Chapter 68 If I wanted to destroy you...
Gabriel knew her temperament very well. No matter how much money they offered, if Katherine said no, it was a definite no. For her, certain rules were non-negotiable.
“All right, boss. I'll let her go again. But be prepared, this woman is persistent,” Gabriel said before hanging up.
Katherine put her phone in her pocket and adjusted her backpack on one shoulder, walking toward the school gate. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the courtyard, and most of the students had already dispersed, eager to enjoy their post-exam freedom.
However, near the exit, a small commotion blocked the way.
At the center of the commotion was Nísia Oliveira. Unlike her usual arrogant princess demeanor, today she looked pale and fragile. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she bit her lower lip hard, trying to maintain her composure while ignoring the whispers and judgmental glances around her.
As soon as Katherine approached, Nísia raised her head. Her eyes met Katherine's, and her momentary fragility was replaced by a flash of sharp resentment.
Nísia broke free from the two friends who were trying to comfort her and marched toward Katherine, blocking her path.
“You must be very pleased with yourself, aren't you?” Nísia hissed, her voice trembling with contained rage.
Katherine stopped, looking at her with the same indifference she would look at a blank wall. “Pleased with what?”
“Don't play dumb!” Nísia clenched her fists.
“You were the one who spread those rumors about the theft. You knew I was in a difficult situation with Gabriel Park and took advantage of it to kick me when I was down. You wanted to divert attention from your own scandal about changing classes!”
Around them, the remaining students slowed their pace, pricking up their ears to catch the drama.
Katherine let out a short, cold laugh that made Nísia take a step back.
“Nísia,” Katherine began, her voice calm but sharp. "You drastically overestimate your importance in my life. I've been busy reading comics and acing tests.
Why would I waste my precious time scheming against someone who destroys herself?“
”You...“ Nísia's face turned red.
”Besides,“ Katherine took a step forward, lowering her voice so that only Nísia could hear. ”If I wanted to destroy you, I wouldn't use hallway gossip. I would do it in such a way that you wouldn't even know what hit you until it was too late."
Without waiting for a response, Katherine walked around the stunned girl and continued on her way out of the school.
An inconspicuous black car was already waiting for her on the corner, away from the curious glances of students and the Arbex family's drivers. She got into the vehicle and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes.
“To the Lake Mansion, miss?” the driver asked respectfully.
“Yes,” Katherine replied, feeling the tension of exams and school drama melt away. “And tell Gabriel to prepare tea. The Master will want to see the gift as soon as I arrive.”
As the car pulled away, Katherine's cell phone vibrated again. It was a message from Gabriel.
\[Boss, the insistent client just doubled the offer again. She says she needs the “Heart of Ice” design at any cost. Her name is Mrs. Arbex.\]
Katherine looked at the screen and a wry smile curved her lips. The irony of fate was, indeed, the best screenwriter.
\[Tell her the price has tripled. And that the deadline is indefinite.\]
She locked the screen. The night was just beginning.
Anastasia didn't mind her son's coldness. Her eyes rested on the bag of exquisite pastries and the cup of tea with milk on the coffee table. Condensation on the plastic cup was already dripping onto the wood, forming a small puddle of water, indicating that the ice had melted.
“Did you buy this? Sweets and tea with milk?” Anastasia frowned in surprise. “You never eat these sugary things. It must have been Octavio who asked for it, that boy never grows up...”
João Pedro's gaze remained fixed on the bag for a second, his dark eyes indecipherable. The image of Katherine walking away with Octavio, saying she wouldn't be coming home, flashed through his mind.
“Yes,” he said dryly, neither denying nor confirming.
At that moment, Octavio entered the room, throwing his backpack on the sofa.
“Mom, I'm home. What's for dinner? I'm starving.”
Anastasia pointed to the table. “Your brother bought this. Since he's not going to eat it, take it for yourself.”
Octavio looked at the bag. It was from a famous bakery near the school, one that always had huge lines. He looked at his brother, confused. João hated lines. He hated sweets. And he definitely didn't usually do spontaneous favors for his younger brother.
“For me?” Octavio picked up the cup, which was still cold but watered down. “Wow, did the sun rise in the west today? The great CEO João Pedro facing a line of teenagers?”
João stood up abruptly, the cold aura around him causing the room temperature to drop a few degrees.
“If you don't want it, throw it in the trash,” he said, his tone brooking no argument.
He walked toward the stairs, ignoring his mother and brother. Before climbing the first step, he paused, but did not turn around.
“Mom, about the jewelry order you're trying to place...”
Anastasia lit up. “Oh, yes! That mysterious designer, the ‘Boss’. I'm trying to get an exclusive piece for Grandma's birthday, but their assistant is impossible. They keep rejecting me.”
“Give it up,” said João, his voice calm and cutting.
“What? Why?” Anastasia protested. “I doubled the price today! There's no one in São Paulo who would refuse money from the Arbexes.”
“Some people are priceless,” João replied enigmatically. He went upstairs, leaving Anastasia confused and Octavio holding a cup of tea with milk that suddenly seemed to weigh a ton.
Octavio looked at the flavor written on the cup's label: Jasmine Tea with Lychee, 30% sugar, no ice.
He swallowed hard. That wasn't the flavor he liked. But he vaguely remembered seeing Katherine drinking exactly that in the school cafeteria once.
“Oh, damn,” Octavio muttered to himself, realizing the mistake he had made in letting Katherine go.
Meanwhile, in an upscale, secluded area of Araraquara, far from the hustle and bustle of the city.
An inconspicuous black car entered the iron gates of a modern mansion, known locally as the “Lake Mansion.”
Katherine got out of the car. The rigid, defensive posture she maintained at school and at the Arbex home disappeared, replaced by an aura of authority and relaxation.
Gabriel, who was already waiting at the entrance, bowed slightly. He was no longer wearing his sloppy school uniform, but a black dress shirt, behaving like a trusted subordinate.
“Boss, tea is ready. And the Master is in the greenhouse, waiting for the gift.”
Katherine threw her backpack to Gabriel and stretched her arms. “Is Mrs. Arbex still insisting?”
“Yes. She raised the offer again ten minutes ago. She seems desperate for the ‘Heart of Ice’ design.”
Katherine let out a low, ironic laugh as she walked into the luxurious house, her footsteps echoing on the marble.
“Keep rejecting her. Tell her the designer thinks her aura doesn't match the jewelry. That should make her angry enough to stop bothering us for a few days.”
She stopped in front of a mirror in the hallway, removing the elastic from her hair and letting it fall over her shoulders.
“And Gabriel?”
“Yes, boss?”
“The next time João Pedro calls to find out where I am... tell him I'm at a library studying. It's a more believable lie than ‘a friend's house.’”
Gabriel smiled. “Understood. But I don't think he'll believe it anyway.”
Katherine didn't answer. She picked up the small velvet box containing the birthday present—a piece she had carved herself—and walked toward the greenhouse at the back of the mansion. The night was just beginning, and here, she wasn't the poor orphan everyone despised; she was the queen of her own empire.