Leonel Baumann, the relentless patriarch of a vast financial empire, decides it's time for his grandchildren to leave behind a life of excess and unchecked ambition. Concerned about the family's future, Leonel sets his own rules for the heirs to secure their places and claim their shares of the inheritance. Thus, you are introduced to the saga of the four siblings: Aaron, Anton, Axel, and Anneliese. Four heirs are determined to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals and secure the Baumann legacy.
View MoreTruth or Dare
Anton
The empty glass bottle spun again, and this time it landed on Pietra, the most beautiful girl in the entire school, whom I'd been in love with for exactly two years, ever since the first moment my eyes met the brightest, blackest eyes in the world.
"Your turn, Pietra!" Priscila said excitedly. "Truth or dare?"
Pietra smiled. She always smiles. Her eyes also smile, even when she isn't smiling.
"Truth!" Pietra chose.
I did not doubt her choice. Pietra would never risk getting a dare because she's always so straight-laced, completely the opposite of me, but that would never be a problem between us. I love her just the way she is.
"What are you going to do from now on?" Priscila asked.
Some people expressed disappointment, clearly thinking the question was boring. But that question was perfect for me. Pietra is always so reserved about her life outside of school that only this way could I hear from her what her plans are now that we're finishing high school.
"I got a scholarship to a college in England," Pietra shared excitedly. "I'm going to London in two months."
That news caught me by surprise. London? It wouldn’t be a problem for me, of course. I have enough money to visit her as many times as I want. I released the breath I had held for a brief moment.
Everyone applauded and celebrated Pietra’s big achievement, but we soon returned to our game, and a few rounds later, it was my turn to be asked truth or dare.
"Dare, for sure!" I said with a loud laugh.
I couldn't risk being exposed in front of the girl I love. There are aspects of my life it's better Pietra doesn't know about, I thought with a sly smile. Yes, I love her, but I also have my needs.
I was forced to take two shots of tequila, which wasn't hard for me at all. We got back to the game, a few more rounds, and the bottle once again pointed at Pietra. By that time, I had drunk quite a bit, things seemed a little blurry, and I wasn’t sure if I could still hide how special that girl is to me.
"Truth!" She cheerfully chose.
"Are you still a virgin?" The question, of course, came from that idiot Tony.
"You don't have to answer that!" I said, raising my voice in annoyance.
"Calm down, Anton!" Maria Luiza urged, holding my arm. "Pietra knows it's just a game. No one's forcing her to do anything."
"Yes, Tony, I’m still a virgin," Pietra answered. "I’m only seventeen!"
Everyone laughed at Pietra's words since age has nothing to do with sexual experience, but I wasn't surprised by my girl's way of thinking. She’s always so proper, I thought with a smile.
Pietra, still with a slight blush on her cheeks, spun the bottle once more, this time pointing at none other than me, Anton.
"Truth or dare, Anton?" she asked, with a curious and playful look.
I stared at Pietra for a brief moment, feeling my heart beat faster. The truth was tempting; I wanted to reveal my true feelings, but a pang of fear made me hesitate. Hiding my love for so long had created a comfort zone, and admitting it could change everything. Still, something inside me screamed, to be honest, to risk it all.
"Truth," I finally answered, deciding to be honest, at least this time.
Pietra's eyes met mine, seeming to search for something more than just an answer to the game’s question.
"You always flirt with a lot of girls, but you’ve never really gotten involved with any of them. Why?" she asked bluntly.
"In other words, Anton," Lucas cut in before I could answer, "you hook up with everyone, but you’ve never dated anyone. That’s what she’s saying."
"Everyone understood what she said," Anneliese chimed in, rolling her eyes as if she were bored.
Anneliese is my sister, and she really must’ve been bored, I thought with amusement.
"Guys, let Anton answer!" Priscila tried to steer the game back on track.
Now all eyes were on me. Our senior class was waiting for my answer. Only the background music continued playing, and I realized that every face had a smile of expectation, waiting for some sarcastic response.
"Because I’m in love with you, Pietra," I confessed, forgetting about all the people around us.
The moment my words echoed in the room, the mood changed instantly. The air became heavy and tense, and the excited expression on Pietra’s face vanished. Her reaction was the last thing I expected.
"I... I need to go... now," she said with a trembling voice, glancing nervously at the watch on her wrist.
The storm of emotions on her face was evident. Pietra stood up quickly, avoiding looking at me, and ran out of the room. Without thinking twice, I ignored everyone’s curiosity and comments and decided to follow her. I found Pietra already on the sidewalk.
"Pietra, wait!" I called, running to catch up with her.
She stopped but still avoided looking directly at me. Her silence made me nervous, but I had to know what was going on.
"I’m sorry, Pietra, I... I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just... had to say what was here," I said, pointing to my heart.
Finally, Pietra raised her eyes to meet mine. The sadness in her gaze was palpable.
"Anton, I’m so sorry..." she began, her voice heavy with emotion. "I didn’t know you felt this way. I have a boyfriend, Tales. And... I’m in love with him."
Her words hit me like a knife to the heart. I had never felt such deep pain before. Everything I feared had just become reality.
"I didn’t know..." I murmured, struggling to hold back the sadness threatening to overwhelm me.
Pietra looked at me with compassion, but her words were firm.
"Anton, you’re a nice guy, but we both know we’re very different. I like you as a friend, but... I can’t see myself being involved with someone like you. You’re a playboy, always surrounded by girls, and I... I want someone responsible and treats me with care."
Her words felt like successive blows to my heart. She was right.
"I understand," I murmured. "Sorry for messing everything up."
Pietra put a hand on my shoulder, showing understanding.
"It’s not your fault, Anton. We’re just different. And I never imagined I could hurt you."
I knew she was being sincere, but it didn’t lessen the pain I felt. Pietra gave me a comforting hug before pulling away.
At that moment, a car pulled up in front of Priscila's house, where we had been having our farewell party.
"I have to go now," she said, looking at the parked car.
I nodded, unable to say anything else as I realized that was probably her boyfriend. Pietra walked away and left me with a broken heart, feeling like I could never be the man she wanted, and without the slightest desire to fight to change that.
PietraThe morning began with a gentle breeze flowing through the house, and even though my mind was occupied with a thousand thoughts, I felt excited. Despite all the ups and downs, things finally seemed to be falling into place.I entered Andressa’s room with a smile, determined to start the day with positive energy. Seeing that she was already awake, I went straight to the window to open the curtains and let the sunlight fill the space. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” I teased, turning to her.Andressa responded with a weak "good morning," and my heart immediately tightened. There was something different in her tone, a lack of enthusiasm that worried me.
AxelWhen Fred walked into the room, I knew she’d be right behind him. My heart raced, and for a moment, I had to mentally prepare myself to finally face the woman who had haunted me since Santorini. It was strange because, even though my memory of that night was hazy, the emotional impact she had on me was painfully clear.But when she stepped through the door and the soft light of the room illuminated her face, I was hit with a shock so strong it nearly took my breath away. The resemblance to Priscila, my ex-wife, was uncanny. For a moment, I was frozen, as if I were seeing a ghost. It didn’t make sense. What was this? How was it possible?I stayed silent, struggling to mask the storm raging inside me. My mind tried to connect the dots, but nothing added up. Fred,
KimberlyMore than a month. A full month since I sent the first email to Axel, which, of course, went unanswered. Then came the messages on social media, the indirect attempts to reach out… but nothing. His fame didn’t make contacting him easy, and yet, a part of me persisted. Maybe it was naivety, maybe a desperate attempt to resolve the situation, but I was following his every move in the media. When they announced his signing with an English team, Kathleen almost exploded with excitement, saying that fate was working in my favor.I hesitated to hold onto any hope, but Kathleen insisted. Through her journalist contacts, she managed to get me into that packed auditorium for the press conference. I wasn’t sure if I’d confront him, but at least I’d see him one more time.The room was full of people, voices, and expectations surrounding him, and the energy was a mix of euphoria and curiosity. I was there, just a few meters away from the father of my child, but deep down, I just wanted t
AxelAfter the meeting with Antonella on Saturday in my apartment, I spent the next two nights practically wide awake, trying to prepare for what lay ahead. I needed to resolve this once and for all. Antonella was the girl I had been with just once, during my vacation in Brazil, and I knew we had been careful. The possibility that she was pregnant with my child didn’t make sense. Still, I needed her to publicly admit the truth so this whole story could be put to rest.The conversation, however, did not go as I had expected. Antonella seemed to be enjoying every minute of the exposure and fame that the story had brought her. Ever since she leaked the supposed "romance" to a gossip website, her followers had multiplied into the millions. It was obvious that she was relishing being the center of attention and, to my surprise, now considered herself some kind of celebrity. However, the conversation revealed that she had no character whatsoever, and I quickly realized that it was impossibl
AaronI asked for a divorce, and for a brief moment, I saw Paolla’s expression shift. It was as if every conflicting emotion passed across her face—surprise, anger, disbelief. I braced myself for an explosion, but her words shocked me even more."Divorce? You must be out of your mind, Aaron." Her voice was low and cold, almost like a challenge. She took a deep breath, adjusted her purse on her shoulder, and with a calculated movement, lifted her chin and added, "Actually, I’m the one who needs some time alone now—to forget the absurdity that just came out of my own husband’s mouth."I watched, stunned, as she prepared to leave as if this were just a trivial argument."Paolla, wait… we need to talk about this," I insisted, taking a step toward her. "Where a
AaronAxel sat across from me, the envelope containing the test results resting between us like an invisible barrier. Even though he had repeated countless times that the baby wasn’t his, seeing the negative result printed in black and white stirred something strange in my chest.Axel, always confident, studied my expression with a scrutinizing gaze, noticing my restrained reaction.I tried to hide what I was feeling, but it was difficult. Antonella, the girl who claimed to be pregnant with Axel’s child, was someone looking for fame and fortune. She had even admitted as much during the argument at Axel’s apartment on Saturday, as he had told me.But the truth was that, for a moment, while I had been holed up in the old bedroom of our grandparents’ mansion, the possibil
RebeccaI couldn’t stop thinking about Aaron and the intense way he had appeared at the hospital. Still, with all these thoughts swirling inside me, I kept a calm facade. I knew the doctor would only discharge me if I appeared well enough, and being stuck in that place was already making me restless.But my mind kept drifting back to Aaron—and inevitably, to Eric. I was furious with him for the way he treated Aaron, almost as if he was determined to keep him away from me at any cost. At the same time, I knew the two of them were best friends and that, somehow, they had come to an understanding. It was best not to interfere. Deep down, I knew their conflict went far beyond what I could control. Still, it was unsettling to see Eric act that way.When he finally left me alone, promising to return in the morning, I felt a relief
AntonI arrived at Pietra’s house on Sunday afternoon, as we had planned, to finish watching the series we had started a few days earlier. Despite the simplicity of the plan, being with her in moments like these made everything feel easier, more complete. But I quickly noticed that Pietra was restless, uneasy, so unlike herself. Her eyes kept darting to the clock, her phone, anywhere but me. "Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual. She glanced at me quickly, offering a brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Of course, everything’s fine," she replied, but the hesitation in her voice made it clear that wasn’t entirely true. I tried to figure out what might be bothering her. The first thing that came to mind was her sister. But Andressa was growing stronger every day, which was a relief to me, but even more so to Pietra. Three weeks had passed since the surgery, and her recovery was on track. Andressa still spent most of her time resting, and under strict medi
PaollaRage burned inside me. Eric had just told me about the latest events, and I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Aaron must have lost his mind. He was about to throw away everything we had built, our meticulously crafted plan—all of it because of that dull, insipid girl, Rebecca.I felt a wave of heat rise through my body, exploding into a mixture of frustration and indignation. The image of Rebecca—fragile and plain—dancing in Aaron’s mind was almost unbearable. And now, there was a chance she might lose the baby, the only practical purpose behind this whole mess. Without the baby, everything would fall apart, and I would not allow all our planning to be destroyed just like that. How could Aaron not see the risk of ruining both our futures over some whim?“This is unacceptable!” I shouted, my fury spilling over.“Paolla, I need you to calm down,” he said, his voice low and controlled over the phone. “I just confronted Aaron. He stormed out of the room, furious, but you nee
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