In debt

In debt
"I have nothing to say to that idiot, and I couldn't care less about any future work for Essenz!"
"But you must want to know how Pierre set up that whole situation," Gabriel retorted, giving a significant look to his friend. "Spending a few minutes with us won't hurt."
Simon's interest and the need to find a way to retaliate through Pierre's strategy made him let them pass. Following them to the couch, Gabriel took out his phone from his pocket, turned it on, and handed it to Salvatore.
"Look at this," he said as they sat down, with each friend sitting on one end of the couch and him in the middle, ready to intervene if Simon vented all the anger that burned in his eyes. "What happened yesterday is circulating on the worst gossip sites, and the SaaTore's image has been tarnished, just as Pierre wanted."
Simon briefly read through the article, glancing at the photos of everything they did at the event, especially the one of his fight, his anger at Pierre increasing as he saw one in which Paulina was running away from him.
"Everything was done so that we would attack Pierre, making him come out as the victim," Gabriel spoke.
"Anyone who knows what kind of trash Pierre is will thank me for what I did," Simon retorted with scorn.
"No matter who Pierre is in private, what matters in our circle is appearances," Gabriel emphasized, taking his phone back. "These sites emphasize that he is an honest businessman, the vice president of Saadi companies. We own a company that is still in its infancy in the market. I am the renegade and addicted son. You are the acclaimed irresponsible Don Juan."
"Do you think this will affect the company?"
Gabriel nodded.
"That was one of his intentions. To harm me and Tamara, who have the company as our only source of income," he said with a frustrated breath. "In your case, he went further, hitting you personally. He must have realized that even if SaaTore goes bankrupt, you have a guaranteed place in your family's companies," he emphasized, to which Simon agreed, even though he was determined to redouble his efforts to never have to resort to that. "At some point, probably after you punched him at SaaTore, Pierre decided to put spies behind us and those close to us."
"Do you say that because of the photos?"
"I'm saying he had someone following Paulina," he replied, directing his head towards Muller. "That's why Nathaniel is here."
"I met the security guard with the dog before the event," Nathaniel explained, realizing it was his turn to speak. "And the way he spoke to Paulina and Cherry made me suspect he knew them too. Cherry told me they had talked when she delivered the event invitations to SaaTore. He asked her about the pregnancy. He did something similar to me a few weeks before."
"Exactly how?" Simon narrowed his eyes at Nathaniel.
"Paulina invited me to a meeting," Muller recounted, receiving a discontented grunt from Salvatore. "We talked, and after she left, I stayed at the bar drinking. This guy showed up, and we started drinking and talking. I told him that Paulina was my ex, that I messed everything up listening to drunk advice -" another irritated sound, and Nathaniel realized Simon was holding back from attacking him - "and even so, she forgave me and wished me happiness with the woman I cheated on her with. He kept asking questions..."
"Wait!" Simon looked at him with confusion because Nathaniel's story didn't match what Perez had told him. "Paulina wished you happiness with Cherry at that meeting?"
"Yes. She advised me to seek happiness with Cherry and my son," he confirmed with a broad smile. "My little angel has a good heart."
"She's not your little angel!" Simon said with such anger that Nathaniel hurried to correct himself.
"Sorry, it's just a habit..."
"Get rid of the habit, Muller!" he demanded through gritted teeth. "For all intents and purposes, Paulina is still my fiancée!"
"Let's get back to the subject," Gabriel requested, ignoring Salvatore's heightened emotions. "What kind of questions did this guy ask?"
Nathaniel scratched his neck, uneasiness and discomfort taking over him.
"A lot of things. We talked for a while."
"And you sang like a bird, blaming me for cheating on Paulina," Simon grumbled.
"I didn't blame you!" the blonde denied immediately. "I swear I didn't do that. I just said I had drunk too much and didn't think before following a friend's advice."
"Let's make one thing clear once and for all: I'm not responsible for your shit," Simon exclaimed exasperated. "If I had that kind of persuasive power, do you really think I would let you touch Paulina and make her look like an idiot for six years?" Nathaniel didn't answer, and Simon continued in irritation. "What I said didn't make you cheat on Paulina. You were already kissing Cherry long before that. You just use the drunk advice excuse to mask your actions. You never loved Paulina, that's why you cheated on her."
"It's true," Nathaniel said after taking a long breath, guilt hitting him.
Nathaniel's acceptance made Simon's anger diminish. It was inevitable to wish that Paulina accepted the facts as well and quickly as Muller did.
"If Pierre had the ability to keep an eye on Paulina, it's certain that someone is following me, you, Tamara, and people close to us," Gabriel said.
"And what do we do? Wait for him to destroy our lives?" Simon asked, exasperated.
"I don't know," Gabriel sighed deeply, not seeing a way to solve the situation. "Pierre is slippery. He'll be holed up for a while, gathering information, and then suddenly come out to mess up our lives again."
"He's already messed up mine enough," Simon ran his fingers through his hair. "The bastard turned Paulina against me."
"We fixed things with a long conversation," Nathaniel said, drawing Salvatore's irritated gaze.
"Do you think I haven't tried to talk to her? She doesn't even answer my calls. And every time we talk, we end up fighting," Simon said.
"Confess that you love her," Gabriel advised.
Simon laughed weakly. "Even if I shouted promises of love, Paulina wouldn't accept it because she loves him," he said, pointing to Nathaniel. "She'll always love him."
"Did she say that?" Gabriel questioned, doubting that Perez would marry Simon without feeling anything for him.
"She doesn't need to. It's in her eyes, the way she talks about him," Simon replied without enthusiasm. "He hurt her, cheated on her just before the wedding and got someone else pregnant before she could even get used to the idea of being dumped. Yet she still speaks of him with fondness, defending and admiring him despite the betrayal. It's obvious that she still loves him," he concluded, avoiding eye contact with the other two.
"They were together for a long time," Nathaniel said.
"I've known her since she was born," Simon said.
"And you treated her badly all this time," Gabriel pointed out.
"Thanks! I had forgotten about that detail," Simon grumbled, dripping with sarcasm. "Explains a lot."
"What I mean is that she has no reason to believe that you will be any different from the others she's been with," the redhead said, pondering his words. "You'll have to show her that you will be different, tell her."
"Paulina can't stay mad for long," Nathaniel emphasized.
"She's not mad at you."
"Then I'll talk to her, tell her to listen to you, that you're not to blame for what I did."
"Would you do that?" he asked incredulously, considering that in the past few years he had made his contempt for Muller obvious.
"We're friends," Nathaniel replied with a hesitant smile. "If I knew you liked her, I would never have asked her out. I owe you. I'll do whatever I can to help you guys get back on track."
"In debt to me?" Simon looked at him as if he were crazy.
"Even though my life has changed dramatically, your drunken advice saved me from making a bigger mistake," Nathaniel confessed, widening his smile. "When you guys come back, I just ask that you take care of Paulina. She deserves someone who truly loves her."
The small flame of hope began to burn again as Simon nodded.