CHARLOTTEIn the middle of the hallway stood men hammering the walls. I looked on in terror as my head throbbed from the noise. A draft blew into the room, and my eyes watered as I sneezed. When my vision cleared, I saw a woman standing in the middle of the room. I broke into a grin as we locked gazes. “Elena La Guerta...” I muttered.“You’ve heard of me,” she sneered and she walked towards me through the rubble that had been created.“Who hasn’t? Why are you here? And who are these people breaking my walls?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. If this was her idea of a first impression, she was doing a wonderful job of pissing me off.With a mocking face, she uttered. “You call it yours, but it belongs to the Thuthais. It’s Rogerio’s house.”I swallowed at the mention of his name, and my resolve crumbled a little. She chuckled and turned around. This triggered a memory from the engagement party. I smiled wistfully as Maria walked into the hallway. She had been cleaning the stud
ROGERIO“Signor Rogerio, you’ve got to do something about this,” a familiar voice said into the phone in a hushed tone. I blinked in confusion and looked around me. I was in my bedroom, and slowly, the events of the previous day started to come back to me.I had spent the day at the office handling the appointments that had been rescheduled to fit the court proceedings and moving out of the estate. I also spent hours in meetings with the accountants, investors, and other shareholders.The company had experienced a loss, and someone was trying to undermine our activities on the island. I wasn’t prepared to hear that gold was being stolen by the miners as well.I needed to schedule a trip to the island, but had decided to take a day off. I needed some time alone to rest and clear my head. The sound of the voice speaking through the phone speakers pulled me out of my reverie. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock on the bedside table, then shifted my gaze to the phone’s screen.The ca
CHARLOTTEI spent most of the day in the establishment, which did me a lot of good. It was warm. The atmosphere smelled delicious, and I felt safe. My head still throbbed, and my body trembled slightly; this reinforced my need to sit still.The restaurant was located in the city’s hub, and sitting next to the window gave me a vintage view of the world outside as well; it felt like a movie I had been missing out on. Elena’s visit roused something in me, possibly fueled by the possibility of losing shelter, but it was there nonetheless.It was a thought that had been creeping into my mind slowly, a voice I hadn’t been paying attention to, but recent events had given it some credence. “The world’s moved on without me,” I muttered, staring at the people on the street.I had spent time engulfed in my grief of losing my parents, going between numerous foster homes, and finally being too old for that, then coming to Milan to work. I had been so focused on myself that I forgot to see the worl
CHARLOTTE“You have two options, Signora Thuthai,” the lawyer started, but I interrupted him by shaking my head slowly. While I understood the mistake, hearing myself referred to as Rogerio’s wife felt like a blade cutting through the open wound in my heart. I swallowed and stopped myself from wrapping my arms around my body as a chill ran down my spine.He stopped to listen to me with rapt attention, his eyes holding an interesting mix of empathy and curiosity. I stared at him with a blank expression, slightly impressed that he remained unfazed by the silence or the stare. It was impressive, really; he reminded me of Maria. They had a certain protective aura about them. Being in the room with him, I could tell that he was willing to help me in whatever way he could.I wondered how many court hearings and private sessions with clients it would take to pull it off, silently contemplating if being a lawyer was something I’d want to do. I started to consider the possibilities, but my tho
CHARLOTTEIt felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and the drive back to the estate was the best I’d had in a long time. I rolled down the windows, and the evening breeze blew through my hair. Surprisingly, my headache had stopped throbbing.The sweet taste of the bun still lingered on my tongue, and I craved more. I contemplated the distance I would have to drive to get them and forced myself to move in the direction I had chosen. However, as I drove past the gates, I had a grand idea.Maria and I would eat out. Why not? It made sense; we were two women in that gigantic house and equally big estate. We needed to get out for a bit. She’d pick the restaurant, and we’d have a great time. I drove the car to a halt, and when I alighted, she was walking through the door holding a piece of paper and a pencil in her other hand.“Whatever that is, I don’t want to hear it,” I announced. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Don’t look at me like that; we’re going out.”“G
CHARLOTTEThe following weeks were a whirlwind of activities, mainly focused on renovating the house and interviewing new staff. Initially, I had decided not to be involved in the selection process, but Maria insisted on consulting me about everything. So, this morning, we found ourselves sitting in the study with a group of applicants waiting in the hallway.Setting up seating arrangements for the fifteen candidates who had applied for the position was a challenge, but we managed to get it done. Amidst the chaos, the handymen Maria had hired to fix the wall called to reschedule, and she was visibly miffed about it."Think about it like this," I whispered as I rocked our chairs gently. "It would've been terrible to interview in such a noisy environment."“But still, we needed to get it done today.” Her face morphed into a frown. “I could find a different firm to handle it.”“Didn’t you say they were the best you knew?”“Yes, but I’m sure there are others equally capable,” she answere
CHARLOTTEThe morning I left Milan had been unusually cold, and the air smelled a little different. I asked Maria if she noticed it, but she answered by saying that she didn't feel anything unusual. I sneezed as we got into the car, and she suggested that we go back and reschedule if I wasn't feeling well."It's alright, Maria," I said with a thin smile.The drive to the airport was filled with conversations between her and the driver, Luigi. I could tell they had a rapport from prior conversations as they discussed a place I wasn't familiar with. I listened to their exchange, grateful for the distraction from the thought of leaving Maria all alone.I tried to dismiss her, but as I boarded the plane, I couldn't deny that I felt a little different. Maria had accompanied me to the airport, and the new driver had made a good impression by getting us there in record time. We had some time to talk while we waited, enjoying breakfast together in a restaurant. When it was time to board, we s
ROGERIOIt had been a few weeks since I had seen Charlotte. I wasn’t necessarily keeping count, but the conversation with Maria replayed in my mind occasionally. This morning, it was louder than ever, making me feel uneasy. Elena hadn’t mentioned anything about going to the estate. I couldn’t decide if it was because of the wedding preparations, but we have had conversations about a lot of things since she returned. She spent most of the time at her family’s estate and came over when she needed to.I had no problems with the arrangement; it meant I had my space to myself. I needed time alone these days; everything left me feeling irked or annoyed, like something was missing. I tried to shake off the feeling and considered the possibility of Maria lying, but shook my head slowly.“What would she stand to gain from that?” I muttered and stared at the clock on the wall. I had come to the office to complete some work for a potential investor, but they had rescheduled, thankfully. I was in