Chapter 4 Candida

• Natalia remained indifferent, while Simon, her father, looked at her with shame, reproaching himself for not having been much tougher with Natalia from the beginning. That's why he considered her a whimsical, shameless, amoral woman with little respect for others.
• "For once in your life, Natalia, I ask you to do things right for the family. We are in a great economic crisis, and only Kostantin Petrakis can help us. Don't disappoint me anymore with your behavior. You are no longer a teenager, but a woman, and you must learn to behave well. Have you understood?" he asked her with concern, fearing what she might be capable of doing.
• "Perfectly, Mr. Simon. Don't be afraid of me. After all, I am an obedient daughter," she replied mockingly.
• The man showed displeasure in his face. He wanted to argue with her, but he didn't want to start a new conflict with her.
• "You have half an hour to get ready! I'll be waiting downstairs," he said, leaving the room, unable to hide his contemptuous expression towards the woman.
• Natalia heard her father's last words, asking her to get ready. She made a grimace, a mixture of anger and disgust.
• "You damn fool! You have no idea how much I wish to suffocate you while you sleep, you miserable dog!" she muttered bitterly. That was her life, nothing but unhappiness and frustration.
• Despite wanting to refuse, she couldn't. She knew that wasn't an option, so she got up to take a shower. She tried to keep her mind blank, not wanting to think, as she didn't feel like remembering such a shameful past. That's why she decided that instead of wasting time on situations she couldn't solve, she chose to sing in the bathroom to distract herself. The song "Apariencias" by Warcry came to her mind, and she started singing it. "Finally today, I know that no one will come to give me the sky just like that," she sang, lifting her face to be showered by the artificial rain from the shower, while it mixed with her tears of pain, sadness, and both everything and nothing.
• When she came out of the shower, she put on an elegant, tight red dress, applied matching lipstick, and perfectly did her makeup, highlighting her blue eyes and leaving her long, jet-black hair loose. She looked beautiful, stunning, appearing much younger than her thirty-one years. However, she slipped her feet into fifteen-centimeter heels.
• "Problem solved! Let the show begin, Kostantin Petraki! I'm coming for you now!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with a strange glow.
• When she descended to the living room, Sergio was waiting for her, sitting down. As soon as he saw her, he stood up, looking at her intensely.
• "What are you doing here?! Poor little man! You should be ashamed to even be in my presence," she snapped, pressing her lips together in a deep expression of anger.
• "Natalia, please, I love you. Let me show you how great my love for you is. I swear this time I'll face everyone just to have you back with me," the man confessed in a pleading tone.
• The woman glanced at him and burst into laughter, shaking her head in a negative manner with an expression of indifference.
• - I don't love you! And don't forget, you were just a pawn on the Ferrer Altamirano's chessboard, now you're not even that, because they are shifting their attention to a true king, in order to overthrow him through this queen - she made a mocking gesture towards herself and continued speaking - You know Sergio, between the two of us, you are more deserving of pity, because you are nobody, What do you have? - She didn't wait for a response, she answered herself - You have nothing. Has your loyalty served you any purpose? No. Now you don't even have the money you used to have, although in your defense I must say, I ended up taking a good chunk of it and yet you still follow me like a lapdog - she laughed again as she saw her father approaching - You definitely don't learn, Sergio. If I were you, I would stay away from a woman like me, I bring very bad luck to men.
• Besides, you no longer serve our purpose. If you don't believe me, ask my father - she directed the question to her father, who remained motionless, without the slightest expression on his face - And do you know why, Sergio? Because now you are almost as filthy as Vasil, that's just Karma. Do you remember?
• The man paled for a moment, then smiled at her.
• - And you, Natalia? Do you remember the poor Greek? - the man inquired, studying the woman's expression, searching for any sign of affectation on her face, but she remained impassive and in a tone of excessive calmness she responded.
• - I will never be able to forget him! - she exclaimed, staying pensive for a few seconds, then continuing her words - How could I forget the first victim of my deceit? Never! Right, father? Sergio, I can't continue talking to you, I'm going to meet my next victim - she smiled, put on her glasses, and walked towards the exit.
• At that moment, one of the maids stood in front of her and almost pleaded for her attention.
• - Miss Natalia, please, we need your help. Lorena, one of the other maids, has a sick child, she can't come to work and the house manager wants to fire her, she also doesn't have money to buy medicine or pay the medical bills - Natalia's body tensed, however, before responding, she saw her father's expression.
• - So what? That has nothing to do with me! - she snapped, pushing the woman in front of her aside - I am neither a social worker, nor a doctor, nor a nurse, I have no vocation for service. Deal with your own affairs and leave me out of them - she said with a cold expression, unaffected by the woman's look of disbelief and sadness, who stood in front of her again, but she wasted no time and pushed her aside with a slap, making her fall - I'm telling you, stay out of my way or I will continue pushing you away. Are you blind? Don't bother me! I'm not interested in your problems! They are not mine!
• The woman moved away, ashamed and with a bewildered look, watching her get into the back of the car. Natalia quickly typed a text message on her phone, avoiding being seen by her father, who took a seat next to her without taking his eyes off her.
• - What are you doing, Natalia? - the man asked, irritated.
• - Me? - she innocently replied - Nothing, father, just being the pride of the Ferrer Altamirano family. Your precious daughter, as you always expected.
• - Don't play games with me, Natalia! My patience is limited and you almost reaching it. - the man responded, unable to hide his anger in his words.
• - I can say the same to you, father. Mine has also run out, even long before yours. And you have no idea how dangerous an impatient woman can be... you're going to end up telling me what I want, because I swear I won't be responsible for my actions... one of these days, I will forget that you are my father and that I should show you the minimum consideration - she expressed.
• Seconds later, she took a pair of headphones out of her purse and put them on, in order to avoid continuing that conversation with her father, while she wondered when the day would come to get rid of that man. Would her new husband be able to free her from him, or would she have a fate like Vasil, Sergio? She sighed with nostalgia.
• Simon couldn't help but shake his head disapprovingly, while he thought, "Why couldn't I have a obedient daughter with a strong sense of morality, like Candida, my sister's only child? I would be proud of her, not of this b*tch I have as a daughter," he thought angrily.
• "Who lies is adored, who tells the truth is hanged." Lies and Truth.