Chapter 53 Chapter 53.

Chapter 53 Chapter 53.
Chapter 53.

The silence following the reprimand is eloquent. Not only is Lucas jealous, but the subject of Alicia is so sensitive that he silenced Carolina in front of her. This confirms to Carolina that he is jealous not as an uncle, but as a lover who fears losing his partner.
Carolina’s mind begins to spin. The scandal is her ultimate weapon, but betrayal comes at a price. There is a way to punish Alicia and weaken Lucas's trust without yet exposing the photos. Lucas is competitive, possessive, jealous. If she can sow the doubt that Alicia is close to a rival—a young man, free from the constraints of family and business—Lucas's trust will surely vanish. The bond of forbidden passion is based on secrecy and exclusivity. A rival is the great opportunity to weaken their relationship.
Carolina smiles, a slow and dangerous smile. She already has the photos as a trump card. But the immediate plan is more subtle, more cruel. She is going to use Lucas’s jealousy to self-destruct Alicia’s emotional refuge. The game is just beginning.

The Dispute.

The tension at dinner in the mansion is a taut wire, ready to snap. Lucas and Alicia are alone at the table; Carolina fakes a migraine to give herself the opportunity to listen in secret.
“I do not agree with you staying out of the house tonight,” Lucas says, his voice low but firm. The tone is not a suggestion, but an order tinged with the possessiveness that he just confirmed to Carolina.
Alicia looks up from her plate, her eyes tired but resolved. “Lucas, I told you, the graduation project is critical. We need the entire night, without interruptions, to finalize the logistics and the speech. I can’t interrupt everyone’s work to come back here to sleep.”
“And why can’t they work here?” Lucas insists. “It’s safer. I don’t trust you being out in the city at these hours, especially with the corporate scandal we are facing. You should be focused on the company.”
“I am focused on the company and my future,” Alicia retorts, a slight tremor in her voice from frustration. “And my future needs that degree. It's a group, Lucas. I’m not going to a bar. Besides, I am not your employee or your hostage; I am an adult woman.”
The reference to adulthood and independence is a direct blow to their unacknowledged relationship.
“This isn’t about that,” Lucas snaps, lowering his voice even further, his face tense. “It’s about security and respect for what we have.”
“What we have is a secret and a crisis,” Alicia says bitterly. “I need space to breathe. I'm leaving after dinner.”
Lucas clenches his jaw, knowing that arguing more will only complicate things further. He surrenders with a sigh of defeat loaded with threat. “Fine. But I want you to send me a text message every two hours. Every two hours, Alicia. Understood.”
Alicia nods, knowing she has won a battle but lost a portion of trust.
Carolina listens to the discussion from the living room threshold. Lucas’s jealousy is so palpable she could touch it. A rival. That is what she needs to turn Lucas against Alicia. She needs a man who is not only young and attractive but who represents a world foreign to Lucas—a world of university freedom and danger.
Carolina takes out her cell phone and sends a message to Vargas, the detective. She doesn’t ask him to seduce Alicia, but to identify a candidate within the university circle, a man with potential for intrigue.
Her own plan, however, is more direct. She thinks of Alexei. Alexei is not a student, but a young engineer from her social circle, known for his audacity and rejection of formalities.
The next day, Carolina makes a few calls. She doesn't need to seduce Alicia; she needs to place an interesting man in her path and make sure Lucas finds out. Carolina suggests to Alexei that he discretely follow her and find an opportunity to approach Alicia.
The plan is in motion.
Alicia leaves the mansion with a sense of both freedom and guilt. She drives to the technology warehouse that sells specialized equipment, near the campus. She needs a very high-luminosity projector for the graduation presentation.
The warehouse is a labyrinth of cables and equipment. Alicia, concentrated on the catalog, accidentally bumps into another customer in the narrow projector aisle.
“Oh, excuse me, I didn't see you,” Alicia apologizes, looking up.
In front of her is a man in his mid-twenties, tall, with messy brown hair and piercing light blue eyes. He wears a worn leather jacket and projects a carefree, magnetic energy.
“No problem,” he replies with an easy, charming smile. “I was too distracted discussing the merits of DLP versus LCD technology. A vital debate, you know.”
“Engineer?” Alicia asks, amused by his tone.
“Something like that. Alexei. And you, are you looking for the magic of lumens for an apocalyptic event?”
“Alicia. And yes, something similar. A graduation project. I need it to look sharp even on the moon,” she explains, finding a lightness in the conversation she hadn't felt for days.
They share a few minutes discussing technical specifications. Alexei is sharp, intelligent, and his energy is an antidote to the oppressive atmosphere of the office. They say goodbye with a simple, “Good luck with your apocalypse, Alicia.”
She leaves the warehouse with the projector and a strange sense of lightness. The encounter was brief and innocent, but refreshing.
Alicia arrives at Sofía’s house and dives into work. The night unfolds in a frenzy of charts, code, and coffee. She fulfills her promise, sending short texts to Lucas every two hours: All good. Working. Progress is good.
At 3 AM, Alicia takes a break. She goes out to the building’s covered parking lot to fetch a package of papers from her red Ferrari. The building is an upper-middle-class apartment complex, home to many students and young professionals, including Alexei’s aunt.
As she searches the backseat, a small dog, a rambunctious Corgi, loose in the parking lot, approaches the car excitedly. The dog jumps onto the Ferrari’s wheel, and the Corgi’s bump against the tire triggers the car alarm with a shrill clang that breaks the early morning silence.
Alicia curses under her breath and rushes to deactivate the alarm.
“Excuse me! Milo, no!”
She turns and sees the same man from the projector center, Alexei, approaching quickly, embarrassed.
“Oh, sorry! Milo is a demon! I thought he was sleeping already. He’s my aunt’s pet. I’m visiting here for a few days,” Alexei explains, grabbing the Corgi. “I didn’t expect to run into you again here.”
“Don’t worry,” Alicia says, smiling despite the scare. “My car is just too sensitive.”