CHARLOTTEI spent the next few hours alone, and I detested it. It was nice to be back in the apartment, but I felt so annoyed, I couldn’t appreciate being in my own space again. Well, I wasn’t technically alone, given that I walked past the guards who were sharing a beer at the door on my way in, and I knew one would be here soon to hand me my things.But it still felt lonely. I chalked it up to spending the night elsewhere and trying to settle into feeling comfortable here, and I took the bags in my hand to the kitchen. I had left the file on the sitting room table with the intention of reading it before I ate, but my cravings overwhelmed my sense of curiosity, and I was happy to ignore it for a bit.“It’s not going anywhere anyway,” I said and ignored it for a little longer.As I moved around the house, I pondered the exchange with Sonia. She had never lost her cool around me, and as much as I was annoyed that she wouldn’t tell me everything she knew, I understood her frustration wi
CHARLOTTE“Hello, Maria,” I said into the receiver and waited for her response. It had been two hours since the training session with Sonia. I was aching in different parts of my body, but I had learned a thing or two about handling a gun and the perfect stance to take before shooting.Deep down, I hoped I’d never have to use the gun. I considered learning how to use it a necessity, but if push came to shove, I hoped I’d never have to put this new skill to use. I knew the people I was up against had zero compunction about taking a life if it meant achieving their goal, but I had never killed anyone. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep well at night if I did, and chalking it up to self-defense wouldn’t help the situation, either.“Hello, Signora,” came the reply.Her voice was so calm it unnerved me. “Are you alright?” I inquired. “You sound… different.”“I’m okay, just exhausted. I’ve had a lot to do today at the estate,” she replied, but deep down, it felt like she wasn’t telling the
CHARLOTTEI dropped the phone on the bed and started pacing around the room, thinking about the possibility that Thiago would’ve gone to Milan, but that didn’t make any sense. Why would he go there? How did he find his way to the estate, and what did he want? I had so many questions, and none of the answers I could come up with made any sense. I heard my phone ring, stopped walking, and picked it up.“Signora? Are you alright?” Maria said, and I let out a short laugh.“I’m not sure. I’m sorry I hung up so quickly. I’m confused...” I started to say and paused as my thoughts darted to and fro in my head.“Nothing to be sorry about. I assumed it’s ‘cause you were shocked after figuring out who it was,” she replied. I pulled the phone away from my ear and put it on speaker.“Yes... about that. I’ve been thinking, it makes no sense that it’d be the person I think it is,” I answered, folding my arms. “Makes absolutely no sense. How did he find the estate?” I added, frowning, trying to remem
CHARLOTTEI spent most of the night awake, thinking about the best way to talk to Thiago about visiting the estate. That wasn’t the only question I had on my mind, but it was one of the most pressing ones. A few hours before dawn, I started to fall asleep, but it was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.When it rang the first time, I thought I was hearing things, and my mind was playing tricks on me. By the second ring, I was convinced it was coming from inside the apartment and got out of bed. I made my way to the front door and opened it to meet Sonia, who was staring at me curiously.“You look like you saw a ghost,” she said as I stepped aside to let her in.“It feels like I heard one, and that’s relatively worse,” I answered and shut the door.“You haven’t slept a wink, have you?” she asked, walking towards one of the couches to sit down.“Barely. I was about to before the bell went off. When did we get a bell? Why didn’t you tell me? I was so shocked to hear it ring,” I repl
CHARLOTTE“Did anything happen there? You seem worried,” Sonia said as soon as I stepped into the vehicle.“I… I don’t know, I feel weird. Like something’s going to happen, and I can’t do anything to stop it,” I replied.“What’s that supposed to mean?” she mumbled, frowning.“How many more questions do we have to go through until we get back to the part where I don’t know?” I asked sarcastically, and she rolled her eyes.“Don’t be snarky,” she retorted and turned to look out the window.“Can’t help it, that’s the point,” I answered as the driver started the ignition, and the car pulled out of the lot. “Everything is so complicated. I don’t understand it sometimes.”“Sometimes?” she echoed, and I chuckled. We spent the rest of the drive in silence; I was really tired of this cycle. I sounded like a broken record at this point, but the entire thing felt like it was taking more from me than I wanted to give.It seemed like life just brought numerous obstacles my way, and I was sick of go
ELENAMilan wasn’t proving to be everything I had hoped for when I returned. I had started to regret not completely leaving to start my life on my own terms. Not having the resources needed for sustenance had driven me back home, but it was starting to feel like I had made a terrible mistake. My father continued to pressure me about the wedding with Rogerio.I was tired of giving excuses, telling him we were still working on the plan when, in reality, nothing was happening. All I had gotten from this entire ordeal was a lavish bachelorette party. And money— lots of it. I had enough to keep me afloat for a few weeks, but my main goal hadn’t been achieved yet. When I returned home, my father made me promise to get Rogerio to marry me again; he wanted the union as a way to gain access to the Thuthai family.Knowing my family, I could tell that he had nefarious plans beyond what he told me, but my role wasn’t to ask questions. I had one job: to marry the heir of the Thuthai family wealth,
ROGERIOFor someone who’s envisioned having the grandest wedding the city has ever seen and looks forward to being part of the Thuthai family, Elena’s grudges were not unfounded, but I had my reservations too. It was easy to make the conversation we had about the wedding revolve around my uncertainty about whether she was going to leave again when, in reality, I couldn’t stop thinking about Charlotte.The conversation I had with Maria replays in my head every second. I needed to find Charlotte. I considered going back to the hotel, but I knew it was futile. If Maria didn’t want to talk about it the first time, she certainly wasn’t going to mention it at all. I had to find Charlotte on my own, but it was becoming clearer that all the resources I had couldn’t get a definite location.The private investigators I hired were at their wits’ end; they’d seen nothing like this. It felt like she dropped off the surface of the Earth.“Why can’t they find her?” I said and leaned backward.I was
ROGERIO“I want this,” he said, pointing to the bottle sitting on the bar table. I glanced at it and arched my eyebrow.“You need to be more specific. We’re already drinking wine. You want some?” I asked with feigned confusion, and he smiled.“Don’t be intentionally obtuse, Rogerio. It’s not cute,” he sighed, standing up and walking to the bar to pour more into his glass.“I’m not trying to be cute. I want you to say the words,” I answered in a stern tone, and we stared at each other for a few seconds before he looked away.He lifted the bottle and stared at the label. “You know what I want,” he muttered, setting the bottle back on the counter.“Yes,” I started, glancing at the bottle before scoffing. “I want you to explain why you want me to enter a war my father and those before him had the sense to stay out of as a favor,” I answered and shook my head. “Do you really think I’d agree to that?”“I’m not asking you to turn against the Narhzy family, Rogerio, I’m—” he began, but I shoo
CHARLOTTEWhen I got home that evening, one of the guards was holding a box, which he handed to me with a cheesy smile. I took it, arching an eyebrow, but as I read the note stamped on the side, I understood why he was smiling that way.Thiago had picked the silliest yet cutest way to ask me out to dinner. I chuckled, thanked him, and walked into the apartment.I knew Thiago was just being performative with this gesture, and while I appreciated it, I wasn’t sure I liked the ideas it might put in the minds of others.Hopefully, they’d been around us long enough to know there was nothing between us - or so I hoped.When I opened the box and turned it on the bed, a dark blue dress fell out. It was short, with purple and silver frills, a bodice I feared would be too tight, and small sleeves that let my arms breathe. I picked it up, admired it, and reached for my phone to call him.“What’s the occasion?” I asked, as he picked up on the first ring.He chuckled, clearing his throat before re
CHARLOTTEWhen I was done, I slid the mug over to him, and he inhaled the aroma first."What’s this called?" he asked, and I shrugged again."That’s not an answer," he added."Actually, it is. It’s called anything your taste buds want it to be. I have my name for it, but I like it when customers give their own. So, what do you want it to be called?" I responded, shoving the pen and notepad back into my pocket.He lifted the mug, looked at me with uncertainty, then sipped from it and smacked his tongue as he set it down."Oh, it’s sweet and hot. I like it," he said and downed the contents of the mug in one gulp, stifling a belch. "That’s actually great. Where’d you learn to mix like that?""Well, it’s been a few years since I bartended, but the art isn’t lost on me," I replied, folding my arms. "So, what do you want to call it?""I’m not sure… I might need another round to be certain," he said with a knowing smile. I chuckled and got to work making another drink for him.***The next f
CHARLOTTEWorking at the club was going smoother than I thought, and despite Thiago’s disapproval, I kept working as a bartender on some nights. When I wasn’t in the office with my nose stuck in financial records that I could barely understand, I took a break from that part of the trade by standing behind the counter, taking orders, and mixing drinks.It gave me the chance to familiarize myself with the regulars, whom I introduced myself to as “Charlotte,” but they preferred to call me “Charlie,” establish customer relationships with new customers, become closer with the staff who seemed to appreciate the approach I had taken towards running the establishment, and brush up my bartending skills.It was fun, a little overwhelming when I first set out to do it and stressful given that I hadn’t done it in a while, but still fun, and I made sure I had the best time. As I progressed, I asked the guards to get me a talkie or one of the earphones they used for their operations, and I became t
Elena“Very well. Also, call me when you’ve decided. I’ll reach out later in the week about the wedding plans. Now that a date has been set, everything should proceed smoothly,” she responded, her tone brisk. She said something to someone in the background, then hung up.I lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a few seconds before shaking my head. I never knew what to expect with the Thuthais. As much as I hated to admit it, Maria was right. No matter how much I tried to stay ahead of the curve, something always came up to make me feel like I was twenty steps behind.I knew I had to talk to Rogerio now. There were no more excuses to reschedule outings or avoid meetings. This had to be done soon. But before that, I needed to talk to someone else: my father.He had been the mastermind behind my insistence on the estate that had been given to Charlotte. No matter how much I tried to explain that securing it was nearly impossible, he remained adamant about pushing for it.It didn
ElenaI lowered the windows and closed my eyes as the wind blew tiny ringlets of hair across my face. I couldn’t stop thinking about Thiago’s words in the warehouse, about Rogerio’s insistence on finding Charlotte. Now I had Maria’s words to add to the mix.I tried to force myself to sleep, hoping it would save me from dwelling on the connection between what they had said, but the sound of the bustling city humming in the distance grew louder and closer, pulling me back.The noise reminded me that something else was out there, something beyond my reach. As we inched closer, I focused on the peculiar thought that every single person walking in and out of stores, yelling on street corners, or laughing in restaurants and bars with their partners and friends had their own unique problems. One way or another, regardless of social standing, we all shared that common thread.“Problems,” I muttered to myself, chuckling softly. “We all have problems we’re dealing with.” I shook my head at the
ElenaThey looked extremely stressed about the idea of answering to Rogerio, and I understood it. The power and social currency of the Rogerio name wasn’t something anyone in their right mind would dare go against.I was fully prepared to wield it to its maximum potential until one of the men finally spoke up, saying the only thing they could do was call Maria to come to the gate. That was perfect, as speaking with her had been my main objective all along.I crossed my arms, maintaining my annoyed expression while waiting. Predictably, Maria took her sweet time, and just as I was about to return to the car to sit and wait, she arrived with an expression far sourer than I could have conjured up myself.“You’re not wanted here,” she said coldly as the guards silently retreated to their posts, pretending not to eavesdrop on the conversation.“You have no right to tell me that. You just work here. This house belongs to Rogerio, and—” I began, but she cut me off with a sharp chuckle and an
ELENAThe meeting with Thiago had shaken me to my core. I had put up a brave face during the conversation, concealing my feelings as best as I could, but deep down, I was terrified of what the possibility of Charlotte being pregnant meant for me. If she were found, it would upend the plans I had carefully set in motion to solidify my place as Rogerio’s bride.For days, I mulled over ways to stay ahead of Rogerio and eventually decided to visit the estate. It had been a while since I was last there, and I wanted to see if my presence would provoke Maria enough to reveal any information about Charlotte’s whereabouts.That morning, I rose early, called my assistant, and instructed her to inform Rogerio that our meeting for the evening had been rescheduled. My plan was to spend the morning at the estate and see Thiago before he left Milan.However, the latter didn’t go as planned - my assistant informed me he had already left the city an hour before. I tried to reassure myself that Thiago
ROGERIO The plan was to wait outside her apartment and watch from a vantage point to study her movements. I wasn't sure what I'd be able to decipher from whatever I saw, but I still needed to satisfy the curiosity lodged at the back of my mind, propelling me to act on impulse. I didn't know what to expect, but even if she didn’t leave the house all day, I’d still be able to see if anyone came to visit. Maybe I’d do a better job identifying what exactly was going on. Half an hour later, I had parked the car a few meters away from her apartment block and turned off the ignition. I watched quietly to see what would transpire, and in all fairness, I was ready to stay there all day if I had to. My phone rang. I reached into my pocket for it and glanced at the screen. It was a call from the office, and I knew who would be on the other end. "Hello, Signor, you…" my assistant began as soon as I hit the dial button. I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "No meetings
ROGERIOI spent the next few days trying to weigh my options and decide the next step to take. "I have to watch her every move, but how?" I said to myself one morning as I prepared for work. Her assistant had called to reschedule the dinner we were supposed to have later that day, and instead of feeling relieved, my suspicion grew in leaps and bounds.I picked up my suitcase and stepped out of the apartment, deep in thought. She hadn't been here since the last time we spent time together. I was delighted to have my space all to myself the way I'd always wanted, but this new information stirred something in me, and I knew I would be restless until I found a way to sate it.I walked down the hallway, ignoring the guards that greeted me, and stepped into the elevator, trying to put the thought out of my mind and focus on the day ahead. But every step I took seemed to renew the desire to get to the bottom of this. As the elevator moved to the ground floor, I decided what I wanted to