Chapter 58

Chapter 58
Gabriel Dantas

He holds the card between his fingers as if it were made of crystal. He turns his eyes to the closet, now knowing that every item there is also within his reach. A pleasant weight settles in his chest. It's not just about money. It's about what it represents.

— I confess I'm tempted — he comments, with a half-smile. — It's going to be hard to resist this temptation.

He responds with a look full of malice:

— Don't resist. I like to see you shine, Gabriel.

This phrase keeps resonating as he examines the hanging pieces again. Each one seems tailored, and knowing that he thought of me when he had everything made... it affects me in a strange way. It's not just vanity. It's the recognition.

Leonardo finishes getting ready, sprays his perfume one last time and grabs the car keys.

— I'll be back at six. See if you wait for me with one of these outfits. Just so I can have a good view when I come in — he says, winking.

I raise the card in the air as if I were toasting.

— You got it. Today I'm going to make this contract worth it.

And also the title you gave me. Boyfriend. I think as I watch him leave.

As soon as I hear the sound of the door closing, I let out a sigh and walk to the balcony of the room. The curtains sway gently in the morning breeze, and when I open the glass door, I am greeted by the immensity of the city of Velmont below.

The sun touches the buildings with a golden light, and for a moment, everything seems so unreal that I almost pinch myself.

The view is simply breathtaking, one of those you only see on the cover of a travel magazine or in movies where the millionaire always wakes up in some absurd penthouse. And now... I'm the one who's here.

I rest my hands on the cold railing, absorbing the silence from above — because down there, the city pulsates non-stop — and let out a half-smile.

— Okay, Gabriel... time to get used to this princess life — I murmur to myself, laughing softly. — With a black card and an exclusive closet.

The notification on my cell phone takes me out of my reverie. It was Arthur.

“Look what happened last night… did you see? Besides, everyone could hear!”

My finger slides quickly across the screen, and when I open the message, an audio of laughter and a sarcastic emoji come along. I laugh alone, already imagining his face mocking me.

“You're exaggerating.”

Two seconds later…

“Exaggerating, me? Gabriel, you're scandalous! Not to mention proof and evidence of what you guys did. The dressing room looked like it came out of an adult film. And detail: Alexandre is going to send you a bill for everything Leonardo destroyed... including the flowers, the mirror and that chair that broke.”

The laughter escapes unfiltered. I hold my cell phone with one hand and run the other over my face, trying to hold back the laughter.

“Don't worry. He's going to pay for everything.”

He replies right back.

“WOW, how confident you are.”

“I really am.”

I take another step forward, letting the wind mess up my hair, and look at the city again. The scene is perfect.

I extend my arm, turn the camera and take a picture. Me in a bathrobe, with the diamond card between my fingers, Velmont in the background. A true portrait of the absurdity into which my life has been transformed.

I put in the caption:

“In the Big Boss's lair.”

Arthur replies immediately:

“Envy is real. One day it will be me”

“But in the meantime, I'm going to go have coffee at the bakery on the corner with a stale pastry and watery coffee.”

I laugh and reply.

“Good luck, pleb.”

I turn off the screen and let out another muffled laugh. The breeze blows harder, making the bathrobe flutter a little. I'm still trying to understand how I ended up here. With a guy like Leonardo.

With a closet full of designer clothes, a card that's worth more than everything I've ever had.

But at the same time, there's something inside me that says I belong. And that, honestly, scares me more than it excites me.

I take a deep breath. Because if this is a game, I'm on the board — I'm going to play right.

And win in style.

With the cell phone silent and the world outside pulsating far away, I decide to move away from the balcony. The bathrobe slides down my legs as I walk back to the room, feeling the cold floor under my feet.

My eyes scan the sophisticated environment — that huge room, with white walls and gold details, is more luxurious than any hotel suite I've ever been in.

The giant bathtub in Leonardo's bathroom calls to me, and I can't resist. I turn on the faucet, turn the whirlpool button and let the foam rise generously. I add a few drops of scented oil, that imported one I saw on the shelf — and while the water heats up, I let the bathrobe fall next to the sink.

The temperature is perfect. I get in slowly, sinking my body until the water covers my chest.

I close my eyes for a moment, letting the heat ease the tension in my back. The jets massage with precision, but my head doesn't relax. My mind runs wild, and his name comes up like poison.

“Adrian ”

The damn blue-eyed viper.

I take a deep breath, opening my eyes slowly. The steam envelops everything around, but the memory remains vivid. The way he exposed me in front of everyone.

How he twisted the words, pretended to be holy and made me look guilty. That accusation still weighs heavy, even after all this time — and he knows. That miserable bastard knows what he did.

— But he'll wait for me — I murmur, with a twisted smile on my lips. — I'm going to come back… in style.

And he's going to fall from where he never should have climbed.

The foam dances around my arms as I rest my neck on the edge of the bathtub. The feeling is delicious, but the thought is sharp.

I'm not the Gabriel who walked out of the elevator door anymore, silent, swallowing the injustice.

I'm the man who sleeps in the boss's bed. The Big Boss's darling. The sugar baby with his own closet, diamond card and everything I need to make an elegant hell in that company.

And when I walk through those glass doors, dressed in one of the suits Leonardo had made to measure, no one will dare look at me the same way.

Especially him.

The water continues to bubble, muffling the sound of the world, but my plan is clear. I'm going to walk in, smile sweetly, greet the reception, and as soon as I find that mutt… he's going to understand that his little game is over. That no one messes with me with impunity.

I close my eyes once more, relaxing, but my heart beats to a different rhythm. Revenge now tastes like expensive perfume and hot foam.

And I intend to savor every second."