Page 69 of Thiago
“He shouldn’t have cheated on her, then,” Thiago remarked.
Bruno hummed his agreement and placed a plate of food in front of Thiago. “I hope you’re hungry. I made plenty.”
“I’m starving,” he replied.
Bruno fixed himself a plate and sat down while Thiago poured them each a glass of wine. “So, what brings you out here?”
“I wanted to see my brother and sister-in-law,” Thiago said.
“Nice try. I know you, remember?”
Thiago chuckled and tasted the wine. Replacing the glass on the counter, he asked, “Have you ever met India Monroe? She’s the vice president of marketing at Santana International.”
Bruno took a moment to think. “Once, I believe, when I went to Father’s office. Did she take a leave of absence a long time ago?”
Thiago nodded. “She’s the one. Happened five years ago, and I found out why recently. India has lupus, and she was hospitalized for a while, and when she left the hospital, she needed time to recover. Father held her job for her. She’s fully recovered now but still has the disease, of course. There’s no cure.”
“Is there a problem with her?” Bruno asked, slicing into the chicken breast on his plate.
“She and I are in a relationship.”
Bruno lifted his gaze from the plate and stared at him. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“For how long?”
“We started sleeping together almost a year ago, and recently we’ve become serious.”
“This is a surprise. I always believed you were married to your work.”
His singleness was a running joke in the family. Before India, he had slept with plenty of women but had the same arrangement: no commitment, no promises. Just sex.
He wasn’t a complete jerk, but he was never seen with anyone on purpose. Out-of-the-way dining spots, vacations on private yachts—those were the norm. He also had the women he slept with sign NDAs that prohibited them from disclosing any information about him or their relationship.
Most women couldn’t tolerate such an arrangement for very long, so the excitement fizzled after a while, and eventually, they moved on if he didn't end the relationship first.
“I took her to Brazil a couple of weeks ago, and she had a great time. We started in São Paulo and spent a couple of days in Rio. I showed her my watch collection.”
Bruno raised an eyebrow as he chewed but didn’t comment. He didn’t have to say a word. Thiago understood his surprise because his watch collection was not something he shared with many people—certainly not a casual lover.
“Sleeping with India was not my best decision, but I don’t regret it. There’s something about her. She’s tough, smart, and doesn’t put up with my crap. She’s also sexy as hell.” He shook his head at that last part.
“I sense a but coming.”
“Not a but. More of a hesitation. I’m thinking about asking her to take our relationship public at Monica’s wedding next month.”
He was tired of hiding. He wanted to walk into the church with her on his arm and introduce her to his family and friends. He longed to spend time with her in public, dining in the open instead of private rooms. He had even suggested they return to Brazil next year for Carnival, telling her it’s the greatest show on Earth and that she needed to see it.
Every time they went out or sneaked a kiss at work, they risked being discovered. As the CEO and the man in the relationship, he would be fine. She, however, could have her reputation tarnished.
“How do you think she’ll feel about letting others know about your relationship?”
“I have no idea. We’ve never discussed it, but I know it could be problematic for her.”
“Female subordinate sleeping with the boss kind of thing?”
“Exactly. There’s also another hiccup. She was dating another man for a short period before I told her I wanted exclusivity. She broke things off, but he continued contacting her. She recently told him in no uncertain terms that it’s over and that she has moved on. According to her, he took the conversation well, and she hasn’t heard from him since.”
