AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m sorry, Pilar. Your investment tanked.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” Pilar asks.
“Yes, what investment?” We both turn to see Felipe now in the room.
Felipe Conde could be considered handsome by anyone who doesn’t know him better. He is tall and muscular, and his face’s chiseled quality wouldn’t make the average woman gag—until they got to know him, that is.
My brother-in-law walks over to my sister, bends to kiss her on the cheek, and takes a seat next to her. He smiles knowingly at me, and I bite the inside of my lip so I don’t sneer. Felipe crosses his legs and takes Pilar’s hand in his possessively, as if it were another man and not her sister sitting in front of her. To put it plainly, Felipe Conde is a ridiculous man.
“What investment were you talking about?” he asks and looks between Pilar and me.
Pilar clears her throat nervously, and I shift in my seat. There has been exactly one thing Pilar ever allowed herself to defy her husband on. That was her sponsorship of my career. She tried to hide this simple fact from me, but Felipe hints and alludes to his dissatisfaction at her use of her own money to help me.
“Valentina is feeling guilty about me paying for her treatment. I was just about to tell her how ridiculous that is.” Pilar pats Felipe’s hand in a way that makes me think she is trying to placate him.
“Nonsense. You’re family; of course we’re happy to pay for your treatment.”
He uses the word ‘we’ as if Pilar had used his money, or communal money, but all three of us know that money is, and always will be, Pilar’s and Pilar’s only. No one has ever openly admitted that simple fact, but I love that this is just one more thorn on Felipe’s side. I love those thorns. Whenever I get a chance, I enjoy twisting them.
“Yes,” I say. “Thank goodness Grandma Almonte had the foresight to secure Pilar’s economic independence so she could do that. I’ll always be grateful to her and Pilar.” My words are pointed, and I try not to smile when Felipe’s jaw tightens. His face twitches, barely, but I don’t miss it. His presence dampening my time with my sister is almost worth it for this one moment.
“Yes, well. That’s what we were talking about. Valentina thinks it’s a wasted investment, and when you walked in, I was just about to tell her that her staying alive has been the best investment of my life.”
My sister’s sweet words change the mood in the room. I have to hand it to her. After years of marriage, she has mastered the art of diffusing tension. She talks about me beating cancer as if it was just another fight in the cage—as if it was something I accomplished, and I’d never thought about it like that before.
“I agree,” Felipe says. “Best use ofourmoney I can think of.”
“Thank you,” I say, if only to drop the standoff between us. I’ll pick my battles with this idiot.
“What’s that?” Felipe reaches for the present and flips it from side to side, likely looking for a card.
“A present for Pilar.”
“A present?” he asks.
“Yes. You know, as a thank you for everything.”
Felipe hands Pilar the gift and shifts further from her on the sofa so he can see the contents once revealed. Pilar shoots me a questioning look laced with panic, and I smile reassuringly that it’s not something that could anger Felipe.
My smile is all it takes for Pilar to rip apart the wrapping paper like a savage. She has always loved presents and surprises, and this is both.
When she turns the canvas around, Pilar gasps. “Oh, Valentina. It’s lovely.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Pilar sets the painting down so she can stand. She comes over to my side of the room so she can sit next to me and take me into a hug. “I love it,” she whispers in my ear.
“Yes, very lovely,” Felipe says and stands. “Valentina, you look good. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I do have to go to work, though.”
“Thanks,” I say.
“Working on a Saturday?” Pilar asks.
“Yes. I have a meeting,” he hisses through his teeth, and my sister recoils a bit in her seat.
“Okay. Well, message me if you are coming for dinner so I can make sure it’s ready for you.”
Felipe delivers another kiss on Pilar’s cheek, and I almost shiver.
