The Intern's Latin Dance

On the drive home, Sandra and I didn't exchange a single word.The silence clung to us, thick and unrelenting, until we passed a flower shop and she suddenly stirred."Randy, pull over. I need to go in."I didn't ask why. Just eased the car to a stop by the curb and watched as Sandra, lips tightly pressed together, slipped out and walked into the shop.She came back moments later, holding a wrapped bouquet. She offered them to me."Randy," she said, "you used to give me flowers all the time. This time, let me be the one to give them to you. The florist said they're called Black Knight. To me, you've always been like a knight—always protecting me."She was good at this. Uncannily good. If I hadn't already seen past her act, I might have fallen for it again. I might have believed she truly loved me—might have believed that the last three years of playing the supporting role were worth something.But this bouquet, this symbolic gesture, was just her way of apologizing—for another m

"Ms. Kinsey, I think there's something in my room. Could you take a look?"It was a clumsy excuse, really.A quiet laugh slipped from my throat as I gently pushed her aside. "You should get back to your work, Ms. Kinsey."Her gaze flicked between my face and Brian's, lingering for a breath too long. But eventually, she stepped off the bed."I'll be right back, Randy."Right back. Always just a minute, always just work—she had used those words to brush me off more times than I cared to count.When she returned, it was as if a storm had finally breached the walls.We fought. Loudly. She accused me of being distant and cold, no longer the man who once knew her better than anyone else."Randy, I thought you were the one who understood me best. But now, you're the one who misunderstands me most. Brian's still young, he's a little childish. What's so wrong with that? Must you treat him like this, like he's committed some crime? And don't think I didn't know you set me up for humili

I neither bowed my head nor softened my stance. It was as if Sandra had never existed in my life at all.But she wasn't content with silence.Perhaps irritated by my indifference, she began sending Brian back to the house. One day to pick up toiletries. Another day for more personal things. Each time he arrived with the same neutral expression, but his eyes began to shift—something smug, something sharp, beginning to glint through the bland exterior.I acted as if I hadn't noticed. I changed the door code and told the housekeeper to handle him at the threshold.And yet, at night, when the house fell into that hollow silence only the late hours could bring, an unexpected weariness settled deep in my chest. I wondered if things were really coming to an end between me and Sandra.After a long night of drinking, I made my decision.I erased her from my heart completely, and whatever remained of her I simply ignored. She had nothing to do with me anymore.That is, until my birthday.

While Sandra's parents stood frozen in stunned silence, I gave the order to have them removed from the premises.Then, I had all of Sandra's and Brian's belongings thrown out.The secret dance studio—that little hidden space—was torn apart under my instruction. Sledgehammers brought it down, and workers remodeled it into a simple lounge. Everything that had once existed in there was packed away and tossed out with the garbage.It was only then that Sandra began to feel fear.Restless and sleepless, she returned home. The sound of her knocking at the door rang out sharply."Randy, I know I was wrong. Please, just come out and see me. I know I was wrong."I remained motionless on the couch and asked the housekeeper to open the door.She rushed in and collapsed into my arms without hesitation."Randy, I swear I've learned my lesson. I'll never see Brian again. I won't ever go against your decisions for him, not ever again. Please, just forgive me. This company—it's our shared cr