Broken Season

Lucas Alvarez

He is one of the members of the Alvarez family and will be the sole heir to all the assets owned by the Alvarez family. Yes, and only he is entitled.

Adams Alvarez is a successful businessman who holds power in the fields of aviation, industry, hospitality, and also automotive, all of which dominate the European and American markets. It's no wonder his wealth will not deplete for up to ten generations. Unfortunately, out of his three children, only his youngest son is male, Martin Alvarez, who is the father of Lucas.

For Adams, only his male child has the right to inherit all his assets. If all three of his children were boys, Adams would have fairly divided all his assets. However, his two daughters had to accept their father's decision because it was a longstanding rule in the Alvarez family. The one who has the right to hold the Alvarez assets is the one who possesses the XY chromosome.

Therefore, as Adams grew tired of all the hustle and bustle of the business world, he began to transfer all his assets to Martin. But fate had other plans; Martin and his wife lost their lives in a tragic accident when Lucas was just ten years old and became an orphan. Adams, as the grandfather, was deeply concerned about young Lucas, who was left in a vulnerable state at such a young age. Since Lucas' parents passed away, Adams took on the role of both parents for Lucas, and from the age of eleven, he started teaching him everything about business.

Young Lucas got used to attending meetings that Adams participated in, and he was always by Adams' side during business trips, even directly leading their subordinates. Adams was truly dedicated to guiding and teaching Lucas, as he didn't want all the Alvarez assets to be squandered. He was extremely protective of Lucas. By the time Lucas turned seventeen, he had already started inheriting all the Alvarez assets, although they were still under Adams' supervision.

But now, at the age of 25, Lucas has taken full control, and Adams has truly let go, only offering his advice when Lucas seeks it, which is rare due to Lucas' disciplined and ambitious nature that Adams instilled in him from a young age. Lucas grew up to be an arrogant, ambitious, cold, and handsome heir to the throne.

So rarely does he ask for Adams' opinion, especially since he has taken control. For him, he believes he is capable of merely running all the Alvarez businesses. Lucas is known for being an intelligent and arrogant leader, and it's no surprise that all the Alvarez businesses have thrived under his leadership.

Seeing all these developments, Adams might be able to pass away peacefully without worrying about all the Alvarez assets in Lucas' hands. However, there's still one thing that bothers his mind, and it's quite unsettling.

"What's Grandfather thinking?"

Lucas asks as he watches Adams stirring his soup in front of him for the past twenty minutes.

"Nothing, just enjoy your dinner!" Adams replies, shrugging his shoulders. But Lucas knows very well when his grandfather is contemplating something.

"I left my important meeting that could generate hundreds of millions of dollars just to fulfill Grandpa's request for dinner, so just tell me what Grandpa is thinking so I don't regret leaving that meeting," said Lucas, who had set down his utensils and was staring at Adams with intimidation.

Adams also put down the spoon he had been holding just to stir his soup and returned the gaze of his beloved grandson.

"Lucas, you know you're my favorite grandchild," Adams said, and that couldn't be denied; he indeed was the most cherished grandchild, even though Adams had five other grandchildren. But Lucas was his top priority.

"You also know that I'm old and fragile, I might turn into dust soon," Adams said, making Lucas sigh in frustration at his grandfather's silly talk.

"Can we get to the point, Grandpa? I still have to catch up with my schedule," Lucas said somewhat irritably.

"Alright, alright, I just don't want you to be too shocked and end up dying before me. If I get straight to the point, if you die first, who's going to handle all of our businesses?"

"Come on, Grandpa, I won't die before finding someone to succeed me, as you've said."

"How are you going to find that someone?" Adams asked, putting on a serious expression.

"Of course, I'll have Lucas Junior eventually. How else?"

Bingo.

Adams smiled inwardly; he didn't have to directly reveal his intention. Just by baiting him a bit, Lucas would surely understand.

"Why don't you just create Lucas Junior as soon as possible?"

"That's because..." Lucas's words trailed off as he began to understand where his grandfather's conversation was heading.

"Don't say it, Grandpa. You're going to sulk again and ask me to bring a woman that I have to introduce to you."

"Oh no no no, not this time, it's not like that. I know some of the women you've introduced to me were random clubgoers you often meet, and I don't want that," Adams explained. In the past few months, he sometimes pressured Lucas to bring a girlfriend or a woman who might be a suitable wife, but his grandson was quite inept. Adams sometimes wondered why he had bestowed his handsome looks upon Lucas if he couldn't use them properly, such as finding a wife who could genuinely take care of him.

"It's because Grandpa always pressures me, and I have no other choice but to bring them," Lucas said casually.

"I do it because I'm concerned. At your age, you haven't truly been in a serious relationship with any woman. I didn't bestow those handsome looks just for you to use them as decoration, Lucas," Adams replied, causing Lucas to roll his eyes in annoyance. Yes, he admitted that his face was quite similar to Adams', both handsome, but come on, he's only 25 years old, Lucas thought.

He was still too young to commit to a bond like marriage. At least, he might consider such things when he's thirty or thirty-five. For now, he hadn't even considered finding a life partner.

"I still want to focus on our business. I want to develop some businesses we don't yet own."

"You can do all of that after you get married, and it won't hinder your ambitions," Adams interrupted quickly, knowing well Lucas' ambitious attitude, never satisfied with his current achievements.

"Grandpa..."

"I'll introduce you to one of my friend's granddaughters," Adams interrupted again, causing Lucas to sigh in exasperation.

"Ugh, it seems I was wrong to leave my meeting," mumbled Lucas while rubbing his face.

"I want to die peacefully, Lucas, so just fulfill your Grandpa's request if you care about me," Adams threatened, a tactic that would always work once he said it.

"Alright, alright, you win," Lucas surrendered, not wanting to argue any longer and delay his next meeting. This made Adams curl the corner of his lips.

"You've always been dependable, son. You won't regret this choice from this old man. She's a good, smart, and of course, beautiful woman. I wouldn't choose a subpar candidate for the heir of the Alvarez throne," Adams explained proudly.

"And one more thing, she's deserving of being by your side due to your equal status. Perhaps you'll thank your old Grandpa for bringing you two together someday," Adams continued, causing Lucas to raise his eyebrows.

"Well, who's the girl that Grandpa is praising so much and is worthy of being by my side in the future?"

"Her name is Luna Estrada."

Luna Estrada, also known by her stage name Luna, is a renowned model and has been the highest-paid model for two consecutive years. She possesses a tall stature and a remarkably beautiful face. Her modeling talent was evident from the age of 3 when she became a brand ambassador for Kidsstyle, one of the most famous children's fashion brands at the time. Her modeling career has continued to flourish, even at the age of twenty-three, making her a top model. She has become the most influential model in the fashion world this year.

Luna is signed by several agencies in various countries and serves as a brand ambassador for well-known brands such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Burberry, LV, Bulgari, and many more. Not surprisingly, given her young age and success, Luna's personal wealth amounts to $70 million. This is in addition to her family's wealth, which comes from their success in maritime and import-export industries. Consequently, Luna has been accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle since birth.

Her upbringing has led Luna to become a somewhat pampered woman who dislikes her wishes going unfulfilled.

"Miss, today you have a photoshoot with Alexander McQueen at 2 PM," said Lili, her personal assistant.

"Yes," Luna replied briefly, still engrossed in her phone screen. She attempted to make a call, showing frustration when it didn't go through. Lili was well aware that Luna was reaching out to someone who was ignoring her.

"Oh, come on babe," Luna muttered as she made another irritated attempt to contact someone.

Knock knock knock.

Luna glanced briefly at her bedroom door before returning to her phone. Lili chose to open the door to see who had arrived. It turned out to be a servant from the Estrada family estate. After a brief conversation with the servant, Lili approached Luna, who was still occupied.

"Miss, the entire family is waiting for you to have breakfast," Lili conveyed the message from the servant.

"Tell them I won't join them for breakfast this time."

"But it was Mr. Rico himself who instructed the servant," Lili continued, causing Luna to close her eyes in annoyance.

"That old man is really ruining my mood," Luna grumbled, getting up from her bed and tossing her phone to Lili.

"I'll take a shower first. Keep trying to reach Albert, the call needs to be connected by the time I finish," Luna said as she entered the bathroom. Lili, with resignation, attempted to contact someone named Albert.

However, a few seconds later, Luna shouted from the bathroom again, "And one more thing, cancel the photoshoot with McQueen later. I'm just not in the mood," Luna's shout made Lili exhale with frustration. Once again, her boss and friend canceled a commitment as they pleased. Lili, who would be the one to face the brand executives and rearrange their schedules, felt exasperated. Luna simply couldn't work when her mood was truly shattered, and no one dared to challenge or force her. She loved the world of modeling due to her passion for fashion, but that didn't mean her hobby could dictate her actions. Luna would only do what she wanted.

"How is it? Is it connected?" Luna asked Lili, who still held her phone and pressed it to her left ear.

"Actually, this time the number is inactive," Lili replied, making Luna even more frustrated.

"Idiot, what's wrong with him? He ignored my messages last night and didn't take my calls," Luna fumed.

"Maybe Miss made a mistake or did something that angered Mr. Albert," Lili guessed, as it was usual for Albert to ignore Luna when they were at odds.

"That's not possible, Lili. Yesterday afternoon, Albert was still calling me and told me he was preparing for the next concert," Luna confidently answered, as they had been on good terms before. Albert had talked about an upcoming piano concert he was organizing. But last night, Albert only read her messages without intending to reply, and he ignored her phone calls.

"Ah, then maybe Mr. Albert is busy preparing for his concert."

"But at least he could have let me know, annoying," Luna sighed, then walked out of the room to join breakfast, with Lili following behind.

Luna didn't want to keep her family waiting for long and become the center of attention and ridicule from her siblings and cousins for making them hungry while waiting for this princess to arrive.

As she descended the stairs, all eyes were on her with a cynical gaze, as if saying it's better for you to die than to make us hungry just waiting for you to finish bathing. That was roughly the meaning behind their looks.

"Morning!" Luna greeted nonchalantly, ignoring the sarcastic glances from the occupants of the dining table.

"Morning, princess," Leon teased. He was Luna's only brother.

"Alright, let's start breakfast," Rico said, breaking the silence and beginning to eat the prepared meal.

This time, Rico, as the head of the family, asked his children and grandchildren to stay over because he wanted to discuss something important, according to him. Therefore, Rico's two sons, Devan Estrada and Vano Estrada, and his four grandchildren were present at the dining table, which was usually quiet due to Rico's request.

Rico had two sons, Devan Estrada and Vano Estrada. Luna was the daughter of Vano Estrada and the youngest granddaughter, even though the age difference among the grandchildren was only two to three years. Only the children of Vano, Leon, and Luna, were still unmarried, while their two cousins were already married.

"How's your work, Luna?" Rico asked, causing Meta to change her mind about drinking juice.

"Good," Luna answered.

"Do you still cancel contracts with your clients when you're in a bad mood?" Rico asked, and Luna nodded.

"Yes, that's right. Grandpa knows I can't work when my mood is ruined."

"So, how many contracts have you canceled for today?" Rico asked, making Luna squint at him. Once again, her grandfather was scrutinizing her, for the umpteenth time.

"I think you don't need my answer, Grandpa, because you already know what it is," Luna said, a little annoyed by her grandfather's overprotective attitude.

"Stop acting like a child and start acting professionally. If you no longer enjoy modeling, just quit. Don't cause significant losses for others. You can still live comfortably without being a model," Rico explained in his flat tone, which only made Luna more annoyed.

"I became a model because it's my hobby."

"That's why you need to behave like an adult. If not, just quit."

"I'll quit when I get married," Luna retorted, making Rico give her a meaningful look.

"In that case, get married. Grandpa has chosen a candidate for you, and there will be a meeting tonight," Rico said, causing all family members to look at him in surprise, including Luna herself.

Could she have misheard? Don't tell her that Rico gathered all the family members with the pretext of something important, only to announce this ridiculous plan. Even up to this moment, Luna's ears were still ringing from her grandfather's words.

The entire Estrada family, consisting of Rico as the head of the family, Devan and Vano as Rico's two sons, along with their respective wives, and Reynal, Reymond, Leon, and Luna as the four grandchildren, were gathered in the living room to continue the discussion that had left all family members shocked due to Rico's decision to arrange Luna's marriage.

"So, can you explain what you meant by your earlier words, Dad?" Vano asked, not understanding the situation as Rico had made the decision without involving him as Luna's father.

"What else do I need to explain? I know you all understand the words I said at the dinner table," replied Rico.

"Dad___"

"Is grandpa daydreaming? Or did something hit grandpa's head? Well, I'm sure something hit grandpa's head," Luna interrupted her daddy's words.

"I'm in my sound mind, and my decision is final," Rico calmly responded.

"I don't want to get married. I'm still young, and my career is at its peak. I don't want to ruin everything."

"Nothing will fall apart just because you're getting married."

"Ah really, I'm sure you'll match me with a man exactly like you, who will hinder my steps and trap me in an old mansion like Rapunzel," Luna retorted, her anger at its peak. Since last night, she had been annoyed, and Rico's decision added fuel to her fire.

"Why didn't grandpa do the same to Reynal, Reymond, and Leon? And why do I have to be the first to marry? You could arrange Leon's marriage first," Luna continued, causing Leon to glare at her.

"Why are you dragging my name into your problems?" grumbled Leon.

"Because you're different," Rico answered.

"Is it because I'm grandpa's only granddaughter?" Luna quickly responded. Yes, that was true. Luna was Rico's only granddaughter, and she was the most headstrong and unpredictable one. Luna was a spoiled girl, headstrong, with emotions that tended to explode.

"All of your older brothers could find partners who fit grandpa's criteria, and you__" Rico's words hung in the air. Rico was sure Luna understood what he was about to say. His clever granddaughter must have known that he had been observing her closely, watching her every move.

"What's wrong with Albert? We love each other, and that's enough for me," Rico's earlier thoughts were accurate. He didn't need to explain further; Luna would understand on her own what he was trying to convey.

"He's not worthy of you, and you'll only be happy temporarily. After being in a marriage with him for a while, you'll realize that the man you're so proud of won't be able to support all your needs for even a year. No, that's too long. I even doubt he could handle your needs for just a week," explained Rico, causing Luna to clench her fists as her grandfather indirectly insulted Albert in front of the extended family, belittling the man she deeply loved.

"Love isn't just about money, and besides, I can work, and my income can cover my own needs," Luna replied.

"Yes, if he has the audacity to let all of that happen. If you do it, you'll be the one trampling on the dignity of the man you love," Rico replied, leaving Luna speechless. What her grandfather said wasn't wrong. Albert would feel inadequate if Luna did that, and changing his lifestyle might be the tipping point. Luna was accustomed to luxury, and leaving it all behind was like abandoning her true self. A Luna Estrada couldn't be separated from the concept of luxury.

"And one more thing, it's better not to keep that man tied to you for too long. Let him find happiness with a woman who matches him. If you're stubborn, you'll hurt him more. I understand you know what Grandpa is talking about, Luna Estrada," Rico said, causing Luna to frustratingly mess up her hair and choose to end the debate with her grandfather, which had drained her emotions. Even Luna couldn't refute all of Rico's words, as everything he said was true.

For two years, Luna and Albert's arguments revolved around their differing social statuses. Albert often felt inferior as the partner of a supermodel like Luna, yet Luna could still persuade him to stay with her. She assured him that things would become easier eventually. However, now that Rico had revealed the truth, doubt even clouded her own mind. She couldn't even convince herself to hold onto Albert anymore.

Luna climbed the stairs and entered her room, locking herself in. She picked up her phone, still without any notifications from Albert.

"Damn it. Even at a time like this, where could that idiot be?" Luna cursed, once again tossing her phone aside in frustration.

Meanwhile, in the living room, they sat in silence, waiting for Rico to speak again.

"Dad, about Luna__"

"Vano, do you know Jonathan Walker?" Rico interrupted Vano's words.

"Yes, of course. Who doesn't know the business tycoon and also Daddy's good friend?"

"Yes, he's truly remarkable. Everyone would know who he is," Rico confirmed.

"Then, what does he have to do with Luna's issue? Don't tell me Daddy is arranging my daughter to marry that old man. Even though he's wealthy, to become my son-in-law, I still have my sanity intact, Dad. I'd rather approve of Luna marrying that pianist," Vano said, now being comforted by his wife, Rose, who stroked his arm in an attempt to calm him.

"Do you think I'm insane then?" Rico's words puzzled Vano even more, but he felt a bit calmer, knowing that Rico couldn't possibly be that unreasonable.

"So...?"

"And do you know the heir of the Estrada family now?" Rico asked, causing everyone to exchange glances and finally realize the purpose behind Rico's intentions. Yes, Rico was indeed arranging for his granddaughter to marry Lucas Alvarez.

For Rico, Lucas was the right person to handle his headstrong granddaughter, or perhaps it could be the other way around. Only fate would know and determine everything.

"Daddy, are you sure Luna will agree to this arranged marriage?" Devan, the eldest child of the Estrada family, asked.

"Whether she likes it or not, she'll have to agree. I'm not asking for her opinion. It's my absolute decision. If she refuses, the only option for her might be to lose the family name she's been using all this time," Rico explained, causing Vano to swallow hard. Was Daddy really using such a threat to arrange his daughter's marriage?