She had gone to her room at four thirty in the morning. Although she could barely sleep, because Armand's words kept circling in her head for a long while. By the time she finally fell asleep, it didn't last long since the alarm interrupted her. Even though it was Sunday and she didn't have to work. So, she turned off the alarm and went back to sleep…
2:07 p.m.
She woke up late, and when she did, she noticed her friend was gone.
Her stomach growled in protest. She hadn't been eating properly for days, and it was taking a toll on her. "You're thinner than usual" she remembered Armand's words. "Does he know me?" she wondered, getting out of bed. She shook her head.
Surely she would remember, but her mind couldn't recall any moment where he had appeared. She gathered her things and entered the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and then proceeded to take a shower.
Fifteen minutes later, she put on something comfortable, tied her damp hair, but then let it loose so it could air dry. She grabbed her keys, phone, and a purse.
She wanted to eat outside the hotel.
She left her workplace lost in thought. She was trying to make sense of everything that had been happening to her, but to her, it didn't make sense. She was about to cross the street when screeching tires stopped her. A car had braked suddenly to avoid hitting her.
Her heart was racing from the scare. She looked at the black car and saw a man getting out from the driver's door. Armand stepped out, completely furious. He was wearing dark blue slacks and a white shirt.
"You must be crazy to try and cross the street without looking first!" he exclaimed angrily as he approached her.
Jade, still in shock, said nothing.
Some people began to gather, curious.
Armand pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and sighed. When he opened them, he realized who she was. Maximiliano's friend. The girl from yesterday.
"I'm sorry," he said, regaining his composure. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that." Jade frowned. Yesterday he spoke to her so casually, saying things about her as if they had known each other for years, and now he was addressing her formally. "But you were reckless. Luckily, I saw you in time. Otherwise…"
"Thank you," she cut him off. Armand examined the girl and thought something wasn't right. She looked lost. He thought he shouldn't let her go like that — something worse could happen next time.
Jade picked up her purse, only now realizing she had dropped it. Luckily, her phone was still in her pants pocket.
"I have to go," she said, taking a step forward, but the dark-haired man grabbed her forearm and stopped her.
"It wouldn't be right for me to let you go like this. You don't look well. Something could happen to you. Tell me where you're going, and I'll take you."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she declined.
But Armand wasn't the kind to give up easily, much less accept no for an answer.
"Get in the car. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Just tell me where to."
The blonde sighed in defeat. She didn't have the energy to argue. A faint smile crossed her face as she thought of Dominick—she always had plenty of energy to fight with him.
Armand opened the passenger door for her.
"Thank you," she murmured as she got in. He nodded and walked around to the driver's side.
"Where to?" he asked.
"To any café. I haven't been eating well…" she trailed off, realizing she had said too much. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" she covered her face with her hands.
"No problem," he muttered, giving Jade a brief glance. "I was going to grab something to eat anyway, if you'd like…" he looked at her again, "you can join me."
The blonde thought about it for a few seconds. What did it matter? Even if she didn't know him, he was a friend of Maximiliano's, and that gave him some credibility.
"All right," she agreed, looking out the window.
He nodded again. Twenty minutes later, he parked in front of a small restaurant. Quite simple and cozy.
In silence, they got out of the car and entered the little place. They were greeted by an older woman who enthusiastically welcomed her companion. The blonde frowned when she saw him smile warmly at her.
The day before, and since the incident, he had seemed distant with everyone and utterly bored by those around him. She shook her head—maybe they had known each other for years, and that explained the familiarity.
They reached a table near the back. Jade sat down, and then he did. Instantly, they were approached by a young woman who didn't look nearly as happy to see Armand as the older lady had been.
"Armand," the girl muttered through clenched teeth. She gave Jade a five-second glance full of disdain, and the blonde frowned. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, and definitely not with company."
"Diana," Armand remained neutral, completely unfazed by the girl's tone, which was dripping with contempt. "I arrived from France yesterday and wanted to visit Juliana."
"You've got some nerve. You shouldn't even come back here, let alone bring her…"
"Diana," a woman in her fifties came over, glaring disapprovingly at the girl, who rolled her eyes. "I hope you're taking Armand and his guest's order… Because if not…"
"Juliana, don't worry," Armand said, looking at Diana. "It's the usual."
"Go. I'll take care of them."
The girl turned and walked away visibly annoyed.
Jade stayed silent, pressing herself as close as possible to the back of the chair. She thought that maybe if she didn't move, they would forget about her.
"Would you like to sit and eat with us?" Armand asked Juliana.
"I don't want to be a bother," the woman smiled, the small wrinkles around her eyes deepening.
"Not at all. Jade, right?" Armand narrowed his eyes. "Forgive my indiscretion, but Maximiliano only mentioned your name once last night. I think."
"Yes, that's my name," the blonde murmured, unsure if she could speak too much. She glanced to the side and locked eyes with Diana's deadly stare.
"Armand, how do you not know the girl's name?" Juliana chuckled. "I thought she was… your partner."
"No," Jade blurted out quickly. She figured that being with Armand was the reason for the sharp looks from the younger woman. "The gentleman here is a friend of a friend of mine. A little while ago, he almost ran me over—my fault," she clarified as the older woman widened her eyes. "He kindly offered to take me wherever I needed."
"The young lady was going to eat, and well, here we are," he finished, intertwining his fingers.
"I thought…"
"I'm still single," he announced, looking at the woman with a few grays in her black hair.
"But Armand…"
"Juliana, what do you recommend?" he asked with a smile, changing the subject abruptly. He didn't want to talk about that in front of Jade. "It's been a long time since I've been here. I imagine the menu has changed."
The woman gave a soft smile and nodded.
"Well, I suggest you try the lemon pie. It's delicious…"
In the middle of pleasant conversation, they ate. From time to time, Jade could feel Diana's murderous glare—most of the time aimed at Armand, who seemed very used to it. Juliana had to return to the kitchen, and her companion had stepped into the bathroom.
Her fingers tapped the wood of the table. Her eyes roamed the surface, stopping at the corner of the table where Armand had been sitting.
Discreetly, Jade leaned forward to better see what had caught her attention. Someone had carved into the wood, writing two initials: "A & R."
That definitely caught her attention. She looked around the place and then sat back properly.
Jade rested her head on the table. The image of Dominick flashed in her mind… She shook her head. She needed to stay away from him—it was for the best. Dom represented things she despised, and she couldn't sleep with him, no matter how much her body craved it. She pulled out her phone and thought, checking the time, that she should go visit her father and talk to her sister.
Armand approached, phone in hand.
"Jade," he called, using the informal 'you'. "I have to go. If you want, I can take you back to the hotel. Or would you prefer to stay a bit longer? Juliana seems to like you."
"Yes, but the girl…" she said, referring to Diana, "she killed me with her stare more than once. And you too," she laughed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Armand sighed.
"Diana's a bit… difficult, but she's a good person," he assured her.
"She seems more like insufferable," the blonde said, eyes wide, followed by an awkward giggle. "Sorry again, don't think I always talk badly about people. It's just… I always say what I think, and, well, not everyone likes hearing the truth."
She mentally slapped herself, realizing she was oversharing again.
Armand couldn't help the laugh that escaped. The girl seemed embarrassed by her poor explanation, and he found it amusing.
The blonde frowned, annoyed that he was openly laughing at her.
"Let's get out of here…" he said, his French accent much more noticeable.
From afar, Juliana smiled. She hadn't seen him laugh like that—openly—in a long time. She looked at a photo of her daughter Rosalía and smiled wistfully…
[...]
Armand had dropped her off at the hotel, and she went straight to her room. She planned to shower and visit her home later.
Nerea wasn't there, so she sent her a message saying she was going to visit her dad.
She left her phone charging and went into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she was getting dressed. Once ready, she grabbed her phone, bag, and some money.
She thought she might run into Robinson, but remembered he'd told her he was going to visit his sister.
She also remembered she needed to talk to Maximiliano to see if he had found out anything about the matter that was weighing on her mind. If her suspicions were true… they'd need to be very careful with that girl.
At the bus stop, she put in her earbuds, where Cindy Lauper's Time After Time filled her ears.
When the bus arrived, she got on. Song after song, the trip felt shorter. She paid her fare and got off at her stop, walking the two blocks that remained.
With every step, she told herself to stay calm. She didn't want to argue with anyone—but that was difficult, considering who lived in that house…
She took out her keys as she reached the door, opened it, and hung her coat on one of the hooks.
She sighed and counted to ten.
In the kitchen, her mother and two other women were preparing something. She didn't greet them—she didn't consider them important. She simply crossed the living room, where Elías and his friends were watching the game, eating, and drinking. She rolled her eyes.
"And who's that?" one of the men on the couch asked. "She's really beautiful."
"That's Jade, my wife's eldest daughter," Elías informed him. "Isn't she a stunner?"
Jade frowned at Elías's words. She didn't give them importance and went upstairs. She headed to her room and packed some clothes in her backpack, placing it aside to take with her later.
She went to the kitchen to ask Janeth where her father and Alicia were.
"Janeth, where are my dad and Alicia?" she asked as she opened the fridge and took out the orange juice, then grabbed a glass.
"Janeth, why do you let your daughter talk to you like that? She should show you more respect," said Sofía, crossing her arms.
"Sofía…" Janeth tried to stop her, but she knew once her friend started, there was no silencing her.
Jade raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what the woman would say. She didn't like being disrespectful to elders, but that didn't mean she would tolerate someone who knew nothing about her family situation acting like they had a right to interfere.
"No, Janeth. She's your daughter, and she owes you respect. What's this about calling you by your name? If one of my daughters spoke to me like that—"
"Exactly," the blonde interrupted, taking a glass from the cupboard. "If one of your daughters did that. But I'm not one of them, so stop meddling in things that don't concern you. First of all, you don't know the reason why I call this woman Janeth—she lost the title of 'mother' a long time ago," she said calmly while pouring the juice.
"What a disrespectful girl!" Sofía exclaimed with a gasp of horror.
"You're a nosy old woman, and I don't say anything," Jade shrugged.
"Jade!" Janeth reproached.
"You don't say a word, or I swear you'll hear it from me," she warned, walking toward the kitchen door. But she stopped in the doorway… smiled, turned around, and lifted her chin. "Oh, and Sofía, instead of meddling in other people's lives, why don't you take care of your daughters? Word is, they're spreading their legs for every man they see."
She walked out laughing, while Sofía's curses echoed behind her…