Free Web NovelChapter 153: Failed contract
Mateo rushed into the living room, nearly bumping into Leah.
"Pardon monsieur, are you alright?" she asked looking worried. She was holding a stack of fresh towels.
Leah is the maid who takes care of the apartment. She just finished high school and is saving up for college.
"Yes am fine. Catalina had visitors?"
"Oui. Two men come on business. They ask me not to disturb them," she replied innocently.
"Business huh."
"You look stressed, Monsieur. Can I get you something? Maybe juice, tea, or café?"
"Am fine Leah. You can go."
The girl strolled away, humming.
Mateo walked over to the wine cabinet in the corner of the living room and poured himself a glass of dark red wine.
He drank slowly, waiting for the "business" to finish.
Thirty minutes later, the bedroom door opened.
Catalina walked out wearing a white robe. She sat on the sofa opposite him.
"Don’t barge into my room like that Mateo," she said. "That’s not cool."
"I’m sorry, okay?" Mateo said. "I had news. I didn’t think you’d be so... occupied."
Catalina leaned back, crossing her legs.
"News can wait thirty minutes, Mateo. You know the rules."
"You need to see this."
Mateo leaned forward and slid his phone across the coffee table toward her.
"You need to see this," he said.
Catalina took the phone, still looking relaxed and smug. But as she scrolled through the screen, her face completely changed. The bored look vanished. Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in total shock.
She saw photos—lots of them. They were high-quality, romantic pictures of Julian and Lyvana. In one, Julian was holding Lyvana close, looking at her with a softness Catalina had never seen before.
Her hand started to shake slightly. She scrolled down further and found the official press release from Julian’s PR team. Her face went from shocked to pale as she read the words.
The statement said the marriage between Julian and Catalina was just a business arrangement that didn’t work out. It framed her as nothing more than a failed contract.
She screamed and threw the phone with all her strength. It smashed against the wall and fell to the floor in pieces.
Mateo jumped to his feet. "Hey! What the hell? That was my phone!"
He looked at the broken pieces on the rug, then back at Catalina. She was shaking with rage. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"A failed contract?" she yelled. "He’s making that... that nothing girl feel important, while humiliating me."
"You didn’t have to smash my phone. I had a lot of important information on it."
"I don’t care about your stupid phone, Mateo! Buy ten more!" she snapped. "I will kill her. I will put a bullet in between her eyes."
"Well, I told you we should have just shot her," Mateo muttered, still angry about his phone. "But nooo, you wanted a big drama."
"I wanted him to pay for humiliating me!" she shrieked, pacing the living room. "He made me stay in a jail cell the whole night, with a bunch of prostitutes."
"Keep your voice down," Mateo hissed, glancing toward the hall. "Unless you want the maid live-tweeting your breakdown."
That shut her up for half a second.
"Fix it. You’re supposed to be the fixer, Mateo. So fix it."
"With what?" He gestured to the floor. "You just killed my phone."
"Urgh."
"You want to put a bullet between her eyes? Fine. But we do it smart. No more drama. No more games. We wait until she’s alone."
"She’s got like three bodyguards now."
"We will simply shoot her from a distance using a sniper."
Suddenly they heard something fall from the hallway.
Catalina and Mateo both turned toward the sound.
"Leah," Catalina whispered. "She heard us."
Mateo was already moving. He didn’t want to give her a chance to run. He reached the corner and saw Leah. She was standing there with a tray of tea. A small spoon had fallen to the floor. That was the sound they heard.
"Pardon, monsieur," she said, her voice shaking a little. "I... I bring tea for madame."
Mateo looked at her closely. Did she hear the word sniper? Did she hear bullet?
"How long have you been standing there, Leah?" Mateo asked.
"I just come now," she said quickly. Too quickly? She looked down at the floor. "I hear a loud noise. A crash. I think maybe someone is hurt."
Mateo looked at the broken phone on the rug behind him, then back at the girl. He put on a fake smile.
"Just a phone, Leah. Madame is having a bad day. Go to the kitchen. Start the dinner."
"Oui, monsieur. I go now." She picked up the spoon, turned around, and walked away.
Catalina watched her leave, then took a long, heavy swig straight from the wine bottle.
"She heard us, Mateo," Catalina whispered. "I know she heard us."
"She’s harmless," Mateo said. "We stick to the plan. We handle Lyvana first. The maid is my responsibility. If she becomes a problem, I will handle it. Okay?"
Catalina only shrugged. Her own phone began to ring on the table. She saw the caller ID and groaned. It was her mother.
"Darling, how are you?" Her mother said.
"I’m recovering from a public humiliation," she said flatly. She didn’t even try to sound polite.
"Well, listen, love. I can understand why you did what you did. But I have to tell you, you have created a mess. Your father is very mad right now."
"It’s all over the internet anyway, Mother. I have to go. I’ll get back to you."
"I will be in Paris tomorrow. Expect me." Her mother didn’t wait for an answer before ending the call.
Catalina stared at the dead screen. "Great. Now my mother is coming to join the circus."
Back in the city...
Julian and Lyvana sat together in the backseat of his sedan. Julian was concentrated on a work on his phone, but he held Lyvana’s hand tightly in his own.
Ethan was focused on the road, driving smoothly through the night traffic. Beside him, Emily was busy on her tablet.
"This is amazing. You guys are trending Liv," Emily said.
"Do you think she’s seen it yet?" Lyvana asked softly.
"Catalina? Of course she has. She’s probably screaming at the walls right now," Emily said giggling.
"She never learns," Ethan added.
"We’re having dinner at my family home," Julian announced.
