- "You don't have to talk, Angel." Ethan realized how painful that confession was. The price to open up his life was too high, and he wouldn't judge Blair if she wasn't willing to pay it, because he wasn't.- "I ran away to New York. I didn't have the money to support myself, and maybe that explains the apartment in Brooklyn. When Drake lost his job, my ex-boyfriend cheated on me with a college friend and I didn't see any other option, so I agreed to go to Las Vegas" Blair decided to continue.She couldn’t look Ethan in the eye as she spoke. Partly because there was so much of the story she chose to keep hidden. There were parts of her life she would take to her grave.- "Fuck, I couldn't imagine. I'm sorry" the man didn't know what to do other than to regret.Ethan took advantage of the proximity to hug Blair. She couldn't resist, and made his arms her refuge. What the woman didn't realize was that she was doing more good for him than for herself. That conversation was all that was n
And noticing Dora's choked voice, Blair gave up on listening to the other people's conversation. It wasn't just an investigation, it was the personal lives of these people.The redhead returned to her room, her mind feeling heavy with too much information. For the first time, Michele was beginning to gain credibility in her mind.- "I'm leaving. It's best for everyone," Ethan said, getting tired of the endless argument with his father. They would never find a middle ground.- "Son, please wait until dawn," Dora asked, clasping her hands together in a sign of supplication.Ethan left his father's office feeling a weight of tons on his shoulders, ignoring his mother's request. He was walking down the hallway, back to the room where he had left Blair, but he could hear the matriarch's last words:- "I hate to see what we did to him"If the man said he felt remorse, it would be an understatement. What he felt was more bitter. Ethan didn't look back, he never looked back. The man walked to
- "I hate to be ungentlemanly, Angel, but I'm going to have to force you into the pool."- "Wouldn't that be a crime?" she argued, smiling widely.Ethan smiled with false innocence, only to lean over and grab Blair's legs, throwing her onto his shoulders without much effort. She squealed and smiled at the same time.- "Don't worry. I can let you arrest me later," he said, seconds before throwing himself into the pool.They submerged themselves in the cold water, and Blair quickly tried to pull away from the man when he released her. She quickly returned to the surface, and waited until Ethan also returned to splash water on her face.- "My God! You're ridiculous"The man smiled like he hadn't smiled in a long time. In his eyes, Blair looked beautiful. Her hair was wet, her eyes were brighter, and her robe was floating, revealing a considerable amount of her legs. She looked irritated, and she was, but she couldn't stop smiling back.- "Now I have nothing to wear" the redhead complaine
He brought his fingers to her face, wanting to feel the texture of her skin one last time. He didn't expect to go back, but when he missed her delicate face, he would still feel it in his hands.Blair pulled away from his touch. The redhead didn't want any more reasons to break down. She opened the car door, as certain that this would be the last time she would have contact with that man as she was of the air she was breathing.The truth was, the woman didn't know to what extent she was just acting. She didn't know if she was still pretending, being an undercover, or if she was really feeling the pain of a breakup. In the end, maybe a little of both.- "Imagining a relationship with you was a waste of time. Don't ever look for me again, Ethan," Blair said before leaving in a hurry.She walked away from the car after closing the door, not bothering to give Ethan a chance to say something. And by the time the woman reached the entrance of the building, her face was already wet. She was
- "Blair, I'm sorry. I lost a sister, and I'm not willing to lose another. It hurts too much, and I can't allow myself to lose someone I love again!"- "I couldn't bear to lose someone I love either, Drake. That's exactly why I didn't want to lose him." Blair said her words with such conviction that it made Drake startle.He looked at his friend strangely, hearing that statement for the first time since he met her. Drake approached with slow steps, still surprised by the sentence that echoed in his brain.- "You said that... my God, you said that you love him?" He frowned.She couldn't say anything about love, because she didn't know the feeling. Romantic love was just an idealization of something Blair knew very little about. However, with Ethan, she felt something similar to what she saw in movies or read in books. She wanted to protect him, and she would.- "What is incomplete in me only Ethan can fit" Blair was sincere in her answer, more than she ever thought possible.*Banks po
- "Go to her apartment. Make me feel what Michele felt," Ethan continued, and then walked another step.The proximity between the men reached its limit. Their faces were almost touching. Volkov showed no reaction, at least not outwardly. He knew he had crossed a dangerous line.- "But then, my dear, hide yourself in the remotest hole in the earth. And yet know that I will find you, and what happened to Benedict will be a blessing compared to what will happen to you."- "A man in love is a weak man," Volkov commented, taking a subtle step back.- "A fearful man is a weak man"Ethan stepped forward again, approaching Volkov again and staring at him with the only feeling that could make him lose his impassiveness. And then, when he could feel the fear snake through his amber eyes, Banks continued:- "Do I look scared?"The other man didn't answer. He just walked back to the couch where he was sitting. Creating a rivalry bigger than the one that already existed would be foolish. Volkov co
- "I didn't hire you because of your father, Blair. I hired you because I saw the way Ethan looked at you. I knew at that dinner that you would be able to help me," the boss confided.Blair knew that the chances of her having a relationship with Ethan were slim to none, and that he would never risk his family. But she also knew that her efforts to help Michele would not get her very far, because as soon as she saw him she would give up on any scheme. And even under the saddened gaze of her boss, Blair knew that her heart would not let her unmask the Banks family.- "If you are able to prevent someone else from suffering as I suffered, please do so."- "I can't, Michele. I'm sorry." Blair's speech was choked.She hated herself for not being able to empathize with Michele's pain. But she would hate herself even more if she betrayed Ethan again. Because working with Spencer was betrayal enough, and he might not even forgive her for it.- "Blair, I'm not asking you to..." the older woman
- "I don't want to keep pretending, Spencer. I did what I could, but now I'm tired of this character. I want to get away from Ethan, from the investigation, from the police station..." she continued, realizing that neither of them had anything to say.- "You did everything I would never be able to do," the inspector assured.- "We're grateful, Blair," Colton added.- "I hope they have enough to close the case."- "Maybe so. But, anyway, I want to give you a bonus. I know it would be much lower than what you really deserve, but..." Spencer was cut off in his speech by the redhead.- "I don't want money"- "It's not money. It's like a carte blanche. Do you know about plea bargaining? It also exists for officers," Colton clarified.Plea bargain; colloquial expression for plea bargain . It is the legal institute by which the person under investigation in a criminal proceeding receives a benefit in exchange for their collaboration with the State.- "But I'm not an officer," she pointed out
There’s a pause, and in the silence I feel the weight of everything he’s not saying. The desperation of searching for someone the whole world said was lost. The crushing hope, followed by the crumbling, each time he thought he’d found me only to discover it was someone else. The pain of living between belief and resignation, over and over again.His fingers, still hovering in the air, finally move. They touch my face, light and hesitant, as if he fears I might disappear at any moment. The touch is warm, but his fingers tremble, and it breaks something inside me.He's trying to be strong, but he can't hide the vulnerability that pulsates beneath the surface."It's you now," he says, and the certainty in his voice is almost palpable. As if, after so long, he can finally breathe.He smiles, but the smile isn’t what I remember. It’s not confident or charming. It’s small, fragile, and so full of sadness that it stings my eyes.There's something devastating about seeing him like this. That
My head moves slowly, against my will, as if an invisible thread were pulling me towards him. I don't want to look. I don't want to see. But fear and curiosity push me towards the inevitable realization that he is there, real, so close that even the air seems charged with his presence.My gaze first drops to the floor, to his shoes. A pair of casual sneakers, simple but they bring back memories that refuse to stay buried. Then my eyes move up to his legs. Black jeans, fitted, worn at the knees as if they’ve survived more than just time.My heart races, but I keep going. I glance down at his torso, noticing the dark sweater he’s wearing, elegant but in a casual way that only Ethan can pull off. He never had to try so hard to look… dangerous and attractive at the same time. He just was.It takes me longer than it should to look up at his face. As if my subconscious knew that this would be the point of no return. When I finally allow myself to look, I feel my heart almost stop.His beard
BLAIR'S POVI walk quickly through the parking lot of the building, rummaging through my bag for my car keys. The dim light from the overhead lights creates shadows that dance on the floor, but my attention is completely focused on finding the keychain.If the traffic is okay today (a miracle, considering the time of day) I can still make it to school in time to pick up Miguel and take him home. He hates it when I'm late, and he doesn't spare me the frustrated look, but maybe I can make up for it with a pizza for dinner. That usually works.Finally, my fingers touch the cold metal of the key, and a relieved sigh escapes my lips. I continue walking, my thoughts already moving on to what Miguel might choose as a topping for the pizza this time… pepperoni, perhaps?But as I turn the corner where my car is parked, something makes the world around me slow down.There’s my car, exactly where it should be. But next to it, taking up my parking space, is a black SUV that immediately catches my
"You were out of your mind that night." He looks at me now, his gaze a mixture of anger and pity. "And that's what happened. It was your car that hit her, Banks."The revelation hits me like a punch to the chest. “What?” I repeat, louder this time, my disbelief boiling over. “My car? Carter, my car?!” My voice rises, wavering between anger and desperation.“She would never feel safe with you again,” he says, his words cutting like knives. “After this, how could she?”My breathing quickens, and for a moment I feel like the world around me is falling apart. The air seems to escape my lungs, my mind in absolute chaos. Carter takes a step back, but I follow him, staring at him as if he’s the only thing still solid in my reality."What the fuck are you saying, Carter? My car…?" My voice breaks, begging for an answer I don't want to hear.I fall to my knees on the sidewalk, as if my legs can no longer support the weight of this revelation. My fingers tangle in my hair, pulling hard, as if t
When I finally stop, my body is panting, my hands shaking from the impact. I look at Carter, who is on the ground, his face swollen and blood dripping from his lips.He doesn't move.He doesn't say anything.He just stands there, staring at me with a look of sadness, of regret.“I… I knew it,” he says, his voice weak.I don’t answer, I have no words. The anger that consumed me before fades, and in its place comes a deep emptiness, as if the world has lost all meaning. I stand, looking at Carter on the floor. Each breath feels harder, heavier.What do I do now?I feel my body weaken. My legs shake, and the pain in my hand from punching so much spreads through my body. I try to breathe, but the pressure in my chest won't go away. And the only thought that runs through my mind is the emptiness of knowing that Blair is still alive, and I don't know what to do with that.I don't know what to do with the rest of my life.Carter struggles to his feet, running a hand over his jaw with a paine
I saw Blair. Or at least, I think I did. My mind no longer knows how to distinguish what is real from what is not. And while I stand there, lost in my own memories and hallucinations, Carter remains silent, his gaze fixed on me, unable to find words that could bring back what is already lost.He knows what's going on, but he doesn't know how to deal with it.He lowers his head, as if the very idea of saying the words is an unbearable weight. His voice is low, barely audible, but still, it seems to cut through the air between us, making everything around us disappear. "She's alive," he says, so quietly that for a moment I wonder if it's me, in my shattered sanity, who's imagining it all."What?" My voice is hoarse, a reflection of the disbelief that begins to take hold of me.He doesn't look at me, his eyes fixed on the floor, as if the words that just left his mouth were a condemnation. "You're not crazy, brother," he says with the same seriousness, but with a tone of regret. "Blair i
The valet hesitates, looking at the now-gone car, and shakes his head, clearly confused. "I... I'm not sure. No one important, sir."Nobody important?“No,” I breathe deeply, trying to control the rising panic. “No, I know what I saw. She was important.” The emptiness of the street around me seems to grow, to swallow me. I no longer know if I’m speaking to him or to myself."Ethan!" Carter is behind me now, his voice full of concern and something else. He reaches out to me, taking my arm. "What are you doing? What's going on?"I look at him, my face tense, anger and fear mixed together. "She was here. She was here," I hiss, unsure if he'll understand the depth of what I'm saying."Who?" Carter asks, his voice low, full of confusion and concern.He cups my face in his hands, as if trying to check if I'm feverish, if my mind is somewhere far away. His fingers press against my skin, but I barely feel them."Blair," I whisper, almost as if my voice is a distant memory, an attempt to captu
She finishes the glass in a single gulp, her gaze fixed on the horizon, as if she were losing herself in the lights of the city below. I follow her, drinking in her image, still immersed in my own thoughts."Good wines are not wasted," she murmurs with a seductive smile, her red lips almost provocative. The flirtation is clear, and for a moment, I find myself contemplating whether this is what I really want. But soon the answer comes silently: I am no longer the man who fell for this kind of game.When was the last time I was with a woman? The question resurfaces in my mind, and I know the answer. I know Blair was the last. There has never been another after her, despite the attempts, the distractions. No woman has been able to replace the space she left, not even for a moment. It grips me, swallows me, in a way I don't know how to escape."It's not wasted," I confirm, more to myself than to her. The sound of my own voice seems distant.The blonde steps forward, her plunging neckline
“I’m developing a new sparkling wine brand,” says Cortez, a big-time alcoholic entrepreneur, in a tone of voice so enthusiastic that I almost feel guilty for not showing the slightest interest. “You know, I’m not new to the business. I thought we could do a campaign together. Something big.”I feign interest, crossing my arms and smiling, even though my mind has already begun to wander away from the conversation. “What were you thinking about?” I ask, my tone calculated with curiosity, so as not to seem disinterested.“Something you could incorporate into racing, you know?” Cortez continues, his voice growing even more animated. “Like, throwing champagne in the air when you win a race. That classic gesture, but with our own brand.” He smiles, pleased with the idea, as if he’s offering me a golden opportunity.I watch him intently for a few seconds, but soon I start to let his words fade into the background of my mind. He keeps babbling, but his words are like distant noises now. I'm n