New Rivals

Lila’s POV

The next few days blurred together in a mix of hard work and tension. Bianca’s arrival changed the whole mood at the vineyard. She moved around like she owned everything, throwing little comments everywhere she went. I tried to stay out of her way, but she made that difficult.

One morning while I was helping sort grapes, Bianca walked by with Theo. She looked me up and down slowly. “So you’re the new girl everyone’s talking about,” she said sweetly, but her eyes were sharp. “Writing an article? How cute. Just make sure you don’t get too comfortable here.”

I wiped my hands on my jeans and tried to smile. “I’m just doing my job. The vineyard has a lot of history.”

Theo stood beside her, smirking quietly. Bianca laughed lightly. “History. Right. Be careful, honey. Some histories bite back.” She linked her arm with Theo’s and pulled him away, but not before shooting me another look full of warning.

Her drama spread fast. At lunch she would make small jokes about “city girls who can’t handle real work,” loud enough for everyone to hear. I kept my head down and ate quietly. Sophia seemed to enjoy it. She started giving me the hardest tasks on purpose.

“Lila, you can clean the old storage barn today,” Sophia said, her voice smooth but cold. “It needs a deep scrub. We can’t have guests seeing mess.”

I nodded, though my arms already ached. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”

Elena saw what was happening. Later, while I scrubbed dust and dirt in the barn, she brought me a cold drink. “Here, child. Take a break. Sophia is being extra hard on you lately.”

I took the glass gratefully and sat on an old crate. “Thanks, Elena. I don’t know what I did to upset her.”

Elena sat beside me and patted my knee. “It’s not you. Sophia feels threatened. With Bianca here stirring things and you spending time with Sebastian… people notice. You are doing good work. Don’t let them break your spirit.”

Her words warmed me. “You always know what to say. It feels nice to have someone on my side.”

We talked for a while about small things, the weather, favorite foods, life on the vineyard. For the first time in days, I felt a real bond forming. Elena was like a quiet anchor in all the chaos.

“You remind me of your grandmother sometimes,” she said softly. “She had that same determined look.”

That comment stayed with me long after she left. My grandmother again. The letters I found kept coming back to my mind.

Later that evening, Sebastian found me after dinner. “Lila, I thought you might like a proper wine-tasting lesson. The cellar has some special bottles. It could help with your article.”

My heart jumped a little. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

We walked down to the wine cellar together. The air grew cooler as we descended the stone steps. Sebastian moved with easy confidence, pulling out a few different wines.

“This one is from our best year,” he said, pouring a small amount into a glass. “Tell me what you smell.”

I took the glass, our fingers brushing again. The touch sent a warm spark up my arm. “It smells like dark berries. And something earthy?”

Sebastian smiled, stepping a bit closer to guide me. “Good. Now swirl it gently. What do you taste?”

We tasted several wines, and the conversation flowed naturally. He explained the different notes, the history behind each bottle. His voice was low and focused. The chemistry between us crackled in the quiet space. I found myself laughing at one of his stories, and he looked at me with soft eyes.

“You have a good palate,” he said. “Natural talent. Like you belong here.”

I looked up at him. The cellar felt smaller suddenly. “Sometimes it does feel that way. Like there’s more pulling me to this place than just the article.”

Sebastian set his glass down. He stepped very close, his body heat reaching me. His hand lifted slowly, almost touching my cheek. “Lila, I…”

His voice dropped, full of something deep. He seemed ready to admit something important, his eyes locked on mine.

Suddenly, the cellar door banged open. Theo stood at the top of the stairs, eyes dark with warning. “Dad. We have a problem with the east fence. You should come see it now.”

Sebastian pulled back quickly, clearing his throat. “Right. I’ll be right there.” He turned to me with regret in his eyes. “We’ll continue this another time, Lila.”

Theo glared at me as Sebastian walked past him. The dark warning in his look was clear, stay away from his father.