“Who the hell are you?”
At the sound of the aggressive tone, Valentina, who is in my arms, pouts and starts to cry. For my part, I just got the confirmation that I’m not spineless—for the second time in a few weeks—or I would have died of fright.
There’s a man in the room as tall as Guillermo, and although they’re not exactly physically alike, I have no doubt he’s one of the Caldwell-Oviedo brothers.
Yesterday he told me there are five of them in total, counting the girl, Martina, so even without knowing the name of the last one, I mentally eliminate the golfer, the actor, andthe girl, leaving only one element—whose name and occupation I don’t know.
“Olívia,” I answer, unsure and at the same time wanting to hit him.
“I didn’t ask your name, but what are you doing in the nursery with my niece?”
“Speak quietly. Can’t you see you scared her?”
Nina clings to my neck as if trying to climb me. My protective instinct kicks in, and I move her away from the rude man.
“What’s going on here?” Guillermo appears at the bedroom door already in his suit pants but shirtless.
“Who is she?”
“Olívia.”
“Yes, that’s what she told me. Butwhatis she?”
That is the million-dollar question, and now I couldn’t be more embarrassed even if I wanted to.
Instead of answering the guy who I’m now sure is his brother, Guillermo asks, “What did you come here for so early, Joaquín?”
Joaquín—so that’s the name of the arrogant being.
I take a few steps closer to Guillermo and without looking into his eyes, I say, “Hold her, please. He scared her.”
The little girl doesn’t want to let go of me, and only when she sees that I’m passing her to her father does she release her little hands from around my neck.
“You’ll be okay, my love. Your daddy’s here. It was great spending the day with you, Nina.” I give her a kiss on her forehead and quickly leave the room, without making eye contact with either of them.
What’s that saying? No response is the best response. Guillermo took too long to explain to his brother who I am, probably because he doesn’t even know himself.
Unfortunately, I do. I’m an employee who slept at the boss’s house.
Now in the morning, what happened doesn’t seem natural anymore, and feeling embarrassed, I quickly descend the stairs.
Yesterday, I left my bag near the entrance, and searching for my phone—which still has battery, thank God—I request an Uber. I already have the corporate credit card given to me by the company, and since I came to take care of Nina, I’ll consider this a work expense.
Wait time: two minutes, the app indicates.
Great.
I didn’t really have any intention of going back to the hotel with him to avoid allowing room for gossip among the other employees, but it seems like the choice was taken out of my hands.
Yesterday afternoon, several heads turned to look at us as we left together, and after what just happened, I’m more determined than ever to keep a safe distance.
Caldwell-Oviedo Tower Hotel
I took another quick shower and got ready in a few minutes, as I was technically running late.
Shortly after, I went looking for Melissa.
I intend to spend the day as her shadow. The more occupied my mind is, the better.
