4. Valentina

Three days passed. Esperanza was still hanging without a job but this time in deeper thoughts than earlier. Rafael Montenegro has offered her a deal that neither she could deny nor accept. She couldn't decide what was right or wrong.

Reminiscing about her encounter with Rafael with her head resting on the wall, she remembered the person she should have called immediately after her life fell apart. To her best friend Valentina.

"Long time no see, princess."

Valentina's chirpy voice instantly brought tears to her eyes, and the mask that she'd been wearing for days finally wore off, leaving Esperanza sobbing loudly in the hotel room.

Briefly hearing what her best friend went through, Valentina drops everything and picks her up within the hour.

"You should've called me the moment that sick man left you!" Valentina hissed.

On her way to her house with Esperanza, Valentina had already gotten her favourite tea and pasta from the restaurant Esperanza loved the most.

She wrapped Esperanza in a warm blanket and handed her the warm tea. Her hands caressed Esperanza's shivering shoulders and the little care allowed Esperanza to finally allow herself to break down completely.

She tells Valentina everything; the hospital betrayal, Carlos and Juliana's cruelty, her family's treachery, and how they stole her own child from her.

"They took my baby, Valentina," she sobs. "My son... I carried him for nine months, I gave birth to him, and they just... took him away like I was nothing... Didn't he know how much my boy meant to me?"

Valentina hugged her tightly, fury blazing in her eyes, "Those monsters... How could they do this to you? And above this, how could your own family be part of this?"

"Because money was more important than me," Esperanza says with bitter clarity. "It was always about money. My mother's inheritance, Carlos's family trust fund, business deals... I was just a tool to make it all happen."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't there with you. I know it's too much to handle, I can't imagine being in your shoes, but Esperanza, we need to change this. This is not the Esperanza I knew. You are smarter than this. It will take time, but we'll make it work," Valentina comforted her with a warm smile on her face.

She turned Esperanza's face towards her and held her hand tightly, "You aren't naive. You are just not cunning like others around you. If you didn't understand business, you would never have excelled in your MBA and never made your mom’s dream project come true. You simply trusted the wrong people who were living right there with you."

"Yeah, that's why they called me naive," Esperanza chuckled.

Valentina shook her head, "No, they misunderstood you."

Valentina stood from the couch and picked up the piles of newspapers from the drawer. Pointing to the page filled with jobs, Valentina huffed, "And you... Also misunderstood yourself. Your mother didn't leave her hard work to you for no reason. She knew you were worth it. And deep down, you know this too. It's time to reclaim the snatched."

"Company jobs? But-"

Valentina cut off Esperanza, "No buts and ifs. You need to start from somewhere. You can't let that bastard get away with his sins and your child. But first, you need to sort your life. Get up, we are applying for the jobs that you actually need."

Two weeks later, Esperanza receives an unexpected call. She has been offered a position as a manager at Rowland Corporation, a prestigious company she'd almost given up hope of working for.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Valentina asks as they prepare for Esperanza's first day. "It's a big company, lots of pressure but..."

"I know, I have to be ready," Esperanza replies, straightening her simple but professional outfit.

"I need to prove to myself that I'm more than what they made me believe I was. I'm not just a fool who can be used and discarded."

"Yeah, that's like my girl!" Valentina cheered and dropped her best friend off on her first day of work.

***************************

Three months into her new job, Esperanza has found her rhythm. At first, she found it difficult to adjust to the corporate world, knowing everyone knew her truth, but with the dedication and honesty she worked with, the people around her didn't care about the words they heard about her.

She was good at her work, respected by her colleagues, and slowly rebuilding her confidence that she had lost while living in Carlos's shadow.

She finally moved into a modest apartment and was sleeping through the night without nightmares which was a dream come true for her.

She still sees the tiny wriggling fingers of her baby in her sleep that lead to a wet pillow but every cry makes her stronger, forcing her to believe that one day she'll rise from the ashes and hold her baby boy in her arms.

She's all about work and finding herself. So lost that she didn't notice the light she carried once within her was gone. But as the days passed, Valentina's worries for her best friend started to rise.

Valentina noticed that her friend had built walls around her heart. She never talks about dating, barely smiles, and seems to live like she's just going through the motions of life.

"You can't live like a ghost forever, Esperanza," Valentina says at dinner that they shared after four days. "I know you're scared to trust anyone, but you can't let Carlos and Juliana's cruelty define the rest of your life."

"I'm fine," Esperanza insists. "I have my job, my apartment, my independence. That's enough," Esperanza whispered with her eyes fixed on the spaghetti in front of her.

"Is it? When was the last time you laughed? Really laughed? When was the last time you let yourself hope for something good?"

Esperanza knew she couldn't answer that, not because she didn't remember, but because she didn't want to reminisce about it.

Valentina placed her hand on hers, "Hey, I know we talked about this in the past, but you... Need to lose it a little."

After weeks of gentle persuasion, Valentina finally convinces her to go on a blind date, "Just one dinner. What's the worst that could happen? You're already surviving the worst thing imaginable."

Esperanza sharply inhaled, "Trust me when I say this. I'm doing this only because of you."

"I know," Valentina chirped and dropped her off at an elegant restaurant where she was supposed to meet her blind date.

Esperanza's palms were sweaty, her heart was racing with unpleasant thoughts running through her head, but she was willing to try.

She took a deep breath and walked inside, "Either this night will make me or break me."

But she had no idea that this night would change her life in a way that she didn't imagine.