Chapter 33 Katherine knew she had to tread carefully.
“What are you laughing at?” Octavio asked, noticing her smile. “Don't you believe me? I swear I can do three somersaults with one hand!”
He was talking about parkour, completely oblivious to the conversation at the next table.
Katherine turned her gaze back to him and her smile faded into her usual calm. “Oh. I believe you.”
Octavio was at a loss for words. He looked at the pile of empty plates in front of her, impressed. “Wow. You eat so much.”
Katherine raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
“Not at all!” Octavio shrugged, laughing. “I've just never seen a girl eat so much and stay so thin. Where does it all go?”
If you need more, I'll get some.
Katherine took a sip of water, clearing her palate. Her eyes became focused and calculating. It was time to fish for information.
“I heard...” she began, using a casual tone, as if commenting on the weather, “...that your brothers are all fighting to inherit the company your aunt left behind. Aren't you interested in the inheritance?”
Octavio, taken aback by the sudden change of subject, blinked. “Me?” He laughed, unconcerned. “I don't care. Anyway, I have no interest in business or corporate wars.”
Katherine lowered her head, cutting a piece of meat. “I see. I heard your aunt was a famous doctor. A legend in scientific research.”
Octavio's expression softened, showing genuine respect. “Yes. She's the person I admire most in life. Single, she devoted her soul to medicine. Even at home, she was locked in her lab. It was impossible to get her out of there, even for dinner.”
Katherine's eyelashes fluttered. She slowly put down her cutlery. “Laboratory?” she repeated, testing the word.
“Yes,” Octavio continued, excitedly. “My grandfather was very supportive of her career and built a state-of-the-art laboratory inside the house. When she wasn't at the institute, she was there, generating stacks and stacks of reports. It was scary.”
Katherine rubbed her thumb against her index finger thoughtfully. “Reports? Printed?”
“Tons of them. My aunt was paranoid about digital security. She printed everything, raw data, formulas... She said she needed a physical backup in case the database was compromised. In the end, the lab got so full of paper that it had to be moved to a larger space.”
Octavio pointed his fork toward the school, but he was referring to the house. “Oh! By the way, the lab was in the annex building. Right where you and my brother are living now.”
Bingo.
Katherine's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained impassive.
Octavio laughed, immersed in memories. “Once, my brother and I were playing and accidentally broke into the lab. We almost set everything on fire. My grandfather was furious and made João do military punishment, he had to do 300 squats. I was small and cute, so I got away with a few fake tears.”
Katherine kept her voice neutral. “And when your aunt left... what happened to the lab and all those papers?”
“I'm not sure,” Octavio admitted, scratching his chin. “João knows more about that. His aunt adored him, and he was the only one allowed in there at the time. He practically grew up in there.”
Katherine frowned slightly.
The hollow wall. The hum of ventilation behind the bathtub. Her aunt's paranoia about printed documents. It all fit together.
The secret hadn't disappeared. It was there, locked away. And the key... or rather, the guardian... was João Pedro.
Katherine watched Octavio talk nonstop, but her mind was miles away, stuck on a puzzle called João Pedro Arbex.
That man... he wasn't easy prey like his younger brother in front of her. Octavio was an open book; João was an encrypted safe.
Katherine knew she had to tread carefully. If she said the wrong word, if she let slip a detail about the lab or his family, João's sharp mind would instantly connect the dots. Worse, a simple innocent comment could be misinterpreted by that narcissist as a confession of love.
Octavio continued to chatter, oblivious to her thoughts. She only returned to reality when a cell phone flash went off in her face.
“What are you doing?” she asked, blinking.
Octavio was already typing furiously on the screen, a mischievous smile on his face. “Editing the caption. Posting daily updates about my social life is a sacred rule my mother imposed. If I don't post, she cuts my card.”
The corner of Katherine's mouth twitched. What a peculiar family.
Within seconds, the notification arrived. Octavio had added and tagged her in the photo. In the image, Octavio was making an exaggerated peace sign, while Katherine appeared beside him, wearing her usual “I don't have time for this” expression, but undeniably beautiful.
They didn't stay long. As soon as they finished their meal, they got up to leave.
Behind them, at the window table, the discussion about the “Great Primordial” continued. But Nísia wasn't listening.
Her eyes were fixed on Katherine and Octavio's backs. She held the disposable bamboo cutlery so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Crack.
The sharp sound of the bamboo breaking in half was muffled by the background music, but the hatred in Nísia's gaze was loud and clear.
Meanwhile, at the exclusive West Suburb Golf Club.
The sky was clear, the lawn impeccable. João Pedro completed a perfect shot, the ball disappearing over the horizon. He handed the club to the caddy and walked toward the rest area, exuding an aura of power and control.
He spotted Marcus, his personal assistant, standing a few meters away. The man was looking at his cell phone with a silly smile on his face.
“Mr. Marcus!” João called out authoritatively.
Marcus jumped and quickly put his phone away, running to his boss. “Sir! Are you going to stop already? The game has barely started.”
“I have another important meeting this afternoon.” João picked up the towel to wipe the sweat from his neck. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Marcus with half-closed eyes.
“What were you looking at with that stupid happy face just now?”
“Oh... well... that's it.” Marcus hesitated for a second, but decided it was worth the risk. He unlocked the screen and showed Octavio's recent post.
“Look, sir. Your brother and Miss Lutz are having lunch together. They seem... very close. They're having a lot of fun.”
João took the device. The photo glowed on the screen. Octavio was smiling like a fool and Katherine was next to him. They were sitting alone at a table for two.
The air around João cooled by ten degrees.