Chapter 24 I won't allow the Lutz name to become a joke!
The revelation hit Jessica like a physical punch. The shock disarmed her aggressive stance; she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Irene Campos' daughter... was she there, in front of her?
Katherine snapped her fingers and Adam immediately handed her a black briefcase. “This is a contract,” Katherine said, holding the document out through the open window. “I am formally inviting you to join my research team.”
“In exchange,” she continued, “I will solve the ‘Luana Mendes’ problem for you, permanently. And be warned: if Luana takes over and signs with the Lutz Family, the Mendes Group will cease to exist. It will become nothing more than a puppet in their hands.”
Jessica held the edge of the contract, her fingers trembling slightly. “Why... why should I trust you?”
Katherine looked ahead, breaking eye contact, as if the answer were obvious. “You can think about it. But remember: it's impossible to protect Professor Kawasisk's legacy alone forever. When the sharks smell blood, you won't be able to stop them. I can.”
“Adam, let's go.”
“Yes, Boss.”
The window rolled up smoothly. The Bentley's engine roared and the car glided away, leaving Jessica standing on the sidewalk.
She stood motionless for a long time, the contract clutched in her hand, while the wind messed up her short hair and the weight of the decision fell on her shoulders.
Adam glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. Exactly 1:30 p.m. “Boss, are we going back to the college now?” he asked, his voice low.
Looking in the rearview mirror, he swallowed his words. In the back seat, Katherine's head was tilted slightly, her eyes closed, her breathing soft and rhythmic. She was fast asleep.
Adam immediately turned off the car stereo and gently pressed the accelerator, trying to make the ride as smooth as a cradle.
He had been following her for almost three years. At first, there had been doubt and even a certain contempt for serving a teenager. But now? Now there was only fierce and unwavering loyalty.
She was a monster in sheep's clothing.
Every decision she made was surgical. Today, with a simple order to investigate Luana's birth, she dismantled a million-dollar contract without even breaking a sweat. And she still had time to track Jessica for six months and uncover the secrets of an underground laboratory.
But looking at her now, sleeping unarmed on the leather bench, Adam remembered that she was still mortal. She also got tired. The weight of the world seemed to rest on those thin shoulders.
It would be nice if someone showed up, Adam thought with a silent sigh, someone strong enough to share this burden with her.
He scanned his mind for candidates, but shook his head. No one seemed worthy.
Back at college, the “problem student” routine began again.
Katherine spent all her afternoon classes leaning over her desk, sleeping as if there were no tomorrow. For her, the monotonous voices of the teachers were the most effective lullaby in the world.
The teachers, in turn, exchanged looks of consternation and disappointment.
Marta, the head teacher, was at the end of her patience. She considered going to the principal's office to request the expulsion of that “useless” student, but decided, with a cruel smile, to play one last humiliating card.
As soon as the bell rang, she summoned Katherine to her office.
Kath went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face to wake herself up, and walked slowly to the teachers' lounge.
She knocked on the door and entered. The room was crowded, the air heavy with the smell of coffee and old papers.
She stopped in front of Marta's desk. “Teacher, did you call me?”
Marta did not look up. She continued leafing through a contest announcement, deliberately ignoring the student's presence. She turned to her colleague next to her and began a futile conversation that lasted several minutes.
Katherine stood still, impassive, like a statue of patience.
Finally, after an awkward pause, the other teacher gave Marta a meaningful look, who snorted and finally deigned to look at Kath.
“Are you still interested in studying, Katherine?” Marta asked, her tone cold and cutting.
Kath blinked, seeming to ponder the question with irritating seriousness. “I think so.”
Marta let out a dry laugh, laden with scorn. “You think so?” I'm sure you don't!
She slammed her hand on the table. “Do you have any idea how many classes you've missed sleeping since you transferred? You're a stain on this class's record!”
Kath replied in a low, calm voice, "Sleeping doesn't disrupt your class, teacher. I don't make any noise.
“It may not affect my sound, but it affects my class's average!” Marta stood up, her face red. “If you continue like this, you will be the failure that drags everyone else down. When the grades come out, everyone will have to make up for your incompetence!”
Kath raised an eyebrow, a defiant gleam appearing in her eyes. “I wouldn't be so sure. I still have a little confidence in myself.”
“Confidence?” Marta laughed incredulously. “Where did you get that from? You don't hand in any work, you don't open a book! Do you know what your classmates say about you behind your back?”
As if on cue, the door opened. Nísia and Dandara Arbex entered, walking arm in arm, carrying stacks of books like model students.
Marta's eyes sparkled with malice. “Perfect. Nísia, Dandara... tell Katherine what the whole school is saying about her.”
Nísia immediately assumed her “good girl” expression, biting her lower lip with feigned concern. She looked at Dandara, as if asking for permission. “Oh, teacher... we... we're not sure if we should...”
“What's there to be unsure about?” Dandara interrupted, laughing dismissively as she looked Kath up and down. “Everyone knows the truth. They say you're related to the principal and got in here out of pity or bribery. With those mediocre grades, you wouldn't even get through the front door. You're the dead weight that's going to make us lose to the other schools.”
Kath let out a short, almost inaudible laugh. “Have the test results come out for you to say that?”
Dandara opened her mouth to reply, but Marta raised her hand, asking for silence.