Chapter 7 " You Are Far From Being A Woman

• Alex is sitting at the hotel bar, staring at his whiskey for several minutes. Rebecca approaches the counter and asks the bartender for the strongest drink available. Alex remains motionless, not even looking to the side. Determined to enjoy the night and forget for a few hours everything she saw, Rebecca looks in Alex's direction, who continues to stare at his drink. She approaches him, takes the glass, and drinks all the whiskey in one gulp.
• "They say that when someone stares at a whiskey for so long, it's because they have no intention of drinking it," she says.
• "What do you think you're doing?" he asks, without looking away.
• "Just helping you out. But if you want to drink, I can buy you a whiskey," Alex finally looks at her, fixing his eyes on her for several seconds, leaving her slightly intimidated by his unreadable expression.
• "Buy me a drink? At most, you could give me back the drink you just had," he orders a double whiskey from the bartender, while Rebecca shrugs.
• "You're quite rude. Anyway, I apologize for drinking your whiskey," Alex smiles.
• "Rude? Do you have any issues that I should know about? To me, being rude is behaving like you, invasive and impolite."
• "I'm sorry," Rebecca lowers her head and returns to her seat. Alex ignores her, returning to silence and staring at his drink. His phone rings, interrupting his thoughts. He drinks the whiskey while gesturing to the bartender to refill his glass.
• "What do you want now?" he asks, annoyed.
• "Son, I just wanted to know if you're okay. I was hoping you would show up yesterday. After all, you also have a stake in the company," says Christian Ramsey.
• "You must be joking, right? How many times do we need to have this conversation? I have no interest whatsoever in this company. In fact, I consider it irrelevant. It would only cause me more problems."
• "What are you saying? The company is excellent and well"managed by us. Your brother is doing a great job," Alex laughs.
• "It won't be long before you need loans to get it out of the hole it's in. I have no interest in sharing anything with this family. Why can't you just leave me alone?" He continues to ask the bartender to refill his glass. Rebecca remains silent, listening to Alex's conversation on the phone, thinking about how rude and arrogant he is.
• "Don't be an arrogant boy. Your hatred for me is making you invent things that don't exist. My business is doing very well. I am your father, I care about you, and I wish we were present in each other's lives. Can you understand? How many times do I have to beg for forgiveness?"
• "You know your words make no sense. You don't want to build a family relationship. To me, you're just my progenitor, not my father. Your closeness is driven by self"interest because you know how profitable it is to have me by your side, rather than simply ignoring me." Christian falls silent because deep down, he knows there is truth in his words. "That's what I thought. Please, don't call me again." Alex hangs up the phone and takes another sip of whiskey.
• He looks to the side and notices Rebecca staring at him. He simply takes another sip of his drink. During the call, he consumed several shots and continued drinking at the bar. Rebecca remains immersed in her thoughts, reflecting on her own problems. Despite disliking Alex's attitude, she can't help but notice how attractive he is. She observes every detail of the man sitting at the bar: dark hair, blue eyes, tall stature, and an appearance that suggests a well"maintained body under the suit. His posture is impeccable. At various moments, she watches him as he fends off advances from other men approaching the bar. Both remain lost in their thoughts, and after several shots, Alex looks again at the messages and photos he received from his brother. He feels like a fool and can hardly believe that Sophia had the courage to betray him. He looks at Rebecca again, who continues to reject the advances of another man. She looks back, raises her glass towards Alex, and drinks calmly. Alex gets up and goes to her.
• "Get up and come with me," he says. He turns his back and leaves before she can even respond, heading towards one of the tables in the corner of the bar. Rebecca remains motionless for a moment, looks back, and sees Alex sitting. She observes him for a few minutes, debating with herself whether or not to approach him.
• "I have nothing to lose," she murmurs to herself, gets up, and walks towards him. Alex watches her approaching. She looks incredibly beautiful and sensual in her dress. He notices every detail of her, as if he were engraving her image in his mind. Rebecca is an attractive woman, with long straight hair, green eyes, average height, and a well"proportioned body with delicate features. Rebecca sits down without saying a word, maintaining eye contact with Alex.
• "Please bring me a bottle of The Macallan Sherry Oak," he asks, observing Rebecca.
• "A bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, please," she responds directly to the waiter. Both remain silent, exchanging glances, until the waiter returns with the drinks, serves them, and leaves them alone.
• "So, why are you here?" Alex asks, breaking the silence.
• "I don't need a specific reason to be here. I just want to drink, have fun, and forget," she replies.
• "So you have a reason, which is to forget. If you just wanted to have fun, you would be with your friends. Women don't usually go to bars alone unless they have a reason."
• "Oh, excuse me. I didn't know you had established that rule. And what is your reason for drinking? Is it because you disagree with your family and are taking out your anger on strangers while the only thing you can do is get drunk?" Alex observes her with a smile.
• "Family problems, we all have them. I'm not here because of that. You're really intrusive, I've never met a woman as bold as you. And what happens, do you lack self"esteem to be sitting here with me, enduring my anger on a Friday night? Your life must be monotonous."
• "Are you always so unpleasant? Or is it the alcohol's fault? You were here at the bar talking on the phone. Next time, I'll use earplugs. Maybe my life is monotonous after all, you're right. Why shouldn't I have fun with some of the guys here? They seem much more polite and interesting than you," she gets up.
• "Don't be ridiculous, sit down," he orders. Rebecca stares at him but sits back down. "I'm always like this, miss. Especially when dealing with young idiots like you. I bet you're even more pathetic when you're sober and can't hide behind alcohol, pretending to be a confident woman, or rather, a confident girl. Because you're far from being a woman."
• "You're a jerk, aren't you? Sitting here in a hotel bar, alone, but too good for anyone to approach. Do you know what they say about men like that?"
• "I have no idea, miss. Why don't you tell me?"
• " Having an inflated ego is just a way to cover up other parts that are small, if you know what I mean. It's no use having a beautiful face if you have something very small to offer, right? " Alex laughs at her audacity, genuinely enjoying the situation.
• " You're very bold, miss. I could let you find out if what they say is true, if you weren't drunk. " He watches her blush and gives a slight smile.
• " You're an idiot. Have a good night, sir. " She gets up and goes back to the bar, while he watches her walk away.