Max opened his eyes, finding it hard to focus.His phone was vibrating, placed on a nightstand, and the buzzing annoyed him.He considered that he'd had too much to drink last night, but at the same time, he knew he could have had a lot more. If the circumstances had been otherwise, he wouldn't be alone in that bed.He reached for his cell phone and spotted the date and time: January 1, 11:15 a.m. His eyes fell on the date and time. Then, his gaze was fixed on the center of the screen, several notifications were concentrated there.Max opened the notification box; Peter wrote: "We must talk. Wake up!" He didn't open the message; he could skim-read it, and that was just one of the many texts sent by him; he discarded the rest.B.J. warned in another box, "Sir, we're listening to what you tell us." It was that caught his attention. Max frowned and rubbed his hand over his face, waking up.Also, he found a message from Carla and that was the one he preferred to open. It had a link attach
"Sir?" B.J. got up from his seat when he saw his boss coming out of the main bedroom, the same one where Carla Davison de Bastidas was staying. "B.J., Carla asked to do this alone. She doesn't want anyone to interrupt her, and I couldn't convince her otherwise. I'll take care of this; maybe you can keep watch downstairs." "Sir, a group of reporters has landed at the entrance of the hotel." "Fuck." He sighed and rubbed her eyelids with renewed exhaustion. "What did you have in mind?" "To leave in the wee hours. We've already coordinated with hotel security to collaborate and guard all the exits, including the emergency exit, access to the kitchen, laundry, and fire escape." "All right, good job. Thank you for keeping me informed. Write to me. This will be quick, but then..." Max grimaced with resignation and regret. The guard nodded, understanding very well what his boss was talking about. "Don't worry, sir, I manage it." Max nodded and turned to look at the suite door. He want
The finished dial tone almost pierced Daniel's eardrums, who, amid his rage, perceived the sound as if it were emitted at a very high volume. He held back, held back as long as he could, staring at the cell phone, imagining exploding it with a squeeze of his hand. The screen was returning to normal, showing her cousin's number with the notification the chat app usually leaves and its call section. Exhaling for the third time, wrinkling his face from his stomach ache, serious, he placed the cell phone on the low table delicately, as if he didn't want the simple touch to make the slightest noise. He looked straight ahead. A series of images began to project around him, starting from the front, like a slideshow turned video, like an infinite reel of all the things that were going to happen to him the moment Maximilian and his people realized that the journalist was related to him. He knew Peter Embert would dig deep; he would start to break it down; distrust of everyone was ingrained
"Daniel, I appreciate you calling to tell me about all this. I know it must be upsetting for you to have to accuse your flesh and blood, but I have to ask you a question." "Of course you do, I'll answer whatever you want." "Is there money involved? Do you think your cousin was paid to publish? I mean, the press in The City... They're the ones who have been following our wedding from the beginning. The truth is that I didn't expect them to come to this country and be capable of something like this." "It's most likely affirmative, my friend, that is also possible. There is likely money involved, yes." Max scrubbed his eyelids, feeling sorry that someone in the Glint family wanted to focus on always being the black sheep. "I'm sorry he's like that, Daniel, and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention." "Imagine what I'm feeling right now, Max. I'm about to kill him." Maximiliano smiled. Daniel was always exaggerating in the way he spoke and his opinions about everything. "Wel
"Are you ready?" Maximiliano kept his thoughts again. He didn't understand why, but Carla seemed more and more beautiful. Although if he put his mind to it and thought about that explanation in more detail, he understood the reason why he saw her more beautiful now than hours ago, or days ago. Even then on the day of the wedding. Peter passed him detailed information with the report attached of the whole recognition protocol, and every word said in the video. After avoiding listening or reading it, curiosity got the better of life. For proof: his family history, a daughter who preferred to change her last name rather than be linked to him and his business, jumping a whole ocean to finally get away. But the same research also launched interesting things to his credit. One of them was to be able to see what would happen after Carla entered the world of the foundation. Her mother could have been one of those employees who were currently paid without working. Would Carla feel such empa
"Aunt Lin, you're one of the strongest women I've ever met," Carla whispered, arranging the flowers and running her hands over the cross that already dried, built the day before by the workers at the site. "I know you and Mom will be fine. You will be now."Max clenched his jaw and lowered his face as he watched her kiss the lady's name on the headstone."I love you so much, Auntie. You know that, don't you?" She stood up after a couple of seconds, wiping away her tears, shed automatically and lightly, and turned to join the gentlemen waiting for her. "Let's go," she announced, looking at her husband's face, who nodded and let her lead the way to the vehicles.B.J. stood at attention, getting into the van. The drivers did their job as well. Peter would join the guards, but Carla stopped him."Will you come with us? Please? Unless you have something to do."Peter looked at Max, who subtly shrugged his shoulders. The agent nodded and joined them in the Bentley."Do you want to go somewh
The young man smiled with the certainty on his face of having understood what Carla wanted him to do: serve portions on each plate but accompanied by a sweet and sour asparagus sauce that was highly requested by the diners to highlight the not-so-high amount of food for everyone.As for the drinks, Maximiliano let Peter choose. Carla then realized at that moment that the agent had expertise in food pairing.Peter didn't look at the drinks menu, he just asked if they had Diplomático rum and a Chilean wine in their pantry. Carla raised her eyebrows at the choice. Peter was feisty, she thought; although that detail pleased her. They had just come from a wake and the blond didn't slow his thinking about using hard liquor for lunch on a dreary day.Max whispered, "You'll see." The food arrived along with everything else and after opening the bottle of wine and letting it air out a bit, Embert asked the waiter to please let the lady do the tasting.Carla stood by as she took her respective s
The Davison & Associates offices weren't longer the same. Maximiliano, knowing firsthand the magnitude and opulence of the offices, was quite surprised when the driver parked in a central area, but in front of a residential building.He got out of the vehicle and helped Carla to do the same, and they both walked towards a wide hallway, built with large bricks that, at that time of the morning, plus the cold, looked wet. Archway and entrance to a small open space, a beautiful garden with well-trimmed bushes and flowers everywhere, where the snow could still be seen on every corner, battling with extinguishing or strengthening the beauty of nature."Are these my father's offices?"Maximiliano looked this way, for the exact spot where to go. He could only see wooden walls and doors on the floor below and many windows on the floor above. He would detail everything better, but the cold wouldn't let him."Certainly, I'm not clear what we are doing here," he said, taking out his cell phone a