When the cab finally pulled up next to a nice restaurant, I let out the breath I hadn’t even noticed I was holding. Julian pulls up a little behind, and we watch Laura get out and enter the establishment with elegance. It’s not a five-star restaurant, those extremely expensive ones with a specific type of customer, but it is elegant and modern. Unfortunately, there are no large windows that allow us to look inside, which makes me anxious and uncertain.
I sigh, resting my back on the car seat... “Damn.”“At least you were right... She really did go to meet someone.” Julian says, tapping his thumb on the steering wheel.“But we won’t know who she’s meeting with...” I grumble with shrunken shoulders. “Should we go in?”Julian brings his hand up to my face and strokes it slowly, catching my fearful eyes... “Sure, why not? I’m hungry anyway.”I give him a bright smile and n“Tyler?” Laura asks, stealing the words from my mouth, “What are you doing here?”“I was at home, of course. Have you forgotten where I live? Of course not, right? Since you’ve been knocking on my door so often these days. Oh, and if I’m not mistaken, you got to know this restaurant because I used to bring you here.” Tyler replies slowly, crossing his arms and looking directly at Laura, who remains pale, blinking. “Laura...” Jackson calls her slowly, looking around cautiously.“Can you not do that now, Tyler?” She stutters, looking at him with fearful, begging eyes.“What? You called me this morning and last night... I thought you were missing me.” Tyler gives a sarcastic smile, and I confess that I’m so tense that I can barely enjoy the panicked expression on Laura’s face. “Do you even have the face to deny it?”“What’s he saying?” Jackson asks, this time in a slightly louder, harsher voice — and now he really does sound like the man I know. “Laura?”“Jackson, my love...” She opens
I glance at the watch on my wrist, the slender pointers ticking as the seconds pass by. I tilt my head, now staring at the ceiling, the bright light mixing with the moonlight coming through the window. Outside, night has fallen, and there is no one else in the building except for the security guards and other employees who work the night shift.Honestly, I’d like to be at home in Angelee’s warmth, but here I am, in my office, three hours after the end of work time, waiting to finish what I’ve let go on longer than it should.“I can’t let that Tyler guy take all the credit, huh?” I mutter to myself, taking a deep breath...Suddenly, I hear the sound of the elevator, which is too loud in the silence of the night on this empty floor, and I watch the boy finally walk towards my office through the window, and I don’t let him waste time to knock on the door — I just nod as our eyes meet.And just like that, he opens the d
[……] “I want you to break up with Eric. We should have told you a long time ago, but Eric was unsure…. Anyway, since you saw it with your own eyes, you must know what’s going on.”“Oh, yes… You were riding my boyfriend.”“That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t held your virginity so tightly, Angelee.” [……]“What... What is the meaning of this?” Jackson says in a shaky voice, approaching my desk slowly. “This voice...”“It’s a recording from the security camera in a specific room. And these voices, I’m sure you already recognized it.... It’s a private talk of Laura and Angelee.” I can see a million questions in his eyes, but none dare escape Jackson’s trembling lips. He runs a hand through his hair, breathing deeply. “Why... Why are you showing me this?&rdqu
I’ve been sitting in this chair for at least ten minutes, staring at the screen that reproduces exactly what is happening in the next room. All the preparations are ready, but my stomach is squirming, and anxiety is bubbling through my veins. My throat is dry, but I don’t dare move a muscle. Julian, next to me, notices my tension and pats my shoulder slowly as if to reassure me that he’s by my side and that I’m not alone.Still, I feel like something horrible could happen at any moment.“Do you really think Laura will come?” I ask, without taking my eyes off the screen that shows only Jackson sitting in an armchair, head down, looking at his hands. I can’t see his expression, but I confess I’d like to; since Julian returned to his apartment last night, he hasn’t said a word to me about his talk with Jackson. Julian’s expression was serious, and he seemed lost in thought, so I just let the night pass in
Laura glares at me but still tries to keep her sweet girl mask, saying in a soft voice, “What do you mean?” “I’m asking if you’re really pregnant,” I say even more firmly, pressing my arms a little closer together. Yes, my heart is pounding so fast it’s going up my throat, and I’m breaking out in a cold sweat, but I’m trying my hardest not to show it.“That’s absurd.” Laura’s voice trembles, and that attracts Jackson’s confused eyes, but she just looks at me like she could kill me with a single glance. “It’s not enough that you’ve destroyed my life... now you’re saying that I’m faking something like this?”“I destroyed your life?” I repeat, simply shocked. “Laura, you’re the one who’s been making my life a living hell! And I should ask you that — it’s not enough sleep with my boyfriend; now you’ve been
“What... What’s the meaning of this?” Laura asks in a trembling, high voice. Her hands are shaking, so much so that she can barely hold her own phone.She swallows hard, shaking her head in denial as her voice echoes through the room, revealing the words she said to me when she thought no one else could hear. All the records… When she said that she was pregnant by Eric’s child, blaming me for their affair… Everything is posted on the forum.Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this... I’m so confused... I don’t know what to think...“You bitch!” Laura screams, startling me. I feel Julian’s hand on my waist, snuggling me into his body, and I can finally let out the breath I hadn’t even noticed I’d been holding. “HOW DARE YOU?”“I didn’t do anything!” I retort, almost offended. “I’m not like you, Laura!”“Do you think
I quickly push the bathroom door open and lean over the toilet, throwing up everything in my stomach, which isn’t much since nothing has attracted my appetite. A tear runs down my cheek, and I realize that I’ve restricted my crying for too long.One by one, the tears fall from my eyes, which are aching from the emotions I’ve tried so hard to contain. It’s finally over, but I still feel a terrible unease, a sense of bad omen that spreads through my body and makes my chest tighten. Something just doesn’t feel right, and I don’t know what it is.I flush the toilet and sit down on the floor, leaning against the wall of this small cubicle, with sobs coming out of my lips as I try to wipe them. All I can think about is how Laura had taken a lot of my strength, and it makes me feel worse to realize that even when she lost everything, she still managed to win something — she affected me. Even though I’ve tried hard to pretend t
“And with that, we can finish the meeting.” Mike finally says, turning off the screen that was showing the results of the company’s big project, which Mike had traveled to solve. Fortunately, the result was better than we had imagined — a profit 45% better than expected. It’s a project that really made us stand out on the international scene.The shareholders and directors start to get up, saying goodbye to each other with handshakes and waves, but I don’t do the same... I keep sitting in the first chair at the end, right next to Mike’s. And I admit, sitting next to him for three hours in this suffocating quarrel made me sweat.Now that we’re finally alone and Mike has finished sorting out his documents, I find myself saying in a high-pitched voice than usual, “You probably already know this, but Laura, Deborah, and Naomi have been fired. And Jackson will leave the country.”He keeps silent as I add, “T