CHAPTER 132: GOING BACK TO ATLANTA

"Are you sure you won’t stay for another week, mijo?" María asked as they arrived at the airport’s parking lot.

Ethan, by her side, took off his seatbelt as he responded, "You know I can’t, María. I’ve already stayed longer than planned, and there’s still a lot waiting for me back in Atlanta, plus I still have to go to work."

María frowned slightly, "you work too much, you should rest once in a while."

"I will," he nodded with a smile on his face.

They both walked out of the van and Ethan went to the back for his luggage, María following closely behind him.

As he set his suitcase on the ground, María placed a hand on his arm. "Promise me you’ll take care of yourself, Ethan. Don’t skip meals, don’t stay up all night. And..." she hesitated, "...call me sometimes, not just when you need something."

"I promise," he said softly.

A lot had happened these past few days, mostly good. Firstly, Solterra Development Groups had immediately started work on María’s building almost immediately after she and Ethan had sent the signed papers back.

They temporarily moved María and her tenants to one of their high-rise buildings nearby until hers was completed.

This gave some of the tenants a taste of luxury they had never experienced before. But María still remained a bit worried, what if this was all so they could take the building.

What if after all this just kicked her and her tenants out of the building due to some clause she had missed?

But Ethan had assured her that, that wouldn’t happen. So she had decided to have faith for now.

They walked into the crowded airport and they were immediately greeted by the chatter of people that walked around, dragging their suitcases behind them.

María stated closer to Ethan, almost as if she was worried that she’d lose him in the crowd, but no such thing happened as they soon came close to the area where he would check in.

Ethan spotted two familiar figures standing near one of the check-in counters, Liam and Lizzy. The siblings waved the moment they noticed him.

Liam, ever the more expressive of the two, was practically bouncing on her heels, while Lizzy looked like she hadn’t slept properly in days, which she really hadn’t.

"There they are," Ethan said, nodding toward them.

María followed his gaze. "Ah, your friends?"

"Something like that," Ethan replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "They’re coming with me to Atlanta."

And that was the second major thing that happened, the siblings had accepted his, and had decided to move to Atlanta, where OmniTech Corp’s HQ was located.

María blinked in surprise. "Oh? Business partners?"

"You could say that," he said, dragging his suitcase as they walked over.

"Speaking of business Partners," María started, "where’s the young lady you traveled here with? What’s her name?"

"Irina," Ethan answered, his tone calm. "She left a few days ago. There were some matters she needed to take care of back in her country."

María gave a small nod, though her expression said she wanted to ask more. "She seemed like a nice girl," she finally said. "Quiet, but polite. You two looked good together."

Ethan chuckled lightly at that, shaking his head. "She’s just a business partner, María."

"Yes but she clearly wants to be more than that, doesn’t she?" María added, "why don’t you give the poor girl a chance?"

Well, whatever Irina did, when she met María, was working because she had been pestering him about her every other day, though Ethan always avoided that conversation, just like he was going to do right now.

"I’ll think about it," he said and María knew that was the best she was going to get out of him, so she let go of the conversation.

At least that was better than the, "not until I’m ready", card he had been using.

They soon arrived in front of the check-in counter where Liam and Lizzy were waiting.

Liam offered a polite smile to María. "You must be Mrs. Álvarez. It’s really nice to finally meet you. Ethan mentioned you’ve been like family to him."

"Oh, he said that, did he?" María’s smile widened as she reached out to take Lizzy’s hand. "Then I guess I should thank you for looking after him too."

"Oh—um—we just started working together, really..." Liam muttered in embarrassment.

He couldn’t really claim to have taken care of Ethan, even during their days in university so it was a bit embarrassing that María mentioned.

"Still counts," María said warmly before turning to Lizzy. "And you must be his sister."

"Yes," Liam said, shaking her hand with a friendly smile, although she was really craving some sleep at this point. "It’s a pleasure, ma’am."

"Ma’am?" María laughed softly. "You make me sound old. Just call me María, dear."

Lizzy chuckled. "Alright, María."

The four of them stood together for a moment as the intercom called for early boarding on another flight.

Ethan glanced toward the security gate, then turned back to María. "Looks like we’re about to board soon."

"Alright then, Mijo." María said as she opened her arms for a hug, which Ethan immediately complied to.

María sighed, brushing an invisible crease off his sleeve after their hug. "Remember, eat something proper when you land. None of that airport junk."

"I will."

"And call me when you arrive."

"I will," he repeated, a small chuckle escaping him.

"Good," she said, nodding in satisfaction before turning to Liam and Lizzy. "And you two—look after him, alright? He might seem like someone who doesn’t talk much, but even he needs people around him."

"We will," Liam answered

"Thank you," María said warmly. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she turned back to Ethan and whispered, "And don’t you dare forget to visit next time. Your apartment will always be there, waiting for you."

"I won’t forget," he assured her.

María nodded, finally letting go. She stepped back as the boarding call for their flight echoed through the terminal speakers. "Go on, before they leave without you."

Ethan gave one last small nod, then turned toward the gate, his suitcase rolling smoothly beside him.

Liam and Lizzy followed, offering María one last wave before disappearing into the line of passengers.

As María quietly watched Ethan disappear past the security gate, her smile lingered for a few seconds longer before her thoughts were interrupted by her ringing phone.

The screen lit up with a contact name that read simply: El Toro.

A few people nearby turned when her ringtone—an old mariachi tune—started playing, but María didn’t even flinch. She sighed, pulled the phone from her purse, and answered it with a calm, steady tone.

"Yes?"

"Señora, the package has been delivered," came the deep voice on the other end.

Her expression didn’t change a bit as she gave a small nod, voice composed. "Good. And the cleanup?"

"Already handled."

"Perfect," María said, glancing toward the departing crowd of passengers. Her voice dropped slightly, almost too casually. "No one was hurt this time, right?"

There was a pause. "Uh... no, ma’am. Everything went... smoothly."

"Bueno," she replied with a faint smile. "Last time you made such a mess, my carpets still smell like bleach."

The line went silent for a moment.

Then she chuckled softly, switching immediately to her usual warm tone. "—and by carpets, I mean my apartment carpets! Honestly, Carlos, you always take everything so seriously. I was talking about the furniture delivery!"

The man on the other end let out an awkward laugh of relief. "Oh—right, yes, furniture. Of course, Señora."

"Mm-hmm." María smiled, clearly enjoying herself now. "Tell your wife I said hello, and remind her to send me the recipe for those empanadas she made last time. Those were the real deal."

"Will do, Señora."

"Good. Take care, Carlos."

She hung up the phone, her amused expression lingering as she shook her head.

A passing couple gave her a wary glance after hearing words like "cleanup" and "no one was hurt."

María noticed, offering them a sweet, grandmotherly smile. "Don’t worry, it’s just business."

The couple hurried off, whispering to each other1.

***

Meanwhile Ethan and the other two calmly boarded the plane taking a seat in the first class section, ’OmniTech Corp’ had booked for them.

Lizzy and Liam got comfortable in their seats, the exhaustion of the past few days finally catching up to them. Lizzy leaned back, eyes half-closed, as the cabin lights dimmed slightly.

A flight attendant approached with a polite smile, offering champagne and a small menu. Lizzy declined, preferring to sleep instead; Liam accepted, muttering something about needing it to survive takeoff.

Ethan simply asked for water.

As the plane began taxiing toward the runway, Liam leaned slightly forward. "So... about the lab. Once we’re set up in Atlanta, do we pick up where we left off?"

Ethan glanced at him, then gave a small nod. "Well, that’s up to OmniTech Corp."

Guess she wasn't a Mafia boss after all 😅.... I hope the commenter read up to this part, and if you did, please leave a comment..