Page 11 of Distrustful

Chapter 6

Maria hasn't slept well and feels frustrated. Yesterday she passed the agreement to collaborate with Trinidad to Ursula, who approved it to be sent to the businesswoman's lawyer.

When she arrived this morning, she found a response email indicating that Trinidad Aleman agrees and they can sign it whenever they say. This has Maria unhinged, because she's been investigating the businesswoman for two days in an almost obsessive manner and hasn't found anything.

Maria has used all the resources at their disposal to do it - and they aren't few, from private databases to contacts in different organizations - and the only thing she has is Trinidad's university degree.

She prints it and gets up to go directly to Ursula's office for their morning meeting.

"Have they answered yet?" Ursula asks as soon as they greet each other.

"Yes, but you shouldn't sign," Maria responds, running a hand through her hair in frustration, "she's hiding something from us, I'm sure."

"Here we go again," Ursula pinches the bridge of her nose, a gesture that Maria knows well as a sign that her friend is losing patience. She doesn't care.

"I'm serious," Maria gets angry and waves a paper with her hand, "I can't find anything about her, Ursula, and when I say nothing, it's nothing."

That captures the businesswoman's attention, especially due to her best friend's expression of concern. Ursula leans forward with her eyes fixed on Maria.

"Define nothing," she demands, joining her hands on the desk.

"She has no social media of any kind and there's not a single image of her on the internet," Maria begins to walk from one side of the office to the other, gesturing with her hands while speaking, "which is very strange considering the companies she has and that, moreover, according to what I've seen, two of the training and rehabilitation centers she's created belong to a program for people without resources. You and I know that these types of programs, regardless of why they're done, give a very good image to the company. They do reports, appear in the press and are part of events continuously."

Ursula keeps nodding while listening attentively.

"On the company website they have a section dedicated to this, the usual stuff, with dozens of photos of people smiling with their new articulated arms and legs," Mariaactivates her tablet and shows it to Ursula, "but Trinidad doesn't appear in any of them. They all appear next to someone from the company staff, but never her."

"How strange," Ursula frowns, leaning to examine the images.

"Well, thank goodness you notice," Maria rolls her eyes, dropping into her chair. "Trinidad isn't just one of the engineers who designs these models, she's the owner, she's the one who puts up the money and makes it possible for these people to have these cutting-edge devices. It's not normal that she doesn't appear anywhere. And that's not all, I've searched for her with the OSINT system and all I have about her is her university degree, it's like she doesn't exist. As if someone had deliberately erased all trace of her from the internet."

"And the company data?" Ursula asks, reclining in her chair while playing distractedly with a pen.

"That's quite transparent. She's the only partner and there are no debts. Everything is perfectly in order, too perfect I'd say."

"Her properties must be in the company's name or any other society created specifically for it," Ursula opines, who knows how these things work. Her years of experience in the business world have taught her all possible legal loopholes.

"That's possible," Maria concedes, running a hand over her neck, which she feels as tight as a guitar string, "but what about her? She's like the invisible woman, whodoesn't have a single social network at forty-two? Not even an old university photo, nothing."

"Well, some people don't like those things."

"Come on, Ursula, someone like her should at least have something like LinkedIn. Admit that everything is very strange."

"Okay," Ursula sighs after a moment of reflection, "call her to sign the agreement and when she comes we'll ask her about it."

"That's more like it," Maria nods, although part of her feels an inexplicable unease at the idea of seeing Trinidad again, "but this time I'm not going down to receive her."

The meeting with Trinidad couldn't be arranged until the afternoon because the businesswoman had no slot available before, that has had Maria driven crazy all day, going down to smoke more times than usual and constantly peering out her office window when there are few minutes left until Trinidad's arrival.

Suddenly, she sees Benjamin's car appear and something knots in her stomach. Maria clears her throat and follows the vehicle with her gaze until it parks at the building's entrance. The back door opens and Trinidad, elegant and determined, gets out with her briefcase and stays by the car until the driver joins her. Maria isn't aware at that moment, but she isn't breathing. Trinidad's pencil skirt has her gaze fixed on her legs, from there it travels up her body to the fitted sleeveless blouse, to the bare arms and clear neck because she wears her hair pulled backin a simple low ponytail that on her looks extraordinarily sophisticated.

Maria follows her with her gaze when she walks, hypnotized by her curves and the serenity she transmits. It's not until Trinidad crosses the door and she loses sight of her that she reacts and blinks several times as if waking from a trance.

"Damn that businesswoman," she hisses, frustrated by her own reaction.

Maria grabs her tablet and leaves her office while trying to understand the reason that makes her feel attracted to a woman she can't stand.

Trinidad already knows the way to Ursula's office, so when the elevator doors open, she turns left directly and her gaze locks on the figure she sees at the end of the hallway, that of Maria Molina. The two women's gazes stay hooked for moments that make Trinidad nervous. Maria observes her in a scrutinizing way that she doesn't like and, at the same time, while walking, she's imagining a heated scene where she reaches the lawyer, puts a hand on her chest to push her against the wall and devours her mouth while wrapping her other hand in her hair and grabs it firmly to show her who's in charge.