LARISSA

Chapter 8

JORGE SMITH

"Why are you acting so gallant today, Jorge? You're not like that! You never spend too much money on booze!" Valerio made fun of me.

We're in one of the city's upscale executive bars. I invited my buddies to join me for a drink. Valerio has a valid point. I never asked them to go to a bar and unwind. To be honest, this is my first time inviting them first.

It's not that I don't enjoy drinking or that I don't have money.

It's just that when I'm drunk, I'm not myself. I'm worried I'll reveal my secrets while I'm wasted. Not only that, but I don't want to squander my time having the time of my life. I want to save money while also becoming the best businessman of the year. That is one of my objectives. Yes, I'm that ambitious.

But today, I can't stop myself from calling my buddies.

I desperately needed a drink.

"Shut up, Val. Aren't we having a good time?" I shot him a death stare.

Everyone in my circle made fun of me. "Hey, you appear to be problematic. What exactly is it?"

"Perhaps you're also stressed because your nephew, Larissa, is missing?" Victor asked.

Val c****d his brow at me. "And when else did you become a caring uncle? Jorge that is not you. That spoiled brat never appealed to you. "Come on, tell me what's bothering you."

I'm Matilda's husband. Laurent's only daughter, husband. We'd been married for decades.

"I'm sure Alice and Franco are going crazy since they don't know where their beloved daughter is. I can't imagine how much stress and suffering this family is going through right now. If it happens to my daughter, I don't know if I'll be able to sleep at night," my friend remarked on the side.

He does, however, have a valid point. I don't like my wife's brother, Franco, but I'm not sure what I'll do if this happens to me.

Perhaps I'll become paranoid and insane.

"I don't like your brat niece, Jorge, but I hope she's in good condition. I hope the cops and detectives are working hard to find her. She is still young enough to have this experience. No one deserves that, no matter how brat and pampered she is."

I consented to it somehow.

Larissa, my almost-niece, has never been a favorite of mine. She is a spoiled, pampered brat who thinks highly of herself. She believes she can get anything or anyone with the flick of her fingers. But never in my wildest dreams did I think she'd get to experience this.

If this happened to my son, I'm sure I'd kill the perpetrators.

"That's the cost of having a prominent profile in the business. You are vulnerable to danger and gangs. Individuals who worshiped money. They realized they couldn't bring down Franco Laurent and his wife, Alice Laurent down. Instead, they went after Larissa. The weakest link," Victor explained.

"How about you, Jorge? Do you believe this is a ransom-seeking syndicate?"

I really don't know. I sighed and shrugged. "I have no idea,"

"Well, if that's the case, I'm confident that Larissa will be saved. Her parents are among the wealthiest individuals in the country! They might be able to bring back Larissa."

Money for ransom? Hmmm…

Why aren't the kidnappers providing any updates if that's the case? Why aren't they requesting money?

Matilda is my wife; thus, I know every detail of the case.

"I think you should all stop talking about Larissa. We're not here to conduct an investigation; we're here to relax. Come on, let's unwind!" My other pal hissed at us.

“Alright. Cheers!” We all said it at the same time.

The following few minutes were spent in casual chat. We're all discussing about our wives.

"Guys, you know what? I can't help but be envious of Jorge at times!" Val began to speak up.

In an instant, my brow furrowed. “Envy? Why? Val, we're both good businessmen. Your company is doing great."

"Ha, ha! It's not about making money. We're talking about marriage here. I regret I married my wife. She's a nagger who always doubts me. She even forgets to put on beautiful clothes. She was never like that before. Her body needs extensive surgery after giving birth to our children!"

"And why should you envy me?" I was still unable to get him.

“Dumb. I'm envious since you have a lovely and sexy wife. Matilda is a good catch. If I hadn't known you'd been married for decades, I'd have thought she was just in her thirties. She seems young,"

My other friends agreed with a nod. "I agree. Jorge is a very lucky bastard. Imagine you married Laurent's heiress and only daughter. How lucky could you possibly be?"

My poker face hasn't changed. "Is that so?"

They are watching my reaction with interest. “Why? Don't you consider yourself fortunate? You've got a lovely, baby-faced wife. Not to mention she's still really gorgeous."

I sipped the liquor from my shot glass.

No, I don't consider myself fortunate. But yes, they had a valid point. Matilda is stunning. However, she is not as gorgeous as Alice Laurent. Alice is the peak of beauty, in my opinion.

I'm not fortunate, but Franco is.

And I gritted my teeth in annoyance at that idea.

I don't want to go on and on about how Franco is a f*****g lucky bastard.

I used to be one of those guys who waited for Alice to notice. I'm one of her suitors. But I doubt she recognizes me by name or even by face.

There are a lot of men that are smitten with her. She e's more attractive and wealthy than I am.

I'm neither poor nor wealthy. I grew up in an average family.

And I despise the day Franco and Alice married. Out of all the men fighting for Alice's "yes," Franco played a dirty game and had a fixed marriage with Alice.

And I despise him because he has it all! Money, face, popularity, business, and even the woman I love!

The truth is, I never love Matilda. Okay, she's lovely and a good wife. But that's all. She will never be able to replace Alice in my heart.

Unbeknownst to everyone, I just married my wife in order to be able to see Alice forever. If I marry Matilda, I will have many more opportunities to visit Alice, the woman I cherish and love.

And it is my biggest dirty, not-so-little secret...