Chapter 18 - The Ghost of Greed
Ramón took the papers from his son, his calloused thumb tracing the aggressive legal threats printed on the crisp white paper.
Valeria was gone, ruined and exiled, but the vultures she had invited to the feast were still circling the skies. Apex Holdings was a massive corporate syndicate known for bleeding small agricultural communities completely dry.
"If they dam the river upstream, the entire orchard will be dead within a month,"
Mateo whispered, tracing the map attached to the legal document.
"They know that,"
Ramón stated calmly.
"They want to starve us out. They want the land."
Clara stepped out onto the porch, pulling her boys close to her side as she sensed the sudden, heavy tension in the air.
"What do we do, Ramón?"
Clara asked, her voice trembling.
Ramón looked at his vintage Omega watch, watching the second hand sweep flawlessly around the dial.
"We do what we have always done,"
May you like
Ramón replied, his eyes hardening into flint.
"We defend our roots."
