Chapter 28
Alice Mendes
Oliver walked straight past and locked himself in his office. What was going on with him? He seemed… jealous of Gabriel. No, I must be losing my mind. There's no way he'd be jealous over me.
I couldn't stop thinking about it until it was time to leave. I knocked twice on his door, and it swung open right away.
“If you don't need anything else, I'm heading out.”
“Go ahead, you're dismissed,” he replied coldly.
Just then, Alberto showed up.
“Ready for a wild night? We're getting wasted tonight!” he said with a loud laugh.
I looked at Oliver and felt a knot in my stomach. I knew he wasn't just going out to “drink.” I turned away, grabbed my purse, and left. I heard him call after me, but I ignored him. I took the stairs—the elevator would take too long, and I couldn't stand to look at his face. Not today. Not now.
I got home, tossed my purse aside, and went straight to the shower.
The hot water streaming over me wasn't enough to wash away what I was feeling.
I was furious at the way Oliver had treated me all day.
He hadn't promised me anything, he didn't owe me anything, but…
it still hurt. It hurt like I'd been used.
I tried to push that thought away. Alberto had a reputation, and I couldn't get it out of my head.
After my shower, I threw on my robe and went to make dinner. Catarina was already home, but I wasn't in the mood to talk. I threw something together and called out to her:
“Cata, dinner's ready!” I shouted from the kitchen.
She came right over, smiling.
“Hey, why didn't you wait for me? I didn't even see you leave.”
“I was in a hurry to get home. Just eat, okay… it was a rough day.”
She picked up on my tone and didn't push it. We ate in silence, washed the dishes, and went to bed. I needed time. I felt confused, hurt, and… worse, in love.
The next day, when I got to the executive floor, Oliver was already there. I went through my usual routine, took a deep breath, and knocked on his door. As soon as I walked in, he stood up—but I spoke first:
“Please, don't come any closer. Let's keep things professional. We're boss and employee here—nothing more.”
He looked at me, surprised.
“Hey, what's going on? I just went out for drinks last night. I didn't do anything wrong.”
“You don't owe me any explanations, Oliver. We spent a weekend together, and… what happened here, in your office—we need to forget it. We're not committed to each other.”
“What do you mean, 'forget'?” He stepped closer, irritated. “What happened between us didn't mean anything to you?”
I took a deep breath.
“We can't keep doing this. You're my boss. What will people think if they find out?” He cupped my face firmly.
“You're not running away from me. You're mine! And I'm not letting you go that easily, you hear me? You're my Alice, and no one else's.” His hand tightened slightly on my chin.
Before I could react, he kissed me. A hungry, intense kiss that stole my breath and my common sense. By the time I knew what was happening, I'd already given in—the way I always did in his arms. But then, suddenly, he stopped. He looked at me with a crooked, provocative smile.
“You want more, don't you?” he murmured, brushing his lips against mine. “But for now, that's all you get. I want you to remember who you belong to.”
“I don't belong to anyone,” I replied, trying to pull myself together. But inside, I knew it was a lie. No matter how much I denied it, my body and my heart were already his.
He smiled, satisfied, and murmured:
“Yes, you're mine. And no one else's.”
I didn't respond. I let the silence speak for me. I was in love. And I was scared, because I knew this wasn't going to end well.
My birthday came, and amazingly, it was perfect. I got flowers, and that night, Oliver took me out to dinner. It was one of the best days of my life.We were getting along so well… at least until that moment.
A few days later, Gabriel showed up to drop off the invitations for the week's cocktail party.
“Hello, Alice, how are you?” he said, perching on the corner of my desk.
“Fine, thank you, Mr. Gabriel.”
“I've told you not to call me that,” he said with a smile. “I stopped by to drop off your invitation… and to invite you to lunch.”
Before I could answer, Oliver stepped out of his office.His eyes landed on us—and I didn't like what I saw.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked coldly, crossing his arms.
Gabriel laughed. “I was just inviting your lovely assistant to lunch with me.”
“She already has plans with me. Get lost.” Oliver’s voice was firm, possessive.
“Sir, he was just being polite,” I tried to smooth things over, but his glare cut right through me.
Gabriel raised his hands, laughing.“All right, I get it. See you later, gorgeous.” And he blew me a kiss before leaving.
Oliver stepped closer.
“I don’t want him hanging around here bothering you.”
“Are you jealous of Gabriel?” I asked, a smile playing on my face.
“I’m not jealous. I’m just taking care of what’s mine.”
“I already told you I’m not yours, and we need to stop this at work before someone notices.” I turned to organize my papers, but a voice behind us sliced through the air.
“Especially since he has a fiancée, sweetheart.”
We turned around. A beautiful woman, all done up—the type who oozes arrogance. I didn’t need to ask.
“What are you doing here, Andréa?” Oliver asked.
Bingo. I was right. Without saying a word, I grabbed my purse and left, letting them sort it out. My heart ached, but I knew: this story was far from over.