Chapter 9 - The Price of PrideAs Patricia sobbed uncontrollably on the lawn, abandoned by her superficial friends who quickly scattered to avoid being associated with her ruin, Valentina walked back toward her helicopter.
Mateo walked beside her, a gentle smile on his face.
"Was it everything you wanted?" Mateo asked quietly as the helicopter rotor blades began to turn again, generating a strong breeze.
Valentina stopped near the open helicopter door and looked back one last time at the scattered, defeated crowd of San Rafael alumni.
"I thought I came here for revenge, Mateo," she admitted softly, her honey eyes reflecting the gold of the afternoon sun. "But when I saw them kneeling on the grass, I realized something."
"What’s that?"
"Revenge is for people who still care about what they lost," she said, a genuine, beautiful smile breaking across her face for the first time in years. "I didn't lose anything in high school. I gained the strength to build my own life."
Mateo looked at her with deep admiration, reaching out to gently hold her hand. "Then where to now, CEO?"
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Valentina squeezed his hand firmly, feeling the warmth of true loyalty—the kind of love and respect no amount of money could buy.
"Home," she said happily. "To my parents' café. I promised my mother I’d buy her a new garden."
