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I guess my fate was always inevitable.
CHAPTER ONE
“Everything has consequences.
Even a hopeless first love.”
Jimena
Chicago, Illinois
Months earlier
Jimena
“Miss Cortez.” Someone gently touches my arm, making me jerk, and my eyes snap open, only to close again when the blinding sun streaming from the window hurts my vision. I blink several times until I see the smiling flight attendant wearing a blue uniform. “We’ve landed.”
Looking around the spacious private plane belonging to my family consisting of a white-and-dark color scheme, the endless soft chairs along with tables leading to the separate room where one can lie down during international flights, and a bathroom that has a shower, I realize that most of the crew is gone and everything is put neatly together.
This could only mean one thing.
I’ve been out cold for a while, and they woke me up because they absolutely had to.
My cheeks heat just thinking about their discomfort, and I groan inwardly when I glance at my wristwatch.
Thirty minutes, that’s how much time they’ve given me, and it means I’m already late.
On my first day back!
Sitting up, I clear my dry throat and reach for the water bottle next to me, returning her grin. Nervousness washes over me, fear sinking into my every bone at the prospect of returning home.
To a hometown that has been so cruel to me.
Familiar panic drums in my blood, so I shake my head. Squeezing the bottle tighter and flicking it open, I say, “Thank you, Miranda.” I force a laugh out. “I don’t even know how I missed it.” I shrug. “The pilot must be really good.”
Flying has always been the greatest source of my fear. Just thinking about it sends miserable sensations through my entire system while my body stays tense and aloof during the entire flight.
However, in true Cortez fashion, I wanted to grab my fear by the horns, so to speak, and enrolled in flying school to get my pilot license. Although my body trembled all the freaking time, and I had the desire to barf whenever I had lessons…I got my license, and it’s been smooth sailing for me ever since.
This is sans the fact that I never actually operated a plane on my own and can’t see myself doing that in the future, but understanding how the machine works and how much control the pilot has over it calmed my anxiety.
“I’ll make sure to tell him that. It was his first flight with us, and he was a nervous wreck.” She lowers her voice to a whisper, “Imagine his surprise when he found out he’d have to fly his boss’s daughter home. The guy almost had a heart attack despite his young age.” The voice drops even lower when she leans closer as I sip my water, welcoming the cold liquid in my throat while Miranda catches me up on the latest gossip. “He’s single, and I’ve heard Mary, our head designer, has the hots for him.” She makes a zipping motion over her lips. “But you didn’t hear it from me.”
My brow furrows at this, and I close the bottle, putting it away. “Isn’t she engaged to one of our other pilots?”
“That’s why you didn’t hear it from me.”
The thing about growing up in generational wealth, where luxurious and exclusive things have been available to you since the day you were born…you tend to make great friends with all the people who work for you because they become part of the family.
Or at least that’s how my parents raised me. They drilled in us from an early age how privileged and lucky we are to have such opportunities and chances, so we should always be respectful toward those who spend their lives making ours easier.
“Well, good luck to everyone involved.” I unfasten my seat belt and get up, stretching my arms wide while seeing two security men grabbing my suitcases at the end of the aisle and heading outside. “I should be back before you know it,” I inform her, hugging her close as her vanilla scent twitches my nose. “You know I don’t stay for long.”
She frowns. “Yeah. I don’t think your folks are happy about that.”
My heart pangs painfully yet again inside my chest, so I plaster a fake smile and grab my purse from the nearby seat, ready to finally face the upcoming events head-on and stop hiding in some European city like a fugitive who committed a crime.
Although, in a way, that’s exactly what happened, and isn’t it just tragic?
