Chapter 2

“Bianca knows very well how to relax a man, but she also knows how to embitter one; I wasn't prepared for that.”

“So, what did your sweetheart say to you that made you arrive with an even worse face than you had last night instead of a smile?”

“Nothing, he just started saying stupid things about being a "real" couple, having a family, telling everyone and stuff like that.”

“Wow, the blonde's claws are out. I told you so; one day she was going to ask for more than you could give her. She's going to take advantage of being such good friends with Helena; she doesn't deserve it. Don't be surprised if she involves her daddy and you end up with a noose around your neck.”

“Stop the drama, Leonardo. Bianca knows our conditions; if she knows, it's because you saw us at that meeting at the house. But I've been more careful, and she knows she can't say anything.”

"Come on, Adrian, she's just like you, used to getting what she wants, by hook or by crook. Wasn't she the one who pursued you until you couldn't refuse her?"I asserted."You're on her radar, my friend, and if she wants to play house with you, she'll do whatever it takes to achieve it. You know that, so don't say I didn't warn you."

“He said he loves me, that I should think about it and talk about it.”

“I mentioned the word love, I didn't know I knew those feelings; well, I have my doubts about that.”

“I don't understand, why have you treated her with such ill will since you met her? I know she's difficult to deal with sometimes, a bit capricious, but she's not as bad as you think.”

"Look, Adrian, you know I'm honest. I've never liked her. She's frivolous, used to stepping on anyone who gets in her way. She doesn't know the meaning of the word 'loyalty,' much less 'loyalty.' I told you this when I found out about you two, but I didn't press the issue because it's your personal life. But that doesn't mean I have to like her or that it changes what I think of her... So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, what she said threw me off; thinking about love, a happily married couple for life, isn't really my thing, you know that. I like my life the way it is, but one day my parents are going to start demanding grandchildren and all that. Well, they already do."

“You're afraid of love, Adrian, but not all women are like that...”

“Don't mention it, you know I don't like talking about it.”

“Someday you'll find that woman who will turn your world upside down. You'll be surprised when you least expect it, and you'll fall head over heels for her. What's more, I remember a year ago you saw a woman you liked so much that you set all our men on the hunt for her.”

I remember we couldn't find her because the one they brought me was frivolous and selfish, so it turned out to be the best thing. And as for being in love, stupid, and infatuated with a woman, that won't happen to me again. They're all the same, every single one. And let's stop talking nonsense and get down to business: work.

“Change the subject, but not all of them are the same, there's your sister; but it's okay, let's get to work.”

Our empire is made up of banks, industries, foundations, buildings, among other things; my mother and my sister Helena, whom I adore the most, are in charge of managing the foundations, my father manages the banks and I manage the buildings and industries; we are doing very well, each of us managing our own thing.

Now for some reason my little sister wants to involve me in her business; she has started a charitable project. She is rebuilding a building, a hospital to be exact. It involves setting up new areas and renovating others, and she needs my skills, both in engineering and business, since contracts need to be drawn up and all that. The idea isn't bad.

My sister is very humanitarian; she likes to help everyone. She has done work and founded foundations all over the world, especially if they are related to children, and this is no exception. She found out that there was a service at the Kronenberg Medical Center for children suffering from autism, Down syndrome, language disorders, a clinic that treats premature babies, among other problems, so she decided to go. When she arrived at my parents' house, we were having dinner, and she wouldn't stop talking. All she said was that everything had to be renovated. The clinics were very small, the children didn't have space to play, and the doctors were so kind and loving with the babies, etc.

“It was wonderful, Dad, seeing how the doctors tried to manage the children with autism, seeing how they advised the parents on how to manage them at home, seeing how they cared for the babies; they were so tiny, it was scary to hold them.”

“I'm glad, Leni; you look excited and sad.” Leni is my sister's nickname, Dad said that when she was born, she was so fragile that she looked like a porcelain doll, so the nickname Leni stuck.

“Yes, Dad, seeing so many parents with so many doubts and worries, so many young children in a world so different from ours, people with so few resources, with so many problems, surviving on what little they have, makes me grateful that my children are healthy, that none of us have experienced those hardships. We have to help, Dad.”

"What do you have planned?"my mother was heard saying.

Well, the hospital is large, but poorly laid out and neglected. So my idea is to utilize those spaces, expand the consultation rooms, open new areas for children to keep them occupied while they wait to be seen, improve the doctors' mobility, and things like that. That's why I thought you, my dear brother, might be able to help me.

“Me? How could I help you, if it seems you have everything planned out?”

“First, obviously money. I offered that the bank would finance the reconstructions. That's where your dad and your brother come in; you'll help me design the consultation rooms and those areas.”

“Wow, sister, you've really got it all planned out. Well, show me the building plans and let's see what we can do, shall we?”

“I knew you wouldn't say no. You're going to love this place, you'll see when you see it.”