Someone coughed behind him. Marco turned in alarm and saw his father, Eduardo, standing a few steps away from the door. - What was this? asked Eduardo, with a half smile. Marco was a little embarrassed. His face even turned red. "Are you talking to the billboard?" — Eduardo approached and looked at the giant photo of Charlotte and her newborn mark. “I didn't raise you to be a coward, son. Talk to the girl in person. Marco groaned and went to his table, where he sat, pretending to be the owner of the world and not the older Villa-Lobos in front of him. "What did you come here for, father?" "Can a father no longer visit his son?" Eduardo asked with a crooked smile that Marco found irritating. He closed his eyes and silently agreed with his mother on the matter. “Of course you can, but that's not what you came here for and you know it. Eduardo sat in the chair opposite his son's and played with an invisible lint on his pants for a few seconds – something more irritating t

“What's up, Pat? What did you talk about so much at lunch? — After the contract was signed, Marco and Patrick went to the bar at St. Regis for a drink and celebrate their agreement. Or rather, all three, even if one of the parties was still in the dark. “About nothing in particular, just business. - Patrick replied while sipping. But he had a smile on his face and that left Marco with a flea behind his ear. The truth is that Patrick was curious about this girl. He knew everything about her, of course, everything Marco had told him, but after talking to her for nearly an hour over lunch, Patrick didn't think she was the monster his friend painted. “I thought there weren't supposed to be secrets between us. At least not about my Charlotte. My Charlotte? Patrick thought, satisfied. The friend was in trouble. The kind of trouble that can drive a man mad. God knows he himself was going through a similar situation with his Elena. The difference is that it was Elena's father

Marco parked the bike in front of a bar in the Bronx. A horrible place by the standards both he and Charlotte were used to. And of course that was on purpose. Charlotte got off the bike and after a pause, took off her helmet and looked at the place where the son of a bitch had taken her. Marco was clearly enjoying himself, waiting for her to say something. “You brought me to a damn bar? She didn't want to complain, but she couldn't help herself. Fuck, what was that? He smiled before answering. - What's the problem? It's not like you've never been to one, is it? Charlotte frowned. He was clearly referring to the bar she went to four years ago. The bar, whose visit made her make the biggest mistake of her life the next day. “Okay, Mark. If that's how you play, then let's play. she said with a fake smile after taking a deep breath. Charlotte tossed him the helmet and at least had the satisfaction of seeing him swear when she couldn't catch it before it hit the floor. Th

What Marco didn't know was that Charlotte was a real ace at snooker. Of course, she hadn't told Marco her trump card when she'd invited him to a game and made a bet. And of course she wasn't the least bit worried when he, just to annoy her, accepted two strangers to play her private little game. Her initial nervousness was just for the situation itself, not because she thought she was going to lose. - Trusting? Marco whispered as he passed behind her to prepare his shot. Charlotte kept a discreet but smug smile throughout the match. She and Heather – the bitch friend of Marco's partner – were winning hand in hand. Pure merit from Charlotte, as the other was clearly not playing, she even went so far as to sink the cue ball at one opportunity. Which Charlotte knew was on purpose. She wanted to make sure her friend won her prize. “Just enough to know you're not going to beat me. Which means besides paying for drinks for the rest of the night, you're going to have to give me w

Now, almost a week after leaving him looking confused on the sidewalk outside the bar, maybe she would find him again. She was having a formal dinner with some businessmen, including her partner Patrick, and she had no doubt that Marco would show up. It was still early, so he had at least four more hours to give her the air of grace, and that was exactly what was making her nervous. 'Aren't you having fun?' - asked Elena, Patrick's escort. They had met an hour earlier while he was giving a short speech. “I'm just a little apprehensive. You know, all these power suits make me look like a little sheep. Elena glanced at a pair of her feet away talking to a few men, and smiled. - Even he? - No. I think Mr. Matarazzo is one of the few men here who doesn't intimidate me. In fact, I think he's the only one. “When I first met him,” Elena whispered, “I thought he was the devil's son or something. He had a mean face and his bearing . . .” She shuddered. "Wow, it gives me goosebumps just thi