Chapter 27 I got you.
João Pedro remained motionless, his expression as unshakeable as the surface of a deep lake. Katherine's rejection seemed to have caused not even a ripple in his ego.
Marcus, standing beside him, cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment: “Boss... it seems that this time your intuition failed you.”
João turned his face slowly, his eyes cold and calculating. “You don't understand women at all, Marcus. They are creatures of contradiction. Usually, when their mouths say ‘no,’ their hearts are screaming ‘yes.’ It's just a game.”
Marcus nodded, wise enough not to argue with his boss: “If you say so... you're right.”
After all, João Pedro Arbex was a man who never doubted his own judgment, whether closing a billion-dollar deal or reading between the lines of a flirtation. For him, Katherine's resistance was just another layer of the mystery he intended to unravel.
Dinner that night was surprisingly lively thanks to Heitor's chaotic presence. But as soon as the meal was over, Katherine ordered her brother to go home.
Heitor clung to her shirt sleeve, his large eyes full of pleading. “Sis, please... let me stay here with you. I don't want to go back to that house.”
Katherine stopped, looking down. “Why not?”
The boy lowered his voice, and childish hurt gave way to cruel reality. “They're hypocrites, sis. In front of Dad, they pretend to love me. But behind my back...” His voice trembled. “They have the servants make my soup with old, almost spoiled pork.” And I heard Aunt Rosana saying that as soon as my little brother is born, there will be no place for me in the Lutz family anymore."
Until that moment, Katherine's face had been a mask of indifference. But when she heard that, something in her eyes changed. An imperceptible tremor, a cold flame of murderous rage that flared and died in a second.
She crouched down to his height, holding his shoulders firmly. “Is what you're saying true?”
“Yes. I swear.”
Katherine was silent for a moment, processing the information. Anger boiled inside her, but she couldn't show weakness now. He needed to learn to survive.
“Heitor, listen carefully,” she said, her voice hard but necessary. “In this world, the law of the jungle prevails. The weak serve as food for the strong. If you don't want to be anyone's stepping stone, if you don't want to be trampled on... then become the strongest. Swallow your tears and show your teeth.”
The boy stared at her, absorbing the cruel lesson, and nodded.
After watching the Lutzes' car drive away, Katherine walked back to the residence.
As she passed the front garden of the main building, a scene caught her attention. Dandara Arbex, dressed like a princess, was leading a group of employees who were carrying boxes with extreme care.
“Be careful with that!” Dandara shouted, lifting the hem of her dress. “Do you have any idea how valuable this is? These are the exclusive works of the mysterious artist ‘Primordial,’ created in the last six months! If you scratch them even a millimeter, you'll be ruined!”
Katherine stopped abruptly in the shadows. She frowned, watching her cousin treat those pieces like sacred relics.
Works by Primordial?
A scornful smile curved Katherine's lips. “Heh.
If Dandara knew who the real ”Primordial" was, she'd probably have a heart attack right there. Shaking her head at the irony, Katherine continued on her way.
She crossed the stone arch separating the properties and arrived at João Pedro's private residence.
On the private basketball court, the rhythmic sound of a ball bouncing on the floor echoed. João was there, leaning against the basket pole, casually throwing the ball away so that his Samoyed, a ball of white fur, would run to fetch it.
Katherine watched his broad back for a few seconds. From his relaxed posture, he didn't seem to have any intention of going upstairs anytime soon.
Perfect.
She looked away and entered the building quietly, transforming herself.
As she climbed the stairs, her movements changed. The lazy girl was gone. She calmly removed her hearing aid, tied her long black hair into a tight bun, and zipped her jacket up to her neck.
When she reached the second-floor hallway, she activated a small device in her pocket. A signal jammer. Instantly, any cameras or microphones hidden on that floor were neutralized.
Katherine slipped into João Pedro's room like a ghost and went straight to the bathroom.
As soon as the door closed, she concentrated. Without her hearing aid, her keen hearing—both a blessing and a curse—picked up everything. The sound of the wind outside, the dripping of a distant faucet, and the rhythmic sound of the basketball downstairs.
The noise on the court remained constant. He was still there.
Quickly, she turned on the light and her eyes scanned the luxurious bathroom.
At first glance, it looked normal. Expensive men's products lined the marble countertop, towels neatly folded. But something about the proportions of the bathtub bothered her instincts. It was too big, out of place.
Katherine pressed her ear against the wall adjacent to the neighboring room. Her fingers tapped lightly on the tiles. Hollow.
She was sure. The wall wasn't solid. There was an empty space there.
She crouched down, pressing her ear to the cold floor. In the first half of the bathroom, silence. But as she approached the base of the bathtub, a sound caught her attention.
A faint, almost electric hum. Like the sound of the sea inside a shell, or the whisper of mechanical ventilation.
Her fingers traced the edge of the bathtub, feeling every inch of the cold ceramic, searching for the imperfection, the trigger.
Suddenly, her fingertip felt a slight bump disguised in the grout.
In an instant, a dangerous, victorious smile lit up Katherine's face.
Gotcha.
She had found it. The secret was at her fingertips.
But in the next second, her victorious smile froze. Her instincts screamed, and she looked toward the bathroom door.
Unfortunately, the bathroom was not empty. A pair of astonished eyes stared back at her.
Octavio.
The two looked at each other in an awkward silence.