Very strange

Very strange
It wasn't Simon's question that ended the kiss, but the irritating voice of the person who asked it. He hoped it was just his imagination, an unpleasant recognition created by his mind. However, when he looked at the couple standing next to the table he was occupying, his whole body froze and his gaze fell on Perez, whose clear orbs were fixed on the red-haired woman's swollen belly.
He watched in disbelief as an event staff member pointed out the three remaining chairs at the table, which he had only just noticed. He was tempted to ask, but before he could, Gabriel anticipated him by getting up to pull the seat out for Cherry.
In his ridiculous white jacket with black details, Nathaniel looked foolishly at Saadi's gesture, sitting next to the mother of his child clearly embarrassed.
"Cherry, I didn't know you were coming to the same event as me," Isabele said, oblivious to the tense atmosphere at the table.
"Nathaniel invited me today," the pregnant woman replied, turning to Perez with enthusiasm. "Paulina, it's good to see you again."
Martins also didn't seem to notice that the men were overcome by varying degrees of embarrassment. Simon waited for Paulina's reaction to the couple's presence, fearing what would happen and the consequences for their relationship. Surprisingly, the brunette reacted very differently from the last time they had been face to face.
"It's good to see you too."
And it was true. Paulina didn't hold any grudges. She had forgiven Nathaniel's infidelity, and owed the same to Cherry, who clearly didn't know who she had been in Muller's life, or was pretending not to know.
"How many months are you?" she asked, just to be sure and out of a little curiosity.
"Four," she replied, sliding her hands over her belly covered by a long wine-colored lace dress.
There was no need to do math to know that Nathaniel had betrayed her at the beginning of their engagement. Even without resentment, she couldn't help but give Muller a sideways glance, noticing that the conversation topic was bothering him.
She felt Simon's hand squeeze hers, transmitting strength, affection, complicity, and so many other vibrations she had never felt before. She looked at him gratefully, returning the squeeze, wanting to convey that she was in control of her emotions. She wouldn't do anything like she did months ago, she wouldn't cry or freak out, she had no reason to.
"Would you excuse us for a moment?" Gabriel asked, looking at his partner, getting up without waiting for Salvatore's agreement. "Can we talk for a moment, Simon? In private."
Salvatore looked from Paulina to Nathaniel, weighing his options. Despite not wanting to leave his fiancée near his ex, he decided to accompany Saadi, promising after a long kiss that he would return as soon as possible. With Cherry by his side, Nathaniel wouldn't try to approach them.
"Are they really engaged?" Cherry asked when the two were out of sight. Paulina confirmed and proudly showed off her engagement ring. "I swear, I never imagined Simon Salvatore getting married."
"Well, I did the moment I met him," Isabele said with a perspicacious expression. "The little I know about him and Salvatore's dating pattern fueled my suspicions."
"Pattern?" Nathaniel asked, as if shaken awake.
"Mirela used to talk about a girl Simon idolized in childhood. I also saw pictures of him in magazines, always accompanied by a woman with long dark hair and light eyes," Albuquerque explained to Nathaniel. "When I saw Paulina and found out she grew up in the mansion, everything made sense. I immediately imagined what Salvatore's intention was in putting them under the same roof. It was so obvious!"
"Obvious?" Nathaniel muttered, disoriented.
The blonde's interest made Cherry look at him suspiciously, but Muller didn't notice. He was too busy remembering a night four months ago. Nathaniel startled the four women by standing up abruptly, moving his head from side to side to look for Salvatore until he found him talking to Gabriel near the kitchen.
He was about to go to them when a man with gray hair all in black approached the table.
~~
As soon as they arrived at an isolated spot in the party, Gabriel brought up what had been troubling him since Cherry and Nathaniel took their seats at the same table as them:
— There's something very wrong with this party, he said, his aquamarine eyes scanning the room. — I know some of the people here, but they're not necessarily charitable people, I wouldn't even close a deal with some of them.
Simon had also noticed this, but he preferred to prioritize his company.
They had accepted the invitation in agreement, seeing benefits in the event, both for the cause - helping women victims of violence - and for the chance to speak with potential clients who shared the same concern.
However, as soon as they arrived, Simon recognized several faces known for legal problems or whispers in low voices, none of them positive. He thought it was the usual hypocrisy coexisting in the place.
— The weirdest thing is Nathaniel and Cherry's presence, Gabriel commented, watching their group from a distance. — Being invited to the same event would be normal, but sitting at the same table... There's something very strange here. — He fixed his gaze on Salvatore, adding caustically: — Even more so with you parading around with his ex, the woman you encouraged him to cheat on. Why am I not surprised, huh?
— Here we go again? Simon grumbled defensively. — Muller the imbecile cheated on Paulina because he wanted to. I didn't push him into Cherry's bed and I didn't hide the condoms.
— I had noticed that something was going on between you two, but the engagement surprised me, Gabriel admitted. — Now I wonder if we would be partners if I had taken Nathaniel's approach and won over Paulina. She attracted me when we were younger and she's still very beautiful.
— She's my fiancé. Simon immediately warned, turning red.
— From your reaction, we wouldn't be, the redhead mocked, noticing the clenched fists of the darker man. — Which makes this casual encounter even more harmful.
Simon nodded, understanding Saadi's suspicion and apprehension.
— Do you have any idea who sent the invitations?
Gabriel didn't know the answer, but he didn't have to question it for long. When he returned his gaze to the reserved table, he saw a thin, gray-haired man approaching Tamara from behind. He paled a curse uttered from his lips at the same time as his legs hurried towards his sister.
The unexpected reaction of his partner caused strangeness in Salvatore until he realized who was putting his disgusting hands on Tamara's shoulders. It was his turn to curse and quickly make his way back to his fiance, bitterly regretting the distance they had put between themselves and the others.