**Chapter 12: A New Beginning**
Lía sat at the sleek glass desk in her new office, the hum of the city outside barely audible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view was breathtaking, but it didn't calm the storm that raged within her. She had only been working for Diego's company for a week, but already, she could feel the weight of expectations pressing down on her. She was still adjusting to this new world—one where her every move seemed to be scrutinized, one where there was no escaping the pressure to perform.
The office building, an impressive tower in the heart of the city, was a far cry from the comfortable, albeit suffocating, life she had left behind with Alejandro. The air here was different. Electric, charged with ambition and competition. It felt like every single person around her was constantly vying for something more—more power, more recognition, more influence.
But Lía wasn't here for any of that. She wasn't even sure why she was here at all, except that it was the only place where she felt like she could breathe again.
She picked up the stack of documents on her desk, a sharp contrast to the disarray of her emotions. Diego had handed her these files himself this morning, giving her a set of tasks that felt overwhelming. But there was something in the way he spoke to her that made it all feel worth it—he treated her as an equal, unlike anyone else in her past.
She glanced at the clock. It was nearly time for her meeting with the team. She wasn't sure what to expect—she had been briefed about the office culture by Diego, but nothing truly prepared her for the energy in the air. The tension. The sharpness of the competitive edges that everyone seemed to carry with them.
As she rose from her desk, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
The conference room was packed, with a dozen faces—each one colder, more calculating than the last—sitting around the long table. At the head of the room was Diego, looking every bit the part of the successful CEO he was, confident and poised. He looked up as Lía entered, giving her a smile that, for the first time in ages, made her feel like she belonged.
"Ah, Lía. Just in time," Diego said, gesturing toward the seat next to him.
Lía smiled awkwardly and took the chair, feeling the weight of the eyes on her. She could already sense that the room was divided. Some of them seemed curious, others hostile. She tried not to make eye contact, focusing on the presentation slides Diego was showing.
However, it didn't take long for one person's gaze to linger on her—Valeria.
Valeria was seated across from her, her cold blue eyes trained on Lía with a look that could only be described as disdain. She was younger than Lía, but her polished appearance and sharp tongue made her seem older, more seasoned. Lía could tell immediately that Valeria didn't like her, and that feeling was only amplified by the way Valeria seemed to disregard her every time their eyes met.
Lía focused on the task at hand, trying to ignore the tension, but she could feel Valeria's eyes on her like a constant weight.
As the meeting went on, it became clear that Valeria didn't like Lía's presence in the company. She was quick to point out flaws in Lía's suggestions, dismissing them with a raised brow or a cutting remark. At first, Lía felt taken aback, but she quickly realized that Valeria wasn't just trying to criticize her. She was trying to undermine her.
The meeting ended without much fanfare, and as the others filed out of the room, Valeria lingered behind, waiting for the last person to leave before she approached Lía.
"You shouldn't get too comfortable," Valeria said in a voice that was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Diego doesn't give his trust easily. And you—" She paused, her eyes narrowing. "You're not even the first choice for the position. I'm sure he's just keeping you around to see if you can handle the pressure."
Lía bit her lip, but she didn't flinch. "I'm not here to make friends," she said coolly. "I'm here to work."
Valeria's smile was cold. "We'll see how long that lasts. People like you don't last long in this industry."
Lía watched as Valeria walked out, her heels clicking sharply on the floor, but the words stayed with her. She could feel the weight of them sinking deep into her chest.
The next few days passed in a blur of work, emails, and late nights in the office. Despite the tension with Valeria, Lía found herself gaining ground. Diego seemed genuinely impressed with her work, and the tasks he assigned her were more challenging than anything she'd done before, pushing her to stretch her limits.
But Valeria didn't make it easy. She kept up the passive-aggressive remarks, finding ways to belittle Lía's contributions whenever she could. Each time she did, Lía's resolve only strengthened. She wasn't going to let Valeria—or anyone—define her.
Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking a tightrope. She could feel the eyes of the office on her, waiting for her to slip up. And it wasn't just Valeria—there were others, too, those who saw her as an outsider, someone who didn't belong.
Lía was used to that feeling. She had felt it before, with Alejandro, with her family, with everyone who had ever made her feel small. But she wasn't going to be that person anymore.
That evening, as she was finishing up some last-minute reports in her office, Lía's phone buzzed on her desk. She glanced at the screen, expecting a message from Camila, but instead, it was an email from Alejandro.
She hesitated for a moment before opening it, knowing that whatever was inside wouldn't be pleasant.
_"Lía,
I don't know what game you're playing, but I know one thing: working for a competitor of mine is the ultimate betrayal. I've tried to be patient, but I can't stand by and let you do this. You've chosen your side, and I'm done trying to fix things between us.
If you think you can leave everything behind and work with someone who doesn't care about you like I did, then go ahead. But don't expect me to come running back when it all falls apart.
Alejandro."_
Lía's heart dropped as she read the words. The coldness of the message hit her like a physical blow. She hadn't expected this—hadn't expected him to accuse her of betrayal, hadn't expected him to so easily cast her aside.
Her hands shook as she put the phone down on the desk, the words echoing in her mind. It was exactly what she had feared. Despite everything, Alejandro had never truly understood her. And now, he never would.
The weight of his words settled deep into her chest, but it was no longer the crushing weight it once was. She had learned to carry it, to let it fuel her rather than break her.
Lía took a deep breath, picking up her phone again. This was it—the final push. She had made her choice.
And there was no turning back now.