- I can't believe it's already been a year... Happy birthday Ethan! -
- Thanks Deanna -
- Your siblings? -
- Went shopping with grandma... Boring... -
- I guess you're not interested in hanging out with the little ones anymore -
- No, this year I'm going to take driving lessons. When I get my license, Dad will let me drive his car...
- How you've grown...
- Where are you now?
- In Sydney... We arrived last night... I still can't get used to the time change...
- La Bohème? -
- Yes, that's the one... Two performances a week -
- Aunt Susan sends her love -
- Thank you very much.
- You know Deanna? That woman from Beverly hangs out here all the time... I don't know if Dad started seeing her or not... I don't understand what their relationship is, but I don't like her -
- Well, you should ask Daniel, Ethan, if you're in doubt. Maybe if you try to get to know her, you'll get to like her... -
- I will.
There were rumors that Daniel and Beverly were finally in a relationship. They were based only on the constancy with which she hit on him at every opportunity; she spent much of the day with him at the company and many weekends at the house. Sometimes they were seen together at a meeting or event.
Daniel had come to terms with having her behind him, he didn't care, his attitude towards her hadn't changed much, but he was beginning to get used to her presence.
And she wouldn't give up. She would never give up. She could eat with him, accompany him to the office, share meetings or galas, but not his bed. No matter how much she suggested it, how much she showed it, or how much she flattered him, he wouldn't show the slightest interest in her that way. She was beginning to get frustrated and desperate; a man like Daniel couldn't go too long without releasing his desires, and she feared he wanted to do it with another woman.
She had come that night with a gift for Ethan. They were all there, even Harry. After a year they could at least greet each other warmly, but that was all. Dinner passed quickly and, as they usually did when the weather was nice, they went out on the terrace to drink and chat.
Little Emma scampered between everyone's legs. She had an affinity for Daniel that was hard to understand. They didn't see each other very often because of bad sibling relations, but the little girl had formed a bond with him. She used to cling to his legs and look at him with sweet eyes so that he would take her in his arms and lean on his shoulder. Many times she did not want to go back to her mother.
- Your goddaughter is in love with you, Daniel," Laura told him.
- She has good taste. Let her get used to good-looking men.
- You say that because Daniel looks like you, Charles," Camila complained.
- Sure, good genes... -
- Ethan is still on the same path... An endless line of good-looking men runs in my family -
- Stop drinking, Charles -
- And the most beautiful women, my dear... Like you -
- This is your last drink tonight, my dear" -
Beverly watched him. He was always distant or absent, sharing little with anyone except his children. All this year she had put her political ambitions behind her, the same ones that had driven her to come between him and his young wife. Her goal now was to take him to bed, she did not understand why he rejected her every time she approached him. He couldn't still be enraptured by this woman, could he? She bit her lip, reacting to the thoughts he was giving her.
It wasn't for nothing that he was always considered the most eligible bachelor, it wasn't just his last name and his money that mattered, it was all of him. From the incipient gray hair that began to creep through the black hair, to the stiff and stern posture with which he stood. The three-piece suit, the immaculate shoes. She rarely saw him in normal clothes, maybe on weekends, and even then he stood out.
She understood perfectly why the young girl had fallen at his feet, despite his character. Ever since that time when he had manipulated her like a rag doll by grabbing her hair, she had never stopped thinking about how Deanna, with her fragile figure and simple expression, had endured so much. She envied her, envied her terribly. Apparently, that was the kind of intimacy they shared, it wasn't her thing, but if she could at least have it, she'd put up with it.
Everyone was gone but her. She was still pacing, delaying her retreat. The children had all gone to their rooms, and she crouched in the kitchen, pretending to clean up. There was no need, the staff always did that, but she insisted. Daniel ignored her as usual, to him she was just another piece of furniture in the house, and went to his hiding place: the office.
And Beverly went after him; she knocked and got no answer, she went in anyway. The room was almost dark, except for the floor lamp in the corner and the flickering of his computer screen.
- What's wrong?- He asked without looking at her.
She didn't answer him, instead she took courage and walked over to him. He only paid attention to her when he felt her figure standing next to him, he looked at her over his glasses and she pushed his chair until she was standing between him and the desk.
- Don't do that again, Beverly... - He told her angrily.
- Just let me help you a little... You can't do anything... -
Daniel watched passively as she knelt between his legs and then unbuckled his belt and zipper. When he felt her hand reaching for him, he instinctively closed his eyes. How long had it been since he had felt her small, delicate hand touch him? He threw his head back a little and relaxed. Beverly sensed him and didn't take too long to caress him.
-Do it..." He ordered her, his voice already hoarse.
And she did it. But he didn't feel the same. It didn't matter. What did it matter? One of his hands was still on the mouse and the other went to her head and moved between her legs. The rhythm wasn't right and he wasn't measuring to mark it for her. He could hear her muffled sounds and feel her hands clinging tighter and tighter to his thighs, but Daniel didn't stop or slow down.
Beverly's tears were falling, but she wasn't going to stop now. All in all, she had managed to break one of his defenses, she would take it all the way. And it wasn't long before she felt her breath catch and the world fade away from him. He held her tighter in the final moments as he lay limp on the couch, trying to regain his sanity.
She tried to compose herself, still kneeling, wiping her tears with her hands and the corner of her mouth. With a jerk, he pushed the chair further back and stood up, sitting down. He didn't even bother to look at her.
- What are you doing? - she asked from below.
- I'm going to sleep," he said, closing the door behind him.
My God, what a beast! He didn't even think about what she had just given him. She stood up angrily, he had left her there, on the floor, as if she was a thing. She got up and sat on the couch and then she saw it. The computer screen returned a photograph that completely covered her: Deanna. Damn bastard!
She slammed the screen shut. He had humiliated her, treating her like a slut, using her while he watched. She tried to cover her face with her hands to keep from crying with rage; she had waited for him as long as she could remember, watching him marry Emily, have children, and then despair over a nameless young girl. And now he was doing this to her!
But he was crazy if he thought treating her like this would get her off his back. If she had to despise him until she finally broke him, she would. Her breath hitched in frustration. Unknowingly, she had begun to pay the price for her sins. The elegant, classy, distinguished woman who excelled wherever she went was shrinking to give her place to one who would lose her pride for a man.