“Of course. I can’t imagine a better way to spend the morning. Thank you for your trust.”
I fall silent for a while. She really has no idea how much trust I had to work on to make this decision. “There are toys in that bag and also a ready bottle, as well as food in the container. Oh, and clothes too. She can sometimes make a mess while eating.”
“We’ll be fine, won’t we, Valentina?”
As if agreeing, my daughter emits a squeal and starts to sway in her arms.
I approach the two again and kiss my girl’s sweet-smelling head.
“Don’t leave this room with her.”
As much as my intuition tells me I can trust Olívia, there are things about me that will never change. Following security protocols is one of them.
“Send me a message if you have any problems. I’ll be just a few floors down.”
“Yes, sir,” she responds, but neither of them is paying the slightest attention to me, already completely distracted by each other.
Chapter 18
“Girl, you made quite a mess, huh?”
I’ve spent the whole morning with the little girl.
God, she’s adorable! Tiny and yet so clever.
Guillermo sent a message warning that the meeting would take longer than he initially thought, but I don’t mind at all. These were, without a doubt, the most enjoyable hours I’ve had since my mother passed away, rivaling the night I had dinner with Nina’s father.
It’s almost time for my lunch break, and I think about sending a message to Melissa to bring me a sandwich. He said not to go out with Nina, and I also don’t feel like asking Kathleen for anything.
As if she could read my thoughts, the woman who looks at me every day as if I were a bug enters the room with her queenly posture.
Kathleen is very tall—I estimate at least fifteen centimeters taller than me—but it’s not the physical difference between us that bothers me; it’s her gaze.
I don’t like what I see there. Along with Thomas, she’s the second person I can remember disliking from the get-go.
“You can take your lunch break. Leave her with me.”
Nina, who was falling asleep in my lap, wakes up, startled by the sharpness and loudness of Kathleen’s voice. I feel like throwing one of the toys within reach in the direction of the secretary. Couldn’t she see that the girl was sleeping?
“No, thank you. Mr. Guillermo asked me to take care of her, and I won’t leave Valentina for anything in this world.” I don’t raise my voice when I say this. I just want to make it clear that she won’t intimidate me.
“Don’t be foolish,” she says, shocking me. Despite the way she treats me when we cross paths in the corridors, I didn’t expect such aggression. “Are you challenging me?”
“No, just obeying my boss’s orders.”
“I can make you lose your job because of this insolence,” she threatens. “Do you know how long I’ve been working here?”
“Perhaps too long. That’s the only reason I can see for you to try to interfere with one of my orders.”
Both she and I look in the direction of our boss, who at this moment has a completely stern expression.
“She hasn’t eaten anything yet,” the fake woman says, trying to justify her actions.
“I know, and that’s why I’m here. What I don’t understand is why you thought you could override my orders and take Valentina away. If I wanted you to take care of her, I would have asked directly.”
I swallow hard, a little frightened.
He’s never talked to me like that before. Despite not raising his voice, Guillermo makes it clear that it’s not a good idea to contradict him.
