Chapter 163: Keeping Fit

Giovanni arrived at the penthouse with enough time to unwind before bed.

Unfortunately, his idea of winding down usually involved doing the exact opposite.

He considered putting on his boxing gloves for five seconds, then chose the pool.

A few laps would do.

After a quick shower, Giovanni changed into his swimming trunks, grabbed his goggles, and headed for the private pool. The water felt cold when he lowered himself in, but after the first lap, his body quickly adjusted.

It had been a while since he’d properly practiced instead of just swimming for exercise, so he started alternating strokes.

His butterfly wasn’t as smooth as it used to be.

Annoying.

Giovanni tried again.

Better.

After several laps, he switched to floating exercises, then tested how long he could comfortably stay underwater on a single breath. He surfaced, rested, then spent several minutes treading water without touching the pool’s edge.

It was hardly necessary exercise for a man with access to an expensive gym, but Giovanni had always preferred knowing his body could still do what he expected.

His watch eventually sounded.

Enough for tonight.

By the time Giovanni returned to his bedroom, the exhaustion he’d been looking for had finally settled pleasantly into his muscles.

He opened the safe and pulled out a small box.

Inside was a wooden carving.

Alexander’s gift from high school.

The same carving Alexander still insisted was ugly.

Giovanni picked it up and ran his thumb over the familiar wood.

Alexander had no idea how much this ridiculous little thing had meant to him over the years. During the long period when their lives had gone in different directions, it had been one of the few physical reminders Giovanni still had of him.

Perhaps that was why he’d never been able to throw it away.

Whenever something became difficult, the carving reminded him of the stubborn boy who’d made it despite apparently possessing very little natural talent for carving anything.

Alexander had finished it anyway.

Giovanni had always found something strangely motivating about that.

He returned the carving to its box and locked it safely away.

For the first time in years, however, it was no longer the only thing connecting him to Alexander.

Soon, if everything went according to plan, the man himself would be his husband.

Giovanni slept soundly that night.

After dropping Giovanni off at the penthouse, Elias stopped at a convenience store on his way back.

He parked outside, locked the car, and went inside to buy a sandwich and a bottle of water.

There were only a few customers.

Elias picked up what he needed and joined the short line at the counter, paying little attention to the cashier until it was his turn.

"Good evening, sir. Are these all you need?"

The voice made him look up.

Maribel was busy counting the money the previous customer had handed her.

Elias stared at her.

"Yes, Maribel. That’s all."

Her head immediately lifted.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Then Maribel looked down again and quickly processed his purchase.

Elias couldn’t help noticing how tired she looked.

Apparently, Maribel was doing the same thing to him.

Her gaze lingered on his face before briefly dropping to his clothes. Elias looked healthier than he had during the final years they’d lived together, and his work for Alexander certainly paid better than many of the jobs he’d taken before.

"Your change, sir."

"Thank you."

No one waited behind him, so Elias stayed at the counter.

"How have you been?"

"Fine."

It was too quick.

Elias frowned.

Maribel glanced toward the entrance, then lowered her voice.

"Don’t come back to this branch."

That certainly wasn’t the greeting he’d expected.

"Why?"

"Victoria doesn’t want me seeing you."

Elias’s expression changed.

"Victoria?"

"My former boss."

"I know who Victoria is. Why would she care if you saw me?"

Maribel’s fingers tightened around the counter’s edge.

"She doesn’t believe me."

"About what?"

"That I didn’t tell you anything."

Elias stared at her.

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing."

"Maribel."

"Just go."

Her voice had become quieter.

"Please. Stay away from here."

Elias didn’t move.

"What exactly does Victoria think you told me?"

Maribel looked toward the entrance again.

"Nothing you need to know."

"That doesn’t make any sense."

"It doesn’t have to. Just stay away from me."

Before Elias could ask another question, a customer entered.

Maribel immediately closed the cash drawer and stepped away from the counter.

"Maribel."

She didn’t look back.

Elias stood there with a sandwich, a bottle of water, and considerably more questions than he’d had when he walked in.

He eventually returned to the car.

For several seconds, he simply sat behind the wheel.

Maribel had always been able to keep things to herself, and eighteen years working for Victoria Sebastian had probably made her exceptionally good at it.

But whatever Victoria believed Maribel knew was apparently important enough that she didn’t even want them speaking.

Elias looked toward the convenience store.

Maybe it had nothing to do with Alexander.

Then again, this was Victoria Sebastian.

That alone made ignoring it difficult.

The following morning, Elias found Alexander at the temporary workshop.

The workers had already started cleaning the warehouse again, and the replacement shuttle Bob had arranged was thankfully quiet enough that its arrival hadn’t announced itself to the entire estate.

Alexander was speaking with Mario when Elias approached.

"Sir, may I speak with you?"

Alexander excused himself and stepped aside.

"What is it?"

"I ran into Maribel Ortega last night."

That immediately got Alexander’s attention.

"Accidentally?"

"Yes, sir. I stopped at a convenience store after dropping off Sir Giovanni. She was the cashier."

Alexander waited.

"She told me not to return to that branch because Victoria doesn’t want her seeing me."

"Victoria?"

"Yes."

Alexander frowned.

"She said Victoria doesn’t believe her when she says she never told me anything."

Alexander stared at him.

"Anything about what?"

"She wouldn’t say."

That was considerably less helpful.

Elias continued, "I asked what I was supposedly not supposed to know, but she told me to leave and stay away from her."

Alexander rubbed his forehead.

Of course.

Just when he’d thought the Victoria-and-Dominic portion of his life had finally become someone else’s problem.

"What could Victoria possibly be hiding that involves Maribel?"

"I don’t know, sir."

"Do you still have Maribel’s number?"

"The old one was disconnected a long time ago. I didn’t get her new number before she walked away."

Alexander considered it.

Maribel had worked for Victoria for eighteen years. If anyone outside the Sebastian family might know something Victoria didn’t want repeated, a longtime employee made sense.

The problem was that they had no idea what that something was.

"Go back this evening."

Elias nodded.

"Don’t pressure her. Just tell her I want to know whether whatever Victoria is hiding has anything to do with my family or me. If it doesn’t, I’ll stay out of it."

"And if it does?"

Alexander’s expression hardened slightly.

"Then I need to know."

Elias returned to the convenience store that evening.

The same parking spaces were outside. The same fluorescent lights shone through the windows.

But when he walked inside, Maribel wasn’t behind the counter.

A younger woman stood there instead.

Elias looked around before approaching.

"Excuse me. Is Maribel working tonight?"

The cashier frowned.

"Maribel?"

"The woman who worked here last night."

"Oh."

Recognition appeared on her face.

"No, sir. She doesn’t work here anymore."

Elias paused.

"What do you mean?"

"She quit."

"When?"

"This morning, I think."

That didn’t sound right.

Elias glanced toward the staff door.

"Do you know when she’ll be back?"

The cashier shook her head.

"I don’t think she will be. The owner was angry because she left without proper notice."

"Did she say why?"

"No. She just sent the store key back."

Elias stared at her.

"Sent it?"

"Yes, sir. That’s what I heard."

He slowly looked toward the counter where Maribel had stood less than twenty-four hours earlier, whispering that Victoria didn’t want them speaking.

Last night, Maribel had been frightened enough to warn him away.

By morning, she’d abandoned her job and disappeared.

Elias reached for his phone.

Alexander needed to know.

Because whatever Victoria Sebastian had been so desperate to keep quiet, Maribel had apparently decided that staying in the city was no longer worth the risk.