The courtyard had dissolved into chaos.
Reporters shouted over one another, thrusting microphones toward the gates. Cameramen climbed onto vehicles for better angles. Villagers pressed closer, desperate to glimpse the miracle for themselves. The government officials tried to maintain order, but the incident with the technician had lit a fire that couldn't be contained.
"Confirmed healing effects!"
"This fruit cures disease!"
"Hacienda Rodriguez: medical breakthrough or national security risk?"
Each headline crackled over livestreams, spreading faster than wildfire.
Bianca's head spun. She clutched the edge of the fountain, the murmurs blurring into a suffocating roar. Her great-grandfather's hacienda, the place that had once felt like home, like refuge...now felt like a stage, and she the unwilling actress.
She wanted to run. To scream. To deny all of it.
But Eduardo was already moving.
"Enough."
The single word wasn't shouted. It was spoken evenly, almost softly, but it carried a heavy tone. The crowd, as though struck by a ripple of invisible force, quieted.
Eduardo stepped into the center of the courtyard, his presence filling the space. His suit caught the last gold streaks of sunlight, and his eyes burned with an intensity that made even the most aggressive reporters hesitate.
"This inspection is concluded," he announced firmly. "Samples have been taken. Further analysis will be done in proper laboratories, away from public spectacle. Until then, no fruit leaves this land without authorization."
Salazar stiffened, clearly unaccustomed to being overruled. "Mr. Moreno, you have no jurisdiction here—"
"I have influence where it matters," Eduardo replied smoothly, though there was steel under his velvet tone.
"And I have the landowner's trust. Miss Rodriguez is under my advisement now. If your office wishes to proceed further, you will do so through proper legal channels."
Salazar's jaw clenched, but she didn't push back. Around them, the police shifted uncertainly, sensing authority in Eduardo's stance that even government titles couldn't overshadow.
Bianca stared at him, stunned. He had stepped into the storm as though he belonged there, shielding her with nothing but presence and words.
Slowly, the officials withdrew. Samples secured, equipment packed, they filed back to their convoy. Salazar offered a final curt nod. "We'll be in touch, Miss Rodriguez. This matter is far from over."
The SUVs rolled away, taillights vanishing down the dusty road. Reporters lingered, but without officials to anchor the story, their frenzy began to lose direction. One by one, vans departed, until only villagers remained at the gates, buzzing with rumors and awe.
The hacienda exhaled, the tension lifting like mist.
Bianca slumped against the fountain, exhaustion threatening to pull her under. Lara rushed to her side, clutching her arm. "B, are you okay? That was! oh my god! that was insane."
Bianca managed a weak nod. Her voice trembled. "I… I thought I'd break. I couldn't breathe. If he hadn't—"
Her eyes found Eduardo.
He stood a few paces away, speaking quietly to Ramon and Lydia. Even from a distance, his composure radiated calm authority, as though chaos itself bent to his will.
When he turned back to her, their gazes met, and for a heartbeat, the noise of the world fell away.
Later, when the courtyard was quiet and the caretakers had retreated indoors, Eduardo approached her by the fountain. The twilight painted the orchard in dusky purples and golds. Kaloy the guardian peeked from a branch, his glowing eyes fixed on the stranger with wary curiosity.
"You protected me," Bianca whispered, her voice small.
Eduardo inclined his head. "I did what needed to be done."
"Why?" she asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it. "You barely know me. Why risk stepping into this?"
His gaze softened, though his expression remained unreadable. "Because, Miss Rodriguez… storms like these consume those who stand alone. You shouldn't have to face them without an ally."
Her heart tightened. "An ally?"
"Yes," he said simply. Then, after a pause: "For now, that is all I will be."
The words should have comforted her. Yet the way he held her gaze, the way his eyes seemed to flicker with something unearthly, something ancient, left her both reassured and unsettled.
The fountain trickled softly between them, the orchards humming with life renewed by her presence. For the first time since the government convoy arrived, Bianca felt the weight on her chest ease.
Eduardo Moreno was no ordinary man. Of that she was certain.
And though he spoke of storms, she sensed he was more than an ally. He was a shield. A sword. Perhaps even a key to the secrets the hacienda itself had yet to reveal.
But for tonight, with the air cooling and the stars emerging above the bamboo forest, it was enough that she was no longer alone.
---
End of Chapter 35