Chapter 34 She is much prettier now.
Marcus, unable to hold his tongue, sighed dramatically: “It's curious, isn't it? The last time you, the great CEO, personally invited her to dinner, she coldly refused. I even thought she was shy or reclusive. But I see she gets along very well with Young Master Octavio. I'm... relieved.”
João returned the cell phone to Marcus with a sharp movement. His face was dark, a storm forming in his dark eyes.
“Don't bring irrelevant gossip during working hours, Marcus.”
Marcus dropped his paternal smile and quickened his pace to keep up with his boss's long strides. “Sir, by any chance... is that jealousy? It's good to feel jealous! It proves that you're human and that there's still hope of getting married before you turn forty...”
“Mr. Marcus.” João's voice sounded like distant thunder.
“Okay. I'll stop. I'll keep my mouth shut.”
Back at the company, João Pedro tried to immerse himself in his work. He dealt with contracts, layoffs, and mergers with his usual efficiency, but the image of that photo kept flashing in his mind.
To let off steam, he spent two hours in the office's private gym, punishing the sandbags with unusual ferocity.
When he finally decided it was time to go home—supposedly to walk his dog—the clock read 6:20 p.m.
The weather outside had turned. The French windows of the office showed a torrential storm battering the city.
His cell phone rang. It was the Main Mansion.
“Hello?”
The voice of Anastasia Coller, his mother, came from the other end. Her tone was a dangerous mix of seduction and military command.
"João, dear! The world is falling apart outside, it's raining terribly! I just called Katherine and the poor thing is stuck at school without an umbrella.
I told her to wait at the convenience store near the entrance. Go pick her up now.“
João looked at the rain hitting the glass and frowned skeptically. ”Mom, the Lutz family has drivers. We have drivers. Where are they? Did they all die simultaneously?“
”Exactly!" exclaimed Anastasia, without even stuttering in her lie. “Consider that there was a sudden epidemic and all the drivers are unavailable, sick, or... dead! It doesn't matter!”
Her voice hardened: “Go get her now. And if you dare send a subordinate in your place, I swear to God I'll sell that spoiled dog of yours to the circus tomorrow morning! Got it?”
João took a deep breath, massaging his temples. He knew the threat was empty, but his mother's determination was not. “Just this once,” he growled, his deep voice laden with a rare helplessness.
“Good boy! Bye!”
The call ended.
João looked at his watch, then at the rain outside. A strange, indecipherable gleam passed through his eyes. He grabbed his jacket and car keys.
For the first time that day, the storm didn't seem so bad.
The rain outside had turned the city into a gray blur, pushing everyone indoors. The convenience store was crowded, with ninety percent of the seats occupied by noisy students.
The air smelled of spices, milk tea, and fried snacks.
Sitting on a high stool by the foggy window, Katherine was in her own world. In front of her was a steaming bowl of the new release: “Ultimate Crossing-the-bridge Noodles.”
The flavor was far from authentic, but it was deliciously spicy and full of ingredients. To her taste buds, it was heaven.
She ate with mesmerizing efficiency. It wasn't fast, nor was it slow; it was rhythmic.
Her elegant posture, even while devouring instant noodles, attracted attention. Several boys at neighboring tables stopped talking to discreetly observe her.
At that elite college, there was an unspoken rule: girls who valued their image never ate noodles in public. The fear of smudging their makeup or looking inelegant made them opt for salads or take-out food.
Katherine, however, was the exception to the rule. And what an exception.
Her eyes sparkled with pure satisfaction as she fished another piece of meat out of the bowl, resembling a bunny who had just found the sweetest carrot patch in the world.
On the other side of the glass, protected by the armor of a black Bentley, João Pedro watched.
The rain ran down the car window, slightly distorting the image of the girl inside, but he couldn't look away. The mask of coldness and detachment that he wore like a second skin began to crack.
At that moment, under the fluorescent light of the cheap store, she seemed... real.
A rare, almost imperceptible smile touched João's lips. It was a soft smile, warm as a March breeze, one that had never been seen in a meeting room.
With an almost childlike spirit, she could find genuine happiness in a bowl of spicy noodles.
He thought of the Katherine who had negotiated terms with him days ago—cold, calculating, sharp. And now he saw this Katherine—relaxed, satisfied, human.
She's much prettier now, he thought, taken aback by his own thought.
Immediately, he frowned, annoyed with himself for having such a superfluous thought.
The rain increased, turning into a downpour.
João regained his composure. He rolled down the car window and honked the horn.
Beep-beep.
Inside, Katherine looked up. Through the curtain of water, she saw the impatient face of the man in the luxury car.
She looked at the bowl. There were still meatballs. There was still pasta. And outside, the world was ending in water.
The choice was obvious. She went back to eating, ignoring him completely.
Her phone rang the next second.
She answered, chewing slowly. “Hello?”
“Get out.” His voice was short and thick.
“It's raining heavily,” she replied calmly.
There was a three-second silence on the line. A palpable tension. Then João hung up on her.
Katherine wasn't shaken. She shrugged mentally and fished out the last meatball.
A few seconds later, a change in the atmosphere of the store made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The noise of conversation decreased.
And then she smelled it. That unmistakable aroma. Fresh mint, cold rain, and a subtle hint of expensive tobacco.
He was right next to her.
A tall shadow blocked the light from the ceiling.
Katherine glanced down. Handmade Italian leather shoes, now splattered with crystal-clear, plump raindrops.
He had gotten out of the car. He had entered the cheap store. For her.