Episode 10

I could hear voices in the distance, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I had cried for hours until I could cry no more. I felt empty, completely detached from the noise and hustle of the hospital. Lying on that stretcher, I could only hear the doctor's voice, telling me to calm down as my nerves were exacerbating the hemorrhage. The next few hours were crucial for my baby.

"Isabella, you need to calm down!" pleaded my aunt Sara.

"The nurse will sedate her. We have no other choice," said the doctor.

Isabella couldn't believe what was happening. Jed had a relationship with his secretary; it was true. She had only been one among many. He had always been with his secretary. She cried for the man she never truly knew, she cried for her child whom she might never get to know.

Meanwhile, Marixa couldn't believe her luck. Just when the call came, she had the phone in her possession. To add to her good fortune, following Jed's argument with his father, Victorino had a heart attack. Jed felt guilty; he hadn't wanted to be so harsh with his father. Victorino was a good man, but after his mother's death, he had respected his wife's final wish for him to find a good woman and get married, to abandon his womanizing ways before he met her.

Three months had passed since his father's heart attack. Victorino was already feeling better. He had spent two months in Italy, then traveled to Paris and London. During those three months, Marixa had been his shadow. Returning to his office in New York at noon, Jed realized how much he missed that place.

He had lunch with Leo, with no news of Isabella. His grandfather had passed away a month earlier in a car accident, and she hadn't appeared to claim the property. Fabricio Grant owned a highly productive ranch, and logically, his granddaughter Isabella Ana Grant was his sole heir. But it seemed like the land had swallowed her up.

"Remove her guardianship; she must be taken advantage of by some idiot! I won't search for her anymore!" he exclaimed.

"Very well, Jed, as you wish," replied Leo.

For four months, he had maintained a relationship with Marixa, but he was already tired. She was an excellent lover, but he sensed that she had other interests, something more serious, and he wasn't willing to commit.

"Marixa, come to my office, we need to talk!" he called.

As soon as she entered the office, he locked the door, thinking action was about to unfold.

"Please, have a seat," he said, looking very serious.

"Do something bother you, Jed? Did I do something to upset you?" she asked.

"Four months ago, in Paris, I told you that there would come a day when I no longer needed your services."

If he had slapped her, it wouldn't have hurt as much. "I understand, Jed. You don't want anything with me anymore, but please, don't fire me. I haven't told anyone about us. The company is so big. Could you transfer me to another department?" she asked.

Jed remained silent. Deep down, she was an excellent employee. He shouldn't have crossed that line. It was Isabella's fault; if she hadn't acted like that, he wouldn't have crossed that boundary. Marixa stared at him.

Finally, Jed spoke. "Alright, not only will I not fire you, but I will also promote you. You have enough qualifications to fill a managerial position. You will be the manager at our offices in London. Now, leave," he informed her.