Misunderstanding

Alexia

"Have you ever gotten a woman on that kind of ridiculous pickup line?" I asked mocking his surprised face, knowing it was me.

"I knew it was you and I was just making a joke."

I know, I believe!

He was embarrassed, which proved he didn't know it was me. I'm sure if he knew, he wouldn't have approached me. I spent the whole week traveling for work and when I got back I avoided running into him as much as possible, and he sure as hell didn't want to see me. Even though my anger had overruled his comment about my pendant, I still didn't want to run into him.

I noticed his eyes drop to my cleavage, as if he was curious to see what was there. I have one of the dresses I bought when Patricia and I went shopping. Super sexy, tight-fitting and generous neckline. The chain came down between my breasts, leaving the pendant inside my cleavage, which, despite being generous, did not leave the scene and went to where Romao looked. Patricia approached us, surprised to see Romão there in that place, taking the focus off my cleavage.

"Romão? What a surprise! Did you come with Robson?" asked Patricia, looking anxious.

"Yes, and I'm going to look for him," said Romao, still a little embarrassed.

I tried to contain a smile, but I wasn't very successful. He went to look for Robson, noticing my smile.

"What did you do to scare the boy?"

"Me? Nothing! He didn't see it was me leaning against the counter and made a ridiculous line and stared at my cleavage.

"Did he sing to you and look at your cleavage?" - Patricia spoke excitedly.

"I know what you're thinking, no way it won't happen."

“I know, you don't like men with beards. But you have a mustached dolphin."

She won't forget this anytime soon.

“So you know we need to get rid of him, I have a kitten in sight and I don't want him to get in the way. He knows Conrado and I are together and I don't want him to gossip."

"Robson is here too, what are you going to do with him?"

"I'll try to leave without them knowing I'm with someone, but I don't want the redneck on my tail."

"Hello girls!

"Cassandra?" we talk at the same time.

Did there happen to be some sort of company celebration today? Cassandra was the last person I wanted to see, all the rumors that come up in the company first went through Cassandra. She was also known as a fly that hung around for fresh meat, meaning she always caught newcomers. What gave me the idea...

"Cassandra, did you know Francisco's son?"

"Not yet, I heard he's going to be the new president and you're going to run the company together."

"Yes, he's going to be in the finance department and I'm still in administration."

"Then the Iron Lady will take over, right?"

"The iron Lady?"

I looked at my sister without understanding.

“It's the nickname people gave you,” said my sister, a little embarrassed.

"And I'm just finding out about it now?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Defend me, as I always did you."

"That's why they call you Iron Woman. You're tough and relentless in negotiations, but you don't open your heart for anyone to enter, Conrado is a victim of your insensitivity."

She said that, because I betrayed Conrado every time we went to the bar.

"You know that the only thing Conrado cares about me is the presidency."

"That's true!" said Cassandra. "He keeps telling anyone who wants to hear that he's with you because of the presidency, that no one else would want you because of your personality. And that, at least, in bed, you're good." After all, a thank you.

"Well, I think I can put up with this relationship a lot, it's time to end it."

I never wanted to open my heart again, the last time it happened, it ended in disaster. I promised myself I would never fall in love again. And that nothing and no one would ever come between Hector and me again.

"I heard that Antonio took your place when you were traveling," said Cassandra.

"How is it?"

I looked at Patricia in disbelief, how could she leave Antonio in my place while I was gone?

"He threatened to turn the board against you if you didn't let him take his place."

"What did Romao think of that?"

"He said it would be nice to see if we found out about him."

"Did his genius idea do you good?"

My sister looked at me and then at Cassandra, I already understood that they discovered something, but she wasn't going to speak in front of her.

"No, we didn't find anything."

I looked at Cassandra who looked like a landscape, but I know she was understanding everything. I looked around and saw Robson talking to Romão, he already had a perfect distraction for her. In addition to getting her off the ground so I can talk to my sister, she'll help me sneak out of the pub with the cat I'm watching.

"Cassandra, see that guy with Robson?"

"The cowboy?"

"This one! He's the new president, how about testing his quality standards?"

"I love cowboys, they know what they say about them, don't they?"

"Not!" Patricia and I talk at the same time.

"That they love using the whip!" I don't know in which universe that makes sense, but since she was the one saying... "Come here my cowboy, let's whip it." She was a fan of the BDSM style.

She went to them and soon pulled Romao to dance, she wasted no time.

"What did you find out about Antonio."

"He was trying to get into the restricted access rooms and was trying to access the company vault, but he was unsuccessful."

"I changed the office password on the day of our father's death, only you and Romão have access to them."

"Antonio was furious, he practically forced us to give him the presidential badge. Romão confronted him and said he would only have access to the badge if you knew. I've never seen Antônio so upset in my life."

"We have to take care of his retirement."

"Why don't you just fire him?"

“If we fire him, he'll sue the company, imagine how little he knows about years of work that we don't. Retirement is the smartest strategy, he won't wait for that."

"That's why you have to be in the presidency, if he were with me I'd send him away, and that's it! You know which way to go, I don't know how Dad didn't put the company in his name."

"That in itself shows that our father wasn't so good at what he did."

We spent a good part of the night drinking and dancing with a group of people we met at the pub, I couldn't remember the names or half of them, especially the guy who came to talk to me and who I was watching.

When Cassandra finally pulled Romao into the ladies room, I had my opportunity to go out with the guy. We went to his house and had sex all night long. I left early the other day, before he woke up. I didn't leave a message, nor did I want to say goodbye, sentimentality wasn't with me, in my life I didn't have room for a relationship. At least until I put my plans into action and kept my promise. I didn't want anything or anyone to spoil everything I planned.

I went to the mansion where my sister lived with Alessandra. I showered and changed my clothes. Without having breakfast, I went straight to the company. There I would have to eat, I wanted to settle the matter of Antônio soon. I went straight to the cafeteria, I was starving and the company's coffee used to be excellent. As soon as I entered the cafeteria, Elisa and Patricia already pulled me into the first gossip of the day.

"I've heard rumors that Cassandra took aim high this time and hit the president."

"News travels fast around here."

I looked at my sister, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me, Cassandra, the very same one who came to say she left her trademark on your redneck's neck," said Patricia.

"He's not my hillbilly."

“We know, because if it were, Cassandra would never have come close,” said Elisa. "But Patricia and I bet it won't be a month and you'll call him my hick."

"I bet it will happen in less than a month and she bets it will take more than a month," said Patricia.

“Then you two are going to lose the money, because that will never happen,” I said with conviction.

The two stopped talking and looked at a fixed point behind me, I turned to look and saw Romao entering in a suit, no tie, with his shirt collar up and the two shirt buttons open, looking like Elvis Presley. He had to admit, he looked good in a suit, he just didn't go with that beard and long hair under the cowboy hat.

"Hello girls!"

“What's up, Elvis? I liked the turtleneck,” I say, trying to hold back a laugh, but it was hard.

"Sweetie, you messed with me, didn't you?"

"Don't look at me, I wasn't even there," said Elisa.

"To tell you the truth, deep down you had fun."

"This woman is crazy" he said sitting next to me, I felt weird with that approach. "Out of nowhere, she started hitting me and wanted me to hit her, just a little bit, I lose my erection with her." We couldn't take it and burst out laughing.

"Must have been fun." He looked at me askance.

I saw him craning his head to see something, or someone behind me, I looked to see and Cassandra was approaching, with a swing that made the men turn their heads to look at her. I noticed that Romao gets nervous

"Damn! I need to get out of here." The girls and I laughed.

He walked away without looking where he was going and bumped into the clumsy cleaning lady.

"There! Sorry. It was an accident." Again?

She bent down to clean the floor that had been soiled with coffee, Romao took the cloth from the girl's hand to clean the floor.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked confused.

"Because it was my fault I hit her, I didn't look where I was walking."

"Okay, never mind, that's my job," said the girl, unable to keep her gaze fixed on a fixed point.

That must be why she was so clumsy, she must have a vision problem.

"Look, I'll let you work because I'm in a hurry," he said, watching Cassandra approach. "But I owe you one."

As much as the girl couldn't keep her gaze on a fixed point, she could tell she was confused. Romao got up quickly and left the cafeteria as if he were fleeing from an aggressor. I would laugh if my worry wasn't elsewhere right now.

"Hello girls!"

"Cassandra, you have a good time," I yelled to the cleaning lady who was cleaning the floor. "What's your name young man?"

"Ma... Marcia," said the girl somewhat fearfully.

"Come with me."

"But I need to finish cleaning."

I looked around and saw some young women whispering and laughing at the girl.

"Hey! You, come here" I said pointing to a young man who looked mocking.

"I am at your disposal, ma'am!"

"Perfect! Cleaning the floor."

"What? But I didn't find your boyfriend." Boyfriend?

"But I am ordering you to clean and my orders must not be questioned."

"Yes ma'am!"

She looked around embarrassed, her friends were laughing.

"Want to join her too?"

"No, no."

"Then get back to work!" I left the cafeteria with Márcia and Cassandra. "Cassandra, find Marcia's résumé and leave it on my desk."

"Are you going to fire her, ma'am?"

I felt the girl a little tense beside me.

"This is none of your business, do as I say."

"Yes ma'am!"

We left the company building and got into my car, I went to an eye clinic. Marcia was silent throughout the trip and quite tense. I parked the car and turned to the girl.

"Do you know where we are?"

She looked toward the front of the clinic, squinting her eyes.

"No, where are we?"

I am amazed to see that she went to the company every day.

“We're in an eye clinic.” She was embarrassed, which confirmed my suspicions.

We got out of the car and went into the clinic, I had to make an appointment for an evaluation, but... what didn't the money buy? I accompanied Márcia throughout the procedure, in the end she left with the date set for eye surgery. I gave her paid time off and told her that she couldn't return to the company until she was fully recovered, which would be about a month from now. She didn't want this help at first, but I told her that if she didn't take it, I would fire her. Well, she didn't have a choice.

I returned to the company at lunchtime and went straight to my office. Marcia's résumé was on my desk and, honestly, I don't know what she was doing cleaning up. She had a degree in mechanical engineering from the best college in town. I called the college, asking about the girl's background and was impressed by what she did while studying.

I think she will be more useful at the factory, as an agricultural machinery production assistant, than as a clumsy cleaning lady. While I was preparing his promotion papers and Antonio's retirement, I saw my door open.

"What did you do?"

Romao, entered nervous and I did not understand what was happening.

"Calm down, you're nervous and I don't know why."

"I know what you did in the cafeteria after I left."

"Then you should give me a medal and not be nervous," I said, being ironic.

"You are the most cruel and selfish person I have ever met in my life, you have no heart, you only care about your belly button. I don't want to work with a person like you. Good luck when you meet with the council to choose one new president of the company."

Did anyone understand anything? He left my room ignoring my call.

"Romão, wait!" He knocked hard on the door.

I would go after him to find out what happened if I wasn't shaking. No one has ever said that kind of thing to me and I don't know why, but his words affected me a lot. I felt a suffocation in my chest and started to cry. Even my father couldn't leave me in this state when he scolded me. I feel so stupid, so useless, I've never felt this way before. And now what am I going to do? The door to my office opened and my sister and Robson entered.

"What is that?"

My sister came to me and hugged me, I squeezed her tightly, like she was my safe haven.

“And…he…said I…I don't have a heart,” I said between sobs, I felt so pathetic.

"He's nervous about the cleaning lady's firing."

I let go of his hug and fixed my gaze on his eyes.

"What cleaning lady?"

"The girl you fired."

"Me? But I don't...shit!" She hated gossip.

"I tried to talk him out of leaving the company, but he wouldn't listen," Robson said.

I've already recovered from the ridiculous moment I've just been through, after all, now I know I'm not what he said.

"Leave him alone, we don't need him," I said with my confidence back.

"Have you forgotten that you can only hold the presidency if he does?" said Patricia.

"Shit!" “And my confidence waned again.

"Knowing him, he'll only come back if you go talk to him and apologize," Robson said.

"Me? Excuse me? Never! I never apologize and to top it off, I didn't do anything wrong."

Apologize? Never! These are for the weak.

"You fired the girl when he forbade you to do that."

Should I let them think I fired Marcia?

"Nobody forbids me to do anything, I'm the rightful owner of this company, but I'll talk to him."

Just for the pleasure of rubbing the girl's promotion in his face. He will be the one to apologize to me for everything he told me.