Chapter 104 Chapter 104
Justin Ferrari let out a loud laugh, shaking his head at his friends' audacity. “Don't let your guard down!” he warned, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “I've never seen anyone who can keep up with her when it comes to alcohol. She's a bottomless pit.”
Octavio, already feeling the warmth of the wine rising to his face, let out a skeptical laugh. “Really? With that skinny little belly of yours, Katherine? How much can you really handle?”
Without saying a word, Katherine slid a small bottle of artisanal wine toward him. The movement was fluid, almost lethal. “Enough talk,” she challenged, her voice soft as velvet. “Let's drink.”
Octavio scoffed, rolled up his sleeves with a theatrical gesture, and tipped the jug directly into his mouth, drinking with a boldness that bordered on recklessness. Katherine, on the other hand, maintained the posture of a queen. She held her blue and white porcelain cup with long, firm fingers, toasting without haste. She ate almost nothing; she just drank, calm and serene, while the others began to fall apart.
Around eight o'clock in the evening, the women's resistance gave way. Jessica and the other girls, their cheeks flushed and laughter easy, retired to the living room, unable to keep up. The boys celebrated with cries of victory. “It's hard enough for a girl to drink this much, come on, guys! The night is ours!”
Justin Ferrari chuckled, pointing to the center of the table. “Hey, did you guys forget? The maximum power is still on the field.”
Katherine swirled her glass, watching the reflection of the lights in the liquid.
Her face was slightly flushed, but her eyes remained clear, without any trace of drunkenness. Deep in her pupils, however, lingered that shadow of sadness that even the strongest wine could not dissolve. Octavio approached, stammering, his eyes cloudy and the empty jug dangling from his hand. “How... how is that possible?” You drank more than I did and you didn't even...“ Before he could finish, he fell to the floor with a thud, falling asleep instantly as he smacked his lips. Gabriel was in shock. He had tried to be Katherine's ”knight," blocking toasts to protect her, but he had ended up being the biggest victim. In the last ten minutes, he had run to the bathroom five times, his stomach protesting violently. Katherine raised her glass, filled to exactly seven-tenths, with insulting elegance. “If you can't handle it, don't force yourself,” she said, her calm tone striking the survivors' dignity like a whip.
Provoked, the few who remained continued drinking, fighting against their own bodies.
At 10:10 p.m., the patio was plunged into absolute silence, interrupted only by the rustling of leaves and the chirping of insects. The army of suitors was scattered on the floor and sofas, defeated by Katherine's wine.
She sat alone on a high stool, her eyes glued to her astronomical binoculars. Through the lenses, she plunged into the dark blue infinity, where radiant stars danced in ancient secrets. Katherine never tired of those mysteries; the universe was the only place that seemed as vast as her own loneliness.
Suddenly, her expression froze.
Her keen sense of smell picked up a subtle change in the air. All night long, the heady aroma of wine had masked everything else, but now that the alcohol had dispersed, a new and unmistakable fragrance emerged.
Mint. A light but persistent aroma of mint.
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked almost instinctively toward the mansion's gate.
Under the shade of a large banyan tree at the crossroads, a black Bentley gleamed in the pale light of the streetlamp. The halo of light on the windshield revealed Gabe Willians in the driver's seat, talking to someone in the shadows of the back seat.
The irritation she had tried to drown in wine returned with full force. Small vines of anxiety and resentment seemed to crawl from the depths of her heart, enveloping it in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar tightness. Katherine had never allowed anyone to have this power over her emotions.
She clenched the binoculars between her fingers, her mind racing with a single question that hammered at her chest: How long had he been standing there in the darkness, watching her?
“Kath, I called a car to take you home. Are you okay?” Justin Ferrari's voice suddenly broke the spell of silence.
Katherine looked away from the Bentley parked in the shadows, her expression instantly turning cold and indifferent.
“I'm fine,” she replied curtly.
Justin tapped his forehead, laughing in pure disbelief. “What's your secret? I've never seen you even stagger. How much can you really take?”
“You guys are just weak,” she retorted, emotionless.
Although she leaned back over the telescope to feign interest in the stars, her thoughts were a whirlwind. The presence of that car at the intersection acted like a magnet, pulling her attention away from the universe.
Justin, feeling offended but amused, began to orchestrate the removal of the “war wounded.” With the help of the drivers, the drunk boys were dragged into the cars like sacks of potatoes. In a few minutes, the once bustling courtyard was almost empty. Only Jessica, Octavio, and Gabriel remained, deep in a heavy sleep.
Katherine was about to pick up her cell phone when a familiar figure crossed the gate: Gabe Willians, João Arbex's personal assistant.
“Miss Lutz,” he began, panting slightly. “Mr. Arbex has ordered me to take your friends to a private and safe place. You should rest.”
He held out a small luxury paper bag. “These are imported hangover pills. Mr. Arbex personally insisted that you take them. He wants to make sure you don't have a headache when you wake up tomorrow.”
Katherine shot a sharp glance at the dark Bentley under the fig tree. “I don't need handouts. And I don't have a headache.”
Gabe's face hardened into an expression of pure desperation. “Please, Miss Lutz, take them. Mr. Arbex is in a terrible mood. He came straight from the office, without dinner, and has been standing here... watching. If I return with these pills, I fear he will destroy me before dawn.”
Katherine raised her eyebrows, a hint of genuine curiosity shining in her dark eyes. “He's in a bad mood? Why?”