I have lost her forever

Nicole and Amadeus were in a luxurious restaurant. She realized that he was as imposing as he appeared. He had reserved a whole area of the fancy restaurant to avoid being disturbed. 

His gaze unsettled her; he kept it fixed on her almost the entire time. After they finished eating, they discussed the project.

"I wish, if possible, to have the sketches ready within two weeks. The hotels will be renovated gradually, starting with the buildings and then the gardens. As you may know, my hotels are renowned for producing more energy than they consume, thanks to solar panels and triple-glazed windows. I want the gardens to no longer be just decorative elements. 

Therefore, the design should be both efficient and decorative. It should include not only ornamental plants but also areas with small botanical gardens and orchards. This way, they can be used as tourist attractions and perhaps even for educational purposes, where activities can be held to teach children about the vital role of gardens."

"I'm impressed, Mr. Richter. It's not common for people with as much power as you to think about ecological projects. You haven't overlooked any details."

"Amadeus."

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't call me Mr. Richter, call me Amadeus. That way, I can call you Nicole. Does that sound good to you?"

"Perfect, Amadeus."

Amadeus seemed like a very pleasant man, making the work conversation far from boring. When she finally reacted and saw the time, she was surprised. She had spent more time than she should have, and she had to return immediately to her work. She needed to review some designs from her team before they were handed over to Bruno.

"Amadeus, I must leave right away. Time has flown by, and my boss must be waiting for me."

"If you think you'll have any trouble, I can talk to him. We were discussing work matters during our meal."

"I appreciate that, but it won't be necessary. I'll inform him about our plans so he'll know I've been working."

They left the restaurant to head to the corporate office. Upon arriving, Amadeus stepped out to open the door for Nicole to get out of the car, and he bid her farewell with a kiss on the cheek.

"Not to intrude, but someone is glaring at me. It seems he has a view of everything from his office, and now I understand the function of that large tilted window," Amadeus said, whispering in her ear with clear intent to tease Bruno. Nicole smiled upon hearing it.

Bruno felt his heart beating rapidly. Was Nicole flirting with that man? He waited patiently and then decided to head to her office when he believed she was already there.

"Did you have fun?" His tone was sarcastic.

"Excuse me?"

"With Richter, did you have fun?"

He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Nicole knew exactly what that meant.

Patiently, she took her tablet out of her bag, found the notes she had taken, and handed it to Bruno.

"As entertaining and enjoyable as work allows. You'll have a report on your desk in a few minutes, boss. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do."

Bruno frowned. He didn't want to lose Nicole, but he didn't know what to do to make her forgive him. His parents wanted to host a big gathering at their beach house to formally introduce Santi to family and friends, and of course, Nicole and her parents would be invited. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to win her back.

His mother would be the one to talk to Nicole; he was sure that if he did it, she wouldn't accept. He felt like instead of gaining points in his favor, he was subtracting them.

Translation to English:

"Amadeus seemed like a very pleasant man, he made the work conversation far from boring. When I reacted and saw the time, I was surprised. I had spent more time than I should have, and I had to return to work immediately because I had to review some designs from the team I was in charge of before handing them over to Bruno.

"Amadeus, I must leave right away. Time has flown by, and my boss must be waiting for me."

"If you think you'll have any trouble, I can talk to him. We were discussing work matters during our meal."

"I appreciate that, but it won't be necessary. I'll inform him about our plans so he'll know I've been working."

They left the restaurant to head to the corporate office. Upon arriving, Amadeus stepped out to open the door for me to get out of the car, and he bid me farewell with a kiss on the cheek.

"I don't mean to intrude, but someone is watching me. It seems they have a view of everything from their office, and now I understand the function of that big sloping window," Amadeus said, whispering into Bruno's ear with the clear intention of mocking him. Nicole smiled hearing it.

Bruno felt his heart beating rapidly. Was Nicole flirting with that man? He waited patiently and then headed towards her office when he believed she was already there.

"Did you have fun?" His tone was sarcastic.

"Excuse me?"

"With Richter, did you have fun?"

He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Nicole knew exactly what that meant.

Patiently, she took her tablet out of her bag, found the notes she had taken, and handed it to Bruno.

"As entertaining and enjoyable as work allows. You'll have a report on your desk in a few minutes, boss. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do."

Bruno frowned. He didn't want to lose Nicole, but he didn't know what to do to make her forgive him. His parents wanted to host a big gathering at their beach house to formally introduce Santi to family and friends, and of course, Nicole and her parents would be invited. Maybe it would be a good opportunity to win her back.

His mother would be the one to talk to Nicole; he was sure that if he did it, she wouldn't accept. He felt like instead of gaining points in his favor, he was subtracting them.

In the afternoon, a friend of Bruno's father visited the company, accompanied by a beautiful young girl who seemed shy and hid behind her father. Bruno asked Bertha to have them come into his office.

"Hello, Bruno. It's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Very well, Mr. Guberg. What brings you here?"

"This is my daughter, Alizza. She has completed her architecture studies and needs to do an internship. I took the liberty of speaking to your father, and he asked me to come here and talk to you."

"You've come to the right place. My wife needs an assistant, someone who can help her with various tasks while also gaining practical experience."

"That sounds perfect," the man exclaimed, while the girl remained semi-hidden behind his back. "What do you think, daughter?"

"Yes, father," she replied with a barely audible voice. It seemed she was quite shy.

Bruno found her behavior amusing. Why was she acting that way?

"If you'd like, let's go right away. I'll introduce you to my wife."

"Perfect."

They arrived at Nicole's office, and Bruno knocked on the door. Nicole immediately answered and invited them in.

"Nicole, this is Mr. Guberg, a close friend of my father, and this is his daughter, Alizza."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Miss Alizza would like to do her internship at our company. I mentioned that she could be your assistant, helping you and putting her knowledge into practice."

"That sounds perfect. When could she start?"

"Would tomorrow be suitable for you?"

"Very well."

The girl and her father said their goodbyes. Nicole noticed that the girl had been staring at Bruno the whole time. She was truly an intriguing young lady.

"An interesting girl," Nicole remarked.

"Without a doubt, she looks like a frightened little mouse."

"More like interested."

"What do you mean?" She asked, not really understanding what he meant.

"She didn't take her eyes off you until they left."

"I don't believe it. I could tell she was extremely nervous, which is normal since this will be her first job, I imagine."

"I insist, that girl is actually very interested in you."

Bruno felt uncomfortable, not because Nicole told him the girl was interested in him, but because it didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Would you mind if she was interested in me?"

"Bruno, you need to understand that if there's one thing I need from you, it's a divorce and nothing more. You should find someone to rebuild your life with," she said with a heavy sigh, trying to convince herself that it should be that way.

He didn't like her response; he didn't want another woman by his side, he wanted her.

"I better go. I don't want to say something that could make our relationship worse than it already is."

"Relationship?"

Bruno ignored that question and quickly left.

Sophie arrived later at her friend's office, feeling nervous. Just as she was about to ask Bertha to announce her, Nicole came out of her office.

"Sophie?"

"Hi, friend."

"Is something wrong?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, I need you, friend."

"Come into my office," she said, instructing Bertha to deliver some documents to Bruno.

In the office, Sophie sat across from her, her hands trembling. Nicole became concerned seeing her like that.

"Sophie, calm down, take a breath."

"Oh, friend, I think I've messed up."

"You're scaring me. What happened?"

"I think I'm pregnant, and that can't be. Dante just asked me to be his girlfriend, this will ruin everything."

"Wait, what do you mean he just asked you to be his girlfriend? I understood that you've been seeing each other for a few years."

"It's different now," Nicole shook her head.

"Either way, a child doesn't have to ruin anything. Look at my Santi, ever since he arrived, he gave meaning to my life."

"I adore my nephew, but I really don't want one of my own. Having someone depend on you all the time for everything doesn't sound pleasant," Nicole shook her head, thinking differently.

"Are you sure you're pregnant?"

"Not yet, but I've done some research, and apparently, I have all the symptoms. I went to the pharmacy and bought a test."

"What are you waiting for, woman? Go to the bathroom and take it immediately."

Sophie quickly got up and went to the bathroom. She came out shortly after and placed the test on the desk. Nervously, she bit her nails while waiting for the result.

"Calm down, Sophie, don't bite your nails, you'll hurt your hands. Whatever the result, you know you can count on me."

The blonde just made a gesture of gratitude; at that moment, there was only the pregnancy test in her mind.

Both of them waited with their eyes fixed on the pregnancy test, and soon after, a faint line appeared. Sophie breathed a sigh of relief.

"One line is negative, I'm not pregnant!" She stood up and started jumping for joy, feeling immense relief; she didn't want that responsibility.

"Sophie, look at the test," Nicole felt sorry for her.

When she turned to look, she saw another line had appeared right next to the first one. She slumped back onto the couch as tears welled up; the joy she felt a moment ago had vanished.

"Two lines, it's positive," she said with deep sadness.

"That's right, friend," Nicole didn't know what to say; her friend was taking it very hard.

Sophie got up and ran out, and Nicole followed her. She couldn't leave her alone in that state.

"Sophie, wait, you can't go out in this state, you need to calm down."

The blonde seemed not to hear her, trapped in her own mind, the word "pregnant" repeating over and over.

Moments later, Bruno entered the office. The door was open, so he didn't knock.

"Nicole, you didn't sign the documents, and I need to send them right now..."

He realized that the office was empty, and he was surprised not to find her there. She didn't notify him that she would be leaving. 

He approached the desk to leave the documents, and as he did, he noticed the pregnancy test that was there. He picked it up and saw the two lines.

"Nicole is pregnant!" he exclaimed, paling at the realization. It couldn't be true.

He left the office and locked himself in his own office. He threw everything off his desk, sat on a chair, and buried his face in his hands as he cried, not caring if the employees could hear him. He was completely distraught by the news.

Bertha grew concerned. She tried to enter the office, but it was locked. She knocked, but her boss didn't respond. 

What was happening? Her boss had only acted this way when Nicole had left him. She didn't know what to do; she was alarmed.

"She's pregnant with someone else. Now I understand her indifference. This time I've lost her forever."