"Hahaha, Bastián, you're scaring me. Stop joking like that..."
Valentina couldn't explain it, but something felt off.Her body screamed danger.Her mind sensed something was wrong.But her emotions whispered:"It's your fault. Fix it."
She couldn't describe it, but deep in her subconscious, a voice kept telling her she was crazy. That she shouldn't doubt him.She knew she hadn't done anything wrong. She knew it.But her heart—slightly poisoned by mixed signals—insisted otherwise. That something had happened. That somehow, she had to pay for it.
"I told you Lucas would forgive Andrea, didn't I?Are you in love with Lucas?"
Bastián, visibly upset, didn't wait for an answer.He crawled across the bed until he was in front of Valentina. He held her chin with his right hand. He wanted to dominate her, to make her his. He didn't know why, but he wanted this woman—this beta with a distant gaze and pale face—to ask for forgiveness for sins she hadn't committed.He wanted her to kneel and say she belonged to him. That everyone should know she only had eyes for him. That she should feel grateful that he, an omega, had chosen her.
Valentina wanted to run, but her body was frozen. At the same time, she wanted to embrace him. Mixed signals, senseless.
Something inside her told her to apologize. To heal him. To tell him everything would be fine.Her mind screamed she needed to make it clear she had never had anything with Lucas, that she saw him like a brother. That she was an only child—that kind of bond made sense.
"Bastián, let's do it tomorrow if you want. Just give me a couple of hours, please," she said, trying to sound excited.
"I'm going back to Moneglia tomorrow. Come Friday night," Bastián demanded.
How could she say no? How could anyone deny him?She didn't even think about it: she agreed. But as soon as she said the words, her mind screamed that it was the wrong choice.
She was starting a new job in just a few hours. She didn't know how it would go. She didn't have enough money to spend on travel. But those thoughts vanished.Her heart told her it was the right thing to do. That she had to fix things with him. That talking to Lucas had been a mistake.
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That night, nothing more happened. They both slept as if nothing had occurred.Though Valentina wanted to reach out to Lucas, she kept telling herself it wasn't the right time. She would wait for him to contact her first.
The next morning, Valentina got up at 6:00 a.m. to prepare for her first day at work. She was nervous. She hadn't picked out her clothes the night before, distracted by everything that had happened with Bastián.Without thinking much, she went straight to the shower. She protected her wound and covered it as best she could.
To her surprise, Bastián also got up and decided to make breakfast. While eating, he told her she shouldn't go to work. He repeated the doctor's words: to take time off, to rest, even to quit if needed. That her health came first—for her and for him, because he cared about her wellbeing.Bastián's words made her feel cared for. For a moment, she felt he genuinely considered her.But she couldn't skip her first day. She loved what she did. She would take her meds and rest early. She knew her refusal would upset Bastián, so she apologized and asked for understanding. She explained that if she wanted to visit him more often, she needed the money.
"Do you want me to take you to the airport?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful."No. I'll take the train at 10 a.m.," Bastián replied curtly.
His answer felt like a stab. She felt like he was leaving because she had rejected him. Her mind filled with mixed thoughts: anxiety, guilt about her age, fear of not finding someone else. Or worse, not finding someone as kind as him.
At 7:30 a.m., Valentina was ready to leave. As she said goodbye, Bastián took her hand, led her to the door, and gently stroked her hair.Valentina was surprised. That gesture calmed her—maybe her thoughts were just passing anxiety.
"Everything will be fine, right?" he said, as if forgiveness were an obligation.Valentina didn't answer. But in her head, the question kept echoing.
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They kissed, and she got into her car. It was a secondhand vehicle. Like many Swiss, she preferred to avoid *leasing contracts. It was functional, nice, and cheap. Perfect for Zürich's narrow, winding streets.Twenty minutes before her shift, she found parking near the agency—a miracle. She walked calmly, though her head ached. The wound was still open.
As she walked, she thought about Andrea. She hadn't brought up the subject with Bastián.What surprised her most was not receiving a single message from Lucas. Not a "Are you okay?" or a "Good luck on your first day."She wanted to call him. To know what had happened. But just as the detailed thoughts began to form, she arrived at the office and blocked them out.
The agency was in the old part of town, near St. Peter's Church. From the outside, it looked like a stone-decorated house. Inside, it was modern and well organized.She checked in at reception and waited. While scrolling through her phone, she hoped for a message from Lucas. Nothing. She blocked him again.Just then, her new bosses arrived.
They led her to the meeting room, designed for about twelve people. They began explaining current projects and those they hoped to win.After four hours, it was lunchtime.
Sometimes, no matter your age, you feel awkward on the first day. Many prefer to eat alone, pretending they're full or brought food. It's not insecurity—it's part of a society that has taught us to fake confidence.
Valentina went to a nearby supermarket, bought a sandwich, and ate alone.Then she had a lighter meeting to meet the team and see her office: a private room with a lake view. Beautiful. But full of responsibility.
She was nervous. Her palms were sweating. Her chest pounded. She doubted herself.Had they hired her because she was a beta and they could pay her less?
She tried to calm down, moving her hands gently. She focused on reading the *briefs and learning the agency's structure.
The rest of the day was spent on internal organization. Even though the first week was supposed to be light, it wouldn't be.She coordinated with the accounts team for the next day's meetings.
The agency was small, with 40 employees from all castes. A rare but pleasant environment. Her bosses were an omega and a beta, both around 40 years old.
The day went well. Around 7 p.m., she received an email about a project that hadn't been discussed earlier. It would be reviewed the next day. Her heart raced.
She now had five projects.One was an international fast-food chain. She would work on that one with her bosses.Three were events or catalogs she'd need to update weekly.But the last one... made her tremble.
It was a tender from a telecommunications company.Not just any company—the same one Alex had been working with for the past seven years.The tender aimed to cover 70% of the client's account. In other words, they were trying to cut costs and possibly work with just one agency in the future. A massive contract. Not even her former agency, Burnes, had that percentage. They only handled 30%, focused on the digital area.
If we win... will they fire Alex? Does the company want to stop working with Burnes? she thought, anxious.
She knew Erick wouldn't let that client slip away. If he had to crush someone to keep them, he would.She turned off the monitor.But her head throbbed. The wound was still open. No one at the agency knew.
She knew that in tenders, participants were rarely revealed until the end.But if Erick pulled strings, he'd find out.And if that happened, it would be the start of a war. An unprecedented one.A war between her and him.
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Glossary
Leasing: Long-term car rental agreement with an option to purchase the vehicle at the end.
Briefs: Concise documents outlining the goals, target audience, message, and creative direction of a campaign.