Bab 130: Iron Hand, Mermaids and Pearls.

Her mother remarried an older but kindly man and a merchant, who had no children and became fond of Martina and happily gave her his last name. It also ensured a minimal education for Martina to be able to read and calculate, which was expected of the adopted daughter of a small merchant with no genuine heirs.

Everyone thought Old Pegano would use Martina to get a son-in-law who was willing to take over the business and give him a grandson with his last name, but people were wrong the old man was a really good person and he liked Martina's mother and the slender, petite young woman who looked more like a big kid than a teenager.

Three years later the mother had a son, which was very good for the stepfather, but it was a son and not a daughter who was as caring as Martina was to them, so it didn't affect the financial and emotional love her stepfather received at all.