Wednesday
February, 6th
The three of them were in Maximiliano's office, having breakfast. In a few hours, they had another meeting with new suppliers.
"Are you leaving?" Maxi asked, looking at Marcus.
"Tomorrow," he replied, sipping his juice.
Dominick frowned at both of them.
"You're leaving? Where? Why?" he fired questions at them.
"To Greece. Sve is still there, and we'll be moving here soon," he said with a smile. "I'll be going back and forth in the meantime; she wants to leave all her affairs settled."
Dom nodded.
Maximiliano's phone rang on the desk, and he ignored it. It rang a second time, and Maxi still didn't pay attention.
"Aren't you going to see who's calling?" Dominick asked. Maxi shook his head.
"If you don't, I will…"
Dom stood up and, before Maximiliano could react, took the phone.
"What a busybody," Marcus chuckled.
"Dominick, give me the phone," Maximiliano ordered.
Dom ignored him and walked away, unlocking the phone—which didn't even have a password—and began reading the messages.
"Who is Agatha?" he asked, looking at his friend. "She's asking if you're just going to do nothing."
Maximiliano glared.
"I'm curious too. You two have more women than a sheikh has yachts," Marc joked.
"Oh! Another message, and it's longer… 'You're an idiot if you leave my sister, but after all, I doubt you deserve her. I'd send you a wedding invitation, but I doubt my father would even want you there…'" Dom read aloud.
Maximiliano's face turned confused.
"Wedding?" He jumped up and grabbed his phone, sending a barrage of messages asking what the invitation meant, but got no response. "Damn it! She disconnected!" He sat back down.
Marcus typed on his phone.
"Inker Nóvikov's daughter is getting married," he announced, making Dom and Maxi look at him.
"What?"
"Exactly as you hear it. I looked it up, thinking it was about Irina, and it was. Here, look at this photo of the girl with a man," he showed Dominick.
"Oh, and what a handsome man! Give up, Maxi; she's already taken," Dom said, chuckling. "Okay, I'll stop…" He saw the petrified expression on his friend's face.
"Magnate Mikhail Vasilev announced his engagement to the beautiful daughter of businessman Inker Nóvikov. Which of the four beauties of the businessman could it be? None other than Irina! His third daughter, and the one who rarely appears in public, was seen dining with the couple a few days ago at one of the most expensive restaurants in Russia,'" Marcus read from the news note. He stopped when he looked up at Maximiliano's expression, which clearly showed anger.
"Maximiliano, I think…"
"This must be a joke!" shouted the brunette, throwing his phone.
Dominick looked astonished. Rarely did Maximiliano lose control like this; he was usually calm.
"Calm down," Marcus advised. Maxi pressed his face, trying to control his fury.
"Do you feel something for that woman?" Dom asked, remembering he had seen a photo of her alongside another woman.
Maximiliano sighed.
"I need a moment alone," he requested, staring at a fixed point, trying to organize his thoughts.
"But Maximiliano…"
"Walk, Dom. We'll talk to him later; for now, he needs space," Marcus said as he stood. Dom rolled his eyes but did the same.
Both left.
Maximiliano stayed, thinking about what he should do. He was confused…
[...]
The days passed, then weeks, then months… Dominick continued attending the support group, and everything went well. Marcus had been going back and forth to Greece, and they had already found a beautiful house to move into in a few months.
Dominick visited his friend Gideon, they talked, and finally cleared things up. He was honest and apologized, but Gideon understood him deep down. Dominick congratulated him on his marriage and upcoming baby. He also spoke with Nikolas, who gave him news that they were close to catching the rat, Noah Kidman.
Maximiliano had gone to Russia, determined to stop the wedding of the woman he had discovered he loved.
Dom smiled, entering his room. Tomorrow marked six months since he had joined the AA group, and he was more than happy.
~•~
August 4
He entered the building whistling, very happy. He had been sober for six months, and that night he would travel to Greece to meet Marcus.
He smiled at the receptionist, who returned a neutral glance. Over the time he had spent at the center, he had interacted with many people.
Time passed quickly that day, as it was special—everyone was celebrating a small achievement.
"Remember, this is just the beginning of a long fight against the demon of alcohol. There will be many temptations—parties, weddings, gatherings, birthdays… There will be people in and out of those events telling you, 'Come on, it's just a drink,' but your duty is to politely refuse. Let anxiety be a thing of the past. You are in control, not the alcohol…" Rosaura continued, letting her eyes scan all the members. Each participant shared their thoughts and goals for after the session.
At the end, everyone left, and Dominick stayed with Rosaura.
"I want to thank you for everything," Dom said. "You've helped me so much."
"No need to thank me. Also, my help would have meant nothing if you hadn't allowed it. You are the result of your actions. Actions define us, Dominick," she smiled. "You made the right decision. I hope you find that girl."
"I hope she forgives me," he smiled.
She looked at him curiously.
"You still haven't told me if you're in love with her. You talk a lot about Jade, how beautiful she is, the hurt you caused… and countless other things, but you never confess that you love her." She waited for his answer.
"To be honest… I don't even know myself," he admitted, embarrassed.
Rosaura smiled; he already knew the answer…
"You'll know when you least expect it—when you see her eyes and don't want to look at anyone else, when her smile is enough for you, when you feel your life has no meaning without her. That's when you'll know you love her," she assured.
Dom nodded and left the building.
Everything was ready for his trip. He returned to the hotel, took a shower, grabbed his phone, and left his room. Soon he was seated in the back of a taxi, heading to the airport.
~•~
Greece, Santorini
The thirteen-and-a-half-hour flight was exhausting. He arrived the next day at nine in the morning, having barely slept. The landing was smooth, and everyone disembarked slowly, tired…
A car awaited him at the airport. Half an hour later, he was in front of a beautiful mansion. It looked old but had been remodeled.
He knocked on the door, and an older woman greeted him.
"Good morning," she said with a smile.
"Good morning, I'm Dominick…"
"Oh! Yes, they had informed me of your arrival, Mr. Jackson. Please, come in." She stepped aside. "I'm Dorotea, the housekeeper."
Dom nodded, very impressed by her perfect English.
"Mr. Marcus is in the garden. Follow me." She pointed the way and turned.
"Dominick, you're here!" Marcus exclaimed, looking thrilled.
"I'm exhausted," Dom admitted, taking a seat beside him.
"I'll ask Dorotea to bring you some breakfast," he said, scanning him from head to toe. Dominick had returned to his old self; anyone seeing him now wouldn't believe the struggles he had endured.
"Yes, please. I'm dying for some orange juice," he smiled.
Dorotea appeared with a folder and handed it to Marcus.
"Doro, please bring Dominick something to eat; he's about to starve," he joked.
"Right away," she said, smiling and leaving.
"I need to know, how did you get this information? I spent thousands, and no one ever had answers," Dom sighed.
"I spoke with Sve about your situation, and she told Dimitri to investigate. He has contacts everywhere and people who owe him favors. He got the info in less than a week."
"I like this guy already."
"Jade has been living in Rasinari, Romania, all this time. She owns a restaurant with her friend…" Marcus tried to remember the name.
"Nerea," Dom said, wondering if she had lied to her back then.
"The same one. The girl is a partner of some Kevin Fischer, and the man she left with is a real rogue. He's been traveling to New York without anyone noticing," Marc explained.
Dominick was shocked.
"That son of a…"
"Don't insult him," Marcus interrupted, smiling. "He's been more of a man than you and took care of her all these years, so he deserves respect." Dom rolled his eyes.
"I don't care what he did, as long as…" He stopped, realizing that at this point she might have fallen in love and started a family. But did it matter to him? All he wanted was her forgiveness.
"Long as what?" his friend frowned.
"Nothing."
Dorotea appeared with the food, and they began talking about what Dominick would do next.
[...]
Jade
Rasinari, Romania
5:35 p.m.
"Order for table six!" a girl shouted as she entered the kitchen.
"Casmin, how many times have I told you not to shout all the time?" a woman said reproachfully, stirring a pan.
"I'm not shouting—Mom, you say it a hundred times!" the young girl rolled her eyes.
"Casmin, you need to listen to your mother. Don't be rebellious," Jade said, taking a bite of a brownie.
"Floren, take it easy," Nerea laughed.
"You shut up," the older woman pointed a spoon at her. "You only live to cause trouble."
"You'll get older faster if you keep fighting so much," Nerea said. "Come on, Isa, we need to go to the supermarket. Is Armand back tomorrow?"
"Yes, that's what he said," Jade answered.
"I don't know why he travels so much," the brunette rolled her eyes.
"Personal matters," she shrugged.
"Let's go."
"Can I come with you?" she asked.
"Of course," Nerea said.
"Don't come back late, Casmin," her mother warned.
"Yes, Mom."
The three of them left the kitchen.
Jade tied her hair, now darker than before, between chocolate and brown.
They left the small restaurant and got into the car. Jade looked at the streets of Rasinari. She still wasn't used to the idea that she had to leave everything behind. She had lost and gained a lot.
When she left New York airport that night, she knew she had to give up many things, including her identity.
The following months had been difficult—long nights, her father's death had taken her will to live, and she had felt lost. Armand and Dr. Ernes became her support.
Nerea had helped her a lot when she moved in with her two years ago. Her grandmother had died, and nothing tied her to the big city.
Jade had hoped her sister would move in with her, but the teenager preferred to stay with her aunt. Thanks to Armand, they kept in touch.
They arrived at the supermarket…
Dominick
The neck day...
2:25 p.m.
He was nervous, sitting in the car for fifteen minutes. He didn't know what to say, how she would react, after so much time, after everything that had happened.
He gathered his courage, got out, and entered the busy restaurant, noticing the bright colors. He approached a waitress and showed her a photo of Jade.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for this girl, her name is Jade," he said, showing the photo.
The young woman shook her head.
"You're mistaken," Dom thought he had arrived too late, that somehow she knew he was looking for her and had left… He was far from the truth—"she is Isabel, just with darker hair.
"Could you ask her to come?" The girl looked skeptical. "I want to surprise her; it's nothing bad."
"Okay, wait over there," she pointed to a more private table.
Dom walked to the spot she had indicated, behind tied curtains that only partially revealed the table.
"I don't know who it could be," she said, her heart racing. Hearing his voice after so long made her realize how much she had missed it.
Jade stopped when Dominick turned around, carrying a small tray with three desserts that fell to the floor, drawing everyone's attention.
"No… this can't be," she whispered.
"Jade, I need to talk to you, please listen to me," he tried to approach, but she stepped back.
"Don't you dare touch me," she hissed.
Dominick knew it wouldn't be easy. Her green eyes showed the struggle ahead, but he didn't care. He had traveled all this way for one reason: to earn her forgiveness.