Madrid English Version

Chapter 5

The sun rays crossed the curtains of this Madrid apartment, until they reached the skin of the British man, sleeping on the sofa. He groaned before opening and rubbing his eyes, and noticing that his hostess was already up, drinking her fourth coffee of the morning.

- Did you sleep well, sleepyhead?

- Your couch is very comfortable and your tiger is amazing, where did you buy it?

- Thank you. I have no idea. I have no idea; I've had it since I was born.

- It must be thirty years old then. He said while examining the plush.

- You're annoying, I'm barely twenty-five.

- That's what I said, you're old.

- How old are you?

- Twenty-one, soon twenty-two.

- But you're a little baby. The British man shrugged his shoulders in response.

- Well, I'm going back to bed.

- No, no, no. No way. And, you're already sleeping. Great.

The brunette went to her room to get the suitcase she had packed while Lando was sleeping, during his second cup of coffee. She put on her shoes, went to the bathroom for safety, took her bag, her computer and put them in the hall before coming back to the pilot.

Aria put all her strength to wake up Lando, which failed, and decided to get him up, well, to try to get him up and lead him to the landing. She rang Carlos' doorbell, after having placed Lando under the bell. Seeing no one coming, the doorbell rang more and more until her neighbor came out, half asleep.

- It's seven o'clock, seven o'clock. The day I count the time with just my two hands during break week would mean I'm dead. What do you want, and what is Lando doing sleeping under my doorbell? He said with his eyes half open, and keeping them closed as much as possible.

- I have to be at the airport in an hour and I'm already late, so you're going to take Lando, put him to bed wherever you want him to finish his second night.

- The magic word?

- Please. A word that almost killed her as she refused to admit that she needed his help for the sake of the British.

- Okay, I'll take it.

- Thank you, you save me. The words of the brunette shocked them both in front of such a calm discussion.

- Uh, where do you go? He said, scratching the back of his head to avoid showing his embarrassment.

- Washington.

- Vacation?

- Work.

- Good luck to you then. He said with a sincere smile towards the one in front of him.

- Thank you. Said she by answering briefly to his smile.

Aria hurried to take her suitcase, and the elevator before going out to get into the Uber she had ordered before. She arrived at the airport in time to take her flight to the American capital, which went without a hitch. After all, she had spent the entire flight working on her excellent presentations, which she thought she had failed.

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Arrived on the American soil in the middle of the morning, the brunette went to her hotel where she deposited her things, took a shower and changed quickly before starting this afternoon of presentations. Before leaving her room, she looked at herself one last time in the mirror to be sure that her outfit, composed of a white shirt with wide pants and a black blazer, without forgetting her boots of the same color, with fine heels. She could go, she was presentable. As she made her way through the American capital, which she was getting to know better and better, Aria reread her notes over and over again, even though she knew them inside out.

Her first meeting was at 1 p.m. until the early evening. She could have gone to buy lunch but refused to do so, as she didn't want to spoil herself or her notes, or even be late or worse, have a bad stomach and not be able to attend. Such a scenario would mean death for her.

Her meeting was starting in just under an hour, and the Spanish girl was already pacing the lobby of the building, until her phone rang. She took it out of her bag and was surprised to see her father's name appear on the screen.

- Hello Dad, are you okay?

- Aria, are you crazy?

- I'm glad to hear your voice, too, Dad.

- Could you explain your behavior yesterday?

- Could you be a little more specific?

- You humiliated me in front of my employee. Who the hell am I going to look like? It wasn't complicated at all. You had to go, dress "properly" and not with a dress as big as a dishcloth, have a good time with a young man from a good family and not leave in the middle of dinner, which I had to pay for. The irritation and rage could be felt in the voice of the engineer's father. Would you be so kind as to explain your behavior to me?

- We can talk about it later; I have a meeting starting soon and it is very important?

- No way, young lady! You're going to answer me and right now!

- Yesterday I left during dinner, because I don't know if your "employee" as you say explained it to you, but Alba's grandmother had just died, and then for the dress, I don't know what he told you, but it was quite suitable. It's not my fault that the people you make your daughter meet spend their time looking at her chest. She explained, lying flatly.

- That's not what he told me.

- And what did he tell you then?

- That you had spent the evening trying to seduce him by plunging into your plate when you were eating to show him your breasts, which is completely unseemly for a young girl of your rank.

- Of my standing? You say that as if we were in the sixteenth century and that we were nobles dating commoners!

- I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense coming out of your mouth, and I'm tired of making you meet everyone I hire and have them all run away. By the end of the year, that is, in December, you must have found a companion or you will no longer be welcome in this family until you have found one.

So shocked by the words that her father had just pronounced, the brunette could only hang up without telling him his opinion, which did not count for him. The short breath, the tears rising, unable to pronounce anything, she went out to take a big breath of fresh air. Praying that her make-up did not run.

Aria hurried to the toilets to remake herself, and to pull herself together before her meeting. She refused to let herself be reached by her father. But this was not the reality. Her father, Luis Torani, had reached her long ago. Everything he said was important to her. Everything she did had to be perfect to make her father proud.

Aria spent her remaining time, locked up, in the toilet, not to spit. Just as she was about to cry again, she received a call from an unknown number. She picked up the phone and was surprised to find out who was on the other end.

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