Gemotions

"So, the vineyard goes to you, Liam." The lawyer's voice, as dry as the Californian sun, cut through the tense silence. Across the table, Maya, Liam’s sister, sat rigid, her knuckles white against the pristine surface. Liam, her eyes widening, had an eager look.

Their grandfather had poured his life into the vineyard, battling drought and disease, sacrificing everything for his precious grapes. Liam, the city-dweller, the businessman, had always scoffed at the "country life." He looked at the paperwork, his gaze already calculating profit margins.

Maya, however, was left with a box of photographs and a small, neglected plot of land in the mountains. A place their grandfather had retreated to when the vineyard was threatening to fail. A place where she had spent countless hours with him, helping him tend the land.

She felt a tightening in her chest, the sting of loss a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew their grandfather would be saddened. Liam had no real understanding of their grandfather’s legacy.

She took a deep breath, trying to control the tremble in her voice.