30. I don’t trust that woman

CARLA'S POV

The kids and I were driving to the record company since they had called me early this morning to tell me they wanted me to record a song with the new artist we had at the record company, who was none other than Alison, the girl who was crazy about Santi and if it were up to her, she would do everything in her power to end Jessica and Santi's relationship, but that's why I'm here at this moment, to prevent that from happening, not now that Jessica cannot be seen for the moment, I hope you find a way to fix this problem, because until now, I have not found anything that can help us.

During the way to the record company, the kids and I played and talked a little. I loved spending time with them, I really mean it, they're like the little siblings I never had, and I like that feeling, I love them a lot for the short time I have known them.

Once we arrived at the record company, we got out of the car with Hamilton, Pérez, Halsted and the building security, we were able to enter the building without many problems other than listening to the thousands of questions and hypotheses the press is asking. "Are you guys, ok?" I asked, turning in the direction of the boys. "Why is the press so complicated?"

"It's the shit of being famous, so I hope none of you want to become famous, well, more than you will be." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "We're not going to be famous." Madi responded, "Oh dear, there are many things you don't know, but don't worry, I'll teach you little by little, now let's go to the tenth floor to meet Santi."

"He won't be working?" Miky asked and I smiled "Yes, but he's the one we have to meet, later I have a meeting and Santi will be on his break, so he can take care of you in the meantime." I informed, taking Miky's hand. "And today you're not going to record a song?"

"You might be lucky, and I record a song." I said with a big smile on my face "I would like to see that." Miky murmured "You will see, you will be with Santi, and he will explain to you what you don't understand. Now let's go before Santi kills someone."

"I don't see him as one of those, he seems a little soft to me, considering Jessica's character." Miky responded, now laughing. "He's not soft, he's more sensitive than a man normally is and very shy, but I'm sure you realized that last bit." I responded looking at them "Something like that, but we don't really know him very well."

"Don't worry about that, you'll have plenty of time to get to know him." I assured, "I hope so, because if he does the slightest harm to Jessica, he's going to see what Miky and I will do to him." Madison responded with a serious face. "You don't have to worry about that, considering that before Jessica left for Los Angeles, they had been together for eleven years, well, twelve, it was their anniversary the day before she left."

"Have they been together for twelve years?" Miky asked, frowning. "Yes, why do you seem surprised?" I questioned "I thought they had been together for less time." Miky responded, "How long exactly?" I asked curiously, "Well, I don't know, months, maybe a year."

"Well, now you know that's not the case, but did you really think Santi would agree to be with her just like that, without having a single date with her before?" I asked. "They went on a date." Madison pointed out, "It's obvious you don't know him, but don't worry, I'll take care of explaining everything myself."

"I think that should scare me a little." said Santi's voice not far from us "You shouldn't dear, now you better tell me what you're doing here." I responded with a smile on my face "The security said you had arrived half an hour ago with some children, and I thought you had gotten lost, because, whether you like it or not, you arrived half an hour ago and you didn't show up at the studio."

"I just don't want to show up there if that girl is still there." I said, "You don't even know her to have hate her." Santi protested and my jaw almost hit the floor when I realized what's happening. "Don't fuck with me, you have no idea who she is." I muttered "Do I have to know? Because honestly, I don't know who she is." He responded, shrugging. "Alison."

"I don't know any Alison." He answered and I denied, "Oh dear, of course you know an Alison, we were together in high school, and she was crazy about you." I informed my best friend "What?" He asked confused "Yes, in case you hadn't realized it's her, so don't even think about getting closer to her than necessary."

"The record company makes me work for her" Santi protested, "They makes you work for her because she told them she wanted to work with you, otherwise she would go to another record company." I said, convinced of that, "And that's why they have to put me in?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know how this works."

"I want to have a quiet life with Jess." Santi protested and I nodded, because that's more than clear to me. "And you will have it, I'll take care of that, but the points of the day are, one, you have to call Jessica because she wants to talk to you about, I don't know what, I hope it's not phone sex." I joked "Stop talking nonsense, we never did that."

"I don't know, and it's not like I want to know. Second, in a while I have a meeting with the record company, and I need you to stay with the kids." I said pointing in their direction "Done. What is the third?" He asked, "The third is I need to start recording a song later and I want the kids to be with you. I know they don't usually let them into the studio, but I want them to be there."

"There won't be a problem with that. Anything else?" He questioned "Yes, we're going to have to go home to eat, Jessica wants them there at that time." I reported, "I was already going to do it, I don't know what you had in mind." He responded, shrugging his shoulders, "Same thing, but just in case you weren't clear, maybe the people at the record company wanted you here working all day."

"I don't care exactly what the record company wants, I want to spend time with my girlfriend and that's what I'll do, no one is going to stop that." He assured "And here I thought you were single. But then I must assume the rumours you're with Carla are true."

Just then the four of us turn around and I see stupid Alison standing there looking at us with a superior look. "For your information, those rumours are false." I reported with a snort at the end, "If the press says it, it will be for a reason. I heard you live together." She pointed out and I rolled my eyes. "And to live together we have to be a couple?"

"Obviously." She said completely convinced "Well for your information, no, we're not together, and we never will be." I assured, "Well, you're like the dead fly he had as a girlfriend. Thank goodness she died years ago."

As soon as those words come out of that viper's mouth, both Santi's and mine's anger increases, but I must control myself because I know Santi will react worse, and I don't want him to be fired from the record company for hitting this piece of shit. Although I know he won't do it, he's one of the few men left with values and not because she's a woman will not hit her, but he's one of those who fixes everything by talking, except when they mess with what he values most in this world, and that's Jessica.

"I'm not going to let you talk like that about Jessica, because everything you're saying is a lie." Santi said, containing his anger as best he could. "For me it's not. She always had you manipulated, and it seems all these years she has been dead didn't help to get her out of your head." Alison said denying "And I will never take her out, because she's a better person than you are Alison." replied my best friend, "Now you know who I am? I thought I would have to tell you."

"Well, it's not necessary. And now you better tell me what the hell you are doing here." I snapped, "Well, calm down, you don't want to have me against you, after all, we will have to work together, and I will end up being more famous than you." She said completely convinced, "We'll see about that, dear, now tell me what you want and go back to where you came from."

"I came to tell Santi the bosses want to see him in the office in fifteen minutes to talk to him." She said with a big smile on her face "Well that's it, you can go with a clear conscience and leave us in peace." I snorted "I'll do that, but I can tell you that we're going to see each other often, so you better get ready."

With that she left, and Santi ends up leaving the building angrier than I've ever seen him, and I'm not going to let him do something stupid, so I turned in the direction of the bodyguards, told them to stay with the kids and for nothing in the world would they let that viper get close to them while I'm fixing this.

When I came out, I found him sitting on the sidewalk at the back of the building with his head in his hands. It's obvious he's stressed and no idea where to focus his anger, so I approached him and sat next to him. "She was always like this?" He asked after a few minutes of silence. "If you ask if she was always a slut, yeah, she always was."

"What I remember is she always spoke kindly to me, she was one of the only ones who spoke to me at school apart from you two." he responded, shrugging his shoulders. "She did it because she hates Jessica with everything she has, I don't know why, but I think she did it more than anything to make Jess jealous."

"She knew I loved only her." Santi said, raising his gaze from the ground to meet mine. "Yes, but all she wanted was to finish off Jessica, and you can be sure when she finds out she's alive, she will want to finish her off." I informed my best friend, "Jessica doesn't deserve it, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure that girl doesn't hurt her."

"And that, dear, is what we're going to do. We won't let Jessica get hurt from this just because that girl hates her guts. Like I told you, I'm not going to allow anything, much less anyone, to separate you two. You've been separated for four years now, and you're barely got over it." I said seriously and linking our arms "That's true." he nodded.

"I know, and that's why my friend, I'm not going to let that happen. Besides, nothing can separate you. You have been through a lot together. You have known each other your whole life, you know each other well and you have been a couple for almost twenty years, that says a lot." I said, totally convinced, "I remind you all that time we were a couple doesn't count, we had to separate."

"As far as I know, Jessica didn't break up with you, which is why your relationship continued all these years." I responded, shrugging my shoulders. "What if she was with someone there?" What would it be, like she cheated on me?" He asked, with a worried tone. "Are you worried she had a partner in these four years?"

"Of course, it worries me, because if it turns out he's better than me, she will leave me and go with someone else, after all, I'm nothing." He responded and I took a gasp, not expecting him to say that "Santiago De Luca, let me tell you, that's the stupidest thing you have ever said in your life. Jessica loves you with all her being and if you were here, she would give you a slap to make you understand that, for her, you're the most important thing she has. You're her great and first love."

"She had boyfriends in case you don't remember." He pointed out and I rolled my eyes "And you had girlfriends, but neither of you lasted time with those people, and it didn't go beyond a couple of kisses. Deep down, you have been in love all your life." I reported, "I do, Jes? I have no idea." He answered, "What tells you Jessica?"

"What does she tell me about what?" He asked, confused and not understanding what I'm probably talking about. "About this, because you must have talked about it with her." I said and he denied "No, and she doesn't have the head right now to do it."

"Well, talk to her about it. She always has time to talk to you, and if you don't clear up those doubts you have, things will go wrong. You know well Jessica hates secrets and you know how upset she is the moment she finds out." I pointed out and he nodded. "I know, but…" he started, but I stopped him before he said anything. "But nothing, you're going to talk to her, or I'll tell her."

"Miss Bastianini, they are waiting for you for your meeting." Pérez said from the door of the building. "Tell them to wait." I responded without turning in his direction, "As you wish." Pérez re-entered the building, leaving me and Santi alone. This is shit, but what I'm sure of is I wouldn't let anything, or anyone separate my best friends, they would have to walk over my dead body.

"You should go, I think they're angry about what you did with the press yesterday. They were calling all morning." Santi said and I shrugged my shoulders "Well, I don't care exactly what they are going to tell me, I would have done it a thousand times if necessary." I assured "I know. do you want me to accompany you?"

"No, it's not necessary, I'll manage just fine, and you must stay with the kids. Show them the study and make sure that viper doesn't come even a kilometre close to them." I asked and he nodded "I will, now go, don't give them any more reasons to be angry with you. If you need me, call me and I will be there in no time."

"Thank you, I appreciate it, but I know how to take care of myself." I assured him and he laughed. "I know, just try not to be like the last meeting you had, okay?" He asked and I couldn't help but laugh "I don't promise anything, but I'll try. Let's go to the kids, and call Jessica, what she had to tell you seemed important."

"I'll do it as soon as I'm in a place where no one can hear, I don't want them to find out about this yet. It is she who will decide the moment in which she wants to come to light." replied "She's strong, I'm sure she'll do it soon." I stated, "I think so, but I don't want to pressure her with that."

"You're a great man Santi, really. Someday I hope to find a person like you." I said with a smile on my face "And you will. The day you find him I will make him a statue for putting up with your character." He joked, "Ha, ha, how funny Santi, but I remind you, your girlfriend, hopefully soon to be fiancé, has a worse character than mine."

"We'll talk about that another time, but Jessica's bad temper happens every so often, unlike you, it's rare you don't get angry for a day." He pointed out "It's my way of being, I can't do anything to it." I defended myself laughing, "I know, but now go to that meeting, and remember what I told you, if you…"

"I'll call you and I won't go overboard with them; I promise." I said before he finished the sentence "Now let's go." With that we entered the building again and each of us went our separate ways. I hope they are not too heavy-handed about what happened yesterday with the press, because I will tell them I would do it again a thousand times, if necessary, of I have not the slightest doubt and I hope they're more than clear about it.