Hidden Heart (9 page)

“
Hi, sis. Sorry I didn’t
call you or Chiara…I just didn’t want to talk to anybody and I
didn’t realize how long I had been hiding. Sorry, I didn’t mean to
worry you.”

“
Worry us? Honey, if
something happens, we’re the first to find out. You can’t put us
through this again; we were beside ourselves with worry. I was
calling one more time and then I would’ve bought a ticket to come
to Bucharest and start searching for you.”

Tessa felt horrible for
putting her sisters through so much anxiety. “I’m really sorry. I
didn’t mean to cause any trouble for anybody…” She sighed and felt
the need to cry again. “I…my life fell apart a couple of days ago
when I was asked to step aside from all my work. And then I go home
and find Daniel in my bed with another woman. Can you believe it?
That was too much for just one day, so I just felt the need to get
away and not see or hear from anybody. Mama’s house seemed like the
right place.” She paused, inhaled and let a big whoosh out and then
continued, “I asked Daniel to remove all his stuff from my
apartment, but didn’t want to stay there until he does it, so I
came here. I just had a meltdown.”

“
Honey, you don’t have to
go through this alone; you could’ve called and we would’ve helped
you…he is a bastard and never really deserved you. If I ever see
that bastard again, I’ll cut his balls off, I swear!”

Tessa laughed. Octavia
always managed to cheer her up. It helped release some of the
tension she had felt for so many days.

“
And I can’t believe you
were asked to leave the office, that is absurd; after all these
years?”

“
As it looks, I’ve been
accused of fraud and until the investigation concludes, I should
just sit at home and wait for them. I’m furious…I’m hurt. So I told
Victor screw it and I left. I quit. I mean, all I’ve done for the
past ten years, all the nights I slept with my head on the desk to
finish damn reports and worked like a maniac, nothing matters. I
don’t deserve, out of courtesy, to be asked what I think about the
whole situation…nothing…just told I’m no longer needed. Period. End
of story.”

Tessa paced the room,
furious again. She talked for a while with Octavia, venting and
feeling so much better when she hung up. Octavia promised she’d
call Chiara to update her on what happened. Tessa promised she’d
check in every couple of days with her sisters, so they’d know she
was okay.

A horrific dream awoke her
middle of the night. Something chased after her and she ran from it
until she reached the edge of a ravine. Nowhere to go, she jumped
and jerked awake before hitting bottom.

Fully awake, she lay in bed
afraid to sleep again. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach. Her
instinct told her it wasn’t over.

***

Friday morning Tessa
decided to return to her apartment to change the locks. She needed
to pull herself together and stop feeling sorry for herself. She
finally checked her voicemails, on her cell and at home; both full.
Most messages came from Daniel asking for forgiveness, a couple
from Chiara and Octavia before they found her. Her assistant as
well as Victor had called, texted and even stopped by her door; a
note stuck on her door said she should call him right
away.

Tessa tended to some
financial business. She called the bank and removed Daniel’s name
from her account. She verified the balance and to her relief, he
hadn’t withdrawn anything since she’d last seen him. The first
rental fee from her cabin in the mountains brought in a nice lump
of money. The two apartments she owned and had rented in Bucharest,
one to a law firm and the other to a finance and accounting
company, made their regular payments. As it looked, she didn’t hurt
for money, quite the opposite; she’d never suffer financially if
she never returned to work.

Tessa called the locksmith
who promptly came and changed the locks before dinner. She cleaned
the house, dumped the bed sheets, scrubbed the toilet and bathroom
spotless with the rigor of an army private, until her rubber gloves
thinned out and broke. The need to feel normal in her own home was
her number one priority. When she finished all her chores, she
called one of her best friends, Paula, and met her for
dinner.

“
I know how much you like
going to the theater…I have two tickets for tomorrow night, come
with me,” Paula said between bites.

“
I don’t know if I’m ready
to go back there…Mama and I used to go together all the time…I
haven’t seen any plays since she passed away.”

“
I think your mama would’ve
loved for you to continue doing this…in a way it’s her legacy, you
know?”

Tessa’s eyes filled up with
tears and Paula placed a hand on top of hers and squeezed
it.

“
It’s too soon, but you’ll
see, time will help. When my mom died, I grieved for six months…I
still miss her…” It was Paula’s turn to choke, then quickly she
caught herself and said, “By the way, your favorite actor
interprets the leading role, you don’t want to miss his
performance, do you? The reviews have been fantastic!”

In the end, Tessa agreed to
go. When she returned home, Victor waited at her door.

“
I knew you were stubborn,
but not like this,” he said when he saw her. “Do I need to get you
another cell phone, one that you answer?” Victor followed her in
the house without waiting for an invitation.

“
No, thanks. It turns out
my life functions just perfect without one.”

“
Look, kiddo, I didn’t want
to do what I did any more than you wanted it. I’m so sick and tired
of all this. It’s time the two of us sit down and straighten things
out. And you better shut up and listen to what I have to
say.”

He walked to the little bar
in the living room, filled half a glass with whiskey.
“Ice?”

“
Help yourself.” Tessa
pointed him to the kitchen. She waited for him in the living room
where he returned shortly, his glass filled with ice.

Victor took a big gulp of
whiskey, smacked his lips and looked at her. He took another sip of
his drink and sat on the sofa. He rested his glass on his knee and
placed the other arm on the back of the sofa.

“
Here is the deal. Someone
anonymously sent a complaint to our CEO in Berlin that stated
several farmers had negotiated a price for their land, but they
were given less mon—”

“
What? And you believe it?”
Tessa took a step towards him, flames threatening to shoot from her
eyes.

“
Can you just let me
finish?”

She rolled her eyes and
continued to stand, tapping her foot and crossing her arms on her
chest, but didn’t say anything.

“
An investigation had
started right away. We don’t have any proof other than this letter,
not even handwritten, no return address, nothing. We were
apprehensive whether to believe it or not, but to clear the
situation, we had to investigate what happened and if the complaint
was true.”

“
And you couldn’t tell me
earlier?”

“
Please, let me finish.
I’ve tried to keep it a secret, hoping it was just a false alarm
and I could take care of it without dragging you into
it.”

“
How could you make such a
mistake? If someone accuses me of something, I have the right to
know right away, and most importantly I have the right to defend
myself. How could I do that when I don’t even know?” Her arms swung
wide open then she slapped her thighs. She paced the room, one hand
on her waist the other on her neck.

The lion in the cage had
been released.

“
If I remember correctly,
you’ve been going through some tough times, sorry for trying to be
considerate,” Victor said, impatience rising in his voice. He went
for more whiskey and poured a second glass. He returned to the
sofa.

“
Look, kiddo, I feel guilty
for not telling you sooner, but truth be told I didn’t believe for
one second you took the money.”

“
You didn’t?” She stopped
in her tracks and turned to face him.

“
Of course not, what do you
take me for?”

She marched to the bar and
with trembling hands, poured herself a drink. A strong one. She
needed it. After the first sip, her throat and stomach turned in to
fire almost instantly. Maybe strong emotions can’t be controlled
with strong drinks; at least it didn’t work for her.

“
Tessa, I have no idea who
is behind this. We sure work in a cutthroat market; you probably
pissed off someone so bad that they want you out. But never once
did I believe you stole the money.”

“
Why haven’t you said
something when you called me in your office? You called that awful
man in and you crushed me like a bug. Do you have any idea how much
you’ve hurt me?” She finally came to sit on the sofa next to
him.

Victor sighed, placed a
hand on her shoulder, softened his voice and said, “Believe me, it
hurt me and I hate what I’ve done to you. I never was one to be
very, how should I say it?” He stopped as if trying to find the
right words, and then continued, “Let’s say diplomatic or
considerate; never knew how to say things without hurting people.
How many times have I hurt Dina? but let’s not talk about me. What
I’m trying to say is that you have my support in this. We’ll clear
this mess up. I don’t want to lose the best employee I’ve ever had.
I believe in you and there is nothing out there that could convince
me differently.”

Tessa narrowed her eyes and
tilted her head. She looked at him trying to decide if she could
trust his words.

“
How about the Santinelli
guy?” She feared what Victor might say about Alessandro, but she
needed to know.

“
Well, I can’t speak for
him. Nor was I able to read him. He is not an awful man as you
think he is; he behaves very professionally, comes across as a
rough guy, keeps to himself and asks direct questions. I took him
for dinner the other night and the tough guy image was gone; he is
actually very funny. He made it very clear work is work and private
is private. Not once have we discussed your case or the
office.”

Tessa’s heart made a leap.
Alessandro had been tight lipped about their adventure. She’d have
to fight her case and prove her innocence, but would she have to
face him again?

“
Okay, so now that we’ve
cleared the air, let’s move on. Change of subject.” Victor went for
a third glass, but Tessa moved faster and removed the bottle from
his hands.

“
Nuh—uh, ain’t going to
happen!”

“
What, are you my wife or
what?”

“
You had enough and you
can’t crash on my sofa. As a matter of fact, let me have these.”
She took his car keys from the little table he placed them on when
he entered and put them in her jeans pocket. “Here, problem
solved.”

“
And how am I supposed to
get home, Miss I-know-everything?”

“
Your mocking doesn’t faze
me; I’ll get you a cab.” She reached for the phone, but he stopped
her.

“
Wait, I’m not done
talking.”

“
But I am. It’s getting
late. I had a disaster of a week, thanks to you, so let’s wrap up
for tonight.”

“
I know and I’ll try to
make it fast. I need you in the office Monday morning.”

Tessa didn’t think she
could take more surprises. One rollercoaster ride per night was
more than sufficient.

“
We’re starting
negotiations with R.O.C.A., you know, the French supermarket chain.
They came to make us an offer. I want you to be part of the
team.”

“
And what is our CEO going
to say? Or Santinelli for that matter?”

“
Well, I told them I
couldn’t finalize such a deal without you. I either have you back
or the deal is off. The investigation has to wait until the
negotiations are over.”

Tessa shook her head. She
drew in a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, “There is no
turning back for me, Victor. I spent the last ten years in your
company, learning all I could and giving more than I had to give. I
can’t face anyone there, not after what happened. I have no
regrets, but it’s time to leave. Things happen for a reason, and
I’ve arrived at a point where I need to rethink what I want to do
with my life.”

“
If you don’t want to come
back for the company, could you at least do it for me?” Victor’s
eyes searched her face for an indication of how to take this; he
became nervous when he realized she meant every single
word.

“
Please, Victor, don’t make
this more uncomfortable than it already is. I’m not
coming.”

He bowed his head and
clenched his jaw, then walked towards the door. Before he left her
apartment he turned to face her one more time.

“
I think I’m too old for
this…I really need your help…I’m asking you as a friend, not as
your boss, please think about it.”

***

Waiting for a cab down the
street from Tessa’s apartment, Victor placed a call. After the
second ring, a strong male voice answered.