I choose you

Chapter Nineteen-ANDRÉS

I was still mad at Héctor.

Very mad.

Extremely mad.

In fact, I had decided that I was going to stay mad at him for at least another week.

Maybe two.

He deserved it.

He had promised to come to my dinner.

Then he had canceled.

And because of him, Mateo had ended up being my plus-one.

Which had turned out fine.

Actually, annoyingly fine.

But that didn’t mean Héctor was forgiven.

Absolutely not.

I was still mad.

I sat behind my desk that morning, staring at the file in front of me.

Court had gone well.

The judge had adjourned the matter, which was actually good for us.

We had been expecting the eventual outcome to go in our favor, but there were still several procedural things to deal with before then.

I closed the file.

At least something was going according to plan.

I looked at the clock.

My secretary knocked.

“Come in.”

She opened the door.

“Mr. Montemayor?”

“Yes?”

“Your brother is here.”

I stared at her.

“My brother?”

“Mr. Héctor Montemayor.”

I leaned back.

Of course.

Of course he was here.

Probably coming to apologize.

Good.

He could apologize.

I would listen.

Then I would continue being angry.

“Let him in.”

She nodded and left.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

Héctor walked in.

He looked completely relaxed.

Too relaxed.

He smiled.

“My little baby.”

I immediately glared at him.

“Don’t call me that.”

He smiled wider.

“But you are my little baby.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I’m twenty-three.”

“And?”

“And I’m a grown man.”

He walked toward my desk.

“My little baby.”

I pointed at him.

“Stop.”

He laughed.

“I missed you.”

“I’m really mad at you.”

His smile disappeared.

“I know.”

“Really mad.”

“I know.”

“You abandoned me.”

“I did not abandon you.”

“You promised you were coming.”

“I know.”

“You said you’d be there.”

“I know.”

“And then you canceled.”

“I’m sorry.”

I crossed my arms.

“Is your meeting more important than me?”

He didn’t even hesitate.

“No.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing is more important than you.”

I stared at him.

He walked around the desk and pulled out the chair opposite me.

“You are my most important person.”

I looked away.

“Well, I know.”

He smiled.

“There he is.”

“Don’t.”

He laughed.

I tried not to smile.

I failed.

Only slightly.

He noticed.

Of course he noticed.

“You missed me.”

“No.”

“You did.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“I am still mad at you.”

“I know.”

He settled into the chair.

Then he looked at me.

“So.”

“So?”

“How was the dinner?”

I immediately remembered it.

“It was really good.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“It was good?”

“Very.”

He leaned forward.

“You know Mateo was there, right?”

“I know.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He’s annoying.”

Héctor laughed.

“But?”

I paused.

“But it was still really good.”

He studied my face.

I knew that look.

“What?”

“You sound different.”

“I’m not different.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

I sighed.

“Fine.”

He waited.

I leaned back.

“I didn’t know that side of Mateo.”

Héctor blinked.

“What side?”

“The business side.”

He stared at me.

I continued.

“I’ve always associated him with…”

I waved my hand.

“Everything.”

“Everything?”

“You know what I mean.”

“The cartel?”

“Yes.”

“The crime?”

“Yes.”

“The Del Ríos family?”

“Yes.”

Héctor nodded slowly.

“And?”

“And I didn’t expect him to be that good.”

Héctor’s eyebrows shot up.

“That good?”

“Yes.”

He looked genuinely shocked.

“Are we talking about Mateo Del Ríos?”

“Yes.”

“The same Mateo you’ve hated since you were basically ten?”

I frowned.

“I don’t hate him.”

Héctor stared at me.

“You absolutely hate him.”

“I don’t.”

“You once told me you would rather marry a cactus.”

I paused.

“That was different.”

“How?”

“I was sixteen.”

“You were twenty.”

“Still.”

He laughed.

I shook my head.

“Hate is a strong word.”

“You’ve used the word hundreds of times.”

“Sometimes I’m angry.”

“So when you say you hate him—”

“I don’t mean I hate him hate him.”

Héctor stared at me.

“What does that even mean?”

I sighed.

“It means I don’t like him.”

“That’s better?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I don’t know.”

I rubbed my forehead.

“Sometimes my anger gets the best of me, okay? And hate is just the appropriate word at the time.”

Héctor laughed.

“That’s the most Andrés explanation I’ve ever heard.”

I ignored him.

“He was really good.”

“Mateo?”

“Yes.”

I started explaining.

“He knew everyone.”

Héctor listened.

“Business people. Executives. Politicians. Investors. He could talk to them about everything.”

I paused.

“He knew what he was talking about.”

Héctor looked amused.

“You were impressed.”

“I was.”

He smiled.

I immediately pointed at him.

“Don’t make that face.”

“What face?”

“That face.”

“What face?”

“That annoying face.”

He laughed.

“I’m just surprised.”

“Why?”

“Because this is you we’re talking about.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I know.”

“You were impressed with Mateo.”

“Yes.”

“The man you supposedly hate.”

“I told you. I don’t hate him.”

“Right.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“Very much.”

I shook my head.

“He was just… different.”

Héctor’s expression softened.

“Different how?”

“I don’t know.”

I thought about it.

“I’ve always seen him through the family.”

I paused.

“The Del Ríos name.”

“The criminal side.”

“Exactly.”

“But last night, he was just a businessman.”

I looked down at the papers on my desk.

“He was polite. Professional. Calm. He didn’t try to dominate every conversation. People actually respected him.”

Héctor nodded.

“And he knew what he was talking about.”

I looked up.

“I really didn’t expect that.”

Héctor smiled.

“Neither did I.”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I knew Mateo was good at business.”

“How?”

“Because I’ve known him longer than you think.”

I leaned back.

“Apparently.”

Héctor smiled.

“Did he embarrass you?”

“No.”

“Was he respectful?”

“Yes.”

“Did he behave?”

I stared at him.

“What is he, a child?”

Héctor laughed.

“Just asking.”

“He was fine.”

“Fine?”

“Very fine.”

Héctor’s eyebrows rose.

I sighed.

“Don’t.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“You are.”

“I’m literally sitting here.”

“Exactly.”

He laughed.

I shook my head.

Then, somehow, the conversation moved away from Mateo.

We talked about court.

My work.

The upcoming cases.

His political schedule.

Then, eventually, Sebastián came up.

“My nephew called me yesterday,” I said.

Héctor smiled.

“What did he want?”

“Money.”

He laughed.

“Of course.”

“He said he needed something for school.”

“What did he need?”

“A new tablet.”

“Does he already have one?”

“Yes.”

“Then why does he need another?”

“He said the other one is old.”

Héctor laughed.

“That boy is eight.”

“I know.”

“He doesn’t need a new tablet.”

“I told him.”

“What did he say?”

I smiled.

“He said, ‘Uncle Andrés, you don’t understand technology.’”

Héctor burst out laughing.

“He said that?”

“Exactly.”

I shook my head.

“Eight years old.”

“He’s growing up.”

“Too quickly.”

Héctor nodded.

We continued talking about him.

His school.

His latest obsession.

The football team he suddenly wanted to join.

The fact that he had apparently decided he was going to become a professional footballer.

“And he told me he wants to be taller than me,” Héctor said.

“He’ll probably succeed.”

“Don’t encourage him.”

I laughed.

For a while, everything felt normal.

Just me and my brother.

No marriage.

No cartel.

No politics.

No complicated family alliances.

Just Héctor.

The person who had been there for me when everything else fell apart.

Eventually, he stood.

“I should let you work.”

“Probably.”

He walked toward the door.

Then turned around.

“My little baby.”

I glared.

“Don’t.”

He smiled.

“You are.”

“I am not.”

“You always will be.”

I shook my head.

“Go away.”

He laughed.

“Love you too.”

“Love you.”

He left.

I sat there quietly.

Then I looked at the clock.

I had another meeting in twenty minutes.

I picked up the file.

But before I started reading, my mind wandered back to the dinner.

To Mateo.

To the way he had handled himself.

To the way I had watched him.

I still didn’t like him.

That hadn’t changed.

Not really.

But maybe—

just maybe—

I had been wrong about one thing.

Maybe Mateo was more complicated than the version of him I had created in my head.

And for some reason, I didn’t hate that realization.

I actually found myself smiling.

Then I immediately stopped.

“No.”

Absolutely not.

I was not smiling because of Mateo.

That was ridiculous.

I picked up my pen.

Back to work.

Mateo could remain impressive from a very safe distance.

That was more than enough for me.