Chapter 2.

Chapter 2.

— Once upon a time there was a lunch in a not very nice family….

Sunday has always been my second favorite day of the week, second only to Friday night and the entire Saturday. Or could it be considered a third day? Anyway, the question remains. But back to the previous topic, there was a reason behind my special, personal appreciation. In my not-so-distant adolescence, it was customary for me to gather with my parents in our small dining room and have typically Brazilian lunches in our simple Philadelphia home.

Yes, I was born in Brazilian lands. However, I ended up on American soil at the age of ten with my parents, a sister still hidden in my mother's belly and big dreams of a better life as part of our luggage.

However, after going to the bar on Friday night, waking up in a room that did not belong to me and next to an unknown woman on Saturday morning were making me hate my beloved Sunday. Holy shit! Such hate! As if the previous day's embarrassment wasn't enough, I now found myself in a car next to my almost ex-boyfriend and going to lunch at the house of my almost ex-in-laws.

Which boyfriend? The same one I had cheated on two days ago with a spectacular Italian girl and who was also adorning my head with who knows who.

— Why are you so quiet, my love? — Lorenzo, my future ex-boyfriend's assistant, asked, a little too sweetly, at one point in our journey. — What? — he insisted.

I had to suppress the urge to roll my eyes and forced a yellow smile in his direction.

— Your impression, Enzo. — I murmured without much desire, but still smiling.

Silently, he stared at me with his clear eyes and indecipherable expression. His expression reminded me of her somehow, actually. But soon the loving smile returned to the lips I so enjoyed kissing.

However, he had never touched my vagina because he didn't feel comfortable enough to perform an oral on his own girlfriend. In other words, Lorenzo was disgusted, as Arabella claimed, and I suspected as well.

— And how was your meeting with your friends on Friday? — He continued in the same tone. — Did you have a good time, Cah? — He looked again at the quiet traffic on that warm, sunny Sunday morning.

'' — I'm Beatrice. — She continued, her smile broadening. — And you?

I blinked a few times as I tried to babble something and not look like an idiot in front of the stranger, even though I already looked like one.

— Ca-Ca-Ca… — I shut up, after babbling the beginning of my own name. — Carina. My name is Carina Maria. — I forced a smile, feeling my stomach turn. —How are you? — I forced myself to be nice, even though I couldn't think clearly.

Not with her looking at me with such intensity and a sneaky smile.

Oh, my Goddess of the Desperate, where is this meeting going?''

— Carina? — insisted Lorenzo, pulling me away from the memory of the beginning of my misfortune. — You became pensive out of nowhere. — He watched, attentive to the slightest facial change in me. — Did something happen that I don't know about?

Yes, I put a nice pair of horns on your head and received a divine oral from a stranger, my love.

— Nothing, Enzo. — I sighed deeply. — Everything went well with me and the girls.

Oh, if only he knew.

In response, he just nodded positively and looked again at the road ahead. Mentally, I thanked him for his silence, for I was still endlessly confused by the latest events in my quiet and dull life. Oh, Goddess, where did I end up? It never occurred to me that a simple trip to a bar could bring me such confusion and orgasms.

Did I mention that I will never drink again?

Part of me was still worried about Arabella's disappearance. She had given a sign of life when she sent me an audio on Saturday morning saying that she was fine and would take the rest of the weekend off to think. In a way, I was reassured. However, I was still distressed that I could not be by her side, be her safe haven, as she had always been with me. The South Korean descendant was much more than my best friend, she was the sister that life had given me for so many years.

I firmly believed that there were not enough words to describe my connection with Arabella.

On the other hand, while my bond with Bella was only deepening, my friendship with Grace was coming to a definitive end. Actually, it had already come, and I was only postponing the inevitable out of respect for the time we had spent together; after all, it had been six years since we had gone from a duo to a trio. But now I could no longer close my eyes and let his negative actions toward Arabella and me go unnoticed.

— We're here, my love! — announced Lorenzo, snapping me out of my reverie. — Scatter again. What's going on in your little head, Cah? — he asked, after turning off the engine and turning to me.

Very intrusive.

— Nothing in particular, just random thoughts, Enzo. — I said, irritated, shrugging my shoulders. — Shall we go? — I pointed to the Vacchiano family mansion, opening the car door and jumping out before he could say anything.

The cool air of the gentle wind welcomed me and swayed a few loose strands of my ponytail on top of my head as I stepped out of the car and my feet touched the ground. A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I looked away from Lorenzo's frown at me for opening the passenger door by myself and focused on the huge mansion that stood right in the middle of the good, unassuming acres.

Holy shit!

Located in the most million-dollar part of the city, the Vacchiano mansion was just one more among the others that completed and added luxury to the site. The facade was built almost entirely with glass walls and large windows. However, the exaggerated structure of the main door, in a dark shade of blue, gave a slight break to the simple, light-colored landscape. On the other hand, the fabulous garden was almost like a work painted by the most renowned of contemporary artists, as the profusion and diversity of flowers contrasted perfectly with the lifelessness of the million-dollar residence. Besides the swimming pool in the backyard and a private piece of beach as part of the backyard.

— Why do you almost never let me open the door for you, Carina? — he grunted as he stood next to me. — Carina? — He snapped his fingers in front of my face while I remained silent.

Dear reader, having reached the third chapter of my newest misadventure, you must be wondering why I haven't finished with him yet, right? Well, the answer is simple: I loved the food of Mrs. Lucy, the family cook for years, and I wanted to try it one last time before I broke up with him.

Nothing more cuckolding! But a lover of good food, always!

— Lorenzo, why are you so boring today, huh? — I asked suddenly, not being able to stand his irritation any longer, and turned to him with a grimace. — Holy shit! Leave me alone, damn it! — I shouted, with no more patience.

He widened his eyes, minimally, but regained the composure of a millionaire man and heir to a large construction company.

— You know how I hate it when you talk like a poor girl. — He hissed, irritated, taking steps toward me and narrowing the distance between us. — Have the composure of a lady, Carina. — he demanded in the same tone.

I let out a debauched laugh that came from deep within me, causing him to look at me more intensely.

— I don't behave like a poor girl, I am one, dear. — I replied, proudly. — Fucking dick. — I completed in Portuguese.

I watched with pleasure as his expression became confused and disgusted, for he couldn't understand a single word of my native language and still picked on me when I pronounced something. In fact, Lorenzo thought that Spanish was spoken in Brazil. In fact, I had insisted too much on this broken relationship in the last months. However, after delighting myself with a lunch prepared by the fairy hands of Mrs. Lucy, I would put an end to what should have been over by now.

— What did you say, Carina?

I shrugged.

— Nothing much.

Without waiting for an answer from her, I turned my back on her and started down the stone path that cut through the evergreen lawn. I quickly climbed the few steps of the stairs and reached the small front porch. Fortunately for me and my mental health, he was still standing like a statue beside his own car.

— Darling, welcome! — wished Evangeline Vacchiano, Lorenzo's mother, as soon as she opened the door and saw me standing in front of her. — I missed you, Cah. — She pulled me into a strong hug. — How are you?

Actually, the real reason I had agreed to go to lunch at the Vacchiano house was to be able to see and say a proper goodbye to Evangeline. Despite her expensive clothes, nearly perfect skin and access to countless jewels, I could see beyond her physical appearance and realize that some painful feelings never left her kind eyes.

— I'm fine, Mrs. Eva. — I whispered, calling her by her eternal nickname. — But how are you? — I asked, with a smile, and pulled away from her arms so that I could get a better look at her.

She opened weakly and took my hand, pulling me into the mansion.

— Well, Cah. — she answered, seconds later. — And how are the girls? Long time no see.

Well, Mrs. Eva, what can I say? One disappeared after being hurt by her ex, and the other is probably stuck in the house of some rich man who may be her future rich husband at some point.

— They are fine. — I forced myself to say. — We went out Friday for a girls' night out. — I added, not sure what to say.

Actually, Mrs. Eva, that was the same night I met a tattooed Italian girl and put a nice pair of horns on her son's head, who also adorns mine with who knows who. Did I feel sorry? Not at all!

— Ah, Enzo commented on this.

I didn't answer him, as I was too busy making a face of pure disgust upon hearing his name. Then we proceeded in comfortable silence to the kitchen, where I cracked a big smile and ran towards the cheerful cook, who was stirring something in a pot on the fire.

— Mrs. Lucy! — I exclaimed, delighted, causing her to jump in fright and turn to me with wide eyes. — How I missed you. — I wrapped her plump little body in my arms with much affection.

She laughed a lot and reciprocated my gesture.

— Did you miss me? — she asked good-humoredly, pulling away and giving me an amused look. — Or was it my food, Carina?

I took a few steps away, giving her room to stir the pot again, and tapped the tip of my index finger on my chin, making me look falsely thoughtful to her questions.

— Both of them. — Finally, I shrugged.

She denied it and laughed some more.

— Always sassy. — She clicked her tongue, giving a little giggle. — How's life, child? — she asked with a fond smile.

Without blinking, I smiled, too, and sat down on the counter stool, indulging in a quiet, animated conversation with Mrs. Lucy. By now Mrs. Eva had disappeared and left us alone in the elegant and modern kitchen, but the joy of the poor is short-lived and he appeared.

— I am very excited about this new project that my boss has taken on. — I said cheerfully, while drinking a mango juice. — We are going to…

However, I couldn't finish my sentence, as I was interrupted by a rude and stupid expression.

— Lunch isn't until tomorrow, Lucy? — asked a frowning and irritated man at the door.

At the same instant, the young woman's smile disappeared, and a heavy atmosphere settled in the kitchen.

— No, Mr. Vacchiano.

Still standing in the same place, Francesco Vacchiano, Lorenzo's father, was looking only in her direction. The serious, frowning Italian had blond hair with a few white locks in between, a tanned skin with few expression marks, and mysterious blue eyes.

— I want lunch to be served in five minutes. — he ordered, sternly. — Carina. — He greeted me dryly when he realized my presence and left before I could respond.

I let out a sigh of relief when it was just the two of us again.

— My child, I think you'd better go keep Mrs. Eva company. — murmured Ms. Lucy, not amused.

I nodded and jumped up from the tall drumstick, heading in her direction.

— See you later, Mrs. Lucy! — I kissed her cheek.

— See you later, my child!

I hurried out of the kitchen and into the dining room, where I found the three members of the Vacchiano family. A heavy, uncomfortable silence hung over the light and airy room, so I approached and sat down beside Lorenzo, in silence. What wouldn't I do for good free food? The atmosphere was so bad that I wanted to get up and leave at that moment. However, before I finished with Lorenzo, I still wanted to talk to Evangeline and Mrs. Lucy one more time.

— Well, I asked Lucy to make your favorite dish, dear. — My future former mother-in-law spoke up, breaking the oppressive stillness.

I opened my mouth to thank her, but, as two waiters suddenly entered the room, I remained silent. They served us with enviable elegance and speed, leaving the four of us alone at the same speed. I had to suppress the urge to shout for them to take me along.

Can someone help me?

— Well…— Francesco started to speak, but was interrupted when the double doors opened violently. — What does this mean? — he shouted, irritated, and suddenly stood up from the chair, causing it to fall to the floor.

I, who had already picked up my fork and was getting ready to start savoring this work of the gods, jumped in fright and raised my head toward the double doors. I felt my eyes widen as the blond and somewhat familiar figure entered my field of vision.

— Sono tornato, Papa! — declared the seemingly unwelcome and unexpected visitor. — I'm back in the United States, Daddy! — he repeated with a huge smile on his fleshy, crimson-red lips. — And I'm back to stay. Did you miss me? — The poison was barely dripping.

What do you mean, Brazil? The visitor was the same blonde from the bar, and apparently the daughter of my future former in-laws! How was this possible? Oh, I am so screwed!