Chapter 67

When we arrived at the restaurant in one of the city's most famous skyscrapers, the waiter guided us to our seats on the top floor—the most exclusive area of the restaurant. The city views were breathtaking. I sat down, unable to tear my eyes away from all the brightness and movement. I had never imagined that I’d have the chance to see the entire city from above; that view was meant only for the wealthy. My place had always been below, and it was truly wonderful to observe everything and everyone, feeling... untouchable, yet somehow...



"It feels lonely and small from up here. It's a shame..."



"What did you say?"



"The views," he replied, glancing out at the city as the waiter left.



"You seem to like them more than I expected."



"They're beautiful, but don’t they feel too lonely?" I asked, looking at him this time.



"What do you mean? They’re just views."



"As if I were the only one up here, far from everything... like a mere spectator who can only see the beauty, not touch it. That’s how I feel… and I dislike that lonely feeling," I said, turning back to look at him, noting that his expression remained unchanged. He looked away from the city.



"I suppose you're right; it is quite lonely from up here."



"Even so… I think it's a very beautiful privilege," I said with a faint smile.



"And the best part is the company. You’re not so lonely this time." My eyes drifted to Mr. Cesar, who was preparing to speak.



"Don’t you come here with others? Friends, a date, family..." I paused as I saw his serious expression at the word "family."



"A person like me can’t have friends. The woman I thought I’d spend my life with is no longer here, and my family is gone," he said, placing his napkin on his lap with elegance. I wasn’t wrong; this place reeked of loneliness. Suddenly, the waiter arrived with our food, breaking the tense atmosphere. He placed a wine bottle before us, which screamed luxury, along with our plates.



"Consider yourself lucky to be the first to join me."



"I'm not sure if I’m worthy of it..."



"I could say the same about myself, as I am not my brother. I’d like to know what you see in him that makes you say you love him," he stated with devilish amusement, taking the wine bottle to open it.



"Your brother is a good man, that's all..." I murmured, and then I saw his cheeks tint slightly red, which, for some reason, annoyed me.



"A good man..." I laughed softly, then asked with a hint of bitterness, "Is that really your reason for holding such unshakable feelings for my brother?"



"And what if it is? There are many other reasons why I like him. Why are you asking this now? Why do you even care?"



"Don’t you understand that he brought you to me only because you resemble Belladona? You know that, don’t you?"



"Not everything revolves around you, Mr. Cesar," I replied, taking the wine glass he had poured for us, my irritation surfacing. Unable to hold back my anger, I replied more sharply.



"Well, in this case, unfortunately for you, my brother planned it all... ever since he found out I left Belladona, blaming me for everything. He’s utterly in love with her, blinded and foolish because of that woman..." His gaze lowered in true sadness, so deep he couldn’t hide it. He took another sip from his glass, tipping his head back.



"I already knew he liked Miss Belladona."



"If you knew, why are you still so interested in him?"



"Because he was the first man who was kind and gentle to a mere street cleaner. He was the first to give me a warm smile... without judging, without rejecting me for my appearance. He saw me as I was and helped me," she said with a loving expression that stirred a feeling stronger than anger within me, reminding me that it was still there, lurking. Was this jealousy...? It was the first time I felt it—a poison eating me up entirely. What once would have been a childish reaction now had me wanting to destroy whatever was causing this discomfort, wanting desperately the affection she had for my brother.



"And where is his kindness now? Lost between Belladona’s legs, his original goal, and you a foolish tool who let herself be used. For what, exactly? Do you think he’s better than me? We share the same blood, but don’t praise him or compare him to me. I’m sure you see me as a demon and him as an angel, but you’re so wrong..."



"And what if I do? It’s not like you show any side of yourself other than a nasty, selfish one. Just look at yourself… humiliating me right now just to feel better. I don’t have to put up with your insults. Stay here in your solitude, because that’s what you are—a lonely, cruel man," she stood up from the table with tears in her eyes, which caused a pressure in my chest. I rose with her, about to stop her, when she stopped me.



"Don’t follow me, Mr. Cesar! Just forget this night, and I will too," she took her bag and headed to the elevator. With a heavy sigh, I fell back into my chair, cursing.



"What the hell am I doing… losing control again, why did I treat her that way?" I grabbed my phone and called Joffre to arrange for Belle to be taken to a hotel. I threw my phone on the table, pouring myself another glass of wine as I stared out at the lonely view.



۩



When I woke up in the hotel room, regret came in the form of a hangover. Mr. Cesar was not an ordinary man; he was my boss and the reason I chose to stay by his side. I had been disrespectful, taking a liberty that wasn’t mine. So, I decided early on that the best thing was to apologize and continue doing my job. I opened my hotel room door and headed down with the day’s agenda ready. Mr. Cesar had a trip today, so I quickly ran to the hotel’s exit, reaching the parked Mercedes-Benz. Joffre looked at me sternly and said:



"Since when does an assistant show up late to notify her boss about his agenda? You’re not exactly impressing as a professional. Do you want to be fired?"



"Sorry, Mr. Joffre, I had a bit of a…"



"Cheap excuses. Let me be very clear, Miss Belle: I don’t play favorites. If I see that your work doesn’t improve, I won’t hesitate to find any small reason to get rid of you, because above all, I look out for Mr. Cesar’s interests, and I won’t tolerate any dead weight."



"I understand..." Without letting me explain further, he got into the car in silence. I sighed heavily, opening the door and seeing Mr. Cesar already on a call. I quickly opened my agenda. Once he finished speaking, I said,



"I apologize for the delay; I’ll try to ensure it doesn’t happen again."



"This morning, I booked a first-class flight for the meeting with the head of one of the branches in Puerto Rico. I just need to finalize the hotel reservation. We have one hour to reach the airport."



"I assume you have your suitcase ready to go," I heard him say, which finally made me look at him. I couldn’t see his eyes because he had sunglasses on, but his hair was disheveled like I’d never seen it before.



"Me? I bought an extra ticket in case Joffre was going with you," I heard a dry laugh from Joffre as Mr. Cesar replied,



"You’re my assistant; from now on, wherever I am, you’ll be as well. That means traveling with me..."



"No, no, no..."



"What’s the problem now?"



"It’s just… you don’t understand, Mr. Cesar, it’s not that I don’t want to… But I can’t travel. I’ll send your entire agenda via email; even Joffre is more qualified than me, so..."



"What nonsense!?" he snapped, visibly annoyed, holding his head in pain.



"Are you alright?" He waved his hand dismissively and replied,



"This is your job. Don’t make me rethink firing you because I’m already starting to get tired of your incompetence. Now, why the hell can’t you travel? Explain it to me because I don’t get it."



"It’s just… it’s just..."



"Just what? Speak up for heaven's sake… damn, my head..."



"It’s that... I’m terribly afraid of heights, of those flying things... I just can’t get on them."



"What? Are you serious... are you actually serious?" I nodded timidly, looking down at my hands, unable to face him. Suddenly, I heard his hearty laugh, and I looked over in surprise, noticing Joffre’s face of disbelief.



"My God… this has to be a damn joke. How is it possible that this girl is driving me insane? I thought… I thought…" He let out a sigh, cutting himself off while rubbing his face. What had I done now? He turned his gaze towards me, removing his sunglasses, letting me see his tired eyes and dark circles.



"What happened to you...?"



"Belle... is that really the reason?" I nodded silently, seeing the intensity and seriousness in his words. He shook his head with a smile, looking at me again to say,



"Nothing will happen. I’ll be sitting right next to you… but I need you on this trip, understood?" I nodded, unable to refuse such a word. He put his sunglasses back on, turning to the window, hiding his smile with his hand. What was he laughing at? Because every second I spent beside this man, I understood him less and less.