Chapter 3 Surprise Visit 3

"You'll find out, Sofia. Children always pay for their parents' mistakes, as you did with your daughter. And marrying a Lopez will be quite an honor for me. I'll come to your office tomorrow for you to sign the marriage certificate. That's how simple our wedding will be. Goodbye," he said, getting up from his chair and leaving the club. I stayed in the club, sitting in one of the armchairs, sipping my drink. When I saw my fiancé enter, hugging a very beautiful, tall, blonde woman " completely different from me " I got up from the chair and tried to go unnoticed. But Hugo's eyes met mine, and he looked serious. I approached them and introduced myself to the woman accompanying Hugo as his fiancée. The slap I gave Hugo left a mark on his face, but I didn't stay to watch. I gave him another slap, this time splitting his lip. "I suppose you know we're done," I said, throwing the engagement ring he gave me at his face and leaving the club. I got into my car, laughing foolishly with my hands on the steering wheel, not caring about the people who were looking at me strangely. The next day I woke up startled, because I had just had a nightmare about Mark Harris. I got out of bed, went into the bathroom, took off my pajamas and stepped into the shower, letting the water fall on my neck and back to relax. I got out of the shower and put on the bathrobe hanging on the bathroom door, then went to the kitchen and saw Nancy preparing a cup of coffee. " Good morning, Nancy." " Good morning, darling. I left pastries and toast with the coffee on the table for you " she said. I took the cup of coffee that Nancy had prepared for me and sat down at one of the kitchen chairs. " Good morning " my mother said when she entered the kitchen. " Good morning, ma'am, here is your cup of coffee " the maid said to her. " Darling, have you talked to that man again? " my mother asked me. " No, mom, I haven't heard anything from him. I have to leave, I'm already late " I said, getting up from the chair and leaving the cup on the kitchen counter. I went to my bedroom, put on a business suit and shoes, grabbed my bag, and left my house. I got into the car, started it, and drove to the building where the law firm was located. When I arrived and parked in the parking lot, I headed towards the elevators, got on the first one that arrived, and went down to the floor where my office was. I got out and greeted Lina, my secretary, before entering my office. As soon as I sat down in the chair at my desk, my secretary came in with the coffee she brought me every morning and the documents for the trial scheduled for the next day. Absorbed in the paperwork on my desk, I heard a knock on the door. I gave permission for entry and saw Mark Harris coming in with two men. " What brings you here so early, Mr. Harris? " I asked. " I came to tell you that the wedding will take place in two days at the courthouse, and that you should not dress too elegantly. Since we will be getting married civilly, I will go to work and you will stay at my house " he said. " Oh, so no white dress, bridesmaids, or waiting for the groom at the altar, right? " I asked. " Dear Sofia, I don't want to see your family at our wedding, and I don't think my brother will attend either " he said very seriously. " I expect you in my office this afternoon, we will sign a contract in front of my lawyers, as there are certain clauses that I want my lawyers to communicate to you. Until this afternoon, Miss Lopez " he said, leaving my office and slamming the door, as if it had become a habit for him to leave without closing the door slowly. I spent the whole morning deep in thought, giving one of the lawyers from my firm the trial documents I had that morning. I knew I wouldn't have any problems, as we always met when we had a trial and all the lawyers studied them very well, and I trusted that he would handle it. After eating a vegetable sandwich and a coffee in my office, my secretary called me, puzzled because when I said goodbye to her, I didn't tell her where I was going. I parked my car in the Harris building parking lot, got out of the car, and took the elevator, going down to the floor where Mark Harris's office was. I approached a woman who was sitting behind her desk reading the small plaque on her desk, seeing that she was Mark Harris's assistant. "Good afternoon, my name is Sofia Lopez, Mr. Harris is expecting me," I said. "Yes, Miss Lopez, you can enter Mr. Harris's office, he is waiting for you," she said. I approached the office door, opened it, and entered without waiting to be told to come in. I stood at the door looking at the luxurious office, noticing all the details it had. "Good afternoon, Miss Lopez," I heard a voice, pulling me out of my thoughts. A man approached where I was standing, smiling, dressed in a very expensive suit. "Good afternoon, Miss Lopez, please have a seat, Mr. Miller will not be long, by the way, I haven't introduced myself, my name is Roberto Mails and I am Mr. Harris's lawyer," he said, offering me his hand. "I have meetings and I hope Mr. Harris doesn't delay, I am also a lawyer and I have to attend to an important client in my office," I said. "While we wait for my client, we could review a confidentiality agreement that I have here, if you think it's okay, I suppose that as you are a lawyer, you will understand all the points," the lawyer said. "This contract obliges both parties to keep secret everything said in this meeting and any future conversations you have with my client," he told me, handing me the documents. "Don't worry, I understand that as your client is an important CEO, you have to protect his identity," I said.