One Night in Santiago/Football Under Flashing Lights (Neymar Jr. Fan Fiction)

92.

-Katerina POV-

My mom didn't try to deny it but from her slightly parted lips and attempt at maintaining composure, I could tell she was definitely shocked I'd come to such a conclusion. In total honesty, I had only been 70% sure--and 60% before she claimed so confidently that Sergio didn't do what he'd been accused of--but I figured there was only one way to find out for sure. In fact, it was her who'd taught me that if you said something with confidence, people would have no reason not to believe you. It had been her biggest boardroom trick when she got a group of rich old men to invest in her and give her the loan she used to start Vera Industries. Today, it was my Hiroshima-sized bomb.

"Marina, you knew Sergio was alive this whole time?" Anada gasped after seconds of silence allowed everyone to process.

"Sorry- Sergio Gomez is alive?!" Clara exclaimed.

"Yes, Clara, catch up!" Oscar and Neymar said in annoyance that shouldn't have been as comical as it was.

I ignored Clara looking at me for clarification because I had no answers for her. "Victoria knew too, didn't she?" Neymar asked my mom what he'd been suspecting about my grandmother all along. She sighed and reluctantly nodded.

Oscar's phone started ringing and it made us jump out of the stares we'd been giving each other. "Sorry, it's my dad. I have to take this," he apologized.

"Whatever you do, keep him far away from my mom," I muttered as he excused himself. My mom let out a humorless chuckle.

She sighed and shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. "Let me be clear. What happened with Rodrigo Rey was absolutely nothing. It wasn't the reason I divorced Ray Guzman, mija. I wasn't seeing him for months, I was working with him for months. Rodrigo had been consulting on the New York expansion and yes, I guess something developed between us but it was fleeting. We kissed once. I had no intention of pursuing it because he was a married man. He was the one who plied me with gifts and planned secret getaways, none of which I accepted or went on, and eventually, he told me he would leave his wife to explore a relationship with me. I turned him down. That's the truth," she said calmly.

"So, you didn't sleep with him?" I asked, truly not wanting the answer but I was compelled to know.

"No, Katerina, he was a married man! What kind of example would that have set for you," she said, clearly offended by the question.

Her eyes again showed no indication of a lie and I sighed a breath of relief. I could hear Clara doing the same. "Oh, thank God," we breathed out as the weight of that embarrassment lifted off of my shoulders. "No offense," we both said, though having to say that was an offense in itself. It felt like everyone took a collective breath.

"I guess it was the maid that caused the divorce then-or the nanny," Clara concluded very pensively.

"Almost always the night nanny," Anada muttered, and Clara pointed a knowing finger at her in agreement.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying they were already split up?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Technically, they've been separated since I was ten but, as I'm sure your family knows, divorce isn't great publicity so they never filed and kept up appearances," she shrugged.

I took a deep breath to prevent myself from taking a swing at her. "Then... why would you say my mom broke up their marriage?!" I exclaimed.

"You're telling me you didn't want to see your parents have a happy ending when you were little? Yeah, exactly," she rolled her eyes though her point hadn't even been proven. "I saw Marina coming over nearly every day meanwhile my brother was obsessing over you and I was looking for someone to blame back then."