Chapter 5 Her Eyes Are Beautiful

• Máximo was furious—not only because of the inconceivable orders his father had given him, but also because he had been sent on an absurd journey with a family that had always been his biggest competition, the Sinclairs.
• But things wouldn't stay that way. If Grand Maximiliano, his father, thought he could threaten him like a child, he was mistaken. Soon, Máximo would free himself from his authority.
• Would he leave him without an inheritance? Would he banish him from the family? Those concerns no longer mattered to Máximo because he had a plan. He had already made his own investments abroad, unknown to anyone, slowly building his own small fortune.
• In about five years' time, perhaps sooner, when his investments bore fruit—as he was confident they would—Máximo would rise against his father and confront him with some home truths. But for now, he had no choice but to follow the orders of the highest authority in the Collins family, his father, even though it filled him with anger.
• At just twenty-five years old, Máximo had proven himself a business genius. He had plenty of time to wait for his plan to succeed, and he was completely confident that everything would unfold as he had planned.
• "That's not my problem..." Máximo growled into the phone, venting his anger.
• He had directed his frustration towards one of the managers of his foreign companies, who had quickly become his best friend.
• Realizing he was unfairly taking out his anger on the wrong person, Máximo let out a long sigh, adopting a more diplomatic tone.
• "Diego, I agreed to let you take that trip alone because you are one of my best managers. But I want you back right away. Today I am leaving on a trip, and I need you to take care of everything abroad... If you are so worried about the girl, hire a private investigator to find her," Máximo ordered.
• "Of course..." Diego replied from the other end of the line. "I will do that. Don't worry, I will take my flight today."
• "Good."
• Máximo hung up, throwing the phone onto the seat in annoyance. At least that was sorted out. He trusted Diego, who had proven more than capable.
• After a brief silence, his sister Emily's endless chatter resumed. She was waiting eagerly for her brother to finish his important call.
• "Can you believe it, Máx? How exciting! I can't stop thinking about it... I never thought there would be a chance for me to inherit the family business. I always resigned myself to you being the one..." she murmured excitedly.
• "Of course, I will still be happy if you are the chosen one to inherit, but just the thought that I have the possibility... Wow! It seems Dad has changed and no longer holds those stupid sexist prejudices..."
• She continued chattering when suddenly, Máximo saw a figure appear out of nowhere, crossing in the middle of the road.
• The car tires screeched loudly. Máximo gripped the back of the driver's seat, but before he could react, he saw his sister's face smash into the passenger seat's backrest.
• There was a slight bump, and Máximo's pulse immediately quickened. What had happened? What had he done?
• In his daze, he heard his sister complain of a pain in her nose, but upon inspecting it, he noticed it was just slightly red—nothing to worry about. However, what had happened to the person who had crossed their path?
• "Sir, miss, are you okay?" the driver turned towards them.
• "Yes, what happened?" Máximo asked, confused.
• "A girl... She crossed the road... Wait here."
• The driver exited his seat. Through the window, some people could be seen looking at what had happened, voices audible outside as the driver conversed with someone. Ignoring his sister's complaints, Máximo stepped out of the car.
• ---
• After the harrowing scare at the shelter, Isabella did nothing but run. Her heart raced, tears filled her eyes, and despite her exhaustion, adrenaline fueled her onward until the screech of tires brought her to a halt.
• With only a moment to close her eyes and clutch the suitcase and envelope tightly, she felt the impact.
• It was painful, naturally.
• She groaned immediately upon feeling the collision, but a second later, heart racing, Isabella realized she was still standing, alive, with nothing more than a cramp in her hip and leg.
• The car had struck her, but fortunately, not with much force; it had stopped in time.
• Amidst the slight pain, the young woman attempted to turn to resume her flight, still frightened and eager to reach the cruise she had been invited to, when she heard the car door open and a man call out to her.
• "Hey, girl!"
• "What?" She turned around, confused.
• "Wait..." A middle-aged man in a dark suit approached her. "I hit you. Are you hurt? Do you feel unwell?"
• "No... No, I'm fine," she murmured, somewhat uncertain.
• She could hear the man speaking to her just a few steps away when she noticed someone else exiting the car—a tall, elegant, and very handsome man. Isabella felt an abnormal flutter in her chest, barely seeing him, as she had never seen such an attractive guy before.
• ---
• Curious to know what had transpired, whom they had struck, Máximo leaned out. He spotted a trembling young woman in front of the car, somewhat dirty and with disheveled clothes. Intrigued, Máximo approached.
• "You should go to a hospital," the driver insisted.
• "No, no, I... I'm fine," Isabella's soft voice replied.
• "What happened?" Máximo intervened, his tone stern.
• "Sir, I'm sorry..." the chauffeur bowed before him. "I think I hit the girl, and I insist that she goes to a hospital, but she doesn't want to listen to me."
• "Hey, what's your name?" Máximo addressed Isabella firmly.
• "Isabella..." she murmured, stepping back slightly.
• "If he hits you, are you okay?" Máximo asked, furrowing his brow with concern.
• Isabella looked up at him, their eyes meeting briefly. Her face was slightly dirty, her eyes reddened, yet Máximo couldn't help but notice, fleetingly, ‘Her eyes...they're beautiful.’
• "No... I mean, he barely grazed me, but I'm fine..." Isabella murmured, furrowing her brow, feeling their concern was more about anger than genuine care for her.
• "Are you sure?" Máximo insisted, his authoritative tone cutting through.
• Isabella nodded, clutching the suitcase and envelope tightly.
• Máximo continued to stare at her intently, seriously, unable to shake off a strange instinct that she needed help, despite meaning nothing to him. Just as he was about to step forward and insist on taking her to a hospital, even forcibly, a shrill voice interrupted.
• "Max! What are you doing?! We're going to be late!" Emily shouted as she emerged from the back seat of the car. Spotting Isabella and the onlookers, she blushed indignantly and marched towards her brother.
• "What are you doing talking to this riffraff? Can't you see she's just a beggar, a street girl? And you, talking to her? How shameful!" Emily muttered under her breath, her words clearly heard by the chauffeur and Isabella.
• "I think we ran her over..." Máximo growled.
• "And so what? She looks fine to me..." Emily scanned Isabella disdainfully.
• "She's in one piece, right? And I don't see any blood on her; she was probably dirty already. Ugh, how disgusting! Just give her some money and let's go. If we don't arrive on time, Dad will kill us." With that, Emily turned and returned to her seat.
• Máximo rolled his eyes in disgust at his sister's behavior, finding her unnecessarily dramatic. However, his father's threats echoed in his mind, reigniting his frustration.
• True, he had an important trip to embark on, and he couldn't afford to waste more time with a stranger who, apparently, was unhurt.