Chapter 1 - The Viral Betrayal
The silence from my sister did not last long.
Two weeks after I sent her the rental contract, my phone started buzzing relentlessly.
Notifications flooded my screen like a swarm of angry bees.
Olivia had taken her grievances to the internet.
She posted a tearful video on every social media platform she could find.
In the video, she wore a simple, modest sweater, looking completely opposite to her usual glamorous style.
She painted a picture of a cruel, wealthy older sister who had barred her from the family estate.
She conveniently left out the part where she wore a bridal gown to my wedding.
My mother shared the video immediately, adding a caption about how money changes people for the worse.
Strangers began leaving hateful comments on the business page of my vineyard.
They called me a monster, a bridezilla, and a selfish sibling.
My husband, Mark, saw the comments and immediately wanted to intervene.
He grabbed his laptop, ready to post the security footage from our wedding day.
I placed a gentle hand on his arm and shook my head.
“Let them dig their own graves,” I told him calmly.
I knew that the internet’s attention span was short, but business reputations could be permanently damaged.
However, I also knew something they did not know.
Our grandmother’s lawyer had warned me that my mother might try something like this.
He had advised me to install top-tier security and document every single interaction.
I did not respond to the online hate.
Instead, I focused on the upcoming harvest and the beautiful life Mark and I were building.
Olivia’s engagement to a man named Carter was moving forward quickly.
Carter was allegedly a highly successful venture capitalist who promised her the world.
But my silence only made Olivia and my mother more desperate for a reaction.
They realized that their internet smear campaign was not giving them the access they truly wanted.
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They wanted the vineyard, the prestige, and the money.
And they were willing to do whatever it took to get it.
