Chapter 6 Chapter 6
As she reflected on the defeat, Nísia felt a sudden malicious pleasure.
Let's see how Katherine is going to pay those thirty million.
She turned, eager to see her cousin in a panic—her face shocked, her hands trembling.
But what she saw left her speechless.
Katherine was... calm.
Too calm.
No trace of surprise, fear, or hesitation.
As if she wasn't the one who had just offered thirty million reais.
The man next to her, equally calm, watched the stage with indifference.
No sign of reproach, no concern.
Nísia frowned.
What's going on...?
Across the room, the assistant leaned toward his boss, puzzled.
“Boss... didn't you say you liked those earrings and wanted to give them to her? Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
He still didn't understand why.
João Pedro himself had been the first to show interest—and then suddenly backed out.
João Pedro gave him a cold, direct look, which was enough to silence any further questions.
The assistant swallowed hard and backed away silently.
Meanwhile, Katherine had already turned her attention back to her cell phone.
She calmly played the snake game, the same one as always.
The little snake quickly devoured its opponents.
It surrounded the entire field, trapping its enemies in its territory.
And in the end, it watched them fight each other — deciding, according to its mood, whether or not to devour the survivors.
Suddenly, a touch on her arm made her thumb slip.
The snake collided with the wall.
Game over.
Katherine slowly looked up, cold, giving the culprit a sharp glance.
Adam forced an apologetic smile.
“Boss, boss... I didn't mean to! I just wanted to show you something...”
Katherine followed the direction of his finger.
On stage, the auctioneer announced the next item.
“This newly launched product is called Hidroboster,” said the presenter, with a professional smile. “A kit of seven perfumes, a preMirelada creation by the young Nísia Lutz. It won second place in an international competition. There is only one kit in the world. Its fragrance is unique and unmatched. The starting bid is five hundred thousand reais!”
Upon hearing the price, Katherine's expression twitched slightly.
It was nothing more than a reflex.
Adam, attentive, leaned over and whispered:
“The starting price is set by the auction house, but they always consider the minimum requested by the consignor. The auctioneer hesitated before announcing... he clearly disagreed with the amount. Boss, your sister must have pressured the auction house. Otherwise, they would never give such an absurd price.”
Katherine didn't respond.
She just turned her eyes back to her cell phone, opening the game again.
Her interest in the spectacle had disappeared.
Adam, however, continued to watch.
On stage, Nísia was standing, deliberately turning to face the audience—and, in particular, João Pedro Arbex.
Her radiant smile was forced, but her gaze overflowed with pride.
She completely ignored the strange looks and uncomfortable expressions around her.
When she sat down, she lifted her chin and straightened her back.
She waited anxiously to hear the first bid.
She wanted to prove to the world—and especially to the man she admired—how talented she was.
But time passed.
One second.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Silence.
The auctioneer hesitated, then tried again.
“To reiterate: this is the only kit in existence in the world. An innovative fragrance, internationally preMirelada...”
No one responded.
Nísia's expression began to change.
Her smile faltered.
She turned discreetly to her mother, panic growing in her eyes.
Rosana also looked uncomfortable.
None of the guests—not even the collectors—were interested in the product.
Humiliation hung in the air.
And there, at the back of the hall, Katherine continued to play calmly.
The little snake had already been reborn.
And it devoured everything around it with the same lethal patience as always.
Rosana held her daughter's hand with forced tenderness.
“It's okay, sweetheart. You're so talented... you can do it.”
Nísia took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
But the more time passed, the more her panic grew.
If the perfume isn't sold... Katherine will ridicule me in front of everyone.
The auctioneer returned to the microphone, presenting the item for the second time.
The silence that followed was almost cruel.
No bids.
No movement.
Shame hung heavy in the air, suffocating.
Suddenly, Daniel Lutz coughed lightly—a discreet sound, but one full of authority.
Right behind him, a man raised his paddle hesitantly.
“Six hundred and fifty thousand.”
Sweat dripped from the bidder's temple.
It was clear that he had only made the bid out of obligation.
The auctioneer quickly banged the gavel, relieved.
“Congratulations to this gentleman on his purchase!”
The room exploded with muffled conversations.
Nísia let out a sigh of relief, but the sparkle from before had disappeared.
She knew very well that the buyer had been instructed by her stepfather.
Rosana leaned over and whispered:
“Don't be sad, dear. You're the best. Perfumes are very personal, even someone else in your place would have had the same result.”
The words seemed comforting, but they carried a hint of despair.
Still, Nísia straightened her shoulders.
Yes. I'm only eighteen and I've already achieved so much. Unlike Katherine... who's good for nothing.
The auctioneer cleared his throat, announcing the next item.
“The next product is a work by renowned perfumer Sasha Luz — his latest release, entitled Maranta. This perfume is the only one of its kind in the world. Starting bid: fifty thousand reais.”
The entire room seemed to hold its breath.
Nísia's face paled.
Rosana froze.
Daniel Lutz kept his expression blank—but the tension in his jaw betrayed his contained fury.
Meanwhile, at the back of the room, Katherine raised her eyebrows slightly.
The gleam in her eyes was subtle, almost amused.
She continued to play on her cell phone, and her little snake devoured a particularly large enemy.
Rosana, an experienced perfumer, immediately understood the weight of that name.
Sasha Luz.
A mysterious genius, revered around the world.
No one knew his face, his age, or even his gender.
They said he was a reclusive middle-aged man, an alchemist of fragrances, whose genius transcended the limits of science.
His perfumes were more than just scents—they were medicines.
They healed the soul and the body.
That's why everyone in the industry called him The Great Miracle Worker of Fragrances.
And now, the Miracle Worker had sent one of his works to that auction—with a ridiculously low starting price.
Rosana felt the blood drain from her face.
Comparing Nísia's Hidroboster to a creation by Sasha Luz was like comparing a candle to a constellation.
The buzz grew.
Within seconds, the bidding began.