At noon, Katarina called for Micaela and Alba to come to the appointment.
Katarina had reserved a private room in advance at that fine dining restaurant they had frequented.
The latter was so distracted with her own affairs and had no energy to pay attention to the news on social networks, therefore, she knew nothing about what had happened to Alba and Ernesto.
Noticing the slight sadness on her face, Micaela and Alba couldn’t help but feel worried.
-Katarina, is your father better? -asked Micaela with concern.
Hearing this, Katarina’s eyes reddened a little and she said:
-Let’s not talk about that and let’s eat first. What would you like to eat? We haven’t met for a long time already.
Micaela and Alba exchanged a glance and asked no more questions about their father. Soon enough, the waiter served them dishes, which looked quite delicious and pleasant. However, the three of them did not have much to eat.
Katarina madly popped a small piece of steak into her mouth and asked:
-You are going to be Olivia’s bridesmaids tomorrow, aren’t you?
Leonardo had sent the wedding invitations to almost everyone he knew, and naturally Katarina was among those invited. Only she didn’t know Olivia very well.
Katarina had booked a bridal makeup appointment with Olivia when she got married, but when the time came, Olivia had already left and had arranged for another makeup artist, who was very professional, to do her makeup. In addition, she had paid her a sum of money for the breach of contract. Katarina had been thinking about returning this money to her.
-Yes, Alba and I will go to Olivia’s house in the afternoon.
Katarina thought about the reports she had read earlier and was a little moved by the love between Olivia and Ernesto.
-How nice that the two very much in love are going to get married. It wasn’t until Leonardo declared his love to Olivia at the airport that I knew Olivia was Candy herself. Alas, Leonardo’s love confession was truly touching.
Alba grumbled aside:
-How kind and considerate you people are! If I were Olivia, I wouldn’t forgive that Leonardo guy, let alone marry him!
Leonardo had betrayed Olivia and had made her parents lose their jobs at school and be publicly humiliated, which was unforgivable for Alba.
Micaela did not hesitate to speak her mind:
-But they love each other, don’t they? If they love each other so much, why do they hurt each other and suffer? Without Natalia Nunez’s intervention, Leonardo would not have realized how deep his love for Olivia was. The way I see it, those less pleasant pasts are tests for them.
Katarina nodded at his words and said:
-Yes, it would be a lifelong shame if the two of them were to part. Besides, the love that has experienced more trials is usually stronger and more valuable.
Micaela looked at Alba and said seriously:
-Alba, you don’t have those discomforts, that’s why it’s reasonable that you can’t understand. Ernesto loves you very much and you have been happy without encountering any difficulties since you were with him.
At her friend’s words, Alba was in a trance and thought of Carlos and her encounter with Ernesto yesterday, in which she hit him with punches and kicks. If she did this to Carlos…
Alba shuddered, thinking that it would be like a horror movie if she treated Carlos the way she had treated Ernesto.
With that in mind, Alba thought she felt less affection for Carlos and turned to Micaela:
-Mica, you don’t have those problems either, and I think you are the only one who can conquer Carlos in the whole world.
Katarina added smiling:
-Yes, Mica, Carlos really treats you very well. When he is with you, he seems to be the gentlest man in the world.
Micaela felt a little shy. And for some reason, she began to miss the man when she heard her friends mention him. Then she pulled out her phone, took a few pictures of the plates placed on the table and sent them to Carlos.
The other two women followed suit and sent some photos of the exquisite dishes to their boyfriends, respectively.
Carlos responded within seconds:
-I don’t want to see the pictures of the dishes. I just want to see you.
Alba and Katarina went over to take a look at Micaela’s phone and Alba joked:
-Are you sure your boyfriend hasn’t had another girlfriend besides you? Why is he so good at flirting?
Micaela blushed slightly, took a selfie and sent it to Carlos.
Ernesto also replied to Alba:
-How do the dishes taste? Your boyfriend’s cooking is ten thousand times better than the restaurant’s, right?
Alba couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath as this guy “shamelessly” praised himself and replied:
-Yes, my boyfriend’s cooking is better.
Ernesto on the other end of the phone became very ecstatic.
“Ha ha ha ha, looks like the process of pretending her again is easier than expected, how nice!”
Micaela and Alba looked at Katarina at the same time.
The latter looked at her phone, and felt a little uncomfortable.
-Hey, maybe Antonio is busy and hasn’t answered yet.
Micaela nodded and said:
-Yes, he must be busy at work.
Katarina put on an anguished expression and said in a sad voice:
-Mica, Alba, the cancer my father has is terminal and all he wants is for Antonio and me to have a baby. And he has even asked me privately several times if I have infertility. What do you think I should do?
Micaela and Alba froze a bit, not knowing what to say to comfort their friend for a moment.
-I know Antonio loves me, so I don’t want to put him in a dilemma, but I also don’t want to disappoint my dad…. -Katarina had her hand resting on her forehead, looking quite tired -Antonio’s mother also has more and more complaints about me. Ay, it’s very hard for me and I really don’t know what to do now.
Micaela reached out and hugged Katarina, and Alba went to sit on the other side and hugged her.
Micaela was hesitant to tell Katarina the truth, but if she did so, Katarina might not get anything in the end.
After a long deliberation, Micaela said:
-Katarina, I can’t help but wonder if Antonio approached you for some purpose. It is that I suspect he is with you to obtain your family fortune, and now that your father has given him all his assets….
At her friend’s words, Katarina was taken aback and looked at Micaela, somewhat incredulous.
At the beginning, when Antonio began to pretend to her, she did suspect it. However, as time went on, she gradually unconsciously became accustomed to Antonio’s gentle considerations and never thought about it again. Besides, although her father had transferred the assets to him, it was a part of the joint property of their marriage, therefore, she did not worry much about it.
After a good while, Katarina shook her head and said decisively:
-No, Antonio is not such a guy.
In her innermost self, she deeply believed that Antonio would never do such a thing.
Alba clenched her fists and spoke in a calm tone:
-Katarina, although it’s a bit cruel to think that way, I think you should be prepared for both sides. We believe that Antony truly loves you and we all witnessed that touching scene in the Catyblack Nation. But you should be more cautious. In case your father leaves and Antonio really does something against your family, you’ll be left with nothing….
***
It was night in the hospital.
Katarina settled her father well on the bed and returned to the small room attached to the ward.
“Katarina, you should seriously talk to your father while he is still in good health and get some of his assets back from Antonio, or at least you should ask your father to draw up an agreement to secure your rights.”
Micaela and Alba’s words echoed in her ears as she stood at the window, staring absently at the green bush below….
Antonio entered with a tired look on his face. Seeing Katarina standing by the window, he approached and hugged her from behind.
-Antonio, you won’t divorce me, will you? -asked Katarina unexpectedly.