<><><><> AUGUST <><><><>
— You have to eat everything so you can get better and we can go home — says the woman.
— I'm already full. Please, take that away — replies Gem, pushing away the spoonful of food her mother is trying to shove into her mouth.
— Don't be rude — she scolds her, noticing the looks on Yenedith and Charles' faces.
— You know I don't eat that much. I'm going to throw up if I eat any more — she replies. The woman lets out a groan from her throat, her lips pressed together in a look of displeasure, and leaves the room with the leftover food. — Sorry, she's just pretty intense — says Gem as soon as the door closes.
— Mrs. Celeste just wants you to get better — says Charles from the sofa.
— I know, and I'm really sorry for worrying you guys, too. I truly thought I'd already recovered — Gem looks down. Yenedith stands up and walks over to the side of the stretcher to take her hand. — I don't even remember inviting William to my house. Why would I invite him? Why would I seek him out? I don't understand any of this.
— We heard you had an overdose. Did your mother tell you? — Yenedith asks.
— I already know that, but I still don't understand why I relapsed — Gem says with tears in her eyes, which Yenedith wipes away with her hands once they spill over her lower eyelid. Just then, the doorbell rings and Celeste walks in. — I was happy; I felt fine.
— That's something you should talk to the psychologist about — says Celeste — You'll also have sessions with a psychiatrist twice a week so you can express and explore everything that's on your mind. I won't let you make the same mistakes again, and for that to happen, you'll have to do your part, too.
— Yes, Mom.
— You have the right to make mistakes and learn from them, but this has gone too far. Do you understand? — asks her mother. Gem nods, and they hug each other.
Yenedith says goodbye shortly after that and leaves the hospital with Charles. — Damn it, bitch! — Yenedith complains — She's not going to tell her the truth, and now she's making her feel guilty for what happened, too.
— We have to find a moment when her mother isn't around to tell her what happened. She's paying close attention to everything we say.
— I've thought about just showing her the video or sending it to her anonymously, but it might upset her too much if I'm not careful.
— Let's wait until she's discharged from the hospital; that way she'll have a little more freedom. Her mother can't follow her everywhere — Chales says. Yenedith nods and exhales sharply before getting into the car.
<><><>
That night, Yenedith is a little surprised when she comes downstairs and sees her brother walking through the door. She runs to hug him, causing him to stumble back a bit and bump into one of the men carrying his luggage. — How's everything going? — Tadeus asks once they break the embrace.
— Nothing new, I'm just glad you made it back safely — says Yenedith.
— There wasn't anything to worry about anyway — Gustaph remarks as he walks by.
— Believe it or not, since I'm in charge of marketing at the company, I'm interested in international affairs so I can stay on top of opportunities to expand the brands' visibility — Yenedith replies.
— Always thinking about work, you should relax a little more — Gustaph comments.
— Just like the two of you. How does a family weekend sound? Tadeus already has his room set aside, but I can ask Lucille to prepare one for you. The denied parents, the ungrateful children, and the nosy uncle.
— Yenedith…
— It's just that he only shows up with you — the young woman replies — I should be happy every time I see him.
— Welcome! — Elena says as she approaches — Let's eat.
Everyone sits down at the table to enjoy the appetizer, which consists of cream of spinach soup with cream cheese. Gustaph nods as he savors the flavors. — Truly delicious. Your chef is a master.
— Today I wanted to give him free rein to surprise us — Elena says.
— Very good decision — Gustaph replies. Elena smiles, her gaze sweeping over the others.
— How was Greece? — Edwin asks, breaking the new silence.
— As I mentioned, the Greeks accepted only part of what was negotiated. They refused to work with the escorts — Gustaph replies.
— Escorts? — Yenedith asks.
Elena decides to answer — Girls who offer sexual services in…
— Yes, I know what that is. Why go all the way to Greece? Or is there a nightclub with that name? — Yenedith asks, looking at her brother.
— It's in Greece — Tadeus says simply, waiting for someone else to speak up, but no one continues — We went to a nightclub to get these women in need a contract abroad.
Yenedith lets out a snort, pressing her hand to her stomach, like a complaint choked in her throat, with an expression that puts Tadeus on guard about his words — We decided not to proceed with that part of the contract.
— Where are these clubs?
— We have betting houses in various parts of the country and abroad — Elena says — That's how they have the chance to seek opportunities overseas. Through us, they send money to their families.
— And what was the other part of the contract? — Yenedith asks.
— To market our products and expand the brand — says Edwin — It looks like we'll have a couple of franchises in Greece by the end of the year.
— Cheers to that! — Elena celebrates, raising her glass of wine.
After a brief round of applause from the older members, Yenedith asks more questions about the hostesses, their work, and how the clubs are run, which Elena takes as a positive sign. — I'll take you to one of our most popular clubs myself. Maybe your vision can help improve the place's aesthetics.
— No way — Tadeus replies. His sister just looks at him for a second before nodding toward Elena.
Once in the office, Gustaph takes a seat next to Edwin on the sofa, but Tadeus just watches them in silence until he says — I said I don't want your leech of a wife's influence around Yen.
— You need to learn your place in this house — says Edwin — You can't have the women against you and against themselves if you're going to run the organization someday.
— Now that we've established a relationship, we need to find a way to keep Tadeus away from the Animal — says Gustaph. At that moment, Tadeus stops himself from saying anything — I'm afraid this man has taken a liking to him and will cause us problems if the Hellenes decide to talk to him about their new partner.
— I don't think the Raptis would do such a thing if they knew how jealous the Animal is of his contacts — says Edwin — It's not in their best interest.
— Unless the partner himself has mentioned to them that he knows the Animal.
— What have you done? — Edwin asks, pointing his index finger at Tadeus.
— I just mentioned how hard it is to get information on him; I never said I know him.
— I'm worried they'll try to set up a meeting with the Animal, now that they suspect the Gray Coyote is interested in doing business — says Gustaph.
— No, I won't let my son get caught in that crossfire. We'll stick to the plan — says Edwin. Then he pours himself a drink and starts drinking alongside Gustaph.
— Can someone tell me what that plan is? — asks Tadeus.
— You'll find out soon enough. Go to sleep — says Edwin.
Tadeus leaves the office to say goodbye to his sister. He finds her wrapped up on the sofa in her room. — You're awake — he says to get her attention.
She turns her face toward him, but doesn't say anything until she sees him sit down next to her. — Are you trafficking women now, Tadeus?
— I didn't know.
— But you know about the drugs — Yenedith says — Maybe the same drugs that put Gem in a coma.
— Everything I've done has been to keep us safe.
— All you do is lie and look the other way — she says, forcing the words out — I still don't understand how doing business with other people's lives protects us.
— I don't expect you to understand. You just need to know that we'll get through this, together — Tadeus says, standing up.
She shakes her head as she takes a deep breath, then says — I don't know you anymore.
Tadeus kisses his sister on the forehead and leaves.