Episode 2

Louis and Nestor's bodies collided with force, due to the speed Louis was carrying as he came around the corner. The man spilled the hot coffee he was carrying on his chest and part of Louis' face, before he fell to the ground.

Nestor Grize: Hey! You crazy kid! How can you run like that?

Louise got up and looked at the nervous man.

Nestor Grize: You ruined my folder, my shirt, and my coffee!

Louis Olid: I'm sorry sir, I'll pay for everything. I'm sorry.

Nestor noticed that the young man's face was red and covered in coffee.

Nestor Grize: Heavens! Come with me.

The man took Louise's hand and entered the bathroom with him.

Nestor Grize: Look up.

He grabbed a paper towel and wet it with some water from the tap to clean Louis' face.

Nestor Grize: Is it hurting?

Louis Olid: Don't worry about me, sir, I'm fine.

Nestor Grize: Did you hurt yourself before this?

Nestor gently touched Louis' face.

Louis Olid: Ouch, what!? Can you see it?

The young man looked in the mirror and saw the mark of Eder's slap from the night before.

Louis Olid: The coffee... It took the makeup off.

Nestor Grize: You wear makeup?

Louis Olid: Yes. Don't you, sir?

Nestor Grize: Do I have to answer that?

Louis Olid: Sorry... Of course not. Gosh, I won't be able to hide it now!

The boy lowered his head, visibly upset.

Nestor Grize: Who hit you?

Louis Olid: No one, I... I just hit my face...

Nestor Grize: Into someone's hand. Right, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Put some ice on it, maybe it'll help.

Louis Olid: Good idea.

Louis smiled at Nestor and turned to the door, but suddenly staggered and lost consciousness.

Nestor Grize: Hey!? Kid?

A human resources employee named Heriberto entered the bathroom and saw Nestor with Louis in his arms.

Nestor Grize: Don't just stand there staring at me, help me! Call someone from the pharmacy up front, an ambulance, a doctor, or something!

Heriberto: Yes sir!

Nestor ran his hand over Louis' face.

Nestor Grize: He's pale and cold. Could his blood pressure have dropped?

The distressed man brought his ear close to Louis' face to check if he was breathing well. At that moment, Louis stirred, and their lips almost touched.

Nestor Grize: Kid! Are you alright? Huh?

Louis Olid: C..cold.

Louis rested his face against Nestor's chest. He was shivering and trying to snuggle even closer, seeking warmth.

Nestor Grize: He's cold. Poor thing, you can stay like that until help arrives.

Employee Heriberto arrived after half an hour with a doctor.

Doctor: Hello, let me see him.

Nestor Grize: He's feeling very cold, is that normal?

Doctor: I can't say just by looking. I'm going to take him to the hospital.

When they moved Louis away from Nestor, he started shivering even more.

Doctor: Sir, would you mind taking him? Somehow, the heat from your body is keeping him stable.

Nestor Grize: Yes, of course. No problem. You!?

Heriberto: Yes?

Nestor Grize: Try to call a relative of his.

Heriberto: Ah... Yes. Well, I'll just let them know through his extension.

Nestor Grize: Does the relative also work here?

Heriberto: Yes sir, it's our CEO, Mr. Eder Olid.

Nestor was surprised.

Nestor Grize: Is that right?

Heriberto: Yes sir, that's Louis, his adopted brother.

Doctor: We have to go now.

Nestor Grize: Right.

Nestor followed the doctor with Louis in his arms, ignoring Heriberto.

III

Heriberto was a twenty-eight-year-old single man. He was part of the company's "Foc quartet", a group of employees known for knowing everything about everyone's life.

After witnessing such hot gossip, Heriberto ran to the coffee area to share it with someone. Arriving there, he found Deise, a forty-two-year-old divorced woman who had moved back in with her mother.

Heriberto: Deise! You won't believe what happened!

Deise: Tell me now, it must be good.

Heriberto: The CEO's brother fainted in Mr. Fearsome's arms.

Deise: In Mr. Fearsome's arms? No way! And have they told Mr. Eder yet?

Heriberto: Damn, I forgot.

Deise: Then let me go!

Heriberto: You go, girl!

Deise entered the elevator and went up to the top floor of the building. She was announced by the secretary and entered the CEO's office.

From his desk, Eder gave an intimidating look.

Eder Olid: What's so urgent that you need to bother me today? Don't you know it's the end of the month, everyone's very busy. Especially me, I just arrived.

Deise: Yes sir, but something serious happened, and you need to know.

Eder Olid: What's so serious?

Deise: Mr. Louis fainted on top of Mr. Nestor.

Eder Olid: Fainted!?

Deise: That's right. A doctor came to take him. It must be something serious, sir.

Eder Olid: He's already gone to the hospital. In that case, everything's fine. Call the finance manager in here.

The employee left Eder's office, and he picked up the phone.

Eder Olid: Larissa, Louis went to the hospital, if you could go see what's wrong with him, I'd appreciate it.

[Housekeeper Larissa: Hospital!? Yes, of course, sir.]

Eder Olid: That good-for-nothing is going to delay work because of this. I think I'll change his department again. Maybe street services.

[Housekeeper Larissa: Please, don't be hasty, he wouldn't do anything to harm you.]

Eder Olid: He's been harming me since the day he walked through the door, hand in hand with "my parents!" I'm fed up with him!

[Housekeeper Larissa: I understand, I'm going to the hospital right now.]

Eder looked at the photo on his desk frame. In it, his parents and he were hugging on a lawn. In the picture, there was no Louis.

Eder Olid: I wish I'd left him at the bottom of that pool... I wanted to so badly. But every time, I remember you. Why did you make me promise to take care of him, Mom? Anyway, at least I can still keep that one... But yours, Dad, is terribly difficult. Yours... I don't think I'll be able to.

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