The Temptress (La tierra de todos)

"The Temptress" by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez is about a Marquis dealing with money problems because of his wife's expensive habits back in the early 1900s. The Marquis de Torre Bianca is swamped with bills and the fear of what people will think of him, since his wife, Elena, loves to spend way more than they have. Their marriage is put to the test as they face these challenges, showing how complicated they both are. The story starts with the Marquis waking up to a bunch of overdue bills. He thinks about how different he feels about their money problems compared to his wife, who doesn't seem to care as much. We see what a normal day is like for the Marquis as he feels guilty about taking money from his mom and tries to deal with Elena, who is beautiful but always wants more. They talk about their need for money, which leads to a story full of love, wants, and hard choices.