ArtémisHe picked up his phone from the car's dashboard, and I eagerly waited for him to ask for my number, which I promptly provided."I think it's best for you to go inside, after all, it's very late for us to be out here in the middle of the street," Joshua said, as always using his common sense.But I don't have as much common sense as he does, and I couldn't resist asking something I needed to know right now."Do you have someone?""Someone? I don't understand the question," he seemed genuinely confused."If you're married, have a girlfriend or fiancée... or someone you're seeing, whatever it may be!" I explained, a little impatiently."Is this how you ask that nowadays in Brazil?""You're not Brazilian?""I've been out of the country for the past six years, but in response to your other question... I don't have anyone," he said, despite his playful tone, his expression was serious."When we ask a man if he's single, he says yes..." I clarify his question. "But if he has a girlfr
MarianaEthan had put the mattress on the bed since he couldn't fit on it, and we had to resort to the floor again and rearrange the sheets. But he wasn't there anymore."Idiot!" I muttered to the walls. "Not even a 'goodbye' from that rude guy."I changed my clothes and put on a light, loose dress. After combing my wet hair, I decided to let it dry naturally, since I didn't need to leave the house, or rather, there was no chance of me doing that on that day with my face practically disfigured from the bruise.I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little past seven in the morning. My aunt probably hadn't gotten up yet, so I would prepare our breakfast. I walked towards our kitchen, already smelling coffee in the air.Perhaps Aunt Celina had woken up earlier that morning and was already cooking for us. However, it wasn't going very well that day, as I also caught a whiff of something burning when I reached the door.I stopped in disbelief, unable to believe the scene before me."
ArtémisMy already heated body was now on fire as Joshua's hands freely roamed over it, groping and rubbing, driving me extremely wild."I think I'm in love," came the unexpected declaration, followed by a gentle bite on my earlobe."Don't do this to me, Joshua," I pleaded, immediately realizing how tormented my voice sounded.The truth was, I was trying to keep my feet firmly on the ground and not let myself get confused by the strong chemistry between us, but Joshua wasn't cooperating.My request was met with a hearty laugh."Don't laugh, Joshua," I reprimanded him with a serious tone. "I don't want my feelings to be played with."Upon hearing my words, Joshua holds me in a way that we spin on the bed, leaving me lying on my back on the mattress while he now lay on top of me.His eyes seemed to scrutinize me attentively, and his expression was now completely serious, with no trace of the previous amusement."There's something important I need to know?"The way Joshua took what I sai
EthanI smiled at the observation but disagreed with her perspective. I then proceeded to tell Liz everything that had happened the previous night. We were friends at that level of intimacy, but I didn't go into details about the initial blackmail I had done with Mariana because she certainly wouldn't approve of such an action, and I would receive long lectures from that point on."Why don't you just buy a bed for Mariana?" she jokingly suggested. "I believe given the whole situation, it would be easier for her to accept that rather than taking her to your apartment, especially with Aunt Celina there."Why didn't I have this brilliant idea before? It could have avoided all the discomfort from the previous night!"I need you to arrange for a King-size bed and have it delivered to this address," I instructed, writing down the address on a piece of paper and handing it to her. "Today, if possible."Liz looked at me with a half-smile, but I didn't mind her displaying a self-satisfied smil
MarianaI had just approached the secretary's desk of the biggest idiot I had ever met in my life, who also goes by the name Ethan Constantino when suddenly I saw a door swing open, and a man emerged from it looking quite upset.Besides the way he had just stormed out of the room, which I deduced belonged to Ethan, something else caught my attention about that man, and I stared at him intently, both at his words and his appearance.I had a distinct feeling that I knew him from somewhere..."I'm going to sell this dirty story to all the newspapers. Everyone will know that Ethan Constantino is nothing but a cheating scoundrel!" The man shouted at the top of his lungs, pointing his finger in the direction of the person behind a large mahogany desk.Even from a distance, I could clearly see that the man sitting in an imposing manner in the presidential chair was Ethan, but there was no surprise there.What made me stare at Ethan with a lot of anger, I mean a lot of anger, was the fact tha
EthanWhen Mariana took off her glasses and her eyes became visible to me, I felt a strong pain hit my chest, and the guilt for what happened last night came back in full force. I wasn't at all happy with how our disagreement ended up causing an accident, even if it wasn't serious. Just the fact that Mariana had her face like that made me feel really bad. And it became clear to me that I don't want to be a negative presence in her life."Murilo is just reaping what he sowed," I say, which should already be quite obvious to her. "You don't see it because he's your friend."Mariana smiles, and her laughter is filled with irony and, I would say, exhaustion. But I was also tired of so many injustices. Someone needs to take control."Have you ever stopped to think that things might not be as you believe?" Mariana says, and her finger now touches my chest several times as she speaks right in my face. "Have you ever thought that maybe... just maybe... Beatriz wasn't the person you idealized
MarianaI left Ethan's office fuming, as Aunt Celina would say, but that's exactly how I felt at that moment—truly boiling with anger, bubbling even. Despite my terribly swollen face, I had left my house to personally go to Ethan's company, after searching for the correct address on Google, with the sole intention of telling him face-to-face what I thought about him sending an unwanted gift to my house without my consent.Recalling the moment when they arrived at my house with a bed to deliver, on Ethan Constantino's orders, reignites all my fury. The audacity of that wretched cretin to try to control even the bed I sleep on in my own room. The room is mine, the house is mine, and he has no right to meddle in matters that have nothing to do with him. I would never accept someone who interfered in my life in that way, without any prior conversation, without any dialogue, just doing whatever they want, however, they please.But as if Ethan's actions weren't enough to completely drive me
MuriloThat was a quite busy day at the office, and I spent the whole morning in meetings with the legal team and the Marketing department, trying to find ways to minimize the damage caused by unfounded and defamatory statements from a dishonest former employee to FERZ's reputation.After reaching some consensus on the strategies to tackle this situation, it was time for me to meet with some investors from the western region of the country, and that took up my entire lunch hour.But as soon as our meeting was over, the first thing I did was notify Arlete to cancel other appointments on my schedule for the day because I wouldn't be working anymore. I intended to meet Virgínia at the mall, something I had wanted to do for hours but was only now possible.Virgínia had left me quite upset that morning when I called to check on how she was feeling, and my fiancée said she was at the store instead of resting as I had requested before leaving the apartment to go to the company early today.I