The sound of a car pulling up to his hotel woke Ziv from a restless sleep. It was still early, and the men who had escorted him to Cyprus the previous day were already waiting outside. With no time to linger in his thoughts, Ziv followed them without a word.
The drive was long but quiet, the streets blurring past as Ziv wrestled with the realization that his life had irrevocably shifted. No more looking back, no more regrets. He had made the deal with Yonatan, and now everything was falling into place.
They arrived at a house in Thailand, a sleek, modern structure tucked away from the world. It was stunning, everything he had imagined and more—a symbol of success, of power, of everything he had worked for. The air felt thick with accomplishment as he stepped out of the car, his eyes scanning the property with a sense of pride. But what caught his attention
immediately wasn't just what lay before before him, but the figure standing at the front door. Noa.
Ziv's mind raced. He had expected this moment to be private, a quiet entrance into his new life. Instead, Noa was there, a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. She held a key in her hand, its gleaming metal catching the morning light.
"What are you doing here?" Ziv asked, his voice sharper than he intended.
Noa's smile widened, her tone calm and collected. "I'm welcoming you to your new home," she said, extending the key towards him. "It's all ready for you. I told you, I would take care of everything."
Ziv stared at the key in her hand, confusion briefly clouding his thoughts before they cleared. This was his new life. This was the success he had worked for. He reached for the key, a sense of satisfaction settling in his chest as he stepped forward, the realization settling in that this was it—he had made the right choice.
He looked around at the sleek architecture, the quiet luxury of the property. Noa had truly thought of everything. This house was a reflection of the life he had imagined—a life with Noa. They would share it together, leaving behind the mess of the vineyard, of Liora, and of everything he had once thought was important.
"Welcome to your new life, Ziv," Noa said, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.
Ziv gave her a half-smile. The deal was done, the game won. As he stepped into the house, he thought about Liora and the vineyard. He knew what he had to do. Noa had made it clear. All traces of Liora, all contact, had to be severed. Noa wanted him all to herself. And when Noa wanted something, she always got it.
Later that morning, as Ziv settled into his new home, Liora received a letter—an eviction notice from the vineyard. It was unexpected, and for a moment, she believed it might be a mistake. Her heart raced as she read the letter over and over, trying to make sense of it. The vineyard, her father's legacy, was at risk. She immediately tried calling Ziv, but his phone rang unanswered. Panic crept in, and she sent a flood of messages, each one more desperate than the last.
When there was still no reply, her panic gave way to a quiet terror. What was happening? Was Ziv involved in this? The thought was too much to bear, but she refused to believe it, convincing herself that Ziv would never betray her. He loved her. He had to.
That evening, at dinner, Liora's father noticed her distracted, her uneaten food a clear sign that something was wrong. "Liora, what's going on? You haven't touched your food. You're not yourself."
Liora forced a smile, hiding her worry behind a thin veil of reassurance. "Everything's fine, Dad. I'm just a little tired, that's all."
But her father wasn't convinced. He pressed her again and again, but Liora assured him that nothing was wrong. As they finished the meal, her father's eyes lingered on her, filled with concern, but he didn't push further. Liora was grateful for that. She didn't want to burden him. She didn't want him to know how deep her fear had sunk.
The next few days dragged on with no word from Ziv. The letters and messages she sent went unanswered. Her anxiety grew with every passing hour, the deadline for the eviction drawing closer. She couldn't reach him. And then, the day finally arrived.
The men in suits appeared, just as the letter had warned. They arrived at the vineyard, the official mark of the end. Liora opened the door, her heart in her throat as she faced them. The rush of emotions that flooded her senses was overwhelming—fear, confusion, betrayal. What would become of them? What would become of her father's dream?
She stood there, feeling the weight of the moment, the finality of everything that had been taken from her. The men didn't speak at first, simply holding out the paperwork. Noa could barely comprehend what they were saying as she took it, her hands shaking.
She glanced at the papers, her thoughts racing. How had it come to this? The vineyard was slipping away. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but the weight of everything—the betrayal, the lies—held her in place.
As the men turned to leave, Liora's mind was still reeling.
Liora's thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion, anger, and grief as she stared at the documents in her hands. The eviction notice from the vineyard, once a symbol of her father's hard work and dedication, now felt like a cruel joke. She couldn't process it fully—each word seemed like a mocking reminder of how everything had crumbled so suddenly.
With a shaking hand, she stuffed the letter into her bag and turned back inside, the heavy door closing behind her with a resounding thud. Her father was still upstairs, unaware of what had just transpired. She had to figure out what to do, how to fix this. But first, she needed to reach Ziv.
She dialed his number once more, desperation creeping into her voice. The phone rang, and then went to voicemail, as it had done countless times before. She left a message, her tone faltering. "Ziv, please call me back. Something's wrong… I need to know if you're involved in this. Please. I trust you. Please just call me."
But Ziv didn't call.
As the night stretched on, Liora's anxiety only deepened. The weight of the silence was unbearable. She couldn't keep hiding this from her father. She had always protected him from the harsh realities of the business world, but now, she was unsure how to protect him from the truth of Ziv's betrayal.
The next day, Liora couldn't bring herself to tell him. Instead, she busied herself with trying to contact Ziv through every channel she could think of—emails, texts, calls—all unanswered. Her heart twisted with every failed attempt, and she couldn't shake the suspicion that Ziv was behind everything. But why? Why would he do this to her? To her family?
Time moved slowly, and with each passing hour, Liora's resolve weakened. She had to tell her father. She had no choice. The men who had come to the vineyard had given her a week to comply, but she couldn't fathom how she would do so. The debt she had incurred to secure the vineyard was impossible to pay off in such a short time. She needed Ziv. But he had gone silent.
Days later, the inevitable happened. Her father, noticing her increasing distress, asked her point-blank as they sat down for dinner.
"Liora , you've been distant lately," he said, looking at her over his glass of wine. "What's going on? I can see that something's wrong. You haven't been yourself."
Tears welled in her eyes as she set her fork down, suddenly too tired to keep pretending. She couldn't lie to him anymore. But the words stuck in her throat. How could she tell him the truth?
"Dad," she began, her voice thick with emotion, "I—I don't know how to say this. We've been served an eviction notice from the vineyard. They're giving us one week to comply, or we'll lose everything."
Mr. Lior's face froze. He stared at her, his expression unreadable. The silence in the room was suffocating. "What are you talking about?" he asked, disbelief lacing his voice.
"They—there are rules in the contract," Liora continued, her words tumbling out now. "We didn't read it carefully, and now we can't afford to comply with the conditions. It's over, Dad. We're losing the vineyard."
Her father's hand gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white. "How? Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I—I didn't want to worry you. I thought maybe there was a mistake, or maybe… I could fix it. But now I can't reach Ziv. And I don't know what to do."
The room felt colder as Mr. Lior's gaze hardened. "Ziv? What does he have to do with this?"
Liora bit her lip, not knowing how to explain. "He's the one who helped us sign the contract. He was the one who was supposed to help us. But now, I don't know where he is. And I don't know if he's involved in this."
Her father leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his face. The weight of the situation seemed to settle heavily on him as he exhaled sharply. "I told you, Liora, I told you not to trust people so easily. This is what happens when you don't do your due diligence."
"No, Dad, it's not like that. Ziv isn't like that," she pleaded, her voice trembling. "I trust him. I always have."
But her father didn't say anything in response. He simply stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Noa sitting there, overwhelmed with a growing sense of dread. He was angry—angry at her, angry at the situation, angry at himself. And Liora could feel it.
The next day, Liora found herself standing outside the vineyard, her thoughts clouded with uncertainty. She had been waiting for Ziv's call for days, but there was nothing. The silence stretched on, and the weight of the situation grew heavier with every passing second. The deadline was closing in, and still, she had no answers.
As she looked at the vineyard, the place that had been her family's legacy, she couldn't help but wonder if Ziv had known all along that this would happen. Had he been playing her all this time? The thought made her stomach churn, but she couldn't believe it. She couldn't.
And yet, the more she thought about it, the more the pieces started to fall into place. The secrecy. The sudden disappearance. The silence. Ziv had always been so charming, so convincing. But what if it had all been a lie?
A black car pulled up to the gate, and Liora's heart skipped a beat as the men in suits emerged once again. They were here. It was happening.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The moment had arrived. As she walked towards the door, a torrent of emotions flooded her mind—fear, betrayal, confusion. But above all, she knew one thing for sure.
Her life, her father's dream, everything she had worked for, was slipping through her fingers. And she had no idea how to stop it.