Chapter 3.

Chapter 3.

— Once upon a time it was a parade of confusions.

I had definitely thrown a rock with the cheapest gum on the cross. No, actually, I had danced a forbidden funk at the table of the Holy Supper in another incarnation to be so unlucky in this one. Ok, it is not that I was good at dancing to this carioca rhythm, even though I was born and grew up, until the age of ten, in Teresópolis, in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. To be honest, I could already see myself descending through the pole dance straight to hell and feeling the not-so-pleasant heat of the not-airy environment.

Holy shit, Carina Maria! How unlucky I am! How the hell did I manage to get a nice pair of horns on Lorenzo with just the woman who appeared out of nowhere in the dining room?

Meanwhile, back to the current events in the dining room of my future former in-laws.

— Veronica? — exclaimed Mrs. Eva, quite emotional and perplexed, getting up from her chair as well, while her eyes watered. — My daughter? — she whispered, and the first sob timidly escaped.

Hello? What do you mean, Veronica? Daughter? Didn't the Vacchiano couple have only Lorenzo as their son? Because that was common knowledge in the construction company, and I never knew of her existence either. And why on earth did she introduce herself as Beatrice if her name was different?

— What are you doing here, Veronica? — demanded the Vacchiano patriarch. The old man was very angry and with an expression, always so serious and indecipherable, contorted into a mask of hatred. — How did you get into my house?

— First through the gate, then through the front door, Dad. — His lips, which had driven me crazy two nights before, contorted into a smile of pure contempt and disdain. — Family lunch? And I wasn't even invited. — She denied it with her head, falsely disappointed.

— You still haven't said what you're doing here, Veronica! — Lorenzo accused, irritated, reminding me of his presence beside me. — Speak up, dammit! — he shouted.

So it's me who's talking too much.

— Little brother, how silly you are. — She laughed heartily. — I missed my beloved family. — Debauchery and contempt were evident in her calm tone.

Without moving a single muscle, and with my breath caught in my throat, I watched, too mesmerized, as Veronica/Beatrice cracked her wry smile and began to walk away from the door with incredible elegance. My goodness! The little devil looked extremely beautiful and hot. She was wearing a white dress with long sleeves, with a slightly round skirt and an inch above her knees. Apparently it was a simple piece, but it seemed to have been made exclusively for her, as it hugged her body exactly.

I swallowed hard, unable to look away from her calm, confident gait.

Her golden hair was tied up in a high, loose bun. And how soft and smooth they were. Not unlike her simple clothes, her make-up was soft, and her blue eyes were slightly in evidence. For the Goddess! However, being more daring in her appearance, she wore a strong crimson lipstick that further enhanced her wide, wry smile. Without a doubt, the finishing touch was her pair of red high heels.

— Well, well, well. We have a lovely visitor. — She finally noticed my haunted, terrified, and shocked presence next to Lorenzo. — A fine visitor, I must say. — She added maliciously, making my face burn with pure embarrassment.

Would it be now that she would say that we had slept together and that I had adorned the head of my future ex-boyfriend, who was also her brother?

— She's my girlfriend, Veronica. — Lorenzo grunted, irritated, without taking his eyes off his sister. — My girlfriend. — he repeated, possessive.

Almost ex-girlfriend, my dear!

In fact, even I couldn't look away from such perfection.

— My name is Veronica Beatrice. — The blonde introduced herself to me again. But now, telling me her first name. — And you, Miss? — she asked, looking directly at me, and a dirty little smile played on her lips.

‘’—Your body is wonderful. — Beatrice whispered huskily, causing another wave of pure excitement and shivers to run through my body. — You're too hot, Carina.

My breath came out breathlessly as the Italian woman made an imaginary path of kisses along my neck.’’

— Ca… Ca…— And once again I managed to stutter the beginning of my own name. — Carina, pleasure! — I sighed.

Her eyes darkened at the last word I let out, and her smile became more wicked.

It was literally a pleasure, his expression told me.

— Why don't we sit down and have a family lunch? — Evangeline's voice interrupted my sick train of thought. I blinked a few times and looked up into her face. — It's been a long time since the last time. — She added, in a hopeful and bitter tone.

Why did I never know about Veronica? Could this be the reason for the melancholy that Madame Eva hid behind her kind gestures and loving smiles? And would the wicked Italian woman reveal our dirty secret?

These were the questions that kept running through my mind at any moment. Obviously, Veronica didn't know that I had a boyfriend and, to tell you the truth, I didn't remember his existence either when I came across her face. Besides, there was not an ounce of regret in my body for having betrayed him. Was I proud of the act? No. Oh, I don't know! However, it was not a revelation that I would want to come out in Evangeline's presence.

My goodness! I had gotten myself into a nice, nasty mess this time!

— Perfect, Mom. — Veronica agreed, venomously, as she looked away from me to her mother. — I'm really looking forward to this family lunch. — She settled back in her chair.

Evangeline's gaze changed at the same moment and returned to a watery expression. It was undeniable that Veronica had great contempt and hatred for her family members, which made me even more curious.

— Set another plate! — The voice, harsh and authoritarian, resounded like thunder through the room. — Now! — said Francesco, ignorantly, while the new employee hesitated and sat down in his chair.

Snapping out of her daze, the woman rushed to the kitchen and was back in a few seconds. She quickly placed Veronica's chair in front of me and served her, returning to her original position. Take a deep breath, Carina Maria! I mentally ordered myself, because I wanted to get up and shout some truths in Francesco's face. If there was one thing that made me indignant and want to curse half the world with all my Portuguese repertoire, it was the totally gratuitous humiliation.

Being the daughter of Brazilian immigrants and having come to the United States at a very young age, I suffered a lot of humiliation because of my origin, for being poor and not speaking English very well when I was enrolled in a private school far away from the neighborhood where we lived. I was just a child who was bullied by other children with extremely rich parents. There were countless times when my materials were thrown down and trampled on, the offensive and despicable nicknames, the harassment from the most popular and other events that harmed me physically and mentally at the end of my childhood. Just like a ray of light in the midst of my own darkness, Arabella emerged and saved me from my persecutors.

— I am so sorry. — I whispered, regretfully, in a simple twitch of my lips when I saw that their attention was fixed on their own plates and turned my head in the direction of the same girl. — I'm really sorry. — I repeated, my heart squeezing, seeing how sad and tearful she looked.

The girl gave me a short, simple smile, nodding her head in apparent, thanks. I forced myself to reciprocate the gesture, but soon became serious again and looked away from her face. As if by some magnetism, I stopped my attention at Veronica's face. She looked at me with a certain curiosity, but soon lowered her head. After these brief moments, we continued eating lunch in a heavy, suffocating silence. In fact, I had not managed to ingest anything, so I continued to stir the food.

— Well, I have something to say. — murmured Lorenzo, suddenly and excitedly, startling me again. — Something very important and special, actually.

I lifted my head and looked at him with arched eyebrows. He was staring at me with a wide smile that was quite strange to my eyes.

Why do I feel that I am not going to like what he is going to say one bit?