Chapter 8 The Challenge of Distance.
Chapter 8.
The Challenge of Distance.
Alicia waits for no answer. She stands up and leaves the dining room, trembling uncontrollably. She barely manages to reach the nearest hallway, where she hides behind a wall. She allows herself a silent cry, her body shaken by the pain and deep humiliation.
She spends the afternoon locked in her room, seeking refuge in music. She sits down at the grand piano and begins to play a melancholic melody, a piano piece Lucas taught her years ago. The song is laden with pain and sadness for her, and Lucas recognizes it immediately from his study. He knows that music is her silent lament. He approaches her door, stopping at the threshold, listening to the thread of her pain, but despite his concern, he does not enter. The barrier he himself imposed is too strong.
Carolina, meanwhile, notices Lucas’s distance and worry. He cannot stop thinking about that stolen kiss with Alicia and, above all, the surge of desire she made him feel, which contradicts all his prohibitions. Carolina watches him discreetly, sensing something slipping through her fingers.
When night falls, everyone gathers for dinner once more. The table is set, and the silence is overwhelming, broken only by the superficial and forced conversation between Lucas and Carolina. This time, he puts food on Alicia’s plate—an automatic gesture of care that is usual for him, but which now feels laden with tension. Carolina notices Alicia staring fixedly at him when he makes the gesture, a look that contains more questions than gratitude.
“Let’s watch a movie after dinner, Alicia, want to join us?” Carolina asks, trying to create a familiar atmosphere.
“I’d like to, but I have some very urgent university assignments to finish,” Alicia replies, unwilling to give in to the family pretense.
Carolina doesn't let her finish speaking and delivers a subtle blow:
“Alicia, do you not like my presence? Don’t you want me here? It hasn’t just been about the food; you also evade spending time with us. Since I arrived, I’ve noticed a certain tension between you and your uncle; that makes me think it’s because of me. I just want us to unite, as we will soon be a family, and I thought we could reconnect during this time. I know the presence of a stranger in the house is difficult, but I am your uncle’s woman; you can trust me.”
Alicia, feeling an icy fury, keeps the biting comment in her mind and stares at Carolina with a feverish intensity that makes the other woman mentally recoil.
“I have nothing against you, Carolina; I simply have things to do. It’s not meant to make you feel threatened; I just like to maintain my personal space. I have my own boundaries. It has nothing to do with you.”
“What a shame,” Carolina says with a dramatic sigh. “I thought we could connect as a family. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or cause tension between you. We just wanted to have a pleasant evening.”
“We are going to watch the movie,” Lucas finally intervenes, his voice heavy and decisive, putting an end to the uncomfortable exchange.
“I have assignments, Uncle,” Alicia insists, holding her ground.
“You can do them later,” Lucas sentences. “We will watch the movie. Then, after Carolina and I leave, you can continue with your activities.”
Alicia says nothing more. The order has been given. She concentrates on eating while Lucas, despite his iron attitude, discreetly watches her, analyzing her every move.
After finishing the meal, she takes a seat in the living room, choosing a distant, single sofa. Lucas and Carolina sit on the main sofa in the middle. Carolina clings possessively to Lucas’s chest, and they put on a shark movie, Carolina’s favorite. During the film, Alicia’s cell phone starts ringing. She checks the screen and smiles slightly, a genuine smile of relief and flirtation, which is immediately noticed by Lucas, who feels an unsettling suspicion run through his body. He tries to ignore it, but Alicia, deliberately ignoring the movie and focusing on her phone, keeps smiling. Her silent flirting visibly tenses him.
“Give me the phone,” Lucas orders, his voice a loud tone that interrupts the movie and the atmosphere.
“Really?” she asks, with a tone of sharp reproach and defiance.
“Hand over the phone, Alicia. It is disrespectful.”
“I’m not a child, Uncle; this is ridiculous. This is an invasion of my personal space and my boundaries.”
She gets up angrily and leaves the room.
Lucas immediately stands up, ignoring Carolina’s warning call, and follows her, catching up to her in the hallway. He grabs her arm forcefully, causing her to fall suddenly against his chest. They look at each other agitatedly; they are so close they could kiss again. Alicia lowers her head, feeling his breath in her hair. She feels him, with a quick and possessive movement, snatch the phone from her hand.
“Who are you writing to with such interest?” he asks, in a tone that borders on jealousy.
She stares fixedly at him, and upon seeing Carolina’s silhouette slowly approaching down the hallway, she pulls away from him with calculated coldness.
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy the movie in peace, without interruptions. I have more interesting things to do. Good evening.”
She walks up the stairs with a calm she doesn’t feel, noticing Lucas’s intense gaze on her. Her lips curve into a subtle smile.
Is that jealousy, Lucas? she wonders. For Alicia, this game has just changed. She now has the tools to create the distance he demanded, and the perfect weapon to test the limits of his self-control.
Lucas, for his part, moves, ignoring Carolina. He grabs his jacket and moves toward the living room, focusing on her.
“Let’s go, I’ll drive you home.”
“But the movie isn’t even over.”
“I’m tired, let’s go back.”
Carolina cannot say anything more; she follows him, grabbing her things, and they leave together.
Meanwhile, in her room, Alicia does nothing but think about the vein throbbing on his forehead and the contained rage in his eyes. She has no doubt; that is jealousy, which gives her a small warmth in her chest, a trace of hope.
Knowing that Lucas checks every night to see if she is asleep, she changes, putting on a very short pair of shorts that barely cover her bottom and a nightgown, and settles into bed, freshly showered, without covering up. She pretends to be asleep when she hears his Ferrari roar back. It is here that her heart begins to beat fast; she is nervous because she doesn't know what she's doing. Her best friend gave her advice on how to seduce a man, and although her friend doesn't know about her feelings for her uncle, her advice is a mixture of mischief for Alicia, who positions herself face down, with her rear exposed. “Let the game begin, Uncle. Let’s see if it’s true that I don’t provoke anything in you.”