Back at the bar

Amadeus and his entourage left later, and Nicole decided to talk to Bruno to finally resolve the issue of their divorce. Alizza was organizing the meeting room.

"Bruno, I need us to finally sign the divorce papers. Please accept the corrections I've made to the agreement. You just have to sign, and we'll be divorced right away."

"From what I can see, you won't give in," he asked in a tone that revealed his sadness. He couldn't help it.

"Not at all," she replied curtly.

Nicole took the documents out of her bag, signed them, and handed them to him. Then she turned around and went back to her office, feeling her heart beating fast and not wanting him to notice.

Bruno watched her walk away, his face completely flushed. He tried to hold back the tears that threatened to come. Maybe it wasn't the best time to accept the divorce. He was concerned about Amadeus's interest in Nicole.

Suddenly, a hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. It was Alizza, and when he turned around, he saw that she was offering him a glass of water.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"Yes, just leave me alone. Close the door on your way out," he said loudly, almost shouting. What the hell was she doing eavesdropping on something so private?

The girl quickly left the room, holding back her tears. She had only wanted to be kind.

Bertha noticed what had happened. She had heard Bruno's voice and approached the girl to try to make her feel better.

"Don't take it to heart. Mr. Bruno tends to react like that when he has any issues with Mrs. Nicole, and it happens quite often. So, when you notice it, avoid approaching him at those times to prevent any trouble."

"That's what I'll do, Mrs. Bertha. Thank you."

"Now, forget about what happened and get back to organizing these documents."

Meanwhile, Nicole didn't know why she felt so bad. Getting a divorce from Bruno was what she had wanted for all those years, but imagining him with another woman didn't sit well with her at all.

Alizza entered the bathroom, making sure there was no one else there. She picked up the phone and made a call. A man's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Hello."

"Nicole has signed the divorce papers."

"Perfect, keep me informed of everything that happens. You must keep an eye on them at all times while they're in the office."

"I will."

Later, Amadeus called Nicole. He was genuinely interested in her; he found her to be a truly beautiful woman.

"Hello."

"Hello, Nicole. I would like you to accept going out with me tonight."

"I'm sorry, Amadeus, it will have to be another time. Tonight, I want to dedicate it to my son. I've neglected him lately due to work."

"Would you be willing to postpone it to tomorrow?"

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"Send me your address, and I'll pick you up at eight." He thought that with a woman like her, it was worth being persistent.

"Okay, I'll send it later. Goodbye."

She sighed resignedly. Amadeus seemed pleasant, but she only hoped that his intentions wouldn't go beyond a simple friendship and a work relationship. For now, she didn't want to get involved in romantic entanglements. She wanted to focus solely on her son and her work.

At that moment, Alizza knocked on the door, and Nicole asked her to come in.

"Ma'am, my father told me that I'll be your assistant, but I would also like to work closely with Mr. Bruno. My field is architecture, not just design."

"That's something you'll have to discuss with him. I can't decide on his time."

"Okay, I'll do it later. By the way, Mr. Bruno's parents have invited my parents to their beach house this weekend. They said they would introduce their son to all their friends. I'm excited to meet him."

"Usually, Santi is here in the afternoons, but since we're so busy, he has refused to come these days," she said with a smile.

Later, the girl went to talk to Bruno. There was something about her that made him suspicious.

"So, you want to work by my side?" he asked angrily.

"Not entirely. I would like to divide my time at the company between architecture and design."

"That would be nice, but I don't have the patience to teach someone. I'll assign you to one of my architects. They're all very good at their work, and I know you'll learn a lot from them."

He definitely didn't want that girl by his side.

"Thank you," she pretended to be calm, but she left there totally furious. "Just you wait, soon I'll have you completely at my feet."

Bruno heard her muttering, but he didn't understand what she was saying. She sure was strange.

Dante hadn't shown up for work; he imagined he was still with Sophie. He hoped his brother would react in time and that his son would have the family he himself hadn't been able to provide.

That night, Maximilian returned to the bar where he had encountered the mysterious man. He was surprised to find himself entering the place when he thought he didn't want to. He didn't even understand what was happening to him.

He sat at the same table as last time, and the show began. Two girls interacted with each other on the stage, their movements slow, enticing, almost hypnotic. One of them approached him, as he was the only one sitting alone and caught her attention.

She took him by the hand and without giving him time to refuse, led him to the stage. They sat him on a chair, and the two girls started dancing around him. One of them unbuttoned his shirt slightly and caressed him gently. Then, another one sat on his lap with her legs open, completely removing his shirt. Max was sweating profusely. He turned to look at one of the tables, and there was that man, staring at him intently.

Knowing that the man was watching attentively as the girls caressed him, Max became aroused. In that moment, he forgot about his sorrow and allowed himself to feel. One of the girls took off her small blouse, leaving her topless. The blonde girl took a glass containing a pink liquid, gave it to the brunette, who put it in her mouth, and then poured it onto Max's mouth. He drank it, finding it slightly sweet in taste.

The girls continued to dance while caressing him and slowly removing the little clothing they had left, until they were completely naked. When the music stopped, they left the stage.

At that moment, Max felt exposed. He stood up, took his shirt, and quickly headed towards the bathroom.

The man followed him once again, and as Max was about to close the door, the man stopped him and entered behind him.

"Hello," he said with a raspy voice.

Max couldn't utter a word. He tried to leave, but he couldn't. His feet wouldn't respond, as if they were glued to the floor.

The man stared directly into his eyes, which made Max even more nervous. He saw something strange in the man's eyes.

"I..." Max tried to say something, but the strange man placed a finger on his lips to silence him.

"Shhhhh."

He got closer to Max, their mouths were inches apart. Max turned his head to the side.

The man grabbed his chin, kissed him passionately. At that moment, another man entered, saw them, and immediately left. He hadn't expected to encounter such a scene in a bar where people came to watch girls dance and undress.

Max pushed the man away and quickly left. The other man remained pensive, wondering what was happening to him whenever he saw that boy. Fortunately, the man who entered and saw them was a complete stranger and not one of his associates.

He returned to his table, looked around, but couldn't find the boy. He had fled, just like last time.

He had to find out who he was. He would seek a new investigator, not the one he usually worked with. He didn't want him to find out. He had always asked him to investigate women who interested him. Just hours ago, he had asked him to investigate a woman he liked.

Nicole arrived home at night, feeling stressed and fatigued. Nevertheless, she dedicated time to her son. She bathed him and prepared dinner for him. Afterwards, she took him to his bedroom and read several of his favorite stories to him.

Once he fell asleep, she went to her own bedroom. She entered the bathroom, filled the bathtub with warm water, and got in. She played soft music and stayed there until she felt relaxed. She needed to organize her life and wouldn't let the separation from Bruno affect her again.

Meanwhile, Bruno was in his room, standing in front of a painting of Nicole. He wanted to take it down to stop tormenting himself, but something inside him stopped him. He didn't know if he would ever be able to remove her from his heart. Perhaps that would never happen. Nonetheless, he would try to win her over, even if it took him a lifetime or more.

Bruno's parents had everything ready for the gathering at their beach house. They wanted their entire family and closest friends to meet their grandson. They were crazy about Santi.

He would be their only heir and would be in charge of everything as the eldest. He would have the responsibility of looking after the well-being of any other grandchildren they might have. That's how things worked in his family. 

The guests would realize that Santi was a Leone just by looking at him. They had commissioned a large painting to be displayed in the living room, featuring a picture of Bruno when he was a child and one of his grandson. They definitely looked like the same person.

When the weekend arrived, everyone headed to the beach house located in the Hamptons. The main house had eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms, a sauna, an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool. There was also another large building where the guests would be staying.

One by one, the guests started arriving. Nicole, Santi, and Sara were among the last to arrive. Some guests were still missing, including Sophie and Máx, who would arrive later with Dante.

Nicole was glad that things had worked out between Sophie and Dante. It seemed like their relationship was going to work, especially now that they were going to be parents.

At the end of Santi's presentation party, they would announce their wedding and Sophie's pregnancy.