SHE WAS TRAPPED IN THE SNOW… UNAWARE THAT THE MAN WHO WOULD SAVE HER WAS A FUGITIVE MILLIONAIRE.

SHE WAS TRAPPED IN THE SNOW… UNAWARE THAT THE MAN WHO WOULD SAVE HER WAS A FUGITIVE MILLIONAIRE.

“No way. Seriously, do you think I can meet with Suárez like this?” Valentina exclaimed, pointing at her flat tire as the snow fell relentlessly on her elegant white suit and heels. The man in the brown jacket knelt beside the tire, examining it closely.

His hands, though skillful, revealed a care uncommon in someone seemingly accustomed to manual labor. “This tire isn’t going anywhere,” he replied, looking up. “It needs a complete change. And how am I supposed to do that in the middle of nowhere? My meeting is in two hours.” Valentina ran a hand through her blonde hair in exasperation.

The mountainous road to Bariloche seemed to mock her with its snow-capped peaks, indifferent to her professional crisis. “I have a jack and a spare tire in my truck. Can I help you?” the man offered, getting up. Valentina looked at him closely for the first time. Beneath the brown jacket and worn jeans, something seemed off.

His eyes held intelligence, and his manner, despite the apparent roughness, possessed a subtle refinement. “Thank you. I’m Valentina Herrera,” she said, extending her gloved hand. “Mateo,” he replied simply, avoiding giving his last name as he shook her hand. “What’s someone like you doing in a place like this with this weather?” “I’m an architect. I have a meeting with Roberto Suárez to present an ecotourism project.”

“This could be the contract of a lifetime,” she explained as they walked toward Mateo’s truck. Mateo’s face changed imperceptibly at the name. Roberto Suárez, the man who had forged documents, stolen millions, and destroyed his reputation. The same man he’d been running from for months. As he pulled out the equipment to change the tire, Valentina’s phone rang suddenly. The storm must have given the signal a break.

“Mr. Suárez, yes, I had a little mishap.” “No, don’t worry, I’m fine.” Valentina listened intently. “You’re going to send your driver.” “Perfect. I’m about 30 kilometers from the hotel on the main road.” Mateo, kneeling beside the car, listened to every word while pretending to concentrate on loosening the lug nuts.

His mind was racing. He couldn’t let this woman fall into Suárez’s clutches, not when he knew exactly what kind of environmental projects she was really involved in. With a swift decision, Mateo discreetly manipulated the tool that He held it, sliding it toward the rear tire of the vehicle. One precise movement and the air began to slowly escape from the second tire.

“Is everything okay?” Valentina asked, putting her phone away. “Sort of,” Mateo replied, sitting up with a worried expression. “I can change this tire, but I’m afraid you won’t get very far. The storm is getting worse.” And as if nature wanted to confirm his words, a blast of icy wind hit them, bringing with it a curtain of snow that reduced visibility to almost nothing.

“Oh my God,” Valentina exclaimed, hugging herself as the cold penetrated her elegant, but inadequate, outfit. “There’s a cabin a few kilometers from here,” Mateo said, finishing changing the tire with quick, precise movements. “It belongs to some friends. We can wait there until the storm passes.” Valentina hesitated.

She didn’t know this man. Going with him to an isolated cabin didn’t seem like the smartest idea, but when she tried calling Suárez again, the signal was gone. “We don’t have many options,” Mateo insisted, closing the trunk. “The temperature will keep dropping in this weather; even Suárez’s driver will have trouble getting here.”

Just then, the second tire went completely flat. Valentina looked at her car, then at the invisible road beneath the snow, and finally at the stranger who had appeared as if by magic to help her. “I guess I have no choice,” she finally conceded. “But as soon as the storm subsides, I need to contact Mr. Suárez. This meeting is extremely important.”

Mateo nodded, concealing his relief. He had a few hours to figure out how to warn her about Suárez without revealing his true identity. Because if Valentina found out he was helping Mateo Rivero, the tech entrepreneur accused of fraud and wanted by the authorities, she would likely run from him as fast as she could.

“I promise you she’ll be safe,” he said, helping her into his truck. What he didn’t mention was that, ironically, she would be safer with a suspected criminal like him than in Roberto Suárez’s luxurious office. As the truck slowly made its way through the snow, Valentina watched the profile of her mysterious savior, wondering why she felt this setback, far from being a disaster, could be the beginning of something new.