CHAPTER 5-First Friendship
1128 Words
The next morning, Sofia woke up feeling strangely happy.
It was a feeling she couldn’t explain.
Perhaps it was because she had finished her research paper.
Perhaps it was because she had finally gotten enough sleep.
Or perhaps…
It had something to do with a certain CEO.
Sofia immediately buried her face in her pillow.
“No.”
She refused to become one of those girls who spent their entire day thinking about a guy.
Especially not Alexander Valencia.
That would be ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Yet as she prepared for school, she found herself remembering their conversation from the night before.
The ride home.
The way he listened whenever she spoke.
The way he never made her feel inferior despite the enormous difference in their social status.
The memory brought a smile to her face.
And that alone annoyed her.
“Why are you smiling?”
Sofia nearly screamed.
Her younger sister stood beside the doorway grinning mischievously.
“I wasn’t smiling.”
“You were.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Sofia grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.
Mia laughed and ran away.
“You’re thinking about a boy!”
“I am not!”
The younger girl continued laughing.
Sofia groaned.
This was going to be a long day.
Meanwhile, Alexander sat inside the conference room of Valencia Corporation.
The quarterly board meeting was underway.
Charts covered the large screen.
Executives discussed profits.
Investments.
Future expansions.
Normally Alexander paid close attention.
Today, however, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
“…Alexander?”
He blinked.
Everyone stared at him.
His father sat across the table.
Expression unreadable.
“We asked for your opinion.”
Alexander quickly recovered.
“My apologies.”
Several executives exchanged glances.
His father frowned.
The meeting continued.
But Alexander struggled to focus.
Because every few minutes, his mind wandered back to Sofia.
The smile she gave her family.
The way her eyes lit up when talking about becoming a teacher.
The warmth inside her small home.
Everything about her felt genuine.
Real.
And for a man surrounded by people pretending to be something they weren’t, that was incredibly rare.
Dangerously rare.
After classes ended, Sofia arrived at the café.
She had barely tied her apron when Anna appeared.
With a very suspicious smile.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“Your boyfriend is here.”
Sofia nearly choked.
“What boyfriend?”
Anna pointed toward a familiar table.
Alexander sat near the window.
Holding a cup of coffee.
Looking directly at her.
Sofia immediately looked away.
Her heart began racing.
“Stop calling him that.”
Anna smirked.
“Then explain why he visits every day.”
“He likes coffee.”
Anna laughed so hard she almost dropped a tray.
“Sure.”
Sofia ignored her.
Unfortunately, that became difficult when Alexander approached the counter.
“Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.”
His smile widened slightly.
“You seem nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Your voice went up three octaves.”
Sofia glared at him.
Alexander laughed.
The sound sent butterflies through her stomach.
She hated that.
Absolutely hated it.
Over the next few weeks, their friendship continued growing.
Alexander visited almost every day.
Sometimes they talked for only five minutes.
Sometimes much longer.
They discussed everything.
Favorite books.
Childhood memories.
Embarrassing stories.
Future dreams.
For the first time in years, Alexander found someone he could talk to without constantly thinking about business.
And Sofia found someone who genuinely listened.
One evening, while the café remained unusually quiet, Alexander looked at her curiously.
“Can I ask something?”
“Depends.”
“Depends?”
“Some questions are dangerous.”
Alexander laughed.
“This one isn’t.”
“Fine.”
“What was your dream when you were a child?”
The question surprised her.
She thought for a moment.
Then smiled softly.
“I wanted to become a princess.”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“A princess?”
“I was six.”
“Fair enough.”
Sofia laughed.
“What about you?”
Alexander looked away briefly.
His expression changed.
Almost becoming sad.
“When I was a child, I wanted to become an architect.”
Sofia blinked.
“What happened?”
“My family happened.”
The smile disappeared from his face.
For a moment, silence settled between them.
Then Sofia spoke quietly.
“You would’ve been a good architect.”
Alexander looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“Because whenever you talk about it, your eyes change.”
His heart skipped unexpectedly.
Nobody had ever noticed something like that before.
Nobody.
Not even his closest friends.
Yet somehow Sofia had.
And that realization affected him more than it should have.
Unfortunately, while their friendship grew stronger, someone else was watching.
Inside the Valencia mansion, Victoria Valencia sat behind her desk.
Several documents rested before her.
At the top sat a photograph.
A photograph of Sofia Reyes.
Victoria studied it carefully.
A poor university student.
Part-time café worker.
No family connections.
No wealth.
No social standing.
Completely unsuitable.
The more she learned about Sofia, the more concerned she became.
Because she recognized the signs.
Her son was interested.
Very interested.
And that could not be allowed.
Not when the future of the Valencia family was at stake.
Victoria picked up her phone.
“Continue investigating.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I want every detail.”
The call ended.
Her expression remained cold.
Determined.
Protective.
To Victoria Valencia, this wasn’t cruelty.
It was responsibility.
She had spent decades protecting their family legacy.
She wasn’t about to allow emotions to destroy it.
Especially not because of a poor girl.
Back at the café, neither Alexander nor Sofia knew anything about the investigation.
Instead, they sat together after closing time.
Talking.
Laughing.
Enjoying each other’s company.
For the first time, their friendship felt effortless.
Natural.
Comfortable.
And perhaps that was the most dangerous thing of all.
Because friendships often become something more.
Something deeper.
Something harder to walk away from.
As Sofia watched Alexander laugh at one of her terrible jokes, she felt her heart soften.
And as Alexander watched Sofia smile beneath the warm café lights, he realized something that terrified him.
He wasn’t visiting the café because of the coffee anymore.
He wasn’t even visiting because of the conversations.
He was visiting because of her.
And for the first time, he wasn’t sure how to stop.
Outside, the city continued moving.
Unaware that two hearts were slowly falling toward each other.
Unaware that powerful forces were already preparing to tear them apart.
Because love was beginning to bloom.
And sometimes the most beautiful beginnings lead to the most painful endings.
To be continued in Chapter 6: The CEO’s Interest…
- Writer
