9

SOFIA

Hector's words keep ringing in my head long after he leaves me alone in his study. Can we forget that night ever happened? I shake my head and pull the laptop closer, forcing myself to focus on the work in front of me. What exactly was I expecting? Flowers and a love letter because we had the best night of our lives? Get a grip, Sofia. The man barely trusts me, and here I am thinking about whether he has feelings for me.

I open his email and begin putting his schedule together. Thankfully, most of the messages are ordinary business matters, meeting requests, hotel reports, and appointments with important clients. I arrange everything by date and time, making sure nothing clashes. For a moment, I almost forget that I am working for a man whose family could probably make someone disappear before lunch.

Then I notice a name that keeps appearing in his inbox.

Juan.

I click on one of the messages, expecting to find something useful, but the conversation makes absolutely no sense. Juan talks about a door that must remain closed, while Hector replies that the key is already with the right person. Another message mentions a delivery that must arrive before the rain, even though the weather has nothing to do with their business. I open a few more, hoping the meaning will become clearer, but somehow, everything gets even more confusing.

“What exactly are you two talking about?” I mutter, squinting at the screen.

My investigative instincts tell me to keep digging. Juan could be connected to the criminal activities the Bureau is investigating, and these strange messages might be the first real clue I've found since entering this house. But then I remember Hector's warning about not trusting me. What if he deliberately left these messages where I could find them, just to see whether I would report them to Hugh?

I slowly lift my eyes from the screen and examine the room. The corners, the bookshelves, the ceiling, even the little decoration beside the desk suddenly look suspicious. I cannot see any cameras, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. Knowing Hector, he could be watching me right now and enjoying every second of my discomfort.

“Nice try,” I whisper before closing the emails and returning to his schedule. I'm not giving him a reason to suspect me today.

Just as I begin to relax, someone knocks on the door.

My fingers freeze above the keyboard. For one ridiculous second, I imagine Emilio returning with his gun and another one of his wonderful jokes. “Come in,” I call, trying to sound normal.

The door opens, revealing a pretty teenage girl with bright eyes and a smile that could light up the entire room. She looks remarkably like Hector, especially around the eyes and mouth, except she seems far more approachable.

“Oh, you must be Anne, the new assistant!” she says excitedly. “I'm Flora, Hector's sister.”

I blink, surprised by her cheerful greeting. “Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you.”

“Finally!” She steps inside and closes the door behind her. “I've been dying to meet you. Please tell me you're not as serious as everyone else in this house.”

I laugh nervously, still wondering whether this is another family test. “Why? What happens if I am?”

“Then I'm officially the only fun person left in this mansion.” She gives me a dramatic sigh before looking at my laptop. “Oh my goodness. Is that Hector's schedule?”

“I'm trying to put it together, yes.”

Flora leans closer to study the screen, and her face twists in horror. “This is terrible! His calendar looks like it was created by someone who has sworn war on the concept of happiness.”

“What the…?” I can’t help laughing as Flora stares at the screen like Hector has personally offended her. “Honestly, I think your brother schedules his breathing between appointments.”

Flora slaps the desk, delighted. “Exactly! Last week, I asked him to watch a movie with me, and the man wanted to know whether I had sent him a calendar invitation. Who needs an invitation to spend time with his own sister?”

“Maybe he wanted to make sure the movie was worth his precious time.”

“Anne, don't encourage him!” She points a finger at me. “If I ever become his assistant, my first task will be booking him a date with a comfortable sofa. No meetings, no calls, just him and a pillow.”

I laugh harder than I expect. For the first time since arriving at this mansion, my shoulders relax. Flora has none of Emilio's frightening smiles or Hector's cold stares. She is simply a girl who seems determined to make life less serious, even if her family appears to have declared war on fun.

“So, do you actually enjoy working for my brother?” she asks, pulling a chair closer.

“I've barely started. I'm still learning how he operates.” I keep my answer careful, remembering that I am sitting in the study of a man who already suspects me.

Flora rolls her eyes. “That means you're still in the honeymoon stage. Give it a week. Hector can turn ordering lunch into a business meeting. But underneath all that seriousness, he carries the whole family on his shoulders. Sometimes, I wish he would remember he's allowed to enjoy being alive.”

Her words settle between us, and I glance back at the laptop. A new message appears in the corner of the screen. The sender's name catches my attention immediately.

Isabella.

Another message follows, then another. Since Hector's laptop is connected to his phone, the notifications keep appearing. I tell myself to mind my business, but the affectionate words are difficult to ignore. Missing you already, darling. When can I see you again? Another message mentions their next dinner together.

Something unpleasant twists inside my chest.

Why do I care? Hector and I shared one night, nothing more. He has already made it clear that he wants me to forget it. Still, the thought that he could sleep with me and return to someone who calls him darling makes me feel strangely used. I hate that the messages have ruined my mood, especially when I have no right to be upset.

Flora notices my silence. “Hey, Anne. Where did that smile go?”

I hesitate, pretending to study the screen. “Who's Isabella?”

Her playful expression softens. “Oh. Isabella is Hector's fiancée. She's Mario's daughter. Our families have had an agreement for years, and the engagement is part of that strange family pact.”

My heart skips. “Fiancée? Wait, they're actually getting married?”

“It's complicated,” Flora begins. “Hector has never seemed happy about the arrangement, but that doesn't mean—”

Footsteps approach the study. Hector appears in the doorway, his gaze moving from Flora to me. I straighten immediately, suddenly aware that I am his employee and that he already doubts my intentions.

He doesn't explain anything or give me time to ask another question. His eyes settle on mine. “Time to go.”