“Men should be like Kleenex, soft and strong and disposable.” - Unknown author.Eduardo continued the presentation as if nothing had happened. He didn't give a damn what his peers thought of him. People talked behind your back all the time. He has been labeled a “billionaire playboy” and this has made him the center of much gossip and intrigue for years.Camila, on the other hand, refused to go back to the conference room due to embarrassment. Eduardo didn't want to force her. He apologized to her and led the way out of her office. He felt disappointed for himself, and sad for Camila. He was stupid for giving her this gratuitous humiliation. When the meeting was over, Eduardo's father immediately called him to his office."What was that with Camila?" — Mr. Villa-Lobos glared at his son angrily.“You heard everything, I don't have to explain. Eduardo shoved his hands deeper into his pants pockets and twisted his thin lips.“You must be discreet when showing your feelings for her, and y
"I want the deepest, darkest, sickest part of you that you're afraid to share with others, because I love you." - Lady Gaga. A week after the incident with Eduardo, Camila felt happier now. She realized that life must go on. She wasn't going to waste her energy crying over him, who was just a playboy. She learned from her mistake of falling at his feet, and she had no intention of making the same mistake again. She now had an office of her own, which was located opposite Mr. Gregorio Villa-Lobos. Her training was going well, she learned many things like planning, organizing, directing and controlling a large company. At each lunch, she joined her friends in the Marketing Department, Miles, Kirsten, and Ashley. Men would sometimes join them too, Robert, Leo and of course Chris Ethwood. Chris asked her to go out with him one day, but she refused, saying she wasn't ready to go on a date with someone in town just yet. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and was still try
You know it's love when all you want is for the person to be happy, even if you're not a part of their happiness.” — Julia Logan. Eduardo was having lunch with his grandmother, Elizabete Valdez at one of the best restaurants in New York. Elizabeth, was an eighty-year-old woman, very fragile and very sensitive because of her age. She was the adoptive mother of Eduardo's late mother, Aline Lourenço Villa-Lobos. “Hmm…this salmon is delicious, and this lettuce is so fresh. I loved the food here, Eduardo. She smiled sweetly at him. Eduardo smiled back at his grandmother, satisfied with always pleasing her. "They only serve the best here, Grandma." “Ooh… I'm sure this is where you bring your conquests, isn't it? - Sometimes. He answered honestly. "So who's your latest girlfriend?" Someone I know? Oh, I saw a picture of you with a model or actress, I don't know, in the Daily News column. Are you still with her? He exhaled quickly, and shook his head. “No, I'm not dating any
“Love is the strongest of all passions, for it attacks the head, the heart, and the senses simultaneously.”—Lao Tzu. Denis went to Camila's desk and sat in his chair, leaning back. Camila frowned, looking up at him. He's so arrogant, taking over my table as if it were his own. Denis took his cell phone out of his pocket and then searched for “Camila Cavalcanti, Brasil” on the internet. Automatically, Camila's images appeared, on many occasions, especially with her family and friends. She's a little wild, drinking with her friends in these photos. Huum, daughter of Fernando Cavalcanti, huh? — I know a Cavalcanti in Brazil. Ferdinand, actually. Do you know him by chance? he asked, pretending he didn't know the answer. - He is my father. - Serious? I did business with him a while ago. Uncle Gregorio introduced us. I didn't know he had such a beautiful daughter. He said, grinning mischievously. Camila's face reddened. — Then why are you working here, when you're already filthy ri
“You can close your eyes to the things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel.” — Johnny Depp. — Thank you for the roses, they are very beautiful. But that doesn't mean I'm not mad at you for throwing Denis' bouquet out the window. — Camila said as she placed the company's monthly financial statements in the files received from Eduardo. “Don't trust Dennis. He has always used his “prince charming” side when it comes to women. I don't want you to get hurt. Edward warned. His eyes scanned her facial expressions. Camila rolled her eyes. She found it amusing that the two men had warned her of each other's lethal charms. They were the same. “You are so funny. He said the same thing about you. Edward shook his head. His eyes were straight at her, hard and glowing with anger. “Don't believe everything he said. He is a good conversationalist, and an expert at convincing people. He stopped looking at her for a moment. Like you, she wan
“Every girl has a guy she will never stop loving, and every guy has a girl they will never stop fighting for.” - Unknown author. Eduardo was lying on his king-size bed on the penthouse of Villa-Lobos International Holdings, Inc. He was moaning like a wounded animal. His body was aching after his physical fight with Denis last night. He forced himself to get up and went to the bathroom. After a few minutes, he came out of the shower with a towel around his waist. His body was aching so much that he went back to bed and tried to relax. On the other hand, Camila was restless, checking the time on her watch every two minutes. Eduardo had a board meeting this morning. It was already ten o'clock and he still wasn't in his office. What happened to him? she wondered with furrowed brows. They had worked several hours the night before preparing for this performance, and where was he now? She was so uncomfortable that she went back to his office to ask her secretary where the hell he was.
“A relationship without trust is like a cell phone without service, it is useless.” - Unknown author. “For the umpteenth time Mom, don't worry, I'm right here. I'm doing my best to learn soon. I'm working as Eduardo's secretary now, and he's been training me very well, believe me. Soon I return home. — I'm glad you're learning a lot from Eduardo and that you're staying with him for a good part of the day. You know, it's our wish that you marry him one day. Camilla's mom said over the phone. — Mom, you said that marriage was a thing of the past, that's why I'm training here, so I can handle the family business when I return to Brazil, without needing to have a husband. – Camila said irritably, trying to convince her mother to forget the idea of marriage once and for all. “We'll talk about it after you finish training. Your father still wants you to marry Eduardo. But I'm sure he'll listen to you if you're honest with him and, of course, if you do the training well. — Ok
“A true relationship is when someone accepts your past, supports your present, loves you and encourages your future.” - Unknown author. - Damn it! This is so embarrassing! - Camila said, getting up from under Eduardo's desk. "Ouch... my back hurts." Eduardo twisted his lips feeling guilty. “I'm sorry, sweetheart. We will. Let's go to my penthouse, I'll give you a back rub. “He tried to catch her. Camila took a step back to escape her grasp. "No, get your dirty hands off me!" I hate you, you're a damn caveman. Eduardo shook his head, confused. - What are you talking about? That was unexpected. Don't worry, next time I'll make sure the door is locked. - What are you talking about? There will be no next time. This here was a mistake. - An error? He frowned, then smiled, remembering he'd said that before. “You're upset. I'm sorry if I said before that kissing you was a mistake. I was stupid saying those things to you, but I swear I regretted it. Look Camila, I on
Five years later Marco walked into the house with a huge smile on his face. Tonight, he and Charlotte celebrated five years of marriage blessed with children and lots of love. It seemed that with each passing day, he loved his wife more and the opposite was also true. Charlotte had become even more beautiful with advancing age and even after two pregnancies, one with twins, she was still considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, losing the match to her sister-in-law Luciana, who had leveraged her career as an international model. . Marco parked the car in the garage and the moment he opened the door, two blonde girls with identical faces ran towards him. — Papa! Daddy! Daddy! Beatriz and Juliana shouted happily. They were only three years old, but their lungs looked bigger than they were. “Hello angels of my life. I missed my little princesses. Marco kissed each of them deeply, making them laugh. "Daddy, you're tickling me." Beatriz said, pushing Marco's
“We don't even have the result yet. Charlotte smiled, unable to contain her anxiety. He sneered at her with one hand. “Oh I don't need to. I feel. There's a Villa-Lobos in here. he said, placing his big hand on top of her belly. “And he does. Camilla agreed. “I didn't believe it either when I got pregnant with Marco, but that fool knew right away. Charlotte was touched by the love she saw in their eyes. Twenty-five years had passed and they still loved each other as if they were married yesterday. She wanted that too. After an awkward and loveless life, being part of Marco's family was the greatest blessing she could have. The doctor returned to the office with a huge smile on her face. Eduardo blinked at the two women beside her, full of himself, as if he had reason. "I'll have the trousseau prepared." he said, with a giant smile. — Now all that remains is to know the color. Nicole and Luciana couldn't stop chattering when the three of them returned to the room wit
The weeks that followed were far from easy for Charlotte. In the first, immediately after her father's death appeared in the newspapers and the cause, namely her own daughter, she had to face her mother - who publicly disowned her, saying that she would never forgive her for taking her husband away from her shortly before. of being arrested by the FBI for passive corruption -, the police - to whom he had to give several explanations and describe step by step what had happened in Porto, having to prove that he had acted in self-defense - and the press, which was the worst of all. all. After the news got out, she couldn't take a step anywhere without being surrounded by reporters from all the media. Her father's criminal record was mostly revealed and was extremely extensive. Also, he had a few projects that ended up coming to light. One of them being a major action in Harlem and part of Brooklyn that would take away the housing of hundreds of people, as it included demolishing som
Patrick and Elena“Elena, there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you. "So while you were working out your revenge plan against my father, was it me you were thinking about?" As you tried to destroy my family's business, was it me you were thinking about? There was fire in Elena's eyes and as much as Patrick couldn't physically feel the heat emanating from them, he was afraid of being burned just like ten years ago. He panicked. “Please, please, please, Elena. He knelt at her feet. “Try to see my side. Look, I know I messed up, I see it now, but I was wrecked. - Then he started crying. “I was scared, ashamed, filled with pain… I didn't know how to guide myself. Closing her eyes tightly and turning away, Elena tried to run away from the pain in Felipe's eyes. She laughed sadly and shook her head. She didn't know if she should refer to the man with her in that room that way. Felipe was sweet, kind and never, not in a thousand years, would he hurt her. But Pat
Patrick and Elena Elena couldn't believe it. Her breath hitched as she tried to absorb what she had just discovered. How had Felipe escaped the fire on the hill? And why did he use the name Patrick Matarazzo now? "How come I didn't connect the dots earlier?" Elena wondered, remembering everything that man had told her. An arson, isn't that what he told you? How could she not have guessed? Dammit, she didn't even think about it. But she couldn't blame herself. She never thought that Patrick could be Felipe because deep down she imagined that if he had survived that hellish night, she would have looked for her immediately. That was the image she had of the guy she knew and loved. It didn't cross her mind for a miserable moment that he would one day become such a calculating man. But where did his father fit into this story? Why did Patrick do what he did with his family's company? Why did he bring his father almost to ruin? Or rather, why did she hate him so much? Even
- Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Eduardo roared with rage. James Hardy had called him a few minutes ago, telling him about the ill-fated FBI raid on Senator Bernard McKeena's home. Apparently, he had spies inside the agency and already knew about part of the operation, so his men managed to get him out of prison, killing four federal agents and a detective in the process. It was obvious that at that moment he was preparing to leave the country. And maybe never come back. Something that raised every hair on Eduardo's body. “Darling, calm down. Camila asked, fearing that her husband would end up having a health problem. “How am I going to calm down? That worm put my son in a coma just because he got a few bumps. What do you think he's going to do with the rest of us when he finds out I'm the one who gave him to the police for good? That's if he doesn't already know. “Marco will be fine. - Yes go. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life fearing that at any moment he or you or Luc
Marco was taken to a specially monitored room. His condition was not really serious, the doctors had said that when his body was ready he would wake up, but it was good to always keep an eye on him for any changes in the condition. Not many people were allowed to stay there for long, so after each of the family members saw him, only Camila, his mother, was able to spend the night with him. Charlotte would have liked to have had that honor, but she understood that the poor woman was desperate to be close to her son and besides, she had to help Edward get his father. Around two in the morning, Patrick's investigators and Eduardo himself contacted him. They already had the evidence they needed to turn Bernard over to the police. Not only the ones that linked him to the attack on Marco, but also a video recovered from years ago in which the senator plotted Thomas' death with two mobsters. Yes, mobsters. James Hardy identified them on the recording. They were men of the mobster wa
- It is clear. Charlotte felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to see Marco, she wanted to be with him when she got out of surgery, but she also wanted to help with the evidence against her father. Eduardo got up and started to walk down the hall back to the waiting room. But he stopped before walking through the cafeteria door, looking at Charlotte. “Thanks for that, Charlotte. - He smiled. — I'll talk to Camila, I'm sure when she's calmer, she'll reconsider her words. “Thank you, sir. Please just... let me know if he comes out of surgery before we get back. — Yes, notice. Keep me informed of developments. Matarazzo Corporation's IT technician was analyzing the images captured by the camera, which, thank God, was still recording in good performance. Patrick and Charlotte had been with him for over an hour, and as cooperative as she was, her mind hadn't left the hospital. She just wanted to know about the man she loved. - Charlotte? Charlotte? “Uh, what? - She blinke
"I must apologize for my wife, Ms. McKeena. Eduardo sat in the chair next to Charlotte's, giving her an apologetic smile. "She's nervous and... — Don't worry, Mr. Villa-Lobos. Charlotte smiled back at him. “I understand perfectly. “Hello, Charlotte. - Patrick greeted her, sitting down too. — Patrick. And Elena? “She stayed there with my wife. – Edward informed. "But tell me, why did you want to talk to us?" Charlotte shifted in her chair so she could look the two men in the eye – even if she had to lift her head very high to do so. “I can help you find the biker who shot Marco and put the person responsible in jail. “And how can you help? Sorry, I don't mean to be skeptical, but I don't see how you can help. — I know who is responsible for sending Marco to the hospital, Mr. Villa-Lobos. - As? Who is it? — Eduardo scowled, already preparing himself for what he thought he was going to hear. “It was my father. After Marco told me the truth about my brother's death