### (ALEXANDRA)

The bathtub is full of foam, properly scented with the essential oils I love so much. I’m completely immersed, except for my head, and a lit cigarette rests between my fingers. The ashtray is perched on a bedside table right next to me, and classical music resonates from the speakers strategically placed around the room. My skin is wrinkled from the time I've spent here, but I don’t want to leave anytime soon.

A week ago, James and I finally reached a mutual agreement in our planning. We would do it the original way, without any changes until the new information coming to me was genuinely relevant and usable to ensure everything would run perfectly. Although initially opposed, his argument was quite plausible. All I had was a possible face, a possible name, and a potential new opportunity for revenge, but nothing truly concrete. Speculation—nothing more. If I wanted to seize that chance, I needed to gather more information. Useful information, preferably.

This is where someone from Donovan and Gavin's inner circle came into play, someone neutral who couldn't be linked to us and always loyally supported the decisions, whatever they were, of the CEO and vice CEO of Urus. Besides being a strong financial ally, they could also provide us with some personal information.

Apparently, our plan was working. With the necessary persuasion and a bit of false data mixed with the real ones, we managed to convince that it wasn't so safe to establish lifelong and highly profitable contracts with their company, and one of the representatives had backed out. The informant himself gave me the news, and now I was relaxing and enjoying the first of many delights to come.

How would James react to the news? We would meet that night and have dinner at a fancy restaurant in Cabo Frio, where I currently am. One of the best things about being rich is having multiple houses in various cities and just choosing which one to stay in.

As if my mere thought was enough to draw him like a moth to a flame, I hear my phone vibrating. He can call as much as he wants; I’m not leaving my bath anytime soon.

I imagine how the all-powerful Donovan must have felt, though he would never let it show. I know he never liked me much, as if he knew from the beginning that Gavin and I would end up on opposite sides. And to think he had already accepted the invitation to be our wedding godfather... Life is a box of surprises and disappointments.

I admired the man’s leadership and confidence, but it was obvious he had a big problem. It was in his eyes, his shoulders. His strength wasn't genuine; he still hadn’t reached the necessary coldness, the hot blood that living in this world demanded. It was strange to see someone with that kind of warmth in a nest of vipers. One of the other lessons I learned in this environment was this: the weak use their heart, and the strong, their mind.

I close my eyes. Weak or not, he still held a huge prominent position... For now.

Who was that woman sitting on the park bench?

I know I shouldn't focus so much on it, but something told me not to let go of the possibility of using it to my advantage. I only had a stupid low-resolution photo to prove it, but my sharp sense simply saw something there. That girl was important enough to have the two most important figures in the business world in recent years by her side. By her posture and attire, she wasn’t someone from our circle, nor a businesswoman. So... Why her?

The phone vibrates again. I still decide not to answer and instead to get dressed. I get up, stirring the murky water around me, and step out of the bathtub. Naked, I head to the closet and put on my favorite robe while choosing what to wear for the big night. The first of many to come.

I decide to wear the bright red dress that always highlighted the color of my eyes. And now, of course, it would perfectly match my newly dyed hair. Ever since I dyed my hair that color, I’ve felt different. More powerful, more inclined to triumph.

After a good look in the mirror, I finally head towards the phone and check the recent calls.

None from James.

An unknown and apparently restricted number. I frown. What does that mean? I want to call back, but since the number isn't identified, I can't return the call. Who would be the idiot calling me? What kind of stupid joke was that?

I decide to let it go. After all, good things were coming, and I couldn't waste my time with insignificant distractions.

Although, seemingly insignificant, some things were worth checking out. I message Ketlin.

"I need your help."

She responds after a while, making a huge smile appear on my face.

"That's what I'm here for."

. . . . . . . . . .

### (DONOVAN)

The first thing I noticed when Gavin arrived was the obvious: Amanda wasn’t with him. That meant she was probably alone in his apartment, and that alone was a miracle. It meant that he, paranoid as he was, believed it was safe to leave her alone for a while without major surprises or unforeseen events. The relationship between them was so deep and transparent that actions like this revealed exactly what I had been suspecting in recent weeks.

It was obvious I was approaching a dangerous precipice. I simply couldn’t disguise my nervousness, so I never let my hands be free. I discreetly wiped the sweat from my face. Calm and completely still, Gavin watched my ordeal. Wise decision. I would probably explode much faster if he decided to intervene.

I took another sip of my iced mate and nibbled on one of the butter cookies I ordered earlier. I offered the tray to Gavin, who declined. Then he said:

"So...?"

I looked deeply into his eyes. That man was my best friend, business partner, supporter in difficult times, and always helped me when I needed it. He did have his flaws, but just like me, he was human and had the right to make mistakes. There was no way to always be right, and it was foolish of me to act like an anxious and territorial animal. But that was exactly what I was doing. I took a deep breath.

"We had a slight drop in our revenue."

"Yes. We lost a representative, you said."

"Exactly. The person responsible for our negotiations in Shanghai simply jumped ship. He didn't even want to schedule a hearing or justify his departure."

Gavin took a sip from his own cup and continued listening attentively.

"Rebecca was the one who told me, by the way. She didn’t tell anyone before coming to inform me personally."

"She’s an excellent employee."

"Yes, she is," I quickly said. "Our drop wasn’t very big, but sudden, and that scares me. I hope it’s an isolated incident, but... It’s all very strange. We weren’t even notified."

"What do we know about this man who left?"

"I don’t know much about him personally, only that our contract was relatively recent. And, of course, there was no reason for such a sudden termination. Rebecca didn’t say it, but I know we impose fines in these cases. And this guy was absolutely willing to dissociate from us, even paying a fee for it." I started speaking quickly, drinking more tea and trying to stay calm, though it was getting increasingly difficult.

Gavin obviously noticed my discomfort, and once again wisely chose not to interfere or try to help. All those years of friendship were not in vain. He knew how I dealt with stress, and comforting words while I was trying to hold it together were the worst thing anyone could do.

Despite my deep concern about the situation, only one word kept appearing in my mind, repeatedly: Amanda, Amanda, Amanda.

I sighed again. I resumed the conversation:

"We need to keep an eye on our upcoming contracts, employees, and advertisers. I want to ensure everything will be in order in the coming days."

"Understood. Please keep me informed of everything. I have a feeling they might call me if something of this magnitude happens again."

"Yes. If this becomes a recurring issue, I won't be able to handle it alone."

"Do the others know?"

"By now, probably yes. Before leaving, Rebecca said she would hold an emergency meeting to explain what happened. I didn’t want to participate because I thought it was necessary to tell you something like this in person."

"And I appreciate that, for taking the time to inform me."

"I did what was right, Gavin. Don’t thank me for the minimum," I replied, perhaps a bit more curtly than I originally intended.

He nodded, taking another sip of tea. Seconds of silence passed. I sincerely hoped his thoughts were on the business; that he was worried about how impactful this could become if more contracts were terminated, and that the next time he spoke, it would be to talk more about our revenue.

But that wasn’t what happened.

In fact, he seemed a bit rushed and anxious. Just as I was about to ask what was happening, he discreetly looked at the clock and said:

"Now I need to go, Donovan. Thank you for coming here and explaining this. I’ll stay alert from now on."

"Don’t you want to know anything else?"

"Of course, I do. But let’s stay in touch, okay?" He stood up.

"Is everything okay?" I also stood up and left the money on the table. Gavin walked out of the tea house quickly.

The sun outside was shining brightly, which was common in the autumn of a tropical country, and I felt the wave of heat invading me mercilessly. Along with this, another feeling started to emerge, one much more worrying and ugly than slight irritation.

"Wait a minute," I spoke a little louder. Gavin was heading to the car. "You seem quite rushed

."

"Yes, I need to get home. My schedule for today is full."

"Busy day?" I had to put on my sunglasses as I walked beside him.

"No, I just have an important task."

"Involving your young friend?"

Gavin opened the car door and looked at me, clearly tired. "Yes. Her."

I smiled. "My friend, you seem genuinely involved with her. Not in a bad way, of course, but you’re dedicating too much of your time to her. Don’t you think it’s time to let this girl live a little?"

"Amanda's life is here, with me."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Gavin interrupted me:

"And you know why. You saw it yourself."

Now I was the one who sighed. It was quite difficult to win an argument with Gavin.

"She seems to have good health and a good life. Give her some space."

"I know. That's what I've been doing." He entered the car and started it.

I was afraid of what might come out of my mouth, but there was no way to avoid it. So, I asked:

"Can I go visit her someday?"

Gavin’s eyes were full of anger for the first time since our discussion began. That was enough of an answer. I put my hands up and backed off.

"Alright, no need to get upset. It was just a suggestion. You know I have a certain affection for her too."

"Yes, Donovan. I know." He quickly closed the car door and sped away.

All I could do was stand still and pray that this dreadful feeling in my chest wouldn’t get worse.