60

60

On the Monday of the third week of August, Katia felt like she was going to die of dehydration due to the heat from the previous night. Even with the window open, she couldn't escape the sweltering heat.

Since she had already been awake and the sun was streaming in through the window, she decided to get up. She couldn't sleep anymore, anyway.

She left the room with her pets in her arms and paused on the landing before descending the stairs. She contemplated how to carefully navigate them without slipping on the edge of each step.

Suddenly, she felt someone place a hand on her back and the other behind her knees, lifting her off the ground. Startled and surprised, she looked at the person who had picked her up.

Stefan smiled at her and began to descend the stairs. Instinctively, Katia wrapped one arm around his neck to steady herself.

"Katia, today I'd like you to come with me to the Ulrich Multinational Corporation Headquarters."

"I have no business there. At least here, I can watch my series Narcos," she replied.

"Trust me, you'll enjoy coming with me today. If I'm not mistaken, today the top executives and secretaries from each delegation are supposed to arrive for the annual company party," he told her. "Apparently, it's being held here this year."

"Aren't you the one who decides where it will be each year?" she asked, as she was set back down on the ground and carefully bent down to place Panda and Booby on the floor.

"Yes," he said, taking her hand.

She looked at him in surprise and gradually stood up. Their gazes met and seemed unwilling to break apart. Stefan placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her as close as he could while still holding her hand. He placed his hand on her cheek, caressing it with his thumb.

He loved touching her skin, which was as soft as a baby's. She turned her face away to avoid his touch and then moved away. She felt uncomfortable when he touched her.

Without saying a word, she walked to the kitchen where Jennel was with Norbert. Katia greeted them with a smile and sat on one of the stools.

She needed to be as far away from Stefan as possible, or things would end badly.

By mid-morning, she didn't know what to do in that vast company.

Ulrich Multinational Corporation was located in the heart of Munich, although due to its expansion, it should have been on the outskirts. The complex where it was situated consisted of several buildings, and each building served as the headquarters for a different delegation, as each one handled different activities.

She found herself bored in the cafeteria of the building where Stefan oversaw everything in the central building. She didn't know how she had ended up agreeing to go with him.

According to Stefan, Madeleine would go straight to the central headquarters, and Katia could wait for her on any of the floors. She inserted the straw into the glass and pushed the ice down, repeating the action several times.

All the employees in the area were looking at her curiously, as it was the first time they had seen her, and they thought she might be a new employee.

"So boring," she said, resting her head in her hand and sighing.

Suddenly, something blocked her view, causing her to remove her head from her hand. She raised her hands and placed them on the hands that were obstructing her vision, and was surprised to feel that they were a woman's hands.

Without hesitation, she turned around and couldn't help but smile.

She stood up with a smile and hugged Madeleine. She was delighted to see her. Then she looked at the small belly she had due to her pregnancy and gently stroked it.

Deep down, Stefan wanted to have a child that was both hers and Oscar's, but on the other hand, she didn't feel ready for it yet. Adri's death was still too recent to allow for such thoughts.

"Now it's more noticeable," Katia commented to her friend.

"I'm already four months along. It's normal... although they say the second pregnancy starts to show more and earlier," Madeleine replied with a smile. "I wanted to call you when your mother told me you were here... but I held back because... well, because she told me he was the one who took you out of your room and helped you when you needed it the most."