Chapter 46 What if I spoke openly with him?
Inside the black SUV, Marcus gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on Adam's car as it drove away. He couldn't resist and blurted out the information that was swirling around in his mind.
“Uncle, that's the man they say is Miss Katherine's boyfriend. His name is Chad Mendes, a big-time CEO. Obviously, it was his men who saved Jessica just now.”
“Ah... boyfriend, huh?” Marcus (the assistant) glanced sideways at the back seat, trying to catch João Pedro's reaction in the mirror. “What a pity. Such a rare and delicate flower being picked by another garden...”
Mr. Figueiredo, always attentive, leaned forward with his eyes shining. As João's right-hand man, he knew how to read between the lines. “Why do you say that, Marcus? Is there something else we should know?”
Marcus smiled, ready to reveal more details: “Well, let me tell you...”
“If you don't capture Tiago and Elisa tonight,” João Pedro's voice emerged from the shadows, cold and sharp as a razor, “you can stay here watching the asphalt until dawn.”
The smiles on the two men's faces froze instantly. Mr. Figueiredo straightened his posture, feeling the thin air. “Sorry, boss.”
It was not my intention to be intrusive about your personal life.
“Sir,” Marcus added nervously, “I didn't mean to imply that you were too slow to act. Please don't take it personally.”
João Pedro remained silent for an eternal second before dictating his orders with lethal calm: "Investigate the connection between Jessica Mendes, Tiago, and Elisa. And assign a team to follow Jessica's every move from now on.
As Marcus nodded, Mr. Figueiredo suddenly tapped his earpiece. His expression changed to one of tense relief. “Boss! They just reported... we've got them!”
On the suburban highway, Adam's car maintained a steady speed, escorted by other discreet vehicles. Inside the cabin, Adam finally exhaled.
“Boss, we were being watched back there, weren't we?”
“Hmm,” Katherine murmured, her eyes fixed on the darkness outside.
“Who was it? The competition or the ‘enemy’?”
“Just drive, Adam.”
Adam backed down. He knew that when she was silent like that, the subject was either too complex to discuss or irrelevant to the immediate mission. But her silence only confirmed that the pieces on the board were moving too fast.
The priority was Jessica. Due to her serious injuries, she was taken to a clandestine hospital unit under Katherine's protection. The cooperation was finally sealed: Jessica's loyalty in exchange for the security of the late Professor Kawasisk's laboratory.
Katherine coordinated the relocation of all the scientific equipment for hours. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, it was already past 9:30 p.m.
Upon returning to the east wing of the Arbex Mansion, Katherine felt the weight of exhaustion on her shoulders. Her research team had gained invaluable reinforcement with Kawasisk's legacy, and progress was palpable. However, her mind remained focused on the secret hidden in João Pedro's underground room.
She needed to access that computer.
E What if I spoke openly with him? she thought as she climbed the stairs.
But doubt gnawed at her. Their relationship was a minefield of secrets and conflicting interests. If she revealed her intentions, she could lose access and be banned from the house. But if she continued to act in the shadows, she risked being seen as an irreparable traitor.
She took the amulet out of her pocket, feeling the weight of the object in her palm. With a sudden decision, she headed for his room, intending to use the return of the object as a pretext to observe the environment one last time.
However, as soon as she reached the second-floor landing, she stopped.
João Pedro was coming down. He was dressed casually, but his aura was imposing. At his side, the large white Samoyed descended the stairs with elegance.
João stopped three steps above her, watching her with a deep, indecipherable gaze.
“Why are you coming back so late?” he asked, his deep voice echoing in the silent hallway.
There was something in that question that went beyond mere curiosity; it seemed like a demand disguised as concern.
Katherine narrowed her eyes. João Pedro's words were not just a routine question; they carried a strange weight, a vibration she couldn't identify. His gaze, normally a wall of arctic ice, now seemed to peer behind her mask.
“I had some unfinished business to take care of, so I came back a little later,” she replied, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.
João continued down the steps with predatory calm. “Did you come looking for me?”
Katherine was momentarily speechless. Why does this man insist on interpreting my every move as something personal? she thought, feeling a pang of irritation.
“Yes. I went to the temple today and my master asked me to give you this.”
She held out her palm, revealing the cloth amulet. João glanced indifferently at the object. “I don't need that kind of thing.”
Without waiting for a response, he whistled to the Samoyed. The dog dashed toward the mansion's private sports field, and João followed with slow, elegant steps. Katherine hesitated for a second, but her intuition told her not to give up. She changed her mind and followed him to the field.
The space was vast and impeccably equipped. The dog, visibly happy, ran toward his toy house, dragging ropes and balls onto the lawn. João walked down the center of the field, watching the animal, occasionally gesturing to guide the play.
Katherine blocked his path, holding out the amulet again. “It's for you. The master insisted, so please accept it.”
João didn't reach out his hand. Instead, his gaze dropped to her feet. “Why are your shoes so dirty?”
Katherine looked down.
A thin layer of dried mud covered the soles and edges of her sneakers. Damn, the dirt road near the cliff, she thought. “Walking on mountain trails... it's inevitable,” she explained. “The paths at Harville Temple are paved with flat stone,” João said, his voice cold and sharp.
“There are no dirt roads to get in or out of there.”
Katherine's heart skipped a beat, but she kept her expression icy. He was testing her. He knew she hadn't just been to the temple. Why does he care? Doesn't he have anything else to worry about?