Chapter 2

Aslan heard the annoying ring of his phone, which made his head hurt even more.

"I think my secretary went to make the medicine, but what a hell of a delay!" He thought angrily. As soon as he picked up his cell phone, he realized it was his friend Tomás, that jerk who didn't work and wouldn't let him work either.

- Speak up, you pest! - Aslan said harshly, squeezing his aching temples.

- Which bug bit you today? - Tomas's voice sounded shrill through the cell phone. - Get ready to go out. We're going to a café nearby. I'm starving!

Tomás hung up before Aslan could tell him that he wasn't going anywhere with his friend. That had upset him. He heard a knock on the door and without any patience told the person to come in.

- Here's the medicine you asked for, sir. - Anne walked in, telling him why she was there. Aslan's brow furrowed, his frown closed as his mood was accentuated by his headache. He took the medicine, closed his eyes and waited for the pain to subside so that he could continue working. Anne left without saying a word, not wanting to stress out her boss any further.

Tomás entered his friend's office at once, ignoring the secretary who tried to warn him that the CEO wasn't having the best day. When he entered, he was surprised that his friend seemed to be relaxing, with his eyes closed, but his expression remained closed.

- Let's wake up, it's time for our morning snack. - Tomas said with a raised tone of voice. Aslan, annoyed and unhappy with his friend's intrusion, opened his eyes a crack to see what his ears had already announced.

Tomas was like a child when he wanted something, he wouldn't leave anyone alone until he got what he wanted. Aslan was practically dragged by his friend and right-hand man in the company to go to the much-talked-about coffee shop.

- Come on..." Tomas said, pulling Aslan by the arm.

- You're worse than Philip, Tomas. - Aslan noted the obvious as he trudged through the office alongside Tomas.

As the elevator got closer and closer to the underground garage, Tomas talked, talked and talked about how he had received good recommendations from the café they were on their way to. Aslan was bored with all the talking. But it was better than thinking about the interview earlier and how he felt affected by Valentina's presence.

All the way to the cafeteria, Tomas didn't stop talking for a second. Aslan had got used to his friend's manner, but he didn't have the patience to put up with him talking. He agreed with everything he said in the hope that one day his friend would get tired of it and finally stop talking, which was getting on his nerves. They were sitting at a table away from the people; to please Aslan, Tomas always let him choose where they sat.

- I'll take our order. - Tomás said, getting up excitedly.

"He looks like a child!" Aslan thought, shaking his head negatively as he followed his friend away from the table, he was practically bouncing with excitement. "I sensed something strange about the nanny candidate, I'd better not hire her."

Aslan looked away as he heard the door opening. When he saw Valentina walk past him, he felt that strange feeling again that he couldn't quite put into words. She was still dressed in her interview outfit, a white sleeved blouse, dark blue jeans and white ALL STAR shoes. She made her way to the other side of the café and approached the table where a man was sitting, alone, absent-mindedly fiddling with his cell phone, wearing a dress shirt, a watch on one of his wrists, and that was all she could see before her friend sat down in front of her, blocking her view of the table where Valentina sat.

Irritated, Aslan ran a hand through his hair, looking away in an attempt to see Valentina with the man. The man was now holding Valentina's hand on the table, apparently intimately.

"I wonder who he is?" Aslan thought in confusion, turning his gaze to Tomas who was talking non-stop about the soccer team they both supported, but he wasn't interested in any of that, he really wanted to know who it was who was sitting with Valentina. Aslan picked up his espresso from the table and took a generous sip.

- What are you thinking, Aslan? - Thomas asked, leaning his elbows on the table.

"Did he realize?" Aslan thought, suspecting that his friend had already figured out what was going on.

- Nothing! - He lied harshly, picked up the cup and brought it to his mouth, taking another sip of coffee.

- Hmm, I know! - Tomas said suggestively. He stood looking around covertly for something that was bothering Aslan.

- What are you looking for? - Aslan asked with genuine curiosity.

- A probable beauty. That's got to be why you're so disconnected. -- Tomas replied, still trying to figure out the "reason" why his friend was so scattered.

- And what was that you were talking about..." Aslan said, trying to divert Tomas's focus, and he picked up a piece of cake that they had both forgotten on the table with a fork.

After a few minutes, Aslan, curious as to what Valentina was doing, looked over Tomas's shoulder to see her leaving with the man. He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable, and settled back in his chair, leaving Tomas with a flea behind his ear.

"What is Aslan hiding from me?" Tomas thought as he saw how uncomfortable his friend was.

Aslan drank the rest of his coffee and didn't eat any more of the cake. Meanwhile, Tomas sipped his coffee, watching his friend through a crack in his eye. He would be suspicious of every action Aslan took from then on, because he felt something was wrong, and he would find out what was going on.

- Aren't you going to eat the cake? - Thomas asked between sips of his coffee.

- No, I'm satisfied," Aslan replied with a smile that was more like a growl.

- Ahhh, you're not going to do that to this magnificent cake, hand it over. - Tomás said angrily, picking up the plate the cake was on and eating the rest. - I'll go and pay for it.

Aslan sat watching the coffee pot move while Tomás went to pay the bill.

"What's happening to me? Why am I feeling these things that I can't explain when I see Valentina?" Aslan thought with a frown, searching for an answer, but unfortunately he didn't find one.

Aslan and Tomás left the coffee maker in a comfortable silence. Still immersed in thought, the CEO paid no attention to what his friend was saying. However, when Tomas stopped talking and a noise followed, it startled Aslan, who looked over to see his friend lying on the hood of a sedan car.

- What happened here? - Aslan asked, not believing what was in front of him.

- I fell, isn't it obvious? - Thomas said sarcastically, getting up and straightening his suit, visibly annoyed by the little private show he had put on, as several people were watching him.

- "I bet you got distracted by a beauty," Aslan said with a small smile on his lips.

Tomas raised an eyebrow, visibly annoyed that his friend was laughing. He could have worried and asked if he was hurt, but he didn't. He preferred to laugh in his face all the way to the parking lot.

- Well, at least I think his bad mood has passed. - Tomas muttered to himself as he walked alongside Aslan.