Dear Thomas,

Francisco has finally been told the truth, and as you can imagine, it has rocked him to his core. It's a lot of information and revelations that prove everything he thought he knew was a lie. It's overwhelming. He needs time. I had to tell my son the truth. I could have left a written document, but I chose not to. I am not a coward. I am not afraid to face the consequences of my actions.

Francisco refuses to speak to me. He ignores me if he can, and refuses to eat at the table if I am there. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't hurt, but I understand. His mum was suddenly branded a full-blown sinner. He sees me as a monster who destroyed everything he took for granted. To him, I'm now bigger and more heroic than ever. It doesn't matter whether you're an adult or not.

He needs time, and that's what we're going to give him. I am filled with joy by my beautiful little boy, Jaime. He is innocent and unaware of what is going on, and that is a good thing. I am still his wonderful grandmother.

This is probably my last letter to you. I am tired.

I'll tell you one more thing. Francisco will meet you, I'm sure of it. I want you to promise me you'll be prepared for both the best and the worst. Make sure he feels at home and cherished by everyone.

Take care,

With love,

Emília

Thomas distinctly recalled a time when he overheard his parents whispering and sensed that something was amiss at home, but he was too young to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation and chose to ignore it. He was too young to grasp the nuances of adult behaviour.

He now knew why his parents were going to the airport on that fateful day.

His parents had told him they were going on the holiday of a lifetime. They were going to Madeira for a week to a five-star hotel.

Thomas was thrilled. His parents had never really enjoyed life, so this was going to be a welcome change. They were well-off, but they worked hard for it. They were the kind of people who hoard rather than enjoy life. He was delighted.

They were all in for a rude awakening. Everything was about to change for the worse.

Thomas's parents were involved in a major accident on their way to the airport. Mum died instantly. The father was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Thomas's father was about to meet his biological father!

I now understood everything. This is a tragedy!

We had to restore balance in this family. No more drama.

He got up and went to the winery. She followed the work and helped out as much as she could.

In the afternoon, Emma showed him all the marvellous corners of the city.

Câmara de Lobos is stunning. She demanded to know everything about Madeira.

They went back to the farm and Martins was already there.

- I hope you had a good journey, mate.

- Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm tired.

Let's have dinner and then go to bed. We need to talk about this tomorrow.

Thomas got up early as usual and went straight to his office to get things organised. He began with the letters, returning them precisely to their original position.

He still had to find the locks for the other two keys.

He looked again among all the protrusions on the furniture, not just in the office, but found nothing. This is infuriating.

He was unsure of what else to do. They could be from other places, not just the office. It would be strange, but it's a possibility. He sat down. He looked at the bookcase on his right, the smallest and with the fewest books. He wanted to know what kind of books he had put there. He got up and went to look. The books covered a range of topics, including travel, recipes, and self-help. He picked up the latter, noting its peculiarity. This wasn't just any book. It was the second lock.

- Good morning, Thomas!

Martins had woken up. Thomas put the book back. He would come back to it later.

- So you slept well?

- Like a princess - And he laughed - So what did you want to talk to me about?

- Business, of course. You need to arrange a meeting with the company that produced the website, so that we can terminate it and start working on it, and see if you can come up with some fantastic ideas. I want the business to go from strength to strength.

- I like hearing you talk like that. OK. I'll get started on it. I'll have a look at the website and when I book the meeting, I'll let you know. I'm going to have breakfast now.

Martins left and Thomas went straight to the bookcase. He sat down and tried the keys. One, of course, opened the book. Inside was another letter. How strange... why was that one all alone?

He looked at the envelope and saw that it was addressed to Francisco Caetano, his father.

Thomas took a deep breath and pulled the letter out of the envelope.

Dear Samuel,

I'm not going to call you father because my father is dead. I'm also not going to call you uncle because that would be a lie.

I am now calm and rational. I have to admit that learning the truth was excruciating. I felt a range of negative emotions, including anger, disgust, hatred, disappointment, frustration, sadness and fear.

I need to know how to deal with all this. I am not an educated person. I am a simple man and I know I am honourable. I am certain that my parents instilled in me the values that are most important to me. As you realise, when all those values were called into question by the three of you, I felt like I was losing my bearings, my ground and even some sanity.

I have been through a lot to get to this point. I am not going to be like you were to me to my son. I will put a stop to the lies and bring balance back to my family. Mum's death was also the catalyst for my current situation.

We need to talk. This won't be a letter.

Aurora and I will be there in July if that's convenient for you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully,

Francisco Caetano

25 April 1979

Thomas stood still, filled with immense pride in his father. He was, without doubt, a great gentleman.

Of course his uncle answered in the affirmative. After all, that was when the accident happened.

He had no intention of looking for the last lock today. Everything was overwhelming, intense and exhausting.

He went to the vineyards to get something done. He was going to start learning the trade and helping out.

He arrived tired and hungry.

They gathered around the table for another magnificent meal and even more exquisite wine.

- Thomas, I've looked at the website. It's not bad. It's already out of date and there's a clear lack of ongoing management of links, dates, information, etc. I'll call you tomorrow to arrange the meeting.

- Thanks, Martins.

- Let's go into town. Emma and I are going. There's a dance there.

- Thanks, guys. Have fun, but I'm going to bed..

He woke up late. He was tired. Winegrowing is not as glamorous as it's made out to be.

Today he would finally look for the third and final lock, and he was certain it would close a loop.

He returned to the office and searched meticulously, even looking in the books and on the bookcase shelves, but found no trace of it there.

He sat down. It always worked well and he always found the solution.

After five minutes, nothing came to mind. He got up and left. He went to the cellar. He went to see some older batches of wine. He was certain that Madeira wine could last up to 300 years without losing its flavour. That was a long time. They didn't have bottles that old, but it was certainly interesting.

Meanwhile, Mr Ricardo went to see his boss because the grape harvest was imminent and there was a lot to do. Apart from picking the grapes, there were all the usual events of the season. There were plenty of tourists around, and some of the houses were being used as hostels.

Thomas felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information and demanded to know who was responsible for it.

Dr Emma gave the go-ahead recently and we have a team with experience in these tasks. I can introduce you to them if you'd like.

- Absolutely. I'm ready to help in any way I can.

They left the cellar and went straight to another warehouse, which Thomas had already seen from a distance.

Inside, a vast array of materials and a sizable team were already at work.

Some were putting up party decorations, while others were folding and washing laundry. People were picking out bottles and putting them in boxes.

As they went through each task, Mr Ricardo introduced the people and explained what each of them was doing.