Friday night
Katelin
For a moment, the sight of the mob in front of the gates of Bianca's home in Weston confuses me. Until a grey Escalade driving up prompts a burst of flashes from cameras.
"Is that the press?" I ask in alarm, tamping down the urge to tell my chauffeur to turn around and take me back home.
"Yes," Marcus says. "That's why Bianca's having her father's birthday party here instead of her place in town. We can keep a bigger distance between us and the press."
From the few times I've been to the estate, I do remember the long stretch of the driveway from the gates to the front of the mansion. "Isn't this going to be bad PR for the company? A party less than a week after Señor Saldana... passed away?"
"Franklin is turning 70. The PR department didn't think the public would begrudge an elderly father his birthday celebration. Besides, the invitations went out a year ago."
Anxiety turns my stomach. The public won't, maybe. But apparently, the press still wants them to know the Marins and Elizondos are clicking champagne glasses and nibbling caviar while a recently murdered member of the board isn't even cold in the ground.
"Maybe I shouldn't be here," I say.
"Raul has to make an appearance, or people will think he has something to hide. That means you have to be here too."
I run a clammy hand across my lap, over the soft fabric of my red cashmere evening coat. He's right. I need to get a grip. "Right."
"I know things aren't great between the two of you, but Raul needs you to do this, Kate." Marcus sighs. "Besides, he needed to pick up Olivia. She has to be here too, people need to see that she has the family's support."
I'll never get used to this. Having to do so much just to keep up appearances. All the lying and the pretense. This is why I suggested Raul marry an actress. Someone who will always look perfectly happy when she sweeps into a room on his arm. Someone who wouldn't mind if he spends his nights alone in an apartment with another woman.
Thankfully, the paparazzi can't see me behind the heavily tinted windows of the Rolls Royce. We get in the gates without incident and drive up to the house.
Bianca meets us as soon as we enter the hall where all the guests are gathered. On a regular day, it's the library and music room, but tonight it's host to a small gathering of about eighty guests and a string quartet perched up on a mezzanine by a winding marble staircase. Tables heavy with charcuteries, cheese, fruit, and caviar are spread around the room while smartly uniformed wait staff walk around with trays of champagne and cocktails.
"Kate, I'm so happy you made it," Bianca says, air-kissing me on both cheeks. "Did Raul come with you?"
"He's on his way," Marcus says.
"Well, it's quite early." She takes my hand. "You don't mind if I steal Kate away for a bit, do you, Marcus? The tias have been looking for her since they got here."
Marcus nods. "Not at all."
***
Bianca does not take me to see her aunts.
"Sorry about the music," she says as we stroll out the eastern French doors. They open out to a rose garden where a few of the guests are enjoying the evening air and one more buffet table is set up surrounded by fairy lights-draped greenery and trees. "You know usually have a salsa band but we needed something boring to keep Papa chill throughout the party."
"It's fine," I say. "I hope Señor's Hernandez health is good these days?"
"Yes, but the doctor says he needs to take it easy for a few weeks. We almost canceled this party but Papa nearly had a fit." She squeezes my hand. "How are you holding up?"
"A little stressed, to be honest." I give her a wry smile. "It's not fun wondering if the cops are going to show up in the middle of diner to arrest your husband."
She waves off my concerns with a delicately manicured hand. "If they had anything, they'd have arrested him by now. The newspapers just want clicks on their site so they make up the most ludicrous rumors."
"You're right, of course. I feel so sorry for Señor Saldana and his family but I just wish this would be all over soon."
"Well, the whole family will be at Sunday's funeral, so his family knows they can depend on us for support." She studies my face. "Are you sure that is all that's bothering you?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just ..." I avert my gaze to stare at the water fountain across the lawn. There's a moment's silence before I add, "Raul and I are not in the best place right now."
Bianca frowns in concern. "Nothing serious, I hope?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. We haven't been talking for a few days, he's been so busy with work and —" I stop, unsure of how much I should confide in her. She is Raul's cousin, after all. Although they're not particularly close. I had worked as Bianca's temporary assistant for a few months before I was assigned to Raul. She's always been a good listener, although I barely saw much of her since she got the position of COO.
She sighs. "I have divorced friends, Kate. I know that look. It's not another woman, is it?"
"Maybe." I wince inwardly. "I don't actually know, nor for sure."
Bianca puts an arm around me. "Your worries are valid. But, mi prima, Raul is not a fool. He knows that having his marriage in trouble this early is not going to look good. I very much doubt he'd do anything that stupid."
"I don't know. Maybe the stress just got to him."
"He's been through worse." She pauses, then shrugs. "Okay, maybe no one has been murdered before. But he goes through incredible amounts of stress every day, every week. He's always kept his head." She sighs. "I know, he's my primo and my boss, and I'm bound by loyalty to him. But I think I know him well enough to say all this. And I think he needs you now more than ever."
She gives my shoulders an affectionate squeeze. I look up at her, studying her face.
I could see now why she doesn't hang out much with Safia, Nico, Raul, and the rest of the clan whom I see almost every weekend at Tia Sylvia's brunches. It has nothing to do with her duties as a mother to two kids or the responsibilities required of her prominent positions in Marin Elizondo.
I suspect it mostly has to do with how she's able to lie so easily.
When I smile at her gratefully, I wonder if she's able to see what I'm really thinking. "Thank you, Bianca. You gave me a lot to think about."
***
"I told you you'd kill in that dress," Safia says, grinning smugly as she hands me one of the two glasses of champagne she carries.
"Yes, you did," I say. "You look pretty great too."
Her midnight blue, figure-hugging, high-necked long-sleeved dress stands out amidst a sea of low-cut necklines and bare shoulders. My own tan dress — which she insisted I get the last time we went shopping together — is high-necked too but in the front, it features a low, yet narrow neckline. It makes me feel taller than my 5 feet three inches, something I always appreciate.
"Have you presented yourself to the Tias yet?"
I shake my head. "I thought I'd wait for Raul. I think they're still busy catching up on industry gossip with their friends. Where's Luis, by the way?"
"I don't know if he can make it. The baby was being extra difficult with the nanny tonight so he volunteered to stay and try to put her to sleep. He said he'll try to come by later but he's been so tired from the office these days he'll probably just go to bed early."
"He hates parties, doesn't he?" My gaze moves over the guests, wondering if Raul was here yet.
"Loathes them." She takes a contented sip of wine. "Good thing I don't mind showing up to these things.
"My dad's the same way. He once pretended the car wouldn't start just because he wanted to stay home and watch a basketball..."
I trailed off when I spot Olivia. She was across the room on the other side of the dance floor speaking to Bianca and her mom, plus two men I recognize from work, one of whom heads our marketing department. If she came with Raul, I can't see him anywhere.
"What's wrong? Do you see Raul?" Safia says, following my gaze.
"He should be here," I murmur, watching Olivia as Bianca's mom gives her a hug. Then I notice Tia Carmen and Tia Sylvia making their way over to them.
Where was Raul?
"Oh, there's mi suegra and Tia Carmen," Safia says. "I'm gonna go say hi, wanna come?"
"It's fine, I need to find Raul. I'll catch you later."
Without waiting for her reply, I make my way through the guests, careful to keep my distance from the dance floor. As I walk, I scan the crowd for Raul.
Nothing.
Maybe he decided not to come. Could there be an emergency? But Olivia was here, he wouldn't let her come to a party without him, considering the circumstances.
"Looking for someone?"
I freeze. The sudden warmth at my back is accompanied by the familiar scent of aftershave and cologne. "Not really," I reply, trying to sound casual.
His hand is on the small of my back. The feel of his thumb stroking my spine sends warmth through my blood and my heart pounding against my rib cage.
I turn slowly to look at him but to my shock, he pulls me against him. I nearly drop my champagne glass in surprise. My dress feels so flimsy suddenly, as I stand there in his arms. I might as well be naked the way every inch of me pressed against him threatens to burst into flame.
"What are you doing?" I whisper, my words breathless with both dread and longing.
"Dance with me, Kate."
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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote by clicking on the star icon! Chapter 52 will be up on 18 February 2024.
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