— What happens is that I'm going to marry your daughter — I say and the face that was already surprised becomes comical.
- How it is? With… Cecilia? - asks, getting up from the couch at once. - Since when? You know my daughter is only nineteen, right? She is a girl!"I know, Paula. I intend to respect it, of course - I say and his expression seems to soften, but I can't contain the laugh. — Ah, you two… You are so easy to be deceived.“What… What's going on, Caesar? she asks her husband, who lets out a long sigh and a string of curses before turning to her.He opens and closes his mouth more times than I can count and it starts to annoy me. The man has the balls to sink my company in cold blood, but he doesn't have the balls to tell his wife the truth. How pathetic is that?- Let me help you - I say and squeeze his shoulder hard. — Here's the thing, Paula: your husband stole from me. He had been robbing my company for years to support his frivolities, according to him.I wait for the woman to process the information, eyes wide, mouth open, body paralyzed. Her eye goes in disbelief from me to her husband.“You didn't do this, Caesar…” she whispers and her eyes fill with tears. I wanted to say I feel sorry for you, but I don't. Caesar made me lose hope in humanity and taught me that anything can be a lie, a theater to deceive me.— Oh, honey, don't cry… I'll take good care of your daughter.— But… What will marrying Cecília solve?“My precious, everything is going to be all right. - César walks over and fixes his wife's hair, tucking it behind her ears before turning to me angrily. “I'm going to convince Thomas that this is insanity.- Don't waste your time, Caesar - I say and he turns to me.- Who are you? What kind of person did you become? Are you really capable of such a lowly thing? Getting involved with Cecilia just to hurt me? You saw her born! You were by my side when I celebrated that she took her first steps!“True, Caesar. I…” I touch my hair and let out a sigh. Then I smile from ear to ear. - I'm not bothered. Spare me your melodramatic speech. I'm going to marry her, period. I want the address where her little crystal is by tomorrow morning. Trust me, my friend, things could get a lot worse if you don't cooperate.I look once more at Cecília's picture frame and smile when César tries to approach me, but his wife stops him."See you tomorrow morning, Caesar." I am waiting.I make a sign with the fingers on the side of my head and walk towards the door."Family dinners are going to be interesting, don't you think?" See you later, in-laws.I hear thousands of curses shouted by César before I close the door. As I take the elevator down, I think it's going to be a pain in the ass to have to get married for my plans to come true. Not that I expected to marry for love one day or anything like that, what I had in mind was exactly that: a marriage of convenience. But it sucks that this has to be with a brat barely out of diapers.I'm just going to do whatever I have to do to see that my empire is avenged. Giving up is not in my plans.Cecilia
It seems like only yesterday that I moved here, that my mother was crying at the airport and promising that she would call me every day. I was really scared at first because I had never lived alone, especially in a country where I didn't know anyone. That's why I decided to live in a sorority, just like the girls in American university movies that I loved to watch when I was younger. At least that way I wouldn't be alone.My father didn't want to. He is very jealous and had it in his head that I was going to spend all my free time cooped up partying and drinking instead of studying. I had to promise to behave myself for him to agree. César Magalhães could never say no to myself. But it was true, I was really going to behave. Also because I was never interested in going to parties or getting drunk.I finished high school very early, aged sixteen, and always wanted to study so I could work with him, so when he decided he was going to send me here to New York to study, I already knew what I wanted to do: accounting.I can't believe it's been almost four years and I'm six months away from graduating!— You look beautiful, Cecilia! Wine is its color.I smile at my best friend, Kelly, who lives in the sorority house with me. She's standing in front of the mirror next to me in a green dress that's the same color as her eyes and looks great with her long black hair. I look at my reflection and bite my lip.- You think? I don't know.I'm too small and skinny, so it's hard to find something that makes me look like I'm not a kid. The dress turned out pretty, at least it makes it look like I have some boobs to fill out the cleavage. And the color matches my red hair.“Josh is going to go crazy when he sees you in this,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows in an insinuating way, and I see myself blush in the mirror.“I don't want anything to do with him, Kelly,” I say and walk back to the cabin to change again."Because you're an idiot!" Kelly yells from outside the dressing room. “He's been chasing you for months. I don't understand why you don't give him a chance.I open the curtain after I take off the dress and put my jeans and T-shirt back on. She stops in front of me and stops me from passing.“He's handsome, smart, rich, and he's crazy about you."I already told you I don't want anything to do with him!" I complain and she crosses her arms, looking at me annoyed. - What?- And why not? Give me a good reason for that. You spent all of college running away from all the hot guys!
"I'm not interested in any of them!" - I say and try to pass, but she blocks me again.- And why not? she asks and I start tapping my foot on the floor."Did you make a promise to die a virgin?"— Shh! - I put my hand on her mouth because Kelly has the habit of talking loud and attracts the attention of everyone around her. How embarrassing! - Speak quietly!I push her aside and stand in the middle of the store with the dress in my hand. She looks at me sulking and goes to change her clothes. After paying for the dresses, we head to Starbucks for coffee, and Kelly keeps pushing.“If you think Josh is so wonderful, why don't you go out with him? I ask.“Because I already have a boyfriend,” she says, and I stick out my tongue. Kelly laughs and holds my hands on top of the cafeteria table. — But seriously, Cecília. I only care about you. You're always cooped up in your room studying, we have to drag you around. You don't go out, you don't have fun, you don't do anything!— I already told you that I need to study — I say and tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “Dad won't let me work at the company if I'm not very good. He takes that place very seriously. And his partner then, I th
Cecilia "Okay, we can talk here." I close my bedroom door and the place feels very small. It's not, it's quite spacious like all the rooms in this house, but Thomas is big and tall and strong, and he seems to take up all the space. He's looking around at the room's decor, and I don't know why I get so nervous, but I do. He walks across the room and over to the dressing table in the corner against the wall. He picks up a framed picture of me with my parents and flashes me a smile that sends shivers down my spine. It sounds mean, but it doesn't make sense that it would be, since he's always been a great friend of the family. - Everything is fine? - I ask. He doesn't say anything. He just nods and continues to stare at the photo for a few more seconds. "So your dad didn't call you?" he asks and I start to get worried. I take my phone out of my purse and start skimming through the messages I've missed over the past few days. — My cell phone broke a few days ago, I only managed to buy
thomasI listen carefully as Cecilia talks to her dear father on the phone. I watch the second her face transforms from worry to pure despair. I sit and wait and look at the clock impatiently. I'm bored."How could you do that, Daddy?" - The girl whispers in a thin voice and tears run down her pale face.I expect.I follow all the anger expended in an even sweet way, until Cecília hangs up the phone.“Oh honey, I'm so sorry. You know I've always thought of your father as a brother. I'm just as disappointed as you are. I smile cynically, because I know I'm going to use the sadness I see on your face right now against your father.- How can you? she explodes as she wipes the angry tears from her face.“How did I…” I look at her in surprise at the outburst. - How could I? How could your father be the right question, girl!"You think you're much better than he is, don't you?" He thinks he can just go around buying people to pay for other people's mistakes.I let out a snarky laugh and sha
thomasCecilia did not return. It's already three o'clock in the morning and the bitch girl is gone. Her cell phone remains unavailable. I already called her parents asking for her, threatening, but they both seemed surprised and worried, so I ruled out her running away at their behest. I'm pissed because I hate it when people disobey me. I told her to be here at the hotel when I got back, and she was supposed to be here. Simple.I give up waiting.I get out of bed and put on a shirt before grabbing my car keys. I take the elevator down and make some calls. I look for information about parties in the vicinity and it is not difficult to find the location of the “big party” on social networks. I put the location into the GPS and it only takes ten minutes to arrive. I see a bunch of brats in front of a fraternity house with red cups in their hands and the racket rolling down the middle of the street.I curse Cecilia out loud, wanting to crush her little neck, and park the vehicle. I go d
I get up early even though I slept at dawn as usual. My body is already trained to wake up at seven thirty in the morning every day, and there is no one to make me stay in bed late.I change into clean clothes after I take a shower and brush my teeth. I run my hand through my hair to comb it, put my watch on my wrist and put on my shoes before going to where Cecília is sleeping. I knock on the door and it takes a few minutes for the employee to open it. I go in and see that the girl is still sleeping. I don't know what she was thinking going off like a madwoman drinking all the drinks in the world, but I'm not going to give the little princess a taste of rest after all.— You can let me take care of everything from here — I say to the lady, who just nods and leaves.I approach the bed and look down at the girl's makeup-smeared face. I shake her shoulders slightly and she grunts, smacking my hand.— Wake up, Cecília — I say and shake her body again. - Wake up!The girl wakes up with a
I was so mad at everything Thomas is trying to force me to do that I agreed to go to a party with Kelly, which I never do. Is not fair. I always do everything right, I'm a good daughter, a good student. And for what? To be sold into marriage to a gruff man who only wants revenge on my father."It's not his fault, it's yours!" I say and lift my chin even though I just want to run away from him giving me that intimidating look. “You were the one who decided to punish me when I didn't do anything.Thomas tilts his head to the side and gives me a warm smile that confuses me. He reaches across the table and grips my fingers. His hand is warm and soft and somehow makes my body relax.“It was your father who chose this, Cecilia. He could be a man and pay for his mistakes. But he chose to sell you to me, didn't he? He would rather you suffer for the rest of your life than go to jail as is fair. I feel my eyes fill with tears and Thomas pats my hand. “No, honey, don't cry. Everything is fine.
Cecília- I was worried about you.I hug the pillow and sigh as Kelly settles into bed next to me.It's been a few days since my life turned upside down and I'm at a loss for what to do. I'm getting desperate about missing classes, but I emailed some of the teachers and they let me make up later. I just want my life back. I don't want to be stuck in a hotel room waiting for the good will of an arrogant tyrant who has decided to make a puppet of me.My dad keeps calling, but I didn't pick up the phone once. I don't want to talk to him, I don't want to hear his excuses. The last time I spoke to Mom, she said he's in a lot of pain from this whole situation, but what about me? I am paying for a mistake that is not mine and they are not doing anything to help me.“I'm fine,” I lie and try to smile at my best friend.“I didn't understand anything when that guy picked you up at the party. I only let you go with him because he said the name and I remembered that you told me you were your fath
thomasI wait for Cecília in the hotel's meeting room. The lawyer is at my side, reviewing the paperwork I asked him to review and have ready for today. The damn girl is late and I need to control the urge to go after her and shake her until she understands that she needs to act different from what she's used to from now on. I'm not going to get involved with someone who runs the risk of tarnishing the good image I've always given to the media. The girl will have to walk the line.I hear a light knock on the door minutes later and I know it's her.- Goes into.I have my back to the door and I hear the hesitant footsteps approaching.— You're late, Cecilia. When I make an appointment with you, show up. Not a minute later.- I got lost. I didn't know where the meeting room was,” she whispers and walks over to the chair across the table from me.I arch an eyebrow when I see that it's all produced. Baggy clothing no longer exists, let alone horrible, see-through pajamas. Do not say anythi