Episode 10

Penaloza still harbored doubts, but he believed that if Larissa hadn't surfaced all this time, it was likely because she was truly dead.

Santiago:

With each passing day, his feelings for Larissa deepened; he couldn’t comprehend why, or perhaps the allure of the forbidden was clouding his judgment, leading him to believe he was in love with her. He was a man who always got what he wanted, but it was different with Larissa; she captivated and constantly tempted him, yet she never fully succumbed to him.

Larissa was a young woman who was fun and charismatic, capable of taking you to heaven or dragging you down to hell itself. She often appeared to be cold and mature, but those who knew her understood she was a sweet and kindhearted young woman with a big heart, wearing armor so nobody could hurt her; in her job, she had to be the woman few others could be, projecting sensuality, but it wasn’t what she truly desired.

One morning, during breakfast, Rebecca got a call; it was Santiago.

As she talked, Rebecca's eyes widened, and she gestured excitedly with her hands, then cut the call short.

"What happened?" asked Sol.

"You won't believe it!" Rebecca exclaimed.

"Just tell us," urged Sol, as everyone at the table waited for her to continue.

"Santiago called," Rebecca revealed.

"And?? What did he say??" pressed Sol, noting Rebecca’s lingering excitement. "Come on, I don't have all day."

"He said he wants to have lunch with Larissa!" Rebecca announced.

Everyone promptly turned to look at Larissa in astonishment.

"No, I can't believe it, girl, you caught him!" Rebecca, brimming with excitement, dashed to Larissa's chair. "Tell us what happened between you two."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about!" Larissa responded.

"How can you not know what I'm talking about??" Rebecca protested. "Why does he want to have lunch with you?"

"I don't know, I have nothing to do with him. And we never have, and stop looking at me like that because it's the truth," Larissa replied, as Rebecca eyed her skeptically.

Santiago had scheduled to meet with Larissa at 12:30 PM at the Rosa Negra Restaurant, so Larissa, not wanting to appear unkempt, asked Rebecca and the other girls to help her with makeup and dressing. The girls were ecstatic, bustling about, although they truly didn’t understand the reason for the invitation and believed she was hiding something and not revealing the truth.

Larissa donned a simple black short dress with high heels and let her hair down. She dashed out of the apartment to hail a taxi, knowing she was running a bit late and that Santiago might be annoyed with her tardiness. After paying the driver, she quickly got out, adjusting her dress which had risen slightly. The reception directed her to Santiago’s table; he sat there looking handsome and stylish, his phone in his hands.

"Hi—" Before Larissa could finish, he interrupted her.

"How is it you don't have a cell phone?" Santiago asked. "Do I have to call all your friends just to talk to you?"

"Sorry, I haven’t bought one yet, I don’t think I need it," Larissa replied.

"Okay, sit down," Santiago said.

"Yes, um, you asked to meet here," Larissa said, scratching her head.

"Yes, I asked you here because I wanted to talk to you. I've been inquiring about you," Santiago stated.

"About me? Did you find something?" Larissa asked eagerly.

"No, not yet, but I'm on it. Besides, I wanted to propose something to you," Santiago continued.

"What is it?" Larissa asked curiously.

"I have friends in need of a vocalist with lots of attitude; maybe you could be a professional singer. What do you say?"

"Are you serious? Wow, yes, I would love that!" Larissa exclaimed, jumping for joy.

"Please, sit down, it's crowded here... Behave," Santiago said with an authoritative voice and a furrowed brow.

"Okay, I’m sorry, I should have controlled myself," Larissa said, attempting to calm her excitement and sitting back down.

"Well, is that what you want?" Santiago asked.

"Of course, yes, I would love that!" Larissa said, still thrilled.

"Well, the only issue would be with paperwork, because I assume you don't have any documentation, right?" Santiago asked, eyeing Larissa with suspicion.

"No, that's true! So, I couldn't. Why offer me this when you know I don't have documents?" Larissa leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes upward, growing frustrated. "So, you brought me here and had nothing good for me," she said, now visibly upset.

"Of course, I did, I was just testing you," Santiago said, taking a sip of coffee and giving Larissa an amused look.

"Testing what?" Larissa asked, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms, expecting another one of Santiago's jokes.

"I'll take care of your papers, okay?" Santiago offered.

"How? We still don't even know who I am," Larissa pointed out.

"I know people who can get you documentation. We wouldn't change your first name, but you'd have a different last name," Santiago explained.

"That's illegal!" Larissa whispered, a bit shocked, making sure not to be overheard in the restaurant.

"Of course it's silly, but it buys us time," Santiago said, gently holding Larissa's chin. "I'll handle everything; don't worry, just relax and be beautiful."

After spending some time in the restaurant, Larissa returned to the apartment to tell her friends about the occurrence. They could hardly believe Santiago's proposal and quickly fantasized about what her life could be like if she appeared in music videos and was followed by paparazzi at every turn—a glamorous life. Becki immediately volunteered to be a dancer.

"Absolutely! And not just you... All of you will be my dancers; where else could I find better dancers than among you!" Larissa replied, clearly overjoyed by everything Santiago had proposed.

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