Stronger Than Fate

Chapter 1

“We walked without looking for each other, but knowing that we were walking to find each other”

—Julio Cortázar

I had moved to the hotel two years ago and lived in the presidential suite located on the top floor of the building, and I loved living there, surrounded by people and hustle and bustle.

On the contrary, my brothers detested the noise of the hotel and each had their own apartment, so I was the only one in the family who was settled there.

What was indisputable was that the three of us dedicated a lot of time to the business with responsibility and absolute commitment.

That’s why I hadn’t taken a few days off in a long time and also why I was so excited about my upcoming trip, but to leave with peace of mind I wanted to leave everything organized.

The next day I was leaving for the Greek island of Mykonos with my friend Sol.

There we planned to stay for ten days with the goal of enjoying ourselves, resting, having fun, and spending lots of time at the beach.

When I finished reviewing all the reports, I raised my arms to stretch my back and a big smile appeared on my face. My leave had begun. I turned off the computer, tidied up the desk a bit, and sent a message to my brothers. We had a WhatsApp group named “The Dukarts” after our paternal surname.

“Little brothers, I left everything finished.

See you when I get back from vacation.

Take care of the hotel.

Love you ”

Lolo:

“Take good care of yourself and behave.

Don’t drink alcohol, don’t go out with boys, and

under no circumstances go topless ”

Bastián:

“I second Lolo’s words and add no nighttime outings!

I started laughing because I was used to these kinds of suggestions, to put it mildly, from my brothers.

My response:

“”

Lolo:

“I don’t know about you, Bastián, but I don’t like those devils at all.

I feel like booking a flight to keep an eye on her”

Bastián:

“I liked them even less!

Check flight schedules”

Me:

“Let’s see if this makes you happy now:

”

Lolo:

“That’s better.

Have a good trip and enjoy your well-deserved vacation.

Take care. We'll stay in touch”

Bastián:

“I love you, little demon.

Enjoy, rest, and take care”

Me:

“I love you both more”

I put my phone away with a big smile. As I was heading toward the elevators, I felt like going to the hotel bar to chat a bit with Billy and have a beer.

Billy was Lolo's friend and, since he was a bartender, we had hired him to manage and be in charge of the hotel bar.

I had a nice relationship with him and would occasionally stop by for a chat.

I entered the bar, walked to the counter, and sat on a stool in one of the corners. Billy saw me right away and came over to greet me.

“Hi, Dalina, how have you been? It's been several days since you last came by,” he greeted me.

“How are you, Billy? Yes, you're right, I've been swamped with work and end up so tired that I go straight to bed.

Sorry for not stopping by to say hello. The truth is I wanted to finish several reports since I'm leaving on a trip tomorrow.

Yes, you heard right, after such a long time, I'm finally taking a few days off.”

“That's great, gorgeous! I'm very happy for you. Where are you going?”

“Mykonos, in Greece.”

“Spectacular! Enjoy yourself and rest because that vacation is more than deserved.”

“Thanks, Billy.”

“What can I get you?”

“A nice cold beer.”

Billy walked away to get my beer, and I sat contemplating the hotel's beautiful bar.

That night it was packed with people and the atmosphere was lively.

I looked at Billy and saw him talking sweetly with a girl who had approached the bar.

Billy was a handsome guy, the same age as Lolo, and he never missed the opportunities his job at the bar provided to leave with company, although during working hours he was always very responsible, respectful, and competent.

I noticed he whispered something in the girl's ear and she smiled flirtatiously, then he headed toward me.

“Billy, you don't need to stay with me, you know what I mean, go ahead,” I suggested.

“Hey, don't say that! You're my friend and I love talking with you, plus you're my boss, so I have to make a good impression,” he said, winking and laughing.

“Stop being silly! And really, don't hesitate to go talk to that girl. I'll finish my beer and go to sleep because I'm exhausted.”

“But don't leave on my account because I love having you here. Besides, you're going to be away for several days, and I want to take advantage of chatting with you for a while.”

“Alright, I'll keep that in mind, but I'm really not staying long.”

“Stay a bit so we can chat. Excuse me now, I have some customers to attend to. The place is completely full today. I'll be right back.”

Billy walked away, and just as I was bringing the beer glass to my lips, an unfamiliar voice, husky and sensual, paralyzed me.

“May I buy you a drink?”

I turned to my left to face the owner of that voice, and if the voice had made me shiver, his entire presence left me hypnotized.

The man beside me was attractive and sexy as hell.

His beautiful eyes, as light blue as the sky on a sunny day, observed me carefully waiting for my answer.

His hair was dark, and his features were perfect and very masculine.

He was standing next to me, and his height made me have to look up to see him—he must have been close to six feet three inches tall, with an athletic and sexy-as-sin physique.

I swallowed and forced my brain to react.

“Thank you, but I already have a drink,” I responded, lifting my beer.

“May I join you, then?”

“I was just leaving,” I replied.

I was used to men approaching me trying to “chat,” because when they often saw me alone at the bar, they assumed I was a woman looking for a romantic adventure.

That attitude annoyed me tremendously, so I always responded rudely and left quickly.

In this case, I must admit that this man had made me consider the possibility of staying a bit longer, but I wasn't the type to hook up with strangers, no matter how handsome and irresistible they might be.

“So early?” he asked.

“It's not that early when you have to get up at dawn.”

“Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Henry Woollard.”

“Pleased to meet you, I'm Dalina Dukart,” I responded.

“Are you staying at this hotel?” he asked, sitting on the stool next to mine.

“Yes,” was my brief response. I wasn't about to tell him I was the owner and lived here—that information I didn't share with strangers.

The entire time his eyes were fixed on mine, only looking away when his gaze dropped to my lips. I was sure no one had ever looked at me the way this man did; he looked at me as if I were the most exquisite delicacy placed before his eyes, and that had made me nervous.

“You?” I asked.

“No, I just came for the marketing and development conference that was held in one of this hotel's meeting rooms, and then decided to stop by here for a drink. I'm glad I did,” he stated, looking at me with that captivating gaze.

I had forgotten that one of the rooms was rented for that event today.

I knew that more than 200 people had attended, and at that moment I understood why there was so much noise in the hotel that night.

I had been invited as a speaker because I was quite well-known as a professional in the field and because I had presented on these topics on several occasions, but I had to decline the invitation because I knew that, leaving the next day, I would have a lot of work to finish and little time to do it.

“Is that what you do?” I asked, just to say something.

“No, I’m a lawyer, but I run my company and in these matters you always have to stay up to date, plus I was invited.”

“It’s always good to stay updated,” I said, and I stood up to leave. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Henry Woollardy.”

He surprised me by taking my arm and looking at me intensely. The powerful magnetism stunned me, and I think something similar happened to him because he looked at me with confusion.

“Stay a little longer. Give us the chance to get to know each other,” he asked, and his beautiful, penetrating eyes made my heart beat at a dizzying pace.

“I can’t,” I said, hesitantly, “tomorrow I have to be at the airport very early.”

“You can make an effort,” he stated, and I nearly melted right there from the pleading tone he used.

“Is everything okay over here, Dalina?” Billy interrupted, standing in front of us but behind the bar.

“Everything’s fine, Billy. I was talking with Mr. Woollardy about the conference that was held today in one of the hotel’s rooms,” I said immediately, because Billy was looking at him with a murderous face.

Henry Woollardy was also looking at him seriously, but he didn’t release my arm.

“Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be watching,” Billy said, looking at the hand that was closed around my arm, and he withdrew, but not before giving Henry a warning look.

“Who is he?” he asked, when Billy was far enough away.

“He’s a friend,” I replied, surprised by the seriousness in his voice.

“I see,” he said, rising from his stool and looking at me with an accusing gaze. “You could have told me and we would have saved ourselves this awkward moment.”

“What?” was all I could say; it was obvious that this man was thinking there was some kind of romantic relationship between Billy and me.

“Enjoy your time with your ‘friend,’” he said with irony, turned, and left.

I stood watching him, completely surprised by his comment and absorbed in his image.

His walk was elegant and confident, and he radiated sensuality and masculinity.

He was dressed in a blue suit, white shirt, and a tie in shades of blue and white, and everything looked spectacular on him.

As I watched him walk away, for a few minutes I felt a melancholy that disturbed me.

He didn’t even look back, he walked out of the bar with firm steps and I lost sight of him.

When I emerged from the confusion I had been left in, I turned and looked at Billy who was watching me from the other end of the bar.

I raised my arm to say goodbye and he responded.

“Have a good trip!” I heard him shout as I was leaving.

I looked at him and gave him a thumbs up to thank him for his farewell.

I left there and instinctively looked for Henry, but there was no trace of him.

I headed toward the elevators with the certainty that I had never met a man as confident and attractive as him.

I shook my head in denial. There was no point in continuing to think about him.

It would be better to focus on my trip and all the wonderful things ahead of me.

When I reached my suite, I took a shower and got into bed. When sleep overcame me, my fantasies featured those beautiful and hypnotic blue eyes.