Episode 10

SOPHIE LOPES

"Soph?"

"Soph?"

"What is it, Rick?" I replied irritably.

"It's Saturday, let's go out." He said excitedly.

"I still haven't forgotten the last thing you pulled on me, Henry. I'm not going to any work party." I said seriously.

"Forget about that, Soph. I've apologized. I'll make it up to you, we can go anywhere you want." He proposed, waiting for my response.

"Okay." I replied and Rick jumped for joy.

"So, where are we going?"

"Let me think... Nowhere." I said nastily.

"Wow, Soph, you're being such a party pooper. What's gotten into you?" He said offended.

"Henry, stop bothering me." I went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

"I thought having sex with Elisa would make you happier." I choked on my coffee and started coughing. Henry just laughed.

"Who... Told you that we are...?" I stuttered nervously.

"I don't need anyone to tell me. I'm not deaf and you two are very loud." I blushed at his comment and he laughed even more." By the way, where is she?

"She went to take care of some work stuff. I'm not really sure."

"Good, because I'm dying to know what sex with Elisa Franco is like." Rick had no filter.

"That's none of your business." I sat down and opened my laptop.

"Come on, Soph, stop being like this!" He said with a pitiful face.

"Okay..." I thought for a moment." Sex with her is the best thing I've ever done in my life." Rick clapped.

"Of course, Elisa is a determined woman, super glamorous, incredibly beautiful." He continued listing Elisa's qualities, a bit exaggerated I would say.

"And what does that have to do with sex, Rick?"

"Everything, she's amazing." He sighed in admiration.

"And you're crazy." I joked.

"Changing the subject. Did she tell you about the fashion show in New York?" He asked curiously.

"Yes. It was nice." I said, not wanting to get into that topic.

"Just that, Sophie? Be more detailed." He complained.

"Why don't you ask Elisa about it later?" I returned my attention to the computer.

"What happened at that show for you to act like this?" He asked, analyzing me.

"Nothing." I lied.

"Seriously, Soph, you can trust me."

"A picture of us came out in an article and a reporter asked who I was to her." I said, remembering the conversation I had with Elisa yesterday.

"No way, friend! Let me see that." Henry grabbed his phone and searched for the gossip. "When was this?" He showed me the photo that I hadn't seen yet. Elisa and I were holding hands entering a hotel.

"I think it's been around two weeks." I said, pretending disinterest.

"Too bad we can't see your face clearly." Rick lamented.

"That's the best part." I said more to myself than to him.

"What do you mean? Don't you want to mark your territory, my dear?

"Stop being silly, Rick. Elisa isn't mine."

"That's because you don't want her to be." He accused.

"Maybe she doesn't want to be either because she told the reporter that we were just friends." Thinking about it made me sad.

"Don't be silly, Sophie. Elisa said that because she's a discreet woman. She won't go talking about her love life to anyone, especially not on the internet. And if she had said something, you would have freaked out." He said very confidently.

"When did you become an expert in relationships?" I joked, but I knew he was right.

"When my friend became too blind to see what's right in front of her." He accused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Soph. Elisa is amazing, a million times better than any boyfriend you've ever had... No, she doesn't even deserve to be compared to those losers because she's on a different level."

"I know Elisa is an incredible woman, you've said that a thousand times, but I still don't understand where you're getting at." I pretended to be distracted.

"You should ask her to be your girlfriend." He suggested.

"I don't want to date anyone, Henry, and you know that. With Elisa, it's just sex." I said, trying to convince myself.

"You're sabotaging yourself and you might end up losing her." He said.

"Rick, she doesn't want a relationship. That was our agreement and I'm fine with that." I said, trying to push away the feelings that kept invading my mind.

"Fine. Forget I said anything... Do you still not want to go out with me?"

"Sorry, Rick. I really have to stay home. I still have photos to edit." I walked him to the door and we said our goodbyes.

"Tell Elisa to give me a call." Rick said with a smile.

"Why?" Damn, why did I have to sound so possessive.

"I'm going to find a badass woman to make her jealous." I didn't want to let it affect me, but just the thought of Elisa with another woman or anyone else made me angry.

"Shut up, Rick." I slammed the door in his face and didn't even care about his foot. I heard him curse and burst out laughing.

I tried so hard not to think about what Henrique had said, but my mind was betraying me every moment. Would Elisa go out with someone else? That wasn't like her. Why was I so affected? She wasn't mine.

ELISA FRANCO

My life, literally, became craziness. Ever since I got home, my phone hasn't stopped ringing for a minute. Despite the fact that my clothing collection has only been launched in New York, many Brazilian stores are already wanting to collaborate with the Elisa Franco brand. It's a lot for me to take in.

"Have you had lunch, dear?" My mom asked as she entered the room.

"No, mom, I haven't even had time to breathe. This phone won't stop ringing." I said desperately.

"I'll bring your lunch here then."

"You're perfect, mom. Thank you so much." I blew a kiss to Mrs. Claudia and answered another call.

"Good afternoon, Miss Elisa Franco. This is Bella Cosmeticos magazine. We wanted to invite you to an event celebrating the great success of your perfume. Today we received confirmation that it's one of the best-selling products in the country. We're very happy."

"I couldn't believe it, what wonderful news."

"Wow, I don't even know what to say. I'm so excited. Of course, I accept. What's the date?

"Next Saturday at 8 p.m. at Bella Cosmeticos magazine headquarters." The assistant informed me.

"Okay. I'll be there."

"Thank you, have a good afternoon.

"You're welcome, you too." I hung up.

Was this really happening?

"Dear, I'll put it here, okay." Mom put my lunch on the study table.

"Mom, you won't believe it!" I said all excited.

"What is it, my daughter?

"My perfume is a record-breaking sale in Brazil." Mom started jumping for joy, and I jumped too. We hugged each other.

"I'm so proud of you, my little one." She kissed me and hugged me tighter.

"Oh, don't even get me started, mom. I'm so happy. But also almost going crazy with so much news all at once. I need to hire an assistant. I can't handle it.

"Yes, my daughter, get used to it. Now you're a businesswoman... My girl, a successful businesswoman." She said proudly, and I laughed.

Mom left the room calling her friends to tell them the news, and I messaged Sophie, telling her everything that had happened. She replied right away and we started exchanging messages:

SOPHIE: Elisa, what wonderful news!👏👏 You deserve all of this. I'm going to buy your perfume right now.😊😊😊

ELISA: Thank you, Soph.😊😊 I'll bring some perfumes for you and I'll bring my line of lipsticks too. No need to buy.

SOPHIE: Since you insist. hahaha.😄😄 I accept.

ELISA: Hahaha... Want to do something fun with me? 😎

SOPHIE: What? 🤔🤔

ELISA: Visit some houses tomorrow. I want to buy one this week and I need help.😅

SOPHIE: Of course! Are you picking me up or shall we meet?

ELISA: I'll come by around 9 am, is that okay?

SOPHIE: Okay.👌

ELISA: Okay. Kisses.😘

SOPHIE: Kisses.😘😘

We ended the messages, and I had a silly grin on my face. Sophie was so cute. We had never talked through messages before. I liked it!

After leaving Sophie's house this morning, I reflected on our conversation. I was relieved that she didn't distance herself from me, and her reaction caught me by surprise. She was visibly upset, but not exactly for the reason I expected. I began to wonder if Sophie might have feelings for me. Hope filled my heart, and I resolved to do whatever it took to win her over. I needed to try, as I didn't know how I would handle the idea of her giving up on our agreement. I wanted Sophie to see beyond her fears. She needed to understand that I would never hurt her and would never break her heart.

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