CHAPTER 5

8:30 p.m., clad in a black dress, which revealed her beautiful shoulders, her brown hair tied up to perfection, the cleavage between her chest that was not vulgar and a whole world ahead in which surely, her opinion and her strength were going to try to be trampled. The world around her didn't matter anymore. Armed with her cousin, Crystal arrived at that place where there should be no room for her husband, Brandon Lambert. Her grandfather's birthday celebration was just taking place.

As soon as the doors opened, Crystal's eyes fell on all those people who had been invited only to be trampled by her grandfather when he said how well the company's sales had been going and of course, thanks to the fact that he sold his granddaughter as if she were anything else.

Brandon was already there, it had been a lie when she said dhe couldn't attend due to health problems.

Brandon's heart seemed to resent those words when she said it over the phone. And now that he saw reality, he realized that Crystal's plans were never about being on his arm, any man except him.

"What are you going to tell Brandon?” Sebastian asked discreetly, with a smile on his face to avoid making people suspicious. "He's looking at you.”

"He can keep watching all night, I don't care what he thinks anymore.”

"He's coming," Sebastian informed.

"Don't go, Sebastian," Crystal said as if she were afraid.

Just at the moment Brandon was close to his wife, beyond the anger was the sadness of knowing she was so far away. The night before had meant nothing to her.

“I thought you wouldn't make it,” Brandon said after greeting Sebastian reluctantly.

"You see, after all I didn't feel so bad.”

Brandon didn't avoid looking at her from top to bottom. She looked more beautiful than usual or maybe in her he was seeing the only woman in his life and that was making him think that there was no woman like her. A dangerous feeling when it was about a love that cannot be.   

"Will you excuse me? I'll go greet my relatives.”

Brandon didn't avoid holding her arm, making her and Sebastian stop.

“Let her go,” Sebastian said under his breath.

Brandon closed his eyes, he didn't even know what he was doing. So without further ado, he let her go, Sebastian must have known everything that was happening between them.

With the fakest smiles on Sebastian and Crystal's faces, they continued greeting their other relatives until suddenly, in the distance watching him come down the stairs, Sebastian and Crystal saw their grandfather. Among all the bad and good things, among all the danger and humiliation, a deeper blow came to Crystal's heart. That time there was something more in his look and in that way of being, after so long, she felt so afraid again.

Unexpectedly she held onto her cousin's arm.

"Is something wrong, Crystal?” Sebastian asked without further ado.     

Immediately, she put a hand to her chest as if she could relieve the pain and fear she was feeling inside.

"What's wrong, Crystal?” Sebastian asked.

"I don't know, I don't understand, suddenly... suddenly, I'm afraid.”

Sebastian turned to look at the person she had looked at. It was his grandfather.

"What's happening, Crystal?”

"I have a strange feeling now.”

And suddenly it was Mr. Bennett's gaze that met his granddaughter's. She had arrived, she had been there as she herself said she did not want to.

As soon as he looked at his granddaughter, he smiled, at the same time walking to his granddaughter. The fear began to grow even bigger in her chest. If it hadn't been for the force she felt arriving at that moment, she knew how to stay there, waiting for her grandfather to tell her whatever he was about to tell her.

"My dear granddaughter, I thought you wouldn't come.”

"Here I am, grandfather.”

"It's a shame you didn't enter arm in arm with your husband, did something happen?”

"I just happened to get bored of him," she said simply.

Her grandfather's expression changed instantly, how did his granddaughter dare to say something like that to him?

"Come with me, will you?” His grandfather asked, clearly annoyed.

"I'll go when the party is over.”

"There is a new contract that I know you would like to read.”

Crystal's gaze changed direction. Now it was all her attention to her grandfather.

"What are you talking about?”

"Do you think I don't know? I have followed your steps very closely, my dear granddaughter, very closely I have known what you do and what you stop doing, and I also know perfectly well that you do not hate your husband as much as you say, I know perfectly well that you enjoy his presence more than what you yourself want to enjoy. But hey, I'll leave you alone, enjoy the party and when you're ready, I'll wait for you in the office, there's a lot to say, dear, maybe a new contract awaits you." And laughing, the grandfather left, with the intention of enjoying his party.

There he left his granddaughter next to her cousin. Maybe that was the reason why she was so afraid and couldn't say it before, she didn't know what her grandfather was up to, but if everything was as he had said, he should already be suspecting that she wasn't pregnant like in the first contract had been stipulated.

"Are you okay, Crystal?” Her cousin asked.

"I don't know what he's up to now, I don't know what he's trying to tell me but I have to find out.”

"Not now, Crystal, not right now when Brandon is seeing us the way he is.”

Crystal turned to look ahead. There was Brandon looking at everything and wanting to know what was happening. 

And in Brandon's mind, the idea could not fit that that night together had meant nothing to her. Did she not realize that for a moment he had managed to love her, had managed to see in her his first love and not Tabata?

"It's now or never," she said.

And leaving her cousin behind, Crystal smiled as she passed through the people. She knew perfectly well that no one could say anything at that moment, before a scandal broke out.

Not caring who she would be seen by, she headed to her grandfather's office. He had said something about a new contract. She didn't know what he was up to but he must always be ahead, one step ahead.

Being seen by Brandon and her cousin, she arrived at the office, right where no one could see her.

The same place she had visited her father when she was younger, the same place she went to visit her grandfather when her parents died, was the same place she entered.

A thousand documents on the desk, folders here, folders there. Nothing that mattered to her, she shook all the books, there didn't seem to be anything until suddenly, a document fell out of one of the black folders. A new contract perhaps. New rules, a new path opening up. And suddenly, Crystal took the document in her hands. It was indeed a new contract. A turn in her life.

"Have you found it, my dear granddaughter?" They asked behind her.