tea in her hands. She knew better than to disturb Sofia when the young woman was lost in her thoughts, but her presence was comforting in its own way.

Sofia wiped the stray tear from her cheek before flashing Rosa a smile. "I didn’t expect you to bring tea at this hour."

Rosa smiled softly. "I thought you might need a warm drink after a long day, Miss Sofia."

Sofia hesitated for a moment before standing, brushing past the tray and walking over to the window. The estate looked different now, more suffocating somehow, as if the walls that once felt like home were now closing in on her. Her family had remained stuck in their old ways, while she had changed in ways they couldn’t understand. She glanced back at Rosa, her expression softening.

"Do you think they'll ever accept me, Rosa?"

Rosa set the tea down on the side table before walking over to Sofia’s side. "Miss Sofia, you've done more for the Montero name than any of them realize. They might not see it now, but one day they will. You’ve proved yourself overseas, and nothing, no comment or disapproval, can take that away from you."

Sofia smiled faintly, her fingers tracing the cool glass of the window.

"I don’t know. The way they look at me… it's like I'm still that little girl they sent away. Like all the work I’ve done means nothing."

Rosa gave her a sympathetic look.

"They see strength in you, even if they don’t know how to express it. Sometimes it takes the family a while to understand the power of their own."

Sofia sighed, the tension still present in her body. She wasn’t just fighting for recognition within the family, though. She was battling something deeper now, her sense of identity. Who was she if they still treated her as if she didn’t belong?

“Tomorrow, I’ll speak with Mateo. We need to get this right, one way or another. I’m done waiting for them to see who I’ve become,” Sofia muttered to herself.

The thought of Adam suddenly crossed her mind, the way he had looked at her across the ballroom. It was a reminder of just how much of a stranger she truly was, even among the elite. But, unlike her family’s rejection, the thought of his intrigue ignited something unfamiliar in Sofia, a spark that wasn't about business, but something much more personal. She quickly pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on the tasks at hand.

Rosa, seeing the distant look in Sofia’s eyes, gently cleared her throat. "Perhaps it’s time to sleep now, Miss Sofia. Tomorrow is another day, and I know you’ll face it with the strength you always do."

Sofia nodded, not fully convinced but grateful for Rosa’s comforting words. "Thank you, Rosa."

As Rosa left the room, Sofia stood there for a while longer, staring at the glistening lights of the city below. The weight of her responsibilities pressed on her shoulders, but she wasn’t about to let her family’s dismissal break her. She had worked too long, too hard to be undermined.

The next day, she would make them see exactly who she was, no longer just the girl they had sent away.