Chapter 26 I don't like him.
Night fell over the city, bringing a cool breeze. The black Bentley pulled up smoothly and Katherine got out.
“You can go rest, Adam,” she said, dismissing the driver.
As soon as she turned toward the wrought-iron gate, a fluorescent blur came rolling toward her across the stone floor.
Without hesitation, Katherine lifted her foot slightly, intercepting the object with the precision of a professional player. The ball stopped instantly under the sole of her sneaker.
“Woof! Woof!”
A large, furry dog barked from the other side of the fence, wagging its tail enthusiastically.
Katherine crouched down and picked up the ball. With a fluid motion, she spun it on the tip of her index finger, balancing it perfectly as she walked to the gate.
The dog stopped barking. He tilted his head, staring at her with wide eyes, mesmerized by the human's skill, completely forgetting his duty as a guard dog.
The doorman, recognizing his young mistress, hurriedly opened the gate. “Good evening, miss.”
Katherine entered, the dog trotting happily beside her. She was about to throw the ball for him when she stopped.
Her nose caught something in the air.
It wasn't the scent of night-blooming flowers in the garden.
It was something more subtle, but incredibly striking. A fresh scent of icy mint, mixed with a soft, creamy note of milk.
It was a unique smell. Dangerous and comforting at the same time.
Katherine's calm expression faltered for a split second. She knew exactly who that smell belonged to.
He's here.
She threw the ball away, getting rid of the dog, and followed the trail of that scent. As she rounded a bed of camellias, the scene that unfolded before her eyes was, to say the least... comical.
There, in the middle of the well-kept garden, was João Pedro Arbex, the untouchable heir to an empire, being held hostage by a nine-year-old child.
Heitor Lutz was clinging to João's thigh like a stubborn koala. In one hand, the boy wielded a glowing plastic sword; with the other, he clutched the expensive fabric of João's tailored pants, refusing to let go.
João remained motionless, rigid as a Greek statue. His eyes were half-closed, emanating an aura of danger and contained impatience.
“I already told you!” Heitor shouted fearlessly. “If you don't accept a duel with me now, I forbid you from pursuing my sister!”
João narrowed his eyes, his voice coming out in a low and dangerously soft tone: “And who said I intend to pursue your sister?”
“Your mother said so!” retorted the boy, unperturbed. “And don't try to deny it! You even moved my sister's things to your apartment. That's the tactic of someone who wants to stay close!”
I've figured it all out!
João closed his eyes slowly, taking a deep breath. You could see a vein throbbing in his temple. Children were definitely the most troublesome creatures on Earth.
He shot a deadly glance at Marcus, his assistant, who was watching everything from a few feet away. “Are you just going to stand there watching, or are you going to get this tick off my leg?”
Marcus was biting the inside of his cheek, fighting bravely not to laugh out loud. Seeing his boss, normally so cold and domineering, defeated by a little boy was the highlight of his year.
“Oh, boss...” Marcus tried to hide his laughter.
“I'd try, but...”
He took a step forward, but Heitor swung his plastic sword furiously. “Don't come any closer! Or you'll feel the fury of my blade!”
Marcus raised his hands in surrender, backing away. “See, boss? He's armed. There's nothing I can do.”
João sighed, defeated. He looked down, staring at the top of the boy's head, which looked so much like Katherine's. “Let me go,” João ordered, trying to be reasonable. “I'm not going to chase your sister.”
Heitor stopped, suspicious, and raised his freckled face. “Then... why are you living with her?”
“Ask her yourself,” João replied curtly.
Heitor's eyes sparkled with a new theory. “Wait... So you mean my sister likes you?”
The child's mind was working at lightning speed.
João snorted. Discussing complex feelings with a nine-year-old armed with a plastic sword was a colossal waste of time.
But Heitor didn't stop. He analyzed João's face with a severe critique. “My sister likes you? But why? Okay, you're kind of cute, I admit. But other than that, I don't see any qualities that would make Kath like you. You're really annoying.”
Marcus couldn't take it anymore. He turned his face away and burst out laughing. It was then that, as he raised his head, he saw the silhouette standing in the shade of the trees.
“Miss Lutz,” Marcus announced, composing himself. “You're back.”
Upon hearing this, João's body tensed imperceptibly. He turned his head to the left.
Katherine stepped out of the shadows, walking with her characteristic lazy elegance. She didn't say a word, but her presence changed the gravity of the place.
“Sis!” Heitor instantly let go of João's leg and ran toward his sister like a rocket. “Where were you? Class ended a long time ago!”
Katherine stroked her brother's head, but her cold, unfathomable eyes were fixed on João.
“Sister,” Heitor insisted, pulling her sleeve and pointing to the man in the suit. “Tell me the truth. Do you like him?”
Silence hung over the garden. Only the sound of crickets and the wind in the leaves.
João Pedro Arbex held her gaze. There was a silent question in those dark eyes, an electric tension that connected the two of them from meters away.
Katherine looked away, as if he were nothing more interesting than the grass beneath her feet.
“I don't like him.”
The answer was simple. Direct. Brutal.
Without waiting for a reply, she walked past João as if he were invisible and headed toward the mansion's entrance, leaving behind a trail of coldness and the faint scent of her shampoo.