Inside his office, Javier tapped his foot on the side of his large desk.

I'm finally letting the cat out of the bag tonight.


He mumbled, pushing every idea aside. He scratched his temples, a panic attack raging in his stomach.

How would he react if he found out I was aware of the whole situation? Will it cost us even more than it has already? I was trying to forget about it. Why am I thinking about this again? He thought.

He poured himself a glass of Don Julio 1942 and took a seat in the middle of his office. Smirking, he swirled the tequila in his glass.


'Fuck everything," he says. 'Why should I be the one to be concerned?" he grumbled. 'They treated me like a fool the whole time, and I've been carrying this weight for years. Why should I be the one to assume the role of a saint?"

*****


~Javier's POV~

I summoned my assistant CEO, Ethan, to accompany me. Sandra and her mother were seated in the living room when I got home, so I thought, fantastic, everyone is here. I sat down, as did Ethan, my closest friend, and assistant CEO. I glanced around the room and cleared my throat.

'Before I say what I want to say, I'd want to inform you all. Anyway, you already know I don't have a filter, and Grandma, please forgive me for today. I'll begin from the beginning and leave nothing behind, and I don't want to be stopped before I finish expressing what I want to say, before I say what has been a burden for me, not really a hardship, but I thought the pretense would end and people would be honest. Grandma, You told me 11 years ago that you were tired of me bringing various females home and that you wanted to introduce me to a nice girl because I was damaging the family reputation. I recall you suggesting that but I went against you, and I told you I wasn't ready to settle. When I returned home for a visit a year later, you introduced me to Sandra. You said that she didn't know any males. She was nice to me and very innocent. I accepted her that year since that was what you wanted, and we just exchanged numbers and had one supper together because I was traveling back to Spain the following day. I recall you wanting to broadcast to the world that she was mine, although I was in and out of the nation. But I urged you to wait, so I performed my investigation, and what you told me about her differed from what I learned. I didn't mind in the least. After all, I used to make headlines daily, so having a boyfriend seemed natural to her. So, after another year, I returned home once the job in Spain was done. I met Sandra, went on many dates with her, and fell in love with her. At least, I believed so since she was speaking my language, and the only language I understood at the time was sex. Sandra had a high school sweetheart who she was still seeing when you introduced us. They are still dating, or should I say fucking, to this day." I wasn't looking at anybody as I was speaking, but when I mentioned it, I lifted my gaze to meet Sandra's, and I saw the terror in her eyes. Then I continued,

'Did you think I didn't know?" I inquired and proceeded. 'Don't bother responding. I'm not finished yet. I was a naïve young man back then. I'll confess that even though I knew you had a partner and kept it from me, I still wanted to fuck you. Do you know why? Because I'd never shared a female with another man before, and I wanted to see whether the guy was better in bed than I was."

'Javier!" My granny gasped.

'When I said I wouldn't filter Grandma, I meant it, so when I came from Spain, I suppose it was 9 or 8 years ago; I slept with her and observed her actions. She came to my workplace, but if I was occupied, she went to her boyfriend's. When I declined to meet her, she went to her boyfriend's house. So, since it had become a pattern for her, I began denying her whenever she asked to see me, and each time she ended up with her first love. I never saw her again that year, but we spoke on the phone and texted. She stopped trying and phoning after a year. Everyone was going about their daily lives. I didn't have a partner, so I reverted to my previous habits, but this time, I was more selective about who I slept with. So I still had my call girls and everything else you could think of, but I opted for older folks who understood what I was looking for. They wanted money, and I wanted sex. Then, after almost two years of no communication, Sandra returned, accusing me of cheating on her, but I told her she should cease contacting me, and I did the same. I've never been the kind to pursue ladies. My closest buddy, Ethan, is more aware of this. Anything clinging didn't appeal to me. So we began that year, making time for her. After three months, when things were going well for us and I was embracing her and wanted to urge her to stop what she was doing, I discovered who her boyfriend was: my very own best friend, my brother, and the guy I'll kill for, Ethan."

Everyone's eyes widened, but Ethan, to my astonishment, remained unfazed. Perhaps he'll tell me later.

'For just a name, you and I have been dating since that day. God bears testimony that I have never touched you, but if it had been someone else, I could have. When I got home, I began thinking about how often I used to speak about you with Ethan. It appalled me. I didn't know how to tell him I didn't like you. I just wanted to fuck you to teach you a lesson. I felt helpless. I nearly sobbed because I could see Ethan's face aching every time I remembered it, but he said nothing to me. I wanted to murder him. Of course, I would never murder him, but I would beat him up for lying to me. He had been dating you. I never imagined I'd betray a friend, a brother, and the guy I trusted with my life because of a woman. I felt like a sewer burst directly on my face as I recalled the meals we had with Ethan and how I was busy kissing you in front of him; I was disgusted, and I despised you with a passion from that day forwards. I didn't feel the need to separate since nothing was going on between us. You know nothing about me. We just hung together when I needed to fuck, and we never discussed the future. We discussed work. I can't believe it when I think back on our chats. Ethan and I continued to collaborate. He never deceived me, but as your buddy and brother, I feel like you could have informed me. Do you know how I felt? I felt worthless."