Jade went up to her room and lay down. Even though she knew it had been wrong to speak to that woman like that, she couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction at putting her—just a little—in her place.
She smiled one last time, thinking Nerea would be happy to see her not letting anyone belittle her, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
[...]
5:35 p.m.
The sound of loud music woke her up—apparently, the neighbors were having a party. She opened her eyes, still heavy, and yawned.
She took a shower, slipped on a dress, and tied her blonde hair into a messy bun.
She was hungry, so she headed downstairs to the kitchen, thankful that no one was around. In fact, the house seemed completely empty.
She made herself a sandwich and squeezed some lemons for juice. She ate in silence, enjoying the solitude and the peace the empty house brought her.
She looked at the pile of dirty dishes, sighed, and started washing them. She grabbed the knife and dropped it into the soapy water.
"W-well, look who we have here…" Elías slurred as he entered the kitchen. Jade froze mid-motion but said nothing.
"Answer me when I talk to you!"
She clenched her teeth.
"I don't have to obey anything you say," she snapped, irritated.
"You o-owe me obedien…ce," he mumbled, clearly drunk. He walked up to her and placed a hand on her butt.
"You have three seconds to take your disgusting hands off me, or I won't be responsible for what happens," she warned, seeing red with fury.
"And w-what are you g-gonna do…?" He didn't finish the sentence—Jade had pulled the knife from the sink and pressed it to his neck.
"I'll kill you, that's what I'll do, you filthy dog," she growled, pressing the blade harder against his skin. "Don't ever lay a finger on me again, or I'll kill you. I swear to God, I'll kill you! And trust me, I won't lack the will."
Jade's chest heaved with heavy breaths, her heart pounding erratically, and she felt the vein in her forehead pulsing hard.
A thin crimson line slid down her stepfather's neck, and he smiled with wicked delight.
"Sweetheart, I wanted to ask what you want me to—" Janeth stopped abruptly as she stepped into the doorway. "Holy God! What is going on here?!"
Jade looked at her mother without moving the knife from Elías's throat.
"Ask the dog you married," the blonde hissed. She had such an urge to drive the blade deeper that it scared her. She wasn't a killer, but in that moment, she didn't recognize herself. Her mind was consumed by dark thoughts.
"Janeth, my love, I don't know what happened. I offered to help her—I know she must be tired from all the work at the hotel," he began, attempting to paint himself as the victim, and as always, Janeth believed him. "But suddenly, she went crazy and attacked me…"
"You're lying!" Jade shouted, pressing the knife a bit harder against his neck. She was completely blinded by rage and hatred. "Janeth, for once in your life, believe me. Don't make me lose the last bit of faith I still have in you."
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at her mother. Janeth hesitated, but Elías's stare made her lower her head. The bitterness of disappointment hit Jade like it always did. She mentally slapped herself for thinking Janeth would choose her—just once—over that man.
She lowered the knife and let it drop to the floor. Then she left the kitchen with a tight chest and a heavy heart.
She went upstairs and locked herself in her room. It was unbelievable how her mother always chose a man over her daughters. How could she do that? Jade collapsed on the bed and let the exhaustion, the disappointment, the sadness, and everything else that had been weighing on her finally overtake her… and she fell asleep
8:55 p.m.
She got up and looked out the window—it was already dark. She sat on the bed, still a little disoriented, and yawned.
She stayed in the same position for a few minutes, memories of the afternoon flooding her mind. She felt sick remembering Elías's hands on her skin.
She went into the bathroom and took a long shower, letting the water run over her as her thoughts spiraled. Her situation seemed to get worse with every passing day.
When she finished, she got dressed.
She grabbed her phone and sent a message to her sister, who replied saying that she and their father had been at their aunt's place since Friday and would be back early Monday. Jade answered the last message, grabbed her bag, and headed out toward the bus stop…
~•~
Monday, February 6th
2:45 p.m.
The day had started off hectic, and Jade wasn't feeling well at all. Nerea had suggested she take the day off, but she had declined. The blonde simply wanted to keep her mind busy.
She wanted to talk to Dominick, though she wasn't quite sure what she'd say. But she had to end the vicious cycle between them—this constant push and pull… one fight after another, getting them nowhere.
An hour later, she decided to head to Maximiliano's office. She planned to ask about their pending matter—and find out where she could find Dom.
She put away the utensils and made her way to the office.
She knocked, and when she heard a "come in", she entered.
"Jade, what brings you here?" he asked, putting aside some papers to look at her.
"I came to ask if you've found anything about that woman—Mrs. Josefina Obrad," she replied, taking a seat across from him.
Maxi's smile faded. His expression turned serious as he pulled out a folder and handed it to Jade, who took it immediately.
"You were right. Apparently, Lennon's godmother intended to sell her. That woman she sent her with is a known madam. She's been to prison twice, both times accused of prostituting minors. And both times, she was released due to 'lack of evidence,'" he said, making air quotes. "That woman must have someone very powerful protecting her."
Jade read the documents with horror on her face—everything felt unreal.
"My God… Lennon needs to know about this," she whispered, lifting her gaze to her friend.
"I spoke to Gideon about it," Maxi continued, "and he told me a man tried to take her this morning. They had gone out to buy something, and when Gideon got momentarily distracted, Lennon wandered off and was intercepted by someone." He ran his hands down his face. "If Gideon hadn't made it in time, she'd be with those people now."
"Oh God! I need to see her, talk to her. Lennon must be terrified," Jade said, clearly shaken by the news.
"I know. I know. But for now, we need to keep a close eye on her, and it's best she doesn't leave the mansion. They might try again."
"That damned woman… all those filthy pigs who abuse those poor girls…" Jade muttered through gritted teeth. "I need to talk to Robinson about this."
"All right. Keep me updated, and I'll let you know if I find out anything else," the brown-haired man assured her.
Jade stood up, about to leave, but then stopped.
"Do you know where I can find Dominick?" she asked. "I need to talk to him about something important."
Maximiliano frowned.
"You don't know?"
Now it was Jade who frowned.
"Know what?"
"Dominick boarded a plane to Russia early yesterday morning."
A blow to the chest—Jade forced herself not to react.
"Saturday, he was beside himself, looked ready to explode…" Maximiliano stood and poured himself a glass of whiskey, handling the glass carefully—his injury was still fresh, and some movements still hurt. "He saw you…" he murmured, not meeting her eyes.
"He saw me?" Jade took a step closer. "I don't understand."
"Jade, I was supposed to go to Russia to wrap up some business and resolve a few issues, but Dominick saw you kissing Christian. He got so angry he decided to go in my place—because he knew if he stayed, he'd do something reckless."
She stood frozen, eyes wide open.
He had seen her… and she didn't know how to feel about it.
"He'll be back in about twelve days," Maxi added before taking a sip of his drink.
"I…" she mumbled, "I have to go."
Maxi nodded, and she rushed out. Her pulse was racing, and she couldn't explain why. In truth, she didn't know anything—she was on unfamiliar ground when it came to Dominick.
Then she stopped in the middle of the hallway and thought about it.
"Twelve days without him…" she murmured. "I'm free."
She smiled—then blushed, catching the strange look from a woman who had just caught her talking to herself.
She kept walking with a smile, though deep down, an odd discomfort lingered, and she couldn't quite figure out why.
She told herself these days without him would help clear her mind and focus on what mattered.
And she would take the first step…
By asking Robinson out.
Dominick
He had arrived in Moscow at six in the evening—over ten hours sitting on a plane—and the only thing that had haunted his thoughts the entire flight was the kiss Jade had given Christian.
Just remembering it filled him with a rage he rarely experienced.
He sighed deeply, adjusted his coat, and stepped out of the house.
He got into the car and drove through the streets of Arbat. He had a meeting at a restaurant. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. His whole body was tense. That kiss between the blonde and his brother kept replaying in slow motion in his mind.
Hate began to fester inside him, and he made a silent vow: when he came back, she would be his—no matter how low he had to stoop to make it happen.
Half an hour later, he pulled up in front of a luxurious restaurant. He fixed his jacket and slipped the keys into his pocket.
Inside, the host greeted him and asked if he had a reservation. He replied that someone was expecting him and headed toward the table of a new potential business partner.
"Punctual—very good," said the man as he stood up. He looked to be in his fifties, though his hair was still mostly dark. His honey-colored eyes reminded Dominick of someone. He looked like a man of strong character. "That's a point in your favor."
Dom smiled.
"Glad to hear it. Dominick Jackson," he said, offering his hand.
"Inker Novikov," the man replied, shaking it firmly.
They both sat down.
"A pleasure. Now, let's get down to business…"
[...]
Jade
10:45 p.m.
"He left? Where to?" Nerea asked, frowning. The blonde had given her a brief rundown of her visit to Maximiliano's office.
"To Russia. And honestly, I think this is the chance I needed to feel at peace—no more of his bitter comments, no more of our endless arguments and tension… It's time for peace. Just peace…"
Jade threw herself onto the bed—but sat right back up.
"Something wrong?" her brunette friend asked, noticing her sudden movement.
"There's so much I need to tell you…"
Jade told her the essentials—what had happened at her house, the overwhelming urge to kill Elías when she held a knife to his throat, and how yet another crushing disappointment from her mother had extinguished that murderous impulse. She couldn't hold back the tears as she recalled the scene—tears of helplessness, of rage… of deep-seated anger and resentment.
Nerea comforted her for a while, and once Jade had calmed down, she told her what had happened with Lennon that morning—what her godmother had done.
"I can't believe it," Nerea said, her expression full of disbelief. "That damned woman," she growled, her brows furrowing. "Do you remember when we found Lennon at the bus stop?" Jade nodded. "She said a neighbor told her that the woman—what's her name again, the one Ernestina sent her with?"
"Josefina Obrad," Jade replied.
"Right. The neighbor told her that woman had died. Do you think she knew what that harpy really did and lied to Lennon on purpose?" Nerea asked as she shifted more comfortably in her bed.
"Whatever her reasons were… we should be grateful. Because if not, poor Lennon would be out there being abused, raped, and God knows what else," Jade shuddered at the thought.
"You're right. Lennon is too good, too innocent to fall into that kind of vile world," Nerea said, hugging her pillow and pulling up the covers.
"There are so many cruel, despicable people in this world… people who don't hesitate to hurt others," Jade said with a yawn as she settled under the covers too. "But their time always comes. Good night, Nerea. Today has been exhausting."
"Sleep well," Nerea murmured, yawning too.
Jade fell asleep thinking about the plan she needed to set in motion: starting a relationship with Robinson…