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“You can sit at the conference table. I won’t bother you.”
Daniela stands in the center of the room with her body rigid and her mouth open. “You’re going to be here, listening, while I talk to them?”
“I am. And the conversation will be on a slight delay. You won’t notice it, but if you say anything about your situation, the call will end without any goodbyes, and you’ll lose the privilege to have another.”
She clutches the computer to her chest and starts toward the table. “You can listen all you want. You can’t steal my joy.”
“I’m not trying to steal your joy,” I say quietly.
She mutters something under her breath, but I don’t call her on it.
“I realize this isn’t easy on you, Daniela, but it’s a complicated situation. I’m juggling a lot of balls, and keeping them in the air the only way I know. I’m sorry you have to bear the brunt of it.”
She stops in the center of the room with her back to me, as if waiting for more. Some part of me wants to tell her more. But I’m not sure how. Other than Cristiano and Lucas, and one or two others, I don’t confide in anyone about business matters. There’s too much at stake—that’s precisely why you need to read her in. Maybe.
“As I’ve told you, no one knows that Quinta Rosa do Vale is mine. The moment word gets out that you’re here, it will begin to dawn on my competitors that they need to act quickly if they want a chance at the vineyards. The stakes, and the risks, become enormous then—not just for you and me, but for the entire valley. I need to control the flow of information for as long as possible. I expect you to cooperate.”
Daniela turns to face me, still embracing the computer.
“All that surveillance you had on me for so many years—it was all a huge waste of money. Because you didn’t learn a thing about me. Not anything of importance, anyway. I would never breathe a word about my situation to Valentina—or Isabel. They would be sick with worry. Do you think I want that? Everything I do is for them. They’re my family.”
For a few long moments, we lock eyes. Daniela keeps her head up, and the courage she exudes as she probes under my skin is something to behold.
She pivots without another word and walks to the far end of the table, where she goes to some trouble to set up the computer so that she doesn’t have to look at me, and so that I can’t see the screen. It makes me smile.
She earned this call, and she can have it any way she wants, for as long as she likes. That was the agreement.
Last night went smoother than I ever thought possible. Rafael likes her, and she seemed to genuinely like him too. He went to meet friends at a club after we finished dinner, and invited Daniela to tag along. No such invitation was extended to me. I’ve played the parent for too long to be invited to the party.
“Come with me,” he said to her before he left. “My friends will love you.” He was talking to Daniela but side-eyeing me for a reaction.
I cleared my throat, but I couldn’t hide the amusement. Nothing would make me happier than for the two of them to be close. Rafael could use a soft touch to temper my firm one. I was confident that she wouldn’t go. I’m not exactly sure why, but I knew she’d say no.
“You’re not married to the old man yet,” he goaded. “There’s time for one more fling.”
She laughed. “I’m not much of a party girl. I’d just spoil your fun.”
The entire exchange was good-natured, and tongue in cheek. But it reminded me that she was young, actually closer in age to Rafael than she was to me. Although she’s so much more mature than him.
It also reminded me that although I had let her go to the US to spread her wings and enjoy herself, she hadn’t had any fun. At least not the kind that I had imagined for her.
The joyful cries from across the room pull me from my morose thoughts.
“Lala!” a young girl shrieks through the computer.
“Valentina, my love. I’ve missed your sweet face. I can’t wait to hug you to pieces.”
Daniela’s voice is filled,filled, with emotion. I don’t know what I expected, but the unrestrained passion slays me.
I don’t catch what Isabel says because I’m staggered by the pure joy and happiness I hear in Daniela. It’s almost crippling.
What the fuck am I doing keeping her here? She’ll never belong to me the way she belongs to them. And she’ll resent me for every second of her life.
Grow some balls. This is the way it has to be.
What I still don’t fully understand is the extent of her loyalty—and her love for them. The bonds between them. I don’t get it.
Are Daniela and Isabel lovers?It’s crossed my mind, but I’ve dismissed the thought each time.
