Chapter 5
"Don't you think it's a bit strange that she suddenly appears and proposes something this good?" Maria asks, sitting across from Ursula in her office while they wait for their meeting with Trinidad Aleman.
The lawyer remains suspicious, the businesswoman's distrustful attitude offended her so much that now she's the one who doesn't trust her.
"Why should I find it strange? She has money and a project she wants to execute, one that aligns closely with something I'm used to doing, so I don't see why joining forces with her for this could be bad, Maria," Ursula responds while observing her best friend's grimace of displeasure.
"Besides, she's right about one thing, there are many women living in extreme risk situations, women who the justice system fails and have nowhere to hide, they're not even safe in our houses, but if we get them out of the country with a new identity, their chances of starting over and having a normal life increase considerably. "
"I agree with that, but this woman, I don't know, she's weird," she argues thoughtfully, "there's something about her that doesn't add up."
The first thing Maria did after Ursula explained what she'd discussed with Trinidad was to search the businesswoman's name to confirm she actually had sufficient financial means to carry out what she proposed and ensure she wasn't just selling smoke.
However, despite having verified that the woman owns a company that generates much more revenue than Maria would have imagined, she still doesn't trust her.
Something in her instinct tells her there's more than meets the eye.
"What bothers you is that she didn't want to speak in front of you," Ursula mocks, with a teasing smile that Maria would like to slap off her face.
"I thought she was very stupid, what did she think with all that secrecy? That you wouldn't tell me?" she asks, offended like a child, crossing her arms.
"Why does that matter, Maria?"
"It matters a lot to me," she responds, standing up to pace around the office. "I can't stand these women who think that because they're hot and have lots of money, they can come in giving orders for everything to be done their way."
Ursula arches an eyebrow, amused by her friend's reaction.
"So she's hot."
"Are you blind or what's wrong with you?" Maria blinks confused, stopping to look at her boss.
Ursula sketches half a smile and leans forward, resting her elbows on the desk.
"I see perfectly well. She should be here soon. Go down and receive her."
"Well, this is the limit, am I her servant now? Should we roll out a red carpet too?" the lawyer becomes indignant, nearly steaming from her ears.
"Maria, go," Ursula orders firmly, "and if possible, don't sleep with this one," she adds as Maria turns, causing her to stop dead in her tracks by the door.
"Are you crazy? I'd never sleep with such an egotistical woman no matter how attractive I find her," she responds with disdain.
Maria leaves the office so angry that she takes the stairs instead of the elevator. When she crosses the building's door, Trinidad hasn't arrived yet and she regrets forgetting her pack of cigarettes, so she asks the security guard for one with a gesture that reveals her irritation.
"Tough day?" the man asks while offering her a light.
"You have no idea," she responds dryly, stepping down from the entrance to position herself to the side and wait.
She's enjoying her third drag, entertained watching the smoke dissipate in the air, when a black Mercedes with tinted windows enters the premises.
Maria doesn't need to see who's in the back seat to know Trinidad is there, because she recognizes the driver as the man who stuck to her when she approached Ursula.
The driver's door opens, and Maria is surprised when the right rear door opens at the same time.
She expected someone with Trinidad's ego to wait for her chauffeur to open it, but the man doesn't have time to approach when Maria sees a leg and an elegant high heel and immediately, Trinidad emerging from the vehicle wearing a white suit that fits her so perfectly that Maria nearly chokes on the smoke.
Trinidad closes the door with a fluid movement and gathers part of her long, wavy light brown hair that reminds Maria of the color of hazelnuts under sunlight.
"Good morning," Trinidad greets approaching Maria. Everything about her is so perfect that Maria wants to hit her.
Ursula's personal assistant returns the greeting while crushing her cigarette in the ashtray and blowing her last drag's smoke to the side, trying to keep it from reaching Trinidad, though deep down, she'd like to blow it in her face.
"If you'd be so kind as to follow me," she says with her best smile when pointing to the door, though inside she feels an inexplicable irritation.
Maria opens it and is surprised when Trinidad's chauffeur also enters behind her.
The man moves with the precision and stealth of a trained bodyguard, in Maria's eyes, and this only increases her curiosity and wariness.
She makes no comment about it while they walk, not even when they enter the elevator and he, very quiet and discreet, positions himself in the back while Maria glances at him sideways.
Then she shifts her gaze to Trinidad, who remains stiff as a reed in front of the door as if she's in a hurry to conduct the meeting and leave the building as soon as possible.
The elevator's confined space makes Maria more aware of the businesswoman's presence, her perfume, the tension emanating from her posture.
Maria can't stand silences, but she can't think of anything to say and Trinidad doesn't seem interested in talking to her either, which makes her increasingly furious.
The doors open and Maria exits making her heels resound forcefully through the hallway until they reach Ursula's office door, where she stops and turns around with a sharp movement.
"I'm sorry, but he can't enter," she suddenly blurts out pointing at Benjamin, experiencing certain satisfaction at seeing the bewilderment on Trinidad's face.
Trinidad seems to hesitate at that moment and Maria is stunned when she realizes that she's probably considering not entering if she can't be accompanied by this man.
For an instant, the lawyer has the sensation that something like fear crosses the businesswoman's eyes, but it only lasts that, a moment.
"Go in, Trinidad," he speaks and she seems to calm down, awakening an uncontrollable curiosity in Maria, "I'll be right here," Benjamin points to where he stands.
For a moment, Maria sees such vulnerability in Trinidad's expression that she considers letting the man in, but decides not to in order to check if she appears as confident as the other night without having him shadowing her.
"Let's go," Maria says opening the door, but just before entering, she stops and turns to Trinidad, "by the way, as Ursula's lawyer, this time I'll also be present, I hope you don't mind," she says satisfied, savoring her small victory.
Trinidad raises her gaze to fix it on Maria for just an instant, enough for her to see the fierceness in those honey-colored eyes, an intensity that makes her body shiver for no apparent reason.
"Not at all," Trinidad responds with a voice that sounds cold and controlled while entering the office.
Ursula stands to receive the guest and the three sit at a round table located in front of a window in a corner of the office.
For more than two hours, the two businesswomen discuss Trinidad's proposal, giving it shape and molding it while Maria takes notes on her tablet and makes some legal insertions when Ursula forgets them despite also being a lawyer.
"I think we can do very good things," Ursula says pleased when everything is clear and they decide to carry out the project.
"That's the idea," Trinidad answers.
"Well, if you agree, Maria will draft the collaboration agreement as we've discussed and will pass it to your lawyer to review all the clauses," Ursula proposes changing her posture.
"I have one more to add," Trinidad says and Maria's eyes fix on her like slits.
"And what's that?" Ursula asks.
"Whatever we do together, I don't want my image to appear publicly under any circumstances."
Maria frowns, distrustful, and takes note when Ursula nods.
"Agreed," Ursula responds and Maria pierces her with her gaze for not asking the reasons, "well I think that's everything."
Trinidad smiles and stands up, extending a hand to Ursula that then, to Maria's surprise, she also extends to her and squeezes firmly.
"I'll wait for your call then. No need to show me out."
The businesswoman says goodbye and Maria turns to Ursula with her mouth open.
"See how weird she is? Who invests all that money in a social project of this magnitude and then doesn't want their image to appear anywhere? Not to mention that man she doesn't detach from," Maria fires, increasingly annoyed.
"She'll have her reasons, Maria," her boss resolves.
"You like her," the lawyer concludes.
"Yes, plus she has an expression in her eyes that I don't know, it reminds me of something I can't quite place."
"Well, I think she's a predator."
Ursula laughs when she realizes that Maria has Trinidad in her crosshairs and that it's going to take a lot of patience until it passes.
"Get started on the agreement, come on, I'd like to begin as soon as possible."
"I will, but first I'm going to investigate her," Maria decides.
Ursula arches her eyebrows.
"Really? Aren't you getting a bit paranoid?"
"Say what you want, but to me she seems more like a mobster than a businesswoman, I'm sure what she wants is to launder money through your organizations."
Ursula shakes her head slowly while sighing, thinking Maria is exaggerating, but if her right hand wants to investigate the businesswoman, she won't be the one to stop her either.
"Fine, investigate her if you want, but you do it after drafting the contract and before we go to sign it."
"Of course," Maria stands up very determined, convinced that she'll find something that will get this agreement dissolved before signing it.