☬ - 03 | I can't believe it

The worst of all losses is the loss of time." - Author unknown

Seattle - 10:00 a.m

As he wakes up with a smile on his face, Bronck realizes that he is still in company. Reminding himself of the wonderful and torturous night he had with Ana. He decides to wake her up.

- Ana!_ She wakes up looking at her surroundings. - Good morning! - He answers all excited. She looks at him with that face: where am I? What have I done? Holding a smile, he looks at her. She gets up and looks for her clothes.

- What time is it Bronck? - He answers that it's 10:04. He opens his eyes. Knowing very well what's going to happen, he gets out of the way.

- Oh, shit! - She puts on the dress with surprising speed, grabs her things, and runs out.

- Bye! - He says, knowing that she didn't even hear him. - I felt used, not even a goodbye dear. Yeah, I have to find a girlfriend who will share me with other women.. - Impossible! - He answers smiling at himself.

- I'll hurry up and get ready before I'm late, I have a meeting in an hour. Taking a shower, he gets dressed, wearing one of his impeccable suits, and he goes to his kitchen.

After a cup of coffee, he gets into his car, greets his driver, and goes to the office. As usual, he admires his company.

He enters and He walks up to the penthouse. The elevator doors open and he faces his secretary.

He thinks: She is beautiful and very professional, but not my cup of tea. I need to find a woman with a presence who will satisfy me in bed. Who will take care of me, because I am getting old.

- Another year I'll be alone at the charity event. - He thought out loud. - Seeing Carmen staring at him, he is not amused and changes his focus. When his cell phone rings, he stares at the screen, it's his son. He enters his room and answers reluctantly, he already knows his rebellious son's speech, Kamael is always shouting when he calls.

He answers, puts the cell phone on speakerphone, leans on his desk, and walks away. And as always, he yells and curses. Bronck, who keeps walking towards the windows, listens in silence until he stops.

- Is it over already? - he replies coolly.

- Stop sending money to my account, you good-for-nothing! Do you think I don't know that that company is yours? I don't need you, I have a job and I can support myself.

- Stop being arrogant and abusive! You are my son Kamael, when I die, everything will be yours. Come back to Seattle, take your place in this company. - Bronck tries to talk calmly, but he cuts him off.

- I am happily married here in London. It's been twelve years since I've seen your disgusting face, Bronck. - Hearing him call you by name cuts to your heart. Try to make a joke.

- Speak daddy boy. - Bronck listens to the curses and insults. Thinking to switch off and stop the stress, he walks to his desk when he hears a loud noise like a thud, his whole body tingling. - Kamael? - he shouts into his cell phone. Hearing the sound of breaking glass, Bronck becomes nervous. A cry of pain on the other end of the call makes his heart race. - Son, please don't play with me like that.

- Father, I ... - groans from the other side. Bronck can't believe this situation.

A loud noise echoes from the phone, then the call goes silent. Sitting up in shock, he whimpers. - My son, my only son. First my beloved wife, now him. - I can't believe it. - Still trying to understand what has happened, Carmen enters the room, bringing him out of his thoughts. - I have to go to London. - she whispers.

- Sir, your meeting is in three minutes.

- Cancel it. - He replies, a little astonished with everything that has happened. He gets up and grabs his things. - I'm going to London, I need to see my son. - He informs.

- But what about the Chinese? - He questions him.

- Cancel it! - I stop facing her and give the order.

- Is everything okay, sir? - Worried, she checks if she can help.

Passing her, still confused, he thinks: I'm not sure what happened and I'd rather not say. On the way, he asks her to contact his pilot to have his jet ready.

- I want my jet ready in 40 minutes, to London. - She doesn't question me anymore.

- Yes, sir. - She agrees and shuts up.

he hurries home, packs a small bag, and goes straight to the hangar.

As he gets into his jet, he talks to himself. I don't know if I'll be able to go through another bereavement. - Taking the flight, he blames himself. - Why wasn't I more insistent? I could have gone there, talked, and made up, I was irresponsible. Why didn't I do my role as a father correctly?

The flight is long and tense. When he arrives in London, he goes straight to Kamael's house.

He doesn't find anyone and goes straight to the nearest police station, identifying himself as Kamael's father, a friendly policeman gives him the terrible news of his son's death.

- I went myself to give the news to his wife. - He thought: so it's true, he really has a wife.

- Could you take me to the place where she is?

- Of course, I was very worried, she had a pressure increase when the body was recognized and she is in the central hospital. I can take you there. - Answering yes, we both go to the hospital.

The way is short, the policeman tries to distract him with some reports from the police station, just gossip. Still, his thoughts don't go out of focus. Now he has a daughter-in-law, he thinks: do I have grandchildren? How will their lives be since the company went bankrupt?

- Here we are. - The policeman takes him out of his reverie.

- May I see my son's body? - asks Bronck in a trembling voice as he enters the hospital.

- Yes, you are his father Mr. Mondova. - He solves all the release bureaucracy since his daughter-in-law was still under the influence of drugs.

The coroner takes him to the room where Kamael's body is and the shock is great. In his mind despair overwhelmed him like a black cloud and it was impossible not to cry, he cried for hours and blamed himself for not having looked for his son, even with everything he had told him twelve years ago. Bronck didn't want to have lost his only son this way.

He pulls himself together and the doctor leads him to his daughter-in-law. He freezes at the sight of a beautiful woman sleeping, he stares at her for a few minutes until the doctor comes back and invites him in for a conversation.

- Mr. Mondova, I know it's boring to talk about it, but the bill for this room hasn't been paid yet. - Bronck is shocked by the doctor's insensitivity and hands him his gold card.

- If you prefer, Doctor, please also give him the amount of your salary, since you are not sensitive to our loss.- Forgive me, I didn't mean to be invasive.

- You were not only invasive, but you were also unprofessional and unempathetic. I will be removing my daughter-in-law from this hospital immediately, and I will put a notice in the London newspaper saying that in this hospital you are after money and not after the feelings of your patients. Now get out of here! - I have already removed the sedative, she will wake up any moment now.

- I'll take good care of her.

The doctor leaves, and when he enters the room he realizes that she's already awake.