Chapter 2 Unfaithful soul

"Come back here Marie! You cannot walk out on me, I won't allow it." Alejandro shouted after her, knowing fully well that Marie disliked the attention on her.

"Stop following me Al, go back inside." She whispered but didn't stop walking for once, not even to look back.

Like a lunatic, without slippers on his feet, he chased, "No, I will not go, you have to come back with me and listen to what I have to say." He argued and eventually caught up with her.

"Let me go." She fought for him to release her arm, but he was stronger. So, she gave in, deciding to give him an audience.

"I don't think I can do this right now, do you think you can come by my office tomorrow? Please, Marie, I will have my lawyer with me too, how does that sound?"

She sighed, "I should have known this was a waste of time." She hissed and walked out.

"Should I expect you?" he called after her, but she only waved in response.

"What does the wave mean?"

The next day, Alejandro paced across the polished hardwood floors, glancing impatiently at the antique grandfather clock. He had been waiting for Marie for over an hour now. Finally, the front door creaked open and Marie rushed in, face flushed.

"Where have you been?" Alejandro snapped. "I told you to be here by five."

Marie set her purse down on the entry table, shaking her head. "Don't start with me, Alejandro. I got held up by something important, not that you would know, you know, being a dishonest man and all."

"You were never around anymore!" Alejandro shouted, throwing his arms up. "It's no wonder I ended up in Jessica's bed. You practically pushed me there."

Marie recoiled as if struck. "How dare you blame me for your infidelity? I won't stand here and listen to this." She stormed over to the desk and grabbed a manila envelope. "I'm leaving and I'll be back tomorrow for the divorce papers."

"It's a good thing the lawyers didn't have your time today." She added as an afterthought.

Alejandro's face contorted in anger as the door slammed shut behind her. He snatched up a pen and scrawled his signature across the documents inside the envelope. "Fine, leave then. See if I care," he muttered under his breath. He didn't need her anyway. He had his business. Marie could rot on the streets for all he cared.

Meanwhile, as Alejandro was distracted by the problems of his family collapse, someone took that as an opportunity to exploit his weakness and steal right from under his nose. Alejandro's fingers flew across the keyboard as he made the final edits to his groundbreaking business proposal. The sun cast long shadows across his office.

He paused, looking up and savoring the satisfaction of a job well done when suddenly, the door burst open, shattering the calm.

"Sir!" His secretary, Thomas, gasped, clutching a stack of papers. "You need to see this."

"Thomas?" Alejandro raised an eyebrow, surprise and annoyance flickering through him. "What's wrong?"

"Someone is stealing our resources and selling them for cheaper on some black market website," Thomas blurted out, breathless from running. "I just found it during my routine online searches."

"Are you certain?" Alejandro questioned, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Absolutely. See for yourself." Thomas handed over the papers with trembling hands.

Alejandro scanned the documents, feeling a mixture of disbelief and anger boiling within him. This could not be happening, not now. With a sigh, he handed the papers back to Thomas. "Dig deeper. Find out who's behind this. I won't tolerate theft within my company."

"Right away, sir," Thomas replied before scurrying out of the room.

"Damn it," Alejandro muttered under his breath. He couldn't let this setback derail his plans. He had been working on a new business model for months, and he was eager to share it with his partners. Shaking off his frustration, he picked up the phone and dialed their numbers one by one, inviting them to his office for a pitch meeting. Their excitement echoed his own, and he felt energized by their enthusiasm.

The week passed in a blur of presentations and strategy sessions. Alejandro was confident that his new business model would revolutionize the industry. But as the last of his partners left his office on Friday evening, a chill ran down his spine.

"Sir," Thomas approached hesitantly, holding out his phone. "I think you should see this."

Alejandro took the device and stared at the screen in disbelief. His rival company had just launched a business using his exact model. His mind raced, trying to comprehend how this could have happened. Had someone been spying on him? Was there a mole within his own ranks?

"Thank you, Thomas," Alejandro said quietly, handing the phone back. "Keep looking into it. We need to know who's behind this."

"Of course, sir," Thomas replied, his expression grim.

Alejandro stood in the empty office, feeling a torrent of emotions swirling inside him: anger, betrayal, and determination. He would not let this setback define him. First, his marriage, now his business, whatever was wrong, he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

He would find the person responsible and make them pay. In the meantime, he needed to regroup and strategize. It was time to remind his competitors why they should never underestimate Alejandro.

He spent the weekend in his office, poring over every detail of their business model and searching for any hint of a leak. He double-checked all security protocols and analyzed the communication logs with his partners. As he reviewed the documents once more, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

"Thomas," he called out on Monday morning, his voice strained from lack of sleep. "I need you to gather everyone who had access to our new business model. We're going to have a meeting."

"Right away, sir," Thomas replied, concern etched on his face as he took in Alejandro's haggard appearance.

In the conference room, Alejandro stood at the head of the table, his eyes scanning the faces of his trusted employees. He noticed their unease, as they whispered amongst themselves and shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"Thank you all for coming," he began, his voice firm. "As you may know, our rival company has launched a business using our new model. I have reason to believe that someone here is responsible for this leak."

Gasps and murmurs filled the room, but Alejandro held up a hand for silence. "I will not tolerate betrayal within this company. If anyone has any information regarding this matter, please come forward now."

The room remained silent. Alejandro could see the fear and confusion in his employees' eyes, but no one spoke up.

"Very well," Alejandro continued, his voice colder than before. "We will be conducting a thorough investigation to find the person responsible. If you are innocent, you have nothing to worry about. Just remember: loyalty is rewarded, but treachery will not go unpunished."

With that, Alejandro dismissed the meeting. As his employees filed out of the room, he caught sight of Thomas lingering by the door, a pensive look on his face.

"Sir," Thomas said quietly, "I've been doing some digging, and I may have found something. It's not much, but it could be a lead."

"Good work, Thomas," Alejandro replied, a flicker of hope struck within him. "Let's follow this lead and see where it takes us."

As they both worked together, thanks to Thomas being a computer genius, they were able to search places that seemed unsearchable, but as they got closer to the answer, everything shut down.

"What- What is happening?" Alejandro asked his secretary, whose mouth hung open.

"I believe we have just been overridden sir, um, this is beyond my expertise." Thomas stuttered as sweat covered Alejandro's forehead.

"Well, do something about it!" he shouted, scaring the meek guy.

"I'm sorry sir, nothing can be done," Thomas whispered and packed up his things, scurrying out of the office.

A month later, after searching and losing most of his business partners, Alejandro was forced to look into investors as that seemed like the only solution to his dying business and bankruptcy-filled company. However, no one wanted to invest in a losing game, no one except for a certain couple who decided to hear his pitch.

Alejandro loosened his tie as he sat across from the elderly couple at the upscale restaurant. He forced a smile, though his stomach churned. He needed their investment badly if he wanted to save his floundering company.

"My wife and I have looked over your proposal," the grey-haired man said, patting his wife's hand. "And we've decided to back you. We know how hard it is for some businesses these days."

Alejandro sighed in relief. "Thank you, I can't tell you how much this means." He extended his hand and the man shook it firmly. For the first time in weeks, Alejandro felt hopeful. Perhaps his luck was finally changing. The man's wife peered at Alejandro, her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, but you look so familiar. Have we met before?"

Alejandro shook his head. "I don't believe so. I'm sure I would remember meeting someone as lovely as you."

She smiled politely at the compliment. "No, I'm certain I've seen you somewhere..." She turned to her husband. "Doesn't he look familiar?"

The old man scratched his chin, studying Alejandro's face. Then his eyes widened in recognition. "Good lord, you're Marie's ex-husband!"

Alejandro froze. Marie? How could these people possibly know Marie?

The wife clicked her tongue in disapproval. "The one who cheated on her and left her destitute. I should have known from that smarmy grin of yours." She shoved the investment contract back across the table. "Find your funding elsewhere. We want nothing to do with the likes of you."

"No," Alejandro whispered and sat there, stunned and speechless, as the couple rose from their seats and exited the restaurant. His only potential investors, and they had been Marie's parents.

What were the odds? He dropped his head into his hands. This was surely karma coming back to haunt him.