“And so, from the information I’ve gathered from various experts who’ve tested the soil quality, fertility, the climate of the land and gathered information from the previous vineyard owners, I would say it’s safe to proceed to planting Cab. It would also be advisable to plant smaller amounts of grapes that can be used for blending. Perhaps Petit Verdot or Malbec,” Omar explained with hand gestures as he pointed towards the projector which was displaying the PowerPoint he’d whipped up over the past few months.
Amir nodded in acknowledgement. “Have you spoken to the vineyard managers yet?” he asked, and Omar nodded as well.
“Yes, he’s already decided on how to orient the rows, how to space and trellis the vines. Adjustments to the soil have been made, for optimum production. It would be best to start right away, whilst the winter season is still around, and as you know, this is a very slow process. The first harvest will be after roughly three years,” he added, switching to the next slide that was displaying a fruitful vineyard.
The other investors in the room seemed very impressed with how Omar had conducted the presentation and were sharing little discussions amongst themselves. However, Omar’s older brothers, Hakim and Navid, remained quiet and silently displeased. They both never wanted to see their little brother, a.k.a designated family black sheep, win for once. Navid never overtly aired his views on Omar, but he had made it very clear that they would never get along.
After a few minutes, Amir cleared his throat loudly to grab everyone’s attention. “We have decided to give you the green light. As you have shown much diligence and dedication, we have all concurred that you’ll will officially be the vigneron of this new company. Everything will be under your charge, congratulations son,” he said stoically but his eyes were shinning with pride.
The meeting was adjourned, and Omar received remarks from the other board members. Once they were all gone, he began to tidy up the conference room and switch off the projector, when his two siblings approached him. “Congratulations, brother. You deserve the honor,” Navid droned apathetically.
Omar grinned at him. He had a striking resemblance to Navid, that sometimes people thought they were twins. “Thanks, Navid. I almost believed you for a second there,” he replied sarcastically, and disconnected his laptop.
Hakim tsked and curled his lips in annoyance. “You’re really happy about this little achievement, aren’t you?” he asked him, sarcasm lacing his London accented voice.
“Of course. Some of us appreciate even the small things in life. You know very well that I’d much rather conduct my business affairs away from both of you, and now I’m finally getting the chance. Why does this bother you so much?”
“What bothers me is that I know you will inevitably end up shitting on this and somehow taint our family’s image. You’ve already done that many times before,” Navid commented coldly.
Omar shrugged and shut the laptop before putting it under his arm. “And that’s why I have you two; whenever I screw up, you’ll be there to clear the mess before it gets too far. You might both think that you’re somehow above and better than me, but in a way, you’ve spent your whole lives picking up after me. What a pity,” he clucked his tongue before sliding past them.
“I heard that the little girl you hooked up with is in town. I’d love to meet her,” Hakim said, smirking maliciously. Omar paused in his steps and spun to face him. His face suddenly got hard, and he could feel his pulse spike.
“Too bad you won’t. Now that I’ve concluded this meeting earlier than I thought, we will be heading back to the States soon,” he chewed gruffly, and Navid smirked as well.
He tilted his head in derision. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were afraid to introduce your brothers to your little baby mama. What’s wrong, Omar? You’re scared that we will reveal who you really are to her?” Navid mocked mercilessly.
“Enough of this foolishness; stop behaving like five-year-olds, you’re grown men for heaven’s sake!” Amir, who’s presence shocked the hell out the three of them, exclaimed in exasperation. “And Omar, there’s no need for you to return to America so soon, let us get more acquainted with your fiancée. We will be in-laws after all, no?” he added with a quirked brow.
Omar sighed under his breath. Inasmuch as he would have preferred to have left soon after the meeting, he knew that the chances of this were now slim to none. If all three of them were ganging up on him like this, he could only imagine how Andrea would also insist that they extend their visit as well.
“Okay,” he breathed in defeat.
“Your mother told me that today is her birthday and has decided to take her out to tour the city. After that, she has planned her big dinner for her. She’s officially an adult now, so that should take some guilt off your shoulders,” Amir said jeeringly, making Omar cower back at his sharp tone.
Hakim and Navid smiled at him once more.
This one was going to been one hell of a celebration.
***
London was quite the exquisite tourist destination and Andrea couldn’t get enough of it. There were many places to see, from the London Eye, Big Ben to the River Thames. Nasim, Omar’s mother, had been kind enough to take her on a tour of the whole city, chauffeur driven in one of their Rolls Royce’s. She felt like her princess with how well she was being treated, and she couldn’t wait to brag about it to Salvador when she got back home.
After driving around and physically enjoying some of the attractions, Nasim had taken her to a restaurant that had a Michelin star. By the time she left, she was so full that she could barely walk but was deeply satiated. The last stop before they returned to the Pedrad mansion was a shopping mall. “I want you to pick out whatever you want from any store,” Nasim told her with all seriousness.
“Mrs. Pedrad, I simply cannot accept that offer. You have already done so much to make this a memorable birthday for me,” Andrea tried to deny her generosity, but Nasim would have none of it.
She touched Andrea’s shoulder. “Nonsense, sweety. You are practically family at this point, and you deserve to be spoiled on your birthday. Also, I told you to call me Nasim. Mrs. Pedrad makes me feel so old,” she said with a short laugh.
With much hesitation, she Andrea allowed herself to be dragged to several designer stores where she tried on many different outfits, shoes, and accessories. Although she had initially only found about three items flattering, but somehow instead of leaving the mall with just one shopping bag, she left with dozens upon dozens that they had to be escorted to the car by three shop attendants.
Arriving back at the house, the maid and butler, whose names Andrea hadn’t learned yet were quick to rush out of the house and carry all the items bought up to her room during the duration of her stay. Heading into the house, whilst having a chat about all the places Nasim had visited in her lifetime, somebody clearing their throat very loudly and rudely interrupted them.
Lo and behold, it was a woman with striking platinum blonde hair, blood red lipstick, a tight-fitting leather jumpsuit matched with the highest boots Andrea had ever seen. Sliding down the gargantuan designer glasses that were covering her now visible brown eyes, the woman snarled at both of them. “Who is this, mother? Some little bimbo you’re replacing me with?” she questioned arrogantly, staring Andrea up and down.
Nasim moved forward and hid Andrea behind her. “What are you doing here, Marisha? I thought you were halfway across the globe in some rehab,” she fired back caustically.
Unphased by this, Marisha took a step forward with a frosty smile playing at her lips. “And I thought you’d be busy whining about the fact that father never gives you the time of day,” she quipped coolly, causing Nasim to flinch back. “Answer my question, mother. Who is that?” she asked once more, motioning towards Andrea with her glasses.
Andrea had had a bit an idea of the fact that Omar’s siblings were less than friendly, but she had no idea that his older sister would be this unpalatable. After doing a little research on her, Andrea had gathered enough information on Marisha to know that she isn’t somebody anyone would normally want to cross paths with. Other than being a sensational husband snatcher, she had an ego so large that it was a wonder it hadn’t outweighed the earth by now.
Side stepping Nasim, Andrea came into Marisha’s line of vision and plastered a huge fake smile on her face. Dealing with the likes of Sydney Reale and Rhett Saunders from time to time, she knew how to expertly converse with an individual suffering from textbook narcissism. “I am Andrea Dos Ramos. You must be Marisha; I’ve heard a lot about you,” She drawled politely and extended her hand for Marisha to shake.
Both Marisha and Nasim were taken aback by Andrea’s friendliness. Marisha eyed her suspiciously but shook her hand, nevertheless. “Andrea, I have heard nothing about you. I hope what you know about me isn’t too damaging,” she quipped coolly, nothing short of a sneer.
For a second, Andrea’s resolve almost cracked but she quickly covered it up with a coy look. “Just that you’re one of the biggest fashion icons in Europe. You have your own flourishing boutique here in London, and have dabbled in modelling quite a few times,” she said, flattery dripping from her tone.
Marisha’s scowl morphed into an impressed smirk. Hook, line and sinker, Andrea thought in triumph. “Well, I don’t like to brag but I am rather iconic, aren’t I? My designs could easily compete with the likes of Vera Wang and Giorgio Armani,” she remarked haughtily, biting the inside of her cheek boastfully.
Yeah, as if. Most of your designs are hideous. “Of, course. That’s why you’ve been invited to Paris week on a few occasions, no?” Andrea replied with a small smile. Nasim cleared her throat ad stepped beside Andrea.
“Marisha, this is Andrea Dos Ramos. She’s the one who got…involved with Omar,” Nasim stated with slight awkwardness. There really was no polite way to address the matter of him knocking up someone much younger than him.
Marisha’s brows rose. “Oh, so you’re the teenager who slept with my little brother. Ha, you’re much more pleasant than I would have imagined, given the history of his past flings. You are definitely an upgrade,” she chuckled and threw her hair over her shoulder. “When is this special dinner going to start? I have to be somewhere very early tomorrow.”
Nasim rolled her eyes. “Don’t you mean you have to be in some married man’s bed?” she said sarcastically, and Andrea had to resist the urge to laugh. Okay, this family is way more interesting than mine.
“Hahaha, very funny mother. Just because I’ve done it a few times doesn’t mean it’s my favorite pastime. Besides, I am actually seeing someone and it’s getting very serious,” Marisha retorted saucily.
“Is he married?” Nasim asked, crossing her arms.
Marisha turned on her heels and began to walk away. “He told me he’s getting a divorce,” she threw over her shoulder and disappeared from their sight, the echoing of her deadly heels fading away.
Andrea finally released a giggle. “Wow, she really is something,” she commented playfully.
Nasim sighed. “Trust me, she’s actually the sane one of my children. Wait till you meet her other brothers.”
_______________________________
Sup people. How goes the week? Mine's going pretty well and yours?
And so, we've met the entire Pedrad clan? Who's your favourite member?
Who's looking forward to the dinner? I know I'm not 😂. Pretty worried about Andrea....
Anyways, update coming in on Friday as usual.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Stay blessed,
~Deetronite 🥂✨❤️