This morning, as he left his house, Andrew expected to see some photograph of himself in the social pages. After everything that had happened yesterday afternoon, he had mentally and physically prepared for any attack from Luciano. Yet, apparently, the man had done nothing. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or more vigilant than ever.The long conversation with Luciano the previous afternoon had been tense; even his assistant had been present. The truth was, nothing had been resolved. It had been a waste of time trying to reason with Delclaux. The man hadn’t budged—and, well… neither had he.That evening, upon returning home, he reflected on everything that had happened and realized that the best decision was to remove Luciano from the company. Of course, he would risk some executives’ disagreement, but he didn’t care. He had reached his limit, and there was no turning back.(…)He looked at himself in the elevator mirror. He appeared sharp and elegant from head to toe. His clea

For a second, he thought things wouldn’t be that complicated. He was wrong. Being an adult man didn’t free him from feeling nervous and anxious. Tension ran through his body as anxiety took hold.The meeting had been underway for over an hour. The first topics addressed were crucial financial matters for the company. The numbers revealed a profit margin far higher than in previous years, leaving several members of the Board of Directors with their mouths agape. Once the initial shock passed, some began to question the real reason for the meeting. These kinds of meetings were not scheduled overnight, much less to present balance sheets and payroll reports. They only occurred every four months, and the last had been just two months ago, which led some members to murmur among themselves, perhaps sensing that there was more to discuss. Add to that the presence of the company’s lawyers.He could feel the weight of their scrutiny as eight pairs of eyes studied him with curiosity. The good n

He had sensed it, and now it was all coming true. The boardroom was utter chaos: everyone was speaking at once, demanding answers. The good thing was that he had prepared himself mentally for this situation, because deep down, he had always known nothing would be easy. Still, he waited a few seconds, observing the members of the Board of Directors. His patience was running thin, and he feared letting all the anger he had been holding in for days explode at once. In other words, he was a ticking time bomb. The worst part was that if he gave in to what he was feeling now, he would lose—even more than he already had.“Do you need anything?” —his assistant asked in a whisper.Yes, he needed this to be over, or his health would be affected more than it already was.“No,” he denied, hiding the truth. “Just stay by my side, alright?”“All right.”“Everyone, please, remain calm,” he asked, trying to follow his own advice. “Let’s address this matter in a civilized and orderly manner.”There wa

They had agreed to take a lunch break. There was no need for him to ask his assistant to arrange a full lunch service for everyone; she already had it scheduled. When the catering arrived, they chose to eat in the break room. It wasn’t very spacious, but they managed to make do.At times, he felt several pairs of eyes on him and knew he was being judged. Still, he tried not to focus on anything in particular and forced his stomach to accept some food. He had no appetite, and when he attempted to refuse a disposable tray with salad, the narrowed look Johari gave him made him reconsider. In the end, he managed to eat a couple of bites.Normally, at that hour, he would be having lunch at one of his usual restaurants or perhaps in his office while continuing to work. That day, it didn’t happen—and maybe it wouldn’t for quite some time.The atmosphere inside the break room was tense, and the murmurs reached his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Iván, Rosalía, and Emma chatting ani

A small voice inside his head told him to stop, but he ignored it. His head ached, nausea churned in his stomach, and a deep sense of discomfort settled in his chest. He was still not ready to process what he had just heard from his assistant. He didn’t even care that he stumbled out of the boardroom, fully aware that the members of the Board of Directors were most likely talking about him.He needed some space. He needed to get away for a while. The blow he had just taken had been a hard one, and he wasn’t in the right state of mind to think about anything at that moment.(…)He locked the door and took the four steps needed to circle his desk before letting himself fall into the comfortable chair. His thoughts were scattered, going nowhere in particular, and the pain and anger rising inside him were not helping in the slightest.Honestly, he didn’t know how he was supposed to feel. Johari had been doing things behind his back for months, and he hadn’t noticed a thing. He blamed hims