Friends

John spent the next few years making his fortune multiply with his designers and outstanding technological inventions. He became a billionaire very quickly. Everything he touched worked out and every business he did prosper like magic.

And at the age of twenty-three, he became the most sought-after bachelor in his circle. He frequented high society and avoided the company of anyone, except Thomas, who forced him to watch porn films so that John would decide to lose his discretion about women.

But John saw all this and planned one day to practice those positions, words, and sensations with the young woman from the forest, who continued to fill his dreams at least once a week. It was the best time of his day. She talked to him but did not answer his questions. Until one day she told him about the man he was the first to see, who was also the only one who knew about her.

John deduced that he must be the former principal of the boarding school who fenced off the area to prevent the students from trespassing. And his search began. He still dreamed about her, but her eyes sparkled with fear when he asked about the first person who saw her. And his dreams began to get rarer and rarer. He understood that she was avoiding him so that he would not ask her questions, and that he was pushing her away from him every time he asked her about her past, too late. He no longer knew if the dreams they had were the fruit of his subconscious desire or if she kept visiting him.

...

Two years later...

The secretary gave a weak knock on the door and entered the room. It wasn't often that he was in the CEO's office because he didn't like to be disturbed while he was doing his work. Even on meeting days, he couldn't tolerate her presence.

"Sir, do you need me?" Darcy asked firmly, knowing that he could get annoyed if she stuttered or showed shyness. She watched in horror as he lifted his head from the laptop in front of him and stared at her with his freezing green eyes.

"Dercy, I want you to set up a meeting with the investors of the new hospital. I didn't like some of the numbers they raised." He said and went back to concentrating on his computer. Darcy still stood there staring at him curiously. He could have said that over the phone. Without understanding, she turned to leave, when Thomas entered the room and as soon as he saw her he hugged her happily.

"Dercy, you're getting more beautiful every day!" Surprised, he handed her a rose he was carrying hidden in one of his hands. "A rose for the most beautiful flower in the garden."

"Thank you." She said with a dull smile. He always gave those displays of affection.

Darcy couldn't resist and took a peek at John. He was smiling contentedly with both arms behind his head watching them. She walked away thinking she was working for the craziest CEO in the world. But she couldn't leave that job. Besides the good salary, the CEO was not a man to pick on little things. He only got out of hand when he was bothered. He didn't give interviews, which led journalists to get creative and introduce themselves as people he received. But she understood journalists. John was the most coveted bachelor in America. Handsome, a billionaire, and discreet, and whenever he was seen he was accompanied by beautiful women. They were difficult moments to get because he had strategies to pick up his escort in the hotel garage and he also had secret places where he took them. Everyone wanted to know more about him and his family. But they couldn't find out anything. Even Dercy was once targeted by them, but she proved useless so they no longer disturbed her.

As soon as Darcy left the room, Thomas turned to John who stood up to greet him with a hug and invited him to sit down, which he immediately accepted. John poured coffee for them and sat down as well.

"So Thomas? Did I succeed in making your day more colorful?" John asked mockingly.

"With each passing day I become more convinced that she will never suspect that I am crazy about her." Thomas replied quietly. He has been through too much tribulation in his life to show his annoyance. He had learned to be tough.

Thomas had fought a battle with cancer that left sequelae for many years and on top of that, it shattered his joie de vivre. He only thought about dying and giving up when the effects of chemotherapy came over him. What made him stop mumbling and put aside the evil thoughts was the fight that his parents and John started to fight by his side, so that he could have a better life again. Quality of life. They would leave their businesses to go keep him company. They took turns to keep him from feeling alone, and by some miracle, he began to feel guilt for his intentions to end his life and began to accept the treatment and its effects with more resilience. And so he won the fight and stayed six months recovering before he started working with his father and even with John.

"You have to be more literal. I don't think she understands that yet. She thinks you are just playing with her. She's a good woman, as well as beautiful. And I know she'll be very delighted to discover your interest in her."

"More literal? I greet her with a hug every time I get here, give her flowers.... I think she has a problem with me. The other women jump into my arms just knowing I'm a businessman."

"That's your mistake. She is not an adventuress who is looking for a man to pay her for luxuries. She's not like these women you're used to. You're going to have to win her over."

"How hard can it be? To win a woman?" Thomas asked wearily.

"Thomas, you are my family. But you must not try to conquer the young lady if you have no intention of staying with her. Darcy does not deserve to be hurt.

"I will think about it." Thomas said confused about what he wanted with Dercy. "I already got that contract for the construction of a new hotel in Abu Dhabi." Thomas said smiling but looking professional.

"That's great!" John gushed enthusiastically. "If we got that far, we'll soon be able to do one in Dubai. We'll have the most important hotel chain and what's better, most recommended by everyone."

"Yes. I have faced many journalists and reporters because of our success. I'm tired of going on TV shows and having to answer for you too. And it's very embarrassing when they start asking about your technology. Everyone wants to know how it is made, which I have repeated time and again that you have not revealed to anyone, but they insist that the people who make it must know? Even I have asked you about this and gotten no answers. They have probably hired experts and have not been able to unravel the mystery. You know I'm going to charge you an exorbitant salary for taking all the fame and embarrassment for myself." He said seriously and John began to laugh.

"I don't desire that fame."

"What about the new hospital in Chicago?" Thomas said changing the subject.

"I am seriously considering taking it out of my personal fortune and doing it myself. I'm not liking the investors' proposal."

"Are you going to despise a million-dollar partnership in a charity-oriented hospital?"

"You don't seem to approve..."

"John... Everyone has to fight to get what they want. The world doesn't work with millionaires leaving lazy poor people."

John looked coldly at Thomas. They didn't share the same ideals and that argument was something that had already taken them days of not getting along and he didn't want that kind of wear and tear on his only friend. So he focused his attention on the computer screen and listened as Thomas took a deep breath.

"Are you really going to visit that city in Brazil?" Thomas asked going into another delicate subject between them.

"Yes. I learned some of their language for a year especially for this visit."

"I don't understand your obsession with it..."

"It's either there or in Africa. You know very well that I intend to know something more about that forest and the person who can enlighten me is in one of those two places."

Thomas bowed his head thoughtfully for a few minutes. He didn't know if he should feed that obsession of his friend. But if it was up to him, he would want to know.

"John... I found the director who had the forest surrounded."

"What do you mean? Is he still alive?"

"Yes. He is in his eighties and lives in a nursing home. From what I hear he is a very cheerful, communicative and lucid gentleman."

"Can we go there before lunch?"

"No. I don't reason with hunger and you don't reason when it comes to that forest. You should have left it behind. It's been more than ten years."

"I didn't get my fortune by focusing on that forest, but for some reason I think that touch in the forest brought me everything I desired. It's not very common for a young man to come out of school already a billionaire."

"John, you fought for all of this. It's to your credit. Not the forest's. You fought for it. I know. I was by your side while you were isolating yourself to seek your place in the world."

"But it all started after the forest. I'm not going to discuss that with you." John said, getting up. "Let's have lunch then."

They left and took the private elevator that only the CEO could use and arrived straight at the garage. The thirteen-story building belonged to John, but few employees ever saw him. He went straight to his car and Thomas went to his.

Thomas followed John to the restaurant that always welcomed him knowing that he prized discretion and he entered through the kitchen door as he took the car to the parking lot so as not to be seen and from there entered the restaurant through the back. When he was taken to his table, Thomas was already waiting for him.

He watched his friend approach the table with a bit of envy. John didn't know how lucky he was.