Page 19 of Please, Forgive Me

I wanted to push. To drag the truth out of her. But I knew that conversation had to happen face-to-face.

No sarcasm. No games. Just the truth.

And I would find out what was making Maria Gabriela so distant—even if it meant breaking the unspoken rules between us.

“All right. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

I hung up, the tension settling deep in my shoulders. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. Not just because of the board meeting in Rio, but because of the inevitable conversation between me and her.

Something had to give.

And this time, I wasn’t letting it slide.

CHAPTER 8

“The words left unspoken are the ones that weigh heaviest on the heart…”

MARIA GABRIELA

I woke up early and just stood there, staring at myself in the mirror, hair sticking up everywhere, waiting for my soul to crawl back into my body.

Not that I was ready to face another day next to Diego Bittencourt. The fact that we had to travel together again left me more than a little… tense.

There was no ignoring what had happened between us. We might have been trying to act like nothing had changed, but the truth was, everything had changed after that night.

A car came to pick me up, and there I was, slumped in the back seat, head full of thoughts and doing my best not to show how much this trip was already getting under my skin.

Before long, I was on Diego’s private jet, and the moment I glanced around, I couldn’t help the twinge of envy. His life was built on luxury and comfort, and I knew this was only one of the many perks of being who he was.

Diego sat across from me, casually flipping through a stack of documents while I tried, unsuccessfully, to lose myself in the view outside the window. But it was impossible. He was right there, so close, and even without a word, his presence filled the space.

It was like he knew exactly the effect he had on me—and enjoyed every second of it.

“Ready for another trip with the best boss in the world?” he asked, finally lifting his eyes from the papers, that smile of his aimed straight at me. The one that always, infuriatingly, disarmed me.

I sighed, forcing myself not to show how much he affected me.

“As if I had a choice, right?” I muttered, pulling a face that made him chuckle.

“Oh, come on. You know you love these trips,” he teased, leaning back slightly in his seat, his gaze steady on me, like he was waiting for a reaction. “Besides, who in their right mind would turn down the company of a famous, irresistible CEO like me?”

Narcissus himself wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Seriously.

I rolled my eyes, though the smile tugging at my lips gave me away. He knew exactly how to get under my skin, and I knew he loved it.

But there was something else now—something that had been growing ever since that night. It wasn’t just our usual banter anymore. Behind the arrogance and the narcissism, there was a flicker of something real. Something that looked a lot like concern.

“You’re even more full of yourself than usual today, boss,” I said, crossing my arms as I met his eyes. “Narcissism off the charts.”

He gave me that crooked smile—the one that always made me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time.

“And why shouldn’t I be?” His tone was playful, but there was a spark in his eyes, sharp and probing. “Though, tell me—about our last conversation… I’m not sure I believed you. What exactly are you so tired of?”

For a moment, I froze, caught off guard.

It wasn’t like Diego to press like this, not when it came to anything that sounded remotely personal. He’d always been the kind of man who thought only of himself. But since that night… he’d been letting small cracks show. A more human side, subtle but undeniable.

“Just tired in general,” I said lightly, trying to dodge the question. But I knew him well enough—he wasn’t going to let it slide.