The sky was splattered with countless stars twinkling in the vast cosmos. It was a warm night, promising to be long and full of stories. Sofía had high expectations. She had organized everything and hoped the evening would be perfect.
The hardest part was convincing her mother to abandon her mourning, if only for that night. Catalina had agreed to wear a dark blue dress that highlighted the paleness of her face and her deep blue eyes. Although an aura of sadness accompanied her everywhere, she was still a beautiful woman and didn't go unnoticed when Juan Bustamante approached to greet her. The man had arrived at the estancia accompanied by his wife and Magdalena de Toledo y Rojas. Both women wore outfits and jewelry befitting their status."Welcome," said Catalina once Mr. Bustamante let go of her hand to kiss Sofía's."You have a lovely home," commented Ana, casting her eyes toward the living room where Óscar and his children were conversing.María Esther emerged from the kitchen followed by Amanda, and a pleasant aroma of food filled the air.There was another knock at the door, and this time it was Amanda who went to receive the guests. Sofía smiled as she saw her older sister and her family. The dress Isabel wore concealed her belly and flattered her figure. Roberto by her side looked radiant. Her brother, on the other hand, was as serious and distant as always. Sofía had long stopped trying to please the young man who always seemed reluctant to converse with her, but she decided she wouldn't let his apathy ruin her night.Catalina and her sister-in-law offered some appetizers to the guests. Shortly after, Amanda welcomed Antony Van Ewen and Simón. The young man was in love with Julia Duarte, and Sofía had a feeling a "beautiful enmity" could arise between him and Pablo Ferreira. It wasn't that she really hated the criollo, but she hoped he could at least experience a pain similar to what he had caused her when he forgot about her from one day to the next without giving any explanation.Antony greeted Catalina and then tenderly kissed the ring on his fiancée's hand. He had given it to her the afternoon they went to the theater, and Sofía hadn't taken it off since."My beautiful Sofía, I missed you so much," he said in his characteristic seductive accent."I was counting the seconds until I could see you again."Almost twenty minutes after Julia and Father Facundo arrived, Pablo knocked on the door. The arrival of the criollo was the most anticipated, as the Pérez Esnaola family would finally meet his family after so long. However, when he entered, he was only accompanied by a thin elderly woman."May I introduce my beautiful great-aunt, the Countess Paulina del Pilar Acedo y Sarriá," Pablo announced, and a murmur spread throughout the room."It is a pleasure to welcome you, Countess. I'm afraid young Pablo forgot to mention your title of nobility. I hope our humble reception does not offend you," Óscar greeted."Enough with the formalities; let's eat! I'm starving, and if I don't get something to eat, I'll have to resort to cannibalism," the woman joked, pinching Diego's cheek as he waited with his father for the chance to greet her.Sofía seated the guests in strategic locations. For instance, she placed Julia between Simón and Magdalena. María Esther and Catalina had the dinner served, and before Father Facundo finished giving thanks, the eccentric countess had already started eating."Remind me again why my sister refused to come with us," the woman asked her nephew."Her back was hurting a lot, and she couldn't come, but she sends everyone her love. If you wish to spend the night here, I can have someone fetch your luggage later," Pablo replied, serving himself some wine."It would be an honor to have you stay with us. My wife will prepare a room for you," Óscar quickly said."I'll stay with my family, as it should be. Rosita no longer answers my letters, doesn't want me in her house, and didn't even bother to come receive me. She's always been a harpy, but at least she used to pretend to be cordial..." she said with a hint of anger in her voice.Pablo finished his wine and poured himself some more."Countess, I'm sure your sister didn't mean to offend you. She has been in poor health for months," Diego added, trying to calm her."You can call me Paulina, darling," the woman said, smiling at Diego with her gums showing.The young man decided it was best to focus on the food and didn't speak for the rest of the night. Sofía thought Diego looked adorable when he was embarrassed."How was your trip?" Óscar asked."Horrible! Like all long journeys, and to top it off, when I arrived at my sister's house, she didn't even receive me. She sent her maid with a very lame excuse... back pain," she added, laughing, which quickly turned into a cough.After dinner, Antony apologized and left early. The Englishman had to receive an important shipment of goods, and despite Sofía's insistence, he had to leave the party. Father Facundo and his sister also took the opportunity to greet everyone and leave. Sofía was somewhat disappointed. Her party hadn't turned out to be as fun as she had hoped.After the priest left, the group of guests split into two. On one side were those trying to impress the elderly woman, and on the other side were Diego, Sebastián, and Sofía, who opted to leave the house to enjoy the beautiful night. The young woman had always imagined countesses as beautiful, refined, and classy women, and Mrs. Paulina didn't seem to possess any of those characteristics.Ana, Magdalena, and Pablo soon joined the conversation. The criollo had drunk too much and still had a wine-filled glass in his hand."Do you want some?" the young man asked, seeing Sofía looking at his glass.She shook her head and wrinkled her nose in disgust."I'd like some if you don't mind," Magdalena said suggestively.Instead of handing her the glass, Pablo brought it directly to her lips. The young woman drank, although she seemed a bit surprised by the spectacle the criollo was putting on, and stepped back, laughing embarrassedly. A thin stream of wine trickled from the corner of her mouth. The criollo wiped it away with his index finger, and Sofía looked away."Did he do this to you?" Sebastián asked Ana in a whisper a few steps from where Sofía was.The young woman watched her cousin and the lady trying to remain unnoticed. Sebastián had taken Ana's hand and was inspecting the bruises on her arm with a frown."You know he did. This is neither the place nor the time to talk about it. I'd better go back to my husband," Ana said, and Sebastián stopped her."I'll kill him," he said before letting her go.Sofía noticed that everyone had fallen silent, and although no one looked at Sebastián, they had all heard him. Pablo suddenly kissed Magdalena, and all eyes turned to them. It seemed inviting the brunette hadn't been a good idea. What was the criollo trying to do by kissing her in front of everyone? Wasn't he as in love with Julia Duarte as he claimed? Or perhaps he was trying to get back at her because he couldn't stand that Antony and she were engaged?