Chapter 85 Chapter 85
On stage, Marta announced that classes would be restructured according to monthly performance. When the meeting finally took on a more informal tone, João Pedro took a lemon lollipop from the bag his assistant had brought, unwrapped it, and offered it to Katherine. “Don't be angry,” he said, with a look as gentle as a spring breeze.
“Do I look crazy?” Katherine retorted, staring at him coldly.
“Not at all,” he smiled, bringing the candy closer to her mouth.
Katherine held his gaze for a long time. Finally, she lifted the corners of her mouth and accepted the lollipop. But in a quick movement, she called out, “Gabriel.”
“Huh?” Gabriel turned instinctively, and in the next second, had the lollipop stuck in his own mouth.
João Pedro narrowed his eyes at Gabriel, who offered an apologetic smile, while the businessman tapped his fingers on the table, processing the “jealousy” and amusement of that gesture.
Gabe, the assistant, had already urged him three times to return to the company to receive an American delegation, but João remained motionless. He unwrapped another lollipop, handed it to Katherine, and whispered in her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her neck: “Eat less candy and have a real meal later. I'm leaving first.”
As soon as he left, her classmate in front turned around with a jump: “He's your boyfriend, isn't he? Admit it!”
Irritated, Katherine covered her face with her comic book and pretended to be asleep.
Fifteen minutes before the bell rang, the building was in an uproar: the new class list had been posted. Jessica received the photo and celebrated: “Katherine, we're still together!” 3rd year, class 8. Want to see?
“No need,” Katherine got up, ready for lunch.
As she left, she tripped over a bag of snacks strategically left by João. “Does your boyfriend want to feed you like a pig?” Jessica teased.
“He's not my boyfriend,” Katherine kicked the bag aside indifferently.
“Well, he's certainly interested in you,” Jessica shrugged.
“Whatever,” Katherine replied, heading toward the courtyard, while Gabriel had already dispersed with the other parents.
As the building was in an uproar over the new class list, the cafeteria was strangely empty. Katherine and Jessica were walking quietly when a familiar voice cut through the air.
“Katherine! Katherine!”
The image of Diego Park's mother instantly popped into Katherine's mind. In the next second, Mrs. Willis approached with a rehearsed smile. “Are you two going to lunch?” she asked.
“Mom, what are you doing? Dad is waiting for you,” Diego interrupted, rushing over. When he saw Katherine, his eyes lit up: “Goddess, you're here!”
Mrs. Willis ignored her son and continued, “Katherine, look, you and Diego will be classmates now! Let's have lunch together today, your aunt will pay for everything.”
“There's no need,” Katherine replied curtly.
“Look, last time I was anxious and spoke without thinking. It was my mistake,” insisted the woman, trying to remedy her previous rudeness. “I won't stop you from being friends with Diego anymore. You can interact however you want.”
Katherine remained firm: “Sorry, I'm not interested.”
Without giving room for reply, she climbed the stairs to the cafeteria. Jessica, before following her friend, shrugged at the woman: “Auntie, your son doesn't stand a chance.”
Diego narrowed his eyes at Jessica: “You're really unlucky.”
“What did you say?” Jessica retorted, her eyes burning with rage.
Mrs. Willis, remembering the explosive reputation of the young woman from the Mendes family, backed away in fear and dragged her son away.
After lunch, Katherine finally took Jessica to see her laboratory. The base was located in the suburbs, in an isolated and quiet location. Katherine had waited for Jessica to fully recover before bringing her, and the timing was ideal.
After changing clothes and going through security protocols, they entered the heart of the operation. Only three scientists worked in the laboratory—all men and significantly older. The youngest was 35, while the most experienced was Antonio Malvares himself, at 45.
Upon seeing Jessica, the researchers were welcoming. “Ms. Collins, is this the young apprentice of Professor Kawasisk you mentioned?” one of them asked respectfully.
Jessica greeted them formally. Katherine, assuming her leadership role, introduced her friend: "From now on, she will be working with you in Professor Kawasisk's place.
Please be patient, she is still inexperienced.“
”Sure, no problem!“ they replied in unison.
After the introductions and familiarization with the equipment, it was already past two o'clock when the two left the base and returned to the reality of college.
”According to your plan, you still have many people to meet," Jessica observed as they left the base behind.
Katherine replied with her usual indifference: “Four or five more should be enough. Some people have already been located, but they are not willing to return to this type of work. Others even want to return, but they don't have enough technical expertise.”
Jessica touched her short hair thoughtfully before asking, “Who could be behind the plan to destroy the lab that night?”
Katherine touched her forehead lightly, organizing the pieces of the puzzle. “Professor Kawasisk was involved in many projects during his lifetime. He held research secrets from several corporations. I suspect it was someone connected to those companies.”
When she mentioned the incident, her thoughts naturally turned to João Pedro's basement. He was thoroughly investigating the cause of Daniela's death, and currently, his main suspicion fell on the Dark Alliance.
Coincidentally, the person who attacked Jessica that night had, in fact, been sent by the Dark Alliance. That was why João Pedro had appeared in the suburbs on that occasion.
He had seen her there, but strangely, he had never questioned her about what had happened.
This was not in keeping with his investigative personality. Katherine wondered: was he just respecting her space, or had he already figured out exactly why she was there?
“I'm still going to need your help with my company's problems,” Jessica said, breaking the silence.