Chapter 59 Conflict.
Chapter 59 Conflict.
Chapter 59.
Conflict.
Lucas explodes in rage. Not because of the scandal, but because of the public humiliation and his powerlessness. He calls his assistant with a voice that promises firings.
“I want you to erase all the reservations! I want you to pay to take down every single damn photo of that scene! Right now!”
He looks at Alicia, his face contorted. “You exposed yourself to everyone else, what did you expect?” Alicia announces.
“And you exposed yourself more,” Lucas replies, exhausted, furious. “You said you had no relationship with him!”
“And I don’t, Lucas. I already explained it to you. I don't know how he showed up and took the liberty of doing that.”
The Final Test of Trust
Upon arriving at the mansion, the scene is completed by Carolina’s entrance. She is waiting in the living room with her cell phone in her hand, a barely contained smile of triumph.
“Lucas, what is going on? Look, the news is exploding with you on the front page,” Carolina says, showing him the screen with the humiliating headlines.
“I already know, Carolina. Make sure everything is taken down. I don't have the mind to deal with all this right now.”
Lucas violently loosens his tie and leaves the living room, heading for the study. He is a cornered man.
Alicia follows him, the graduation dress beneath her gown feeling heavy and ridiculous.
“Calm down, please. You have to believe me, Lucas.”
Lucas turns, looks at her, and makes a desperate decision.
“Give me your cell phone.”
Alicia blinks. “What?”
“Give me your cell phone, Alicia. Now.”
She hesitates; the violation of her privacy is a blow. But she knows that if she refuses, she will have lost him forever. She unlocks the screen and hands it to him.
Lucas checks it with trembling fingers. He navigates through her messages and stops at an unknown number: Alexéi.
He finds the messages: Hello beautiful, how are you? ... I want to invite you for a coffee. ... If in the future, you need a friend...
His blood boils, but he forces himself to keep reading.
“And you had no contact with him,” Lucas hisses.
Alicia steps forward, pointing at the screen. “Read. Finish reading. That was weeks ago, Lucas, and I didn't talk to him much. I made it clear to him that I was in a relationship, that I didn't want problems, that you were jealous! I rejected him! What more do you want me to do?”
Lucas stands with the phone in his hand, the evidence of the seduction contrasting with the evidence of the rejection. She had been honest about her attempt to avoid him. But the doubt planted by Carolina and the fear of public humiliation blind him.
“Alicia, just tell me,” he asks, his voice breaking. “Have you seen him, even once?”
“No, my love, believe me!”
“Alright. Fine, I believe you,” Lucas says, though conviction does not reach his eyes. He returns the phone to her, unable to look at her. “Go. Leave me alone.”
“Lucas, this was supposed to be a day of celebration. I graduated,” Alicia says, her eyes filled with contained tears.
“I can't think straight right now, Alicia. Go!”
Alicia turns to leave the study, her mind clouded by the humiliation of the headlines and the collapse of Lucas's trust. Just as she takes the first step, the world sways. A wave of dizziness hits her, a side effect of exhaustion, stress, and lack of sleep.
She instinctively grips the edge of the desk, her knuckles white. The small sound of her hand hitting the wood immediately draws Lucas's attention.
“What? What’s wrong?” Lucas runs toward her, the rage instantly fading, replaced by protective alarm.
“I don’t know,” Alicia whispers, closing her eyes. “For a moment I felt very dizzy. It was like a whiplash.”
“Sit down. I’ll pour you a glass of water.”
Lucas helps her sit in the chair. His movements are genuinely solicitous. He pours her cold water from the glass carafe. Alicia drinks slowly, feeling the cold calm the turmoil in her head.
“How do you feel?” Lucas asks, kneeling beside her, the tension in his face.
“Better,” she replies. His proximity is a balm. Knowing their time for intimacy is limited, Alicia raises her hand and strokes his nascent beard, her gaze fixed on him, full of desperate honesty.
“I love you, you know that?” she asks, seeking certainty in his eyes.
“I know,” Lucas responds, his voice deep with emotion. He takes her hand. “I love you too, Alicia. I’m sorry. I’ve been an idiot. Panic made me lose my mind.”
The intimate moment is violently broken. The door opens. Carolina enters without knocking, a radiant smile of triumph.
“Excuse me, Lucas…” Hearing the voice, Lucas quickly pulls away from Alicia, refocusing on Carolina.
“I’ve resolved it,” Carolina says with cheerfulness. “I made some calls. I eliminated all the most damaging news from the main aggregators. It was costly, but the wave has passed. We’re safe!”
Alicia gets up and walks towards the exit, the brief moment of love already evaporated. “I’m going to change,” she announces.
“No, don’t go,” Lucas says, his mind already in strategic mode. “We're going out to celebrate. I’ll take you to a restaurant.”
“Just you and me?” Alicia asks with a touch of bitter hope.
Lucas looks at Carolina, and then back at Alicia. Public projection is the priority. “You and me, and Carolina. Alicia, this outing could be important after this news. They need to see us strong, like a united family.”
Alicia exhales, her body sinking with resignation. “OK, fine.”
Alicia reluctantly accepts. Her graduation will not be a celebration, but another performance in the Jank theater.
Lucas chooses Le Fleur, a restaurant famous for its discretion and elite clientele, located in an old hotel. However, for Lucas, controlled visibility is what matters.
The table is reserved in the Winter Garden, a glass-enclosed section that offers enough privacy for conversations but is perfectly visible to high society. Lucas sits in the center, flanked by his two women. Carolina, on his right, radiates the satisfaction of the triumphant fiancée. Alicia, on his left, is beautiful and unattainable ice, dressed with cold elegance.
The atmosphere is one of velvet and crystal. The scent of aged red wine and truffles dominates the air, in sharp contrast to the emotional poison being exchanged at the table.
Lucas's hand rests casually on Carolina’s, but his attention is strategically divided between the two, projecting an image of family solidity.
“To you, Alicia, to new beginnings.” Lucas exclaims proudly.
Carolina smiles, tapping Alicia’s glass with a feigned sweetness. “To your success, dear. It wasn't easy with the drama this morning, but you see, a strong family always comes together.”
Alicia smiles back, but her eyes are cold. “To my freedom, Carolina. And to the end of a chapter.” The ambiguity of her toast is a thorn that only Lucas and Carolina understand. “To new beginnings.”