Noe looked at the woman and paused.
-Mariana?
-Can you not tell anyone you saw me?
The matter had come to a head and she could only make her request clear. She didn’t want Noe to turn her in.
-Don’t worry, as long as you don’t want me to, I won’t,” Noe looked at the woman with steady eyes.
He didn’t know why Mariana would ask something like this of him, but the only thing Noe could be sure of was that Mariana must be in some kind of difficulty. That was why she had begged him so much.
Because it was Mariana’s request, he agreed.
The economy passengers boarded one by one and the plane prepared for flight.
-Is the lady home yet? -Leopoldo signed the paperwork and put the phone on speakerphone, asking the housekeeper about the situation.
The housekeeper picked up the phone with some difficulty.
-Sir, the lady has been out since this morning and hasn’t returned.
“Hadn’t the two of them been fine when they talked in the morning?”
“How come now Leopoldo can’t get in touch with Mariana?”
-Well,” Leopoldo hung up when he received the message.
He closed the folder in his hand with a somewhat empty mind. Where could Mariana have gone for so long? She had not returned home, and Alonso was no longer at Mariana’s side.
Leopoldo hesitated for a moment and redialed Mariana’s number.
-We are sorry, you have reached….
The status of the call, as before, was the same.
Mariana refused to talk to him and did not even pick up the phone.
-Where can he go after all this time? -Leopoldo looked at his phone and muttered, always with a feeling. But he couldn’t pinpoint that feeling.
At 4 p. m., Leopoldo left the office on time.
When the secretary at the door saw Leopoldo, she immediately stood up.
-Señor Durán.
In recent days, Leopoldo had been leaving work on time. The attitude of rejecting people thousands of miles away had not changed from the beginning to the end. In the words of others, he was a stone that could not be heated.
-Wait for me in the parking lot, I need to see you later -Leopoldo gave two simple explanations and hurried forward.
Alonso had lost the woman and now Leopoldo had to look for him.
-Yes,” Alonso answered with an unchanging face.
After waiting for Leopoldo to reach the subway parking lot, Alonso’s eyes fell on Leopoldo and his expression darkened.
-Mr. Durán, I…
-Where did you get lost? -Leopoldo looked at the other man with a straight face.
All he wanted to know now was where Mariana had disappeared and then to find that woman as fast as he could. As for what Alonso wanted to explain, he didn’t want to hear anything at all.
-At the mall,” Alonso bowed his head and answered quietly.
He was at the mall and he lost Mariana.
It was something strange, it was only a photo, how could Mariana have disappeared without being seen? Alonso felt strange and always had the feeling that someone was helping Mariana.
Otherwise, Mariana would not have disappeared so easily.
-Okay, I understand,” Leopoldo nodded and said quietly.
He wasn’t sure if Mariana had other helpers, but the only thing he could be sure of was that she knew that Leopoldo had sent Alonso to follow her from behind. That was why she was so angry.
Alonso followed her secretly, but in the end he was discovered.
-Her phone is off, she’s probably still angry.
The fact that Leopoldo was pacing back and forth was enough to show that he was disturbed.
There had been many occasions when the two had quarreled, but this time Leopoldo’s heart was especially troubled. How could he be calm if she disappeared like that?
-What do we do now? -Alonso looked at the other man and spoke unconsciously.
If Mariana did not return, he would be the first to suffer the consequences.
-Wait. She will return naturally when her anger has subsided,” Leopoldo’s gaze rested on Alonso’s body and he said coldly.
When it is time to return, Mariana will return.
-Drive home first.
The only place Leopoldo could think of waiting for Mariana was home. When Mariana had calmed down, he would definitely go home.
-Yes,” Alonso replied and simply got into the car.
Leopoldo held his phone and looked at the messages he had sent, which seemed to have sunk into the sea with no response. He didn’t like to send messages, but this time he had sent a few to Mariana.
But the message never received a reply.
On the plane, Mariana looked at her phone, which was already turned off. She was a bit preoccupied, as if she was thinking about something….
-Madam, it’s time for dinner, choose the menu.
The stewardess handed her the menu, Mariana took it and looked carefully at the plates, a little undecided about what to eat.
Mariana was stunned and unconsciously turned around.
-Mr. Cantero, what are you eating?
-I chose the first one,” Noe smiled and answered Mariana’s question.
The first one seemed too spicy, Mariana wanted to eat something lighter. Although she liked spicy food, she had to think about the baby she was carrying in her belly.
-I’ll have the second one then,” Mariana marked the plates and gave the order to the stewardess.
Feeling a little curious, Noe couldn’t help but ask:
-Are you not the biggest fan of spicy food?
The non-spicy ones are better,” Mariana didn’t reveal her pregnancy and answered matter-of-factly.
With two hours left before the plane arrived, Mariana took two bites of her food before she worked up an appetite. It seemed to be exactly the time when she couldn’t eat and couldn’t get used to it.
-What’s wrong? -Noe looked at Mariana’s condition and became a little worried.
Mariana smiled and said politely:
-I’m fine.
-You can’t eat that much anymore after taking just a few bites?
Noe took a look at the plate that seemed untouched and couldn’t help but say something. It was only a few bites before Mariana couldn’t eat any more.
-Maybe on the plane I can’t eat very well -Mariana found an excuse and said it vaguely.
It was also better that Noe didn’t know about her pregnancy.
-It’s a possibility. How long do you plan to be on the road this time? -Noe asked as she looked at the woman in front of her.
This time she spent a lot of time abroad because of her job.
Noe was delighted, especially since he hadn’t expected to meet Mariana on the plane. Just because he didn’t ask about Mariana and Leopoldo’s relationship didn’t mean he didn’t know about it.
Mariana and Leopoldo are not happy together.
-I… Maybe a week,” Mariana paused and lied.
Unexpectedly, Noe caught a glimpse of him and smiled.
-I know the place, if you need it….
Noe offered to be Mariana’s tour guide and was enthusiastic about it.
-No need,” Mariana declined with a sigh.
She wasn’t here to play, so she didn’t need a guide.