Chapter 7
As she got out of the elevator, she noticed the absence of her friends. She knew they weren't at lunch because she left half an hour after they got back. That meant one thing. Another meeting. Time to check what's going on.
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"Girls, don't you think it's weird." - Beatriz heard Sophia's voice.
"What, dear?" - Inesita replied to her.
"That they allowed Beatriz to become president after such a stunt. We love her because she's our friend, but let's face it. It cannot be legal to handle the finances of a company you are a creditor of."
"I'm more interested in the fact that Betty had sex with Mr. . Don Armando deflowered the ugliest of the clan." - Aura Maria tried to change the subject.
Girls heard a grunt. They turned around to see where the sound was coming from. Beatriz had a strange sense of satisfaction as she saw a mixture of surprise and fright on their faces. That's why she took advantage of this moment and before they could react, she said what was on her heart.
"Instead of doing your duties once again today you are in a meeting. Don't think I haven't noticed that? I see that you are more interested in dealing with company matters that don't concern you than working or talking with a friend in the office. Interestingly, Aura Maria cares about discussing my sex life. If you're so interested, Mr. Armando has never been in my bed. Unlike Miguel Fernandez and Piotr Sosnowski. From what I can see, you've read a bad joke by Mario Calderon that was already discussed between Mrs. Marcela and Mr. Armando... About half a year ago. Do you really think that proud and dignified Marcela Valencia would have waited almost half a year to cancel the wedding if this letter was true? Today I realized that you are no longer my friends. And I wonder if you ever were."
Beatriz turned and left.
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Beatriz Pinzon Solano came out not only from the bathroom. Without saying goodbye to anyone, she entered the elevator. She needed a moment to herself. Only on the ground floor, after seeing the empty reception desk, did she feel tears streaming down her eyes. Standing in front of the company building, she bent down to look for a handkerchief in her purse. Suddenly she felt someone bump into her. She lifted her head and wondered if she was dreaming.
"Peter?"
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"Beatriz was furious with us, wasn't she?" - whispered Aura Maria looking at the terrified faces of her friends.
"What do you think? I've never heard so much venom in her voice. She was angry, hurt... She's right. We could have just asked her." - Inessa sighed.
"I don't know about you, but I think it's going to cost us a lot to rebuild her trust. In this situation, even such gossip stopped to taste good." - Bertha concluded.
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She hadn't expected to see him. It's been several years since they last saw each other. He was a medical student from Poland and she modeled in his drawing class. Betty has never been confident. He made her feel confident despite her ugliness. Maybe it wasn't enough to break her shyness, but it was enough to break her self-loathing. She hadn't thought about him for a long time and now he's standing in front of her. Despite the passage of time, he was still a fan of polo shirts. Beatriz smiled at this observation.
"Piotr?" - She hugged the man in front of her. - "What are you doing here?"
"I came to you." - She couldn't even remember how much she missed that smile. - "Your father told me where you work now. I was surprised. I thought I'd rather see you at the bank and here's a fashion company."
"Ecomoda, not bad huh?" - Betty smiled and grabbed her friend by the arm. - "We're going for coffee. No discussion. I want to talk to you."
"You look a bit different." - Piotr ran his eyes over her outfit.
"Don't tell me you had difficulty recognizing me?" - she giggled.
"Seriously? Woman, after two years of watching and sketching your naked body, I could recognize you even without a head."
"Piotr and his macabre comparisons. You haven't changed much either."
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Marcela had a lot to think about. She needed to talk to someone. However, after thinking it over, she realized that she really had no one. She couldn't count on Patricia Fernandez's discretion, and talking to her potential mother-in-law about Daniel's possible relationship with her son's ex-lover seemed inappropriate to say the least.
"I need to go get a coffee and clear my head. It will be best."
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"So tell me how are you?" - Piotr looked straight into her eyes. - "I won't believe that everything is fine because I saw you cry."
Beatriz ran her finger along the rim of her glass of water. She didn't know how much to tell him. Piotr Sosnowski had a good eye for people but not for romantic relationships. Usually his heart chose those that were taken or unavailable for reasons other than having a partner.
"I just cracked up when I heard my friend commenting on my love life based on a letter that was a bad joke from one of the directors. Itated what I thought about the situation and gave a false and evasive argument with the aim of discrediting the evidence of guilt." - She paused, waiting for her friend's reaction.
"You know, you said it so evasively that I still don't know what's going on. Anyway, I suspect you're worried about some blatant lie. Knowing you, you based them on the truth."
"You know me too well. When I heard that it was unbelievable that my ex-boss deflowered me, I was nervous to say the least. And I said something that now seems even funny to me." - Betty didn't like to dodge, but she felt bad for getting him involved. - "I said I didn't sleep with him and Miguel Fernandez and you were in my bed."
Sosnowski watched with amusement the growing blush on his friend's face.
"And where's the lie? Knowing you after the act of consumption, you sneaked home so your father wouldn't fuss too much about your absence. How could you have sex with him, make love or whatever you want to call it. Can I be wrong?"
"You're right." - she whispered so quietly he almost missed it.
"What about me and Miguel? You didn't lie here. We were actually in your bed. But together, you weren't there. You threw us in there completely drunk. I'll never forget the fuss your father gave us when he saw us there. He was absolutely convinced that I had defiled you under his own roof."
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He pressed his forehead against her collarbone. He was tired. He wanted her lips so much and they... She was angry. He felt it. But the touch of her hand was completely different. Despite her negative emotions, she wanted him. She placed her hands on his cheeks and slowly lifted his face as she whispered again and again. I love you, I love you, I love you... Her lips brushed her cheek, the corners of her mouth, her lips. She sighed and gave him a kiss. Not as innocent as before. More mature. More thoughtful. More sensitive.
"Damn it. This memory will kill me someday."
Daniel had been sitting in his car for an hour. He didn't know what was happening to him. He understood that the feelings were difficult, but since they awoke in him again, he couldn't stop thinking that he might make the same mistakes as before. That when he hurries too much, his happiness will slip through his fingers again. He didn't want it. This time he had to succeed and Armando Mendoza will not stop him. Not again.
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She had a lot to think about. Marcela Valencia was aware of how much her life had changed over the last two years. She knew she shouldn't blame the one person she wanted to blame for all her failures. If she hadn't been so blind, she would have noticed Armando's slow retreat first. If she hadn't been so desperate, she wouldn't have agreed to his affairs. If she wasn't so stupid, she would have ordered an audit after they ran out of money to pay employees. She didn't believe in herself. She carried a dangerous mix of insecurity and arrogance in her heart. Now she was paying for her mistakes. But it was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one paying for mistakes. Beatriz Pinzon Solano was in similar situation.
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Betty, walking on Piotrr's shoulder, forgot how comfortable she could feel with him. Funny, intelligent, a little whimsical. He listened, which is a rare quality.
"What always cheers you up?"
"Hmm... My mother's bun. However, I think that this fact has nothing to do with the bun itself, only that mom puts her love into it. Just hearing that word makes me smile." - Peter's eyes were sparkling. - "So where are we going?"
"To the Medallion. They have great coffee there. I'd invite you where I usually go, but if you had dinner there, you wouldn't fit it in my house."
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She was going to enter La Noir. Due to the fact that she didn't want to spend too much time outside the office, she chose a place closer to the company. Medallion. She thought there would be few customers there at this hour. And she wasn't wrong. But what she didn't expect was to find Beatriz Pinzon Solano engrossed in conversation upon entering. With a man. With a man who isn't her father, Nicolas, Armando or Daniel. It intrigued her. And even though another man might take this woman away from her fiancé, she didn't want her brother to get hurt. Again.
"One goat dies." - She sighed and with a fairly confident step went to the table of Betty and her companion.
"Beatiz? Hello." - Betty looked at Marcela Valencia with obvious confusion in her eyes. - "It's nice to see you."
"Do you want to join us?" - the former assistant didn't want to be spooked by the company's shareholder. Unaware of the woman's changing intentions, she decided to play her 'game'. - "This is Piotr Sosnowski. A friend from the drawing course. And this is Miss Marcela Valencia. Shareholder of Ecomoda and Sales Director."
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"And how? Have you decided to go?" - Mario looked at his friend calmly. - "Or will you continue to grieve over the spirit of the woman who is no more with us. After all, you can agree with me that Beatriz Pinzon Solano, woman from the cave of horror is no more with us."
"You talk as if it's just about her looks. However, you are right. My Betty is gone. She has changed." - Armando paused as if to do something, but shook his head and continued. - "And back to your question. I want to go. But not alone. We could go together. We aren't welcome here anyway, and together we can do more."
"Are you sure? You want to leave her here alone for the time being. I could keep an eye on her."
"She doesn't trust me or you.I have to show her that I've changed. If she chooses another, I will support her. Because I love her. Whether she's with me or not." - Mendoza said looking straight into his friend's eyes.
"This is a serious declaration. You know about it?"
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Bogotá 1980
Daniel was smiling. He woke up in front of her again. She was lying on her stomach right next to him. Her tangled, curly brown hair covered her face. He chuckled at the thought of what her reaction would be. He had known her for five years, and he was always surprised at her lack of adaptation to the condition of her hair after waking up.
"Honey, don't look at me like that, or you'll drill a hole in my head."
"I didn't expect you to be awake. You know how it makes me feel to see your bare skin."
She turned and looked into his eyes. They were filled with desire. - "I love it." - she said in a confident voice, making him confused.
She ran her fingers over his stomach in small circles. She rose and approached his ear. She whispered only one sentence. "Every time we make love, you look at me like I'm the most precious gift in the world."
"It's because I love you and I still don't know how I deserve you."
The last thing he remembered before he sank back into it was that his Star had bitten him on the earlobe.
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This day was getting weirder and weirder in the eyes of Sandra and Aura Maria. First, Betty talking to Daniel Valencia in the president's office. Then the calm Armando Mendoza, who didn't make a fuss after seeing his former assistant and most likely current enemy deep in conversation. She was also more than upset by Beatriz Pinzon Solano scolding them for gossip. Also not to be missed was Betty's statement that not only had she not slept with her boss, she wasn't yet a virgin. The quarrel with her hurt the girls from the clan, but they all agreed that their friendship is too solid to end because of such stupidity. Either way, neither of them expected what had just happened. Namely, they didn't expect Marcela Valencia and the new president to chirp with joy.
"Good morning Mrs. Marcela, good morning Betty." - Mariana said.
As soon as the two women separated and each went to their office, the two friends heard a shrill voice.
"Are there hidden cameras here? Somebody pinch me. It's not really happening."
And in that moment, for the first time since hunting down Bertha, who was snacking in the restroom, Mariana and Sandra felt united with the CEO's blonde secretary, Patricia Fernandez.