Chapter 5 The Encounter

Cassandra

Watching Noah Abrantes dine with his then-best friend, who was also his lawyer, made me think about the fact that my best friend's divorce settlement hearing would be tomorrow. While she was at home feeling unhappy about facing the man she loved and with whom she hoped to build a family in the process of ending their marriage, her ex-husband was attending the opening of an upscale restaurant, chatting quite casually with his wealthy and powerful friends.

I couldn't help but snort in anger at the absurdity of the situation and how unfair it was. He didn't seem bothered at all that he would be in his divorce hearing the next day. Despite that, I couldn't say I was entirely surprised because I wasn't. When you have no expectations from someone, as was the case, it's not surprising when that person's actions are insensitive or something similar.

The fact is that Noah Abrantes had married my friend, and less than a year later, he was already cheating on her with any woman he felt like. One shouldn't expect anything good from someone like that. Being there, dining and socializing with his friends, only confirmed how much of a scoundrel he was of the worst kind. A divorce petition wouldn't stop him from enjoying the good things in life, and that was irrefutable.

"Is something bothering you?" The man in front of me asked, bringing me back to the present moment. I was now having dinner with Carlos Brito, one of the partners at the firm where I had been working since completing my specialization. He used to invite me to various places, from dinners to prestigious events, something I had accepted after much insistence on his part, just to try to distract myself from the unwanted thoughts that had been haunting me in recent days.

Carlos was a calm man, but I always considered him quite reserved, and it was rarely easy to figure out what he was thinking. I didn't like dealing with people who were hard to read.

"That's just your impression, Carlos," I denied any discomfort, as I wouldn't tell him what was going on. "The atmosphere is quite pleasant, and the menu is excellent," I deflected.

"Wouldn't that be Noah Abrantes, the ex-husband of that model you've been seen with a lot lately? What's her name again...?"

"Tiffany Andrade," I reluctantly replied. "Ex-husband, actually. They're going through a divorce now." I didn't usually discuss my cases with anyone, but I was sure Carlos already knew about that information, as it was circulating on gossip sites, and Noah Abrantes' public relations team had also released a statement confirming the couple's separation.

I understood, however, that all Carlos wanted was to have something to talk about, considering I had maintained a resolute silence the entire time due to our lack of common ground since we arrived at the restaurant.

The truth is, I regretted accepting his invitation to dinner because, besides not having anything in common besides our profession, all the topics he tried to initiate displeased me and on which we strongly disagreed. It also hadn't worked at all to get the unwelcome thoughts out of my head; they persisted, tormenting me and making me feel guilty just for having them.

"I wasn't aware," he lied, obviously, and that further displeased me, as he didn't have to pretend not to know something like that.

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "You seem upset," he seemed to have chosen another path but insisted on something I had already dismissed. "Didn't like the restaurant? Or is there another reason?"

I felt the urge to tell the truth, that I wasn't enjoying the company, but that wouldn't be wise at all, considering we worked together and he was one of the partners at the office. Besides, it would be entirely unnecessary and offensive.

"I did like it. I'm just tired," I didn't deny having another reason. I tried to keep my attention on Carlos, but something like a magnet kept drawing my gaze to the table next to us. I noticed that Noah was also looking in my direction, which made me quite uncomfortable. Unlike the night I first saw him, he seemed to have noticed me now. I figured it was because I was representing Tiffany in the divorce process, as his clear annoyance was directed specifically at me.

He looked at me with an expression of anger, and I understood that the reason was that tomorrow, I would be representing his wife in a lawsuit aiming to extract a few million from his bank account.

"I have to agree with you that the week has been quite exhausting," Carlos brought my attention back. "We could skip dessert and go to my apartment. Talk a bit... exchange some ideas."

I looked at Carlos, trying to suppress a scoffing laugh. I claimed to be tired, and he came up with that nonsense about going to his apartment. How could men be so clueless in this way?

"Thank you for the invitation, but I have a hearing early tomorrow morning and plan to be well-rested," I said, but what I wanted was to tell him to go away, that big idiot.

"Of course, you're right," he quickly agreed, I believe in an attempt to please me. "We can schedule another day, then."

"Who knows, right?" Little did he know that there was no chance of that happening again. I wouldn't be that foolish, and I preferred not to commit to another night like that.

I looked again to the side, and a woman had arrived at Noah's table, something that made me extremely upset. Of course, my anger was due to Tiffany and no other reason. The woman seemed to have just arrived at the restaurant and stopped to talk to the two men, but her attention was focused only on one of them, which made me boil with rage. Even though we were in the process of getting divorced, with the hearing scheduled for tomorrow, he was still enjoying the situation.

"Jerk," I muttered, unable to control myself.

"He's not reciprocating her interest," Carlos pointed out.