Chapter 74 Don't embarrass the Lutz family.
Half an hour later, dinner was over. On her way out, Anastasia intercepted Katherine. “Your father is waiting outside. He brought a dress for you to wear to tomorrow's banquet. Hurry up.”
Katherine's gaze turned cold. She walked to the main gate, where Daniel Lutz was waiting for her with his hands behind his back, holding a bulky package. He stared at her with an indecipherable expression as she stopped two meters away, motionless and indifferent.
“Wear this tomorrow,” Daniel ordered, handing her the package coldly. “Don't embarrass the Lutz family.”
Katherine looked at the luxurious box and let out a short, sarcastic laugh. The sound was wild, laden with contempt. Without saying a single word, she just held Daniel's gaze with that ironic smile, turned her back, and began to walk away.
“Stop right there!” Daniel roared, gritting his teeth in anger.
Katherine didn't stop. She continued walking with an uninhibited and icy posture, ignoring the intimidating aura her father emanated. Suddenly, João Pedro appeared from the shadows, and Daniel's posture faltered. Mr. Lutz's face contorted into a false helplessness, trying to disguise his fury under a mask of exhausted fatherhood.
“Children grow up and become rebellious,” Daniel joked awkwardly. He held out the package to João. “Mr. Arbex, could you take this dress to her for me?”
João Pedro looked at the bag but didn't move a muscle to take it.
The ensuing silence left Daniel in an embarrassing situation, his hand suspended in the air, unsure whether to withdraw it or insist.
“I'll prepare a formal dress for her. Mr. Lutz needn't worry,” João Pedro declared, his voice calm and definitive.
Daniel lowered his hand, his face stiff. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened into a tense smile. “You're going to prepare it?” Daniel let out a dry chuckle. “Tell me, Mr. Arbex... in what capacity are you doing this for my daughter?”
In Daniel Lutz's eyes, João Pedro noticed a slight hint of tension. The Lutz patriarch had not expected such a direct answer.
“What do you mean by that?” Daniel asked, narrowing his eyes.
João Pedro replied with deliberate calm, each word heavy as lead: “It depends on her intentions. If she is willing, I can be her boyfriend or fiancé; if not, I will be her substitute guardian.”
Daniel's expression changed instantly.
Shock gave way to cold scorn. “What is so special about this girl that you like her?” He simply could not understand Katherine's value beyond her social usefulness. João Pedro frowned, feeling a pang of contempt. "Mr. Lutz, as a father, it is disconcerting to hear you say such things.
It seems much more appropriate for her to remain in my home.
João's voice was soft and refined, but his words cut Daniel like a dagger. The fact that Katherine was under the Arbex roof was already a topic of conversation in all elite circles, a stain on Daniel's authority. João Pedro just nodded formally and left, leaving Daniel immersed in silent fury.
When he got into the car, Daniel found Rosana and Nísia in a state of shock, while Heitor ignored the tension, glued to his cell phone. “Dad,” little Heitor called out, “where's my sister?”
Daniel pondered for a long moment before asking, “Do you really want her to live with us?”
“Yes!” Heitor exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Honey, what are you saying?” Rosana intervened, anxiously. “Her decision was...”
“I'm the boss of the Lutz family!” Daniel cut her off with brute authority. “Have the side residence cleaned for her immediately.”
Meanwhile, at the Arbex mansion, Katherine got out of the shower and found a package on the table. It was a minimalist, elegant white dress with the same hand-embroidered detailing as the cheongsam she had worn earlier. It was a haute couture piece, but... it wasn't her style. She hated skirts, especially white ones that required a level of care she wasn't willing to give them.
She noticed the card: “Try it on; if you don't like it, you can exchange it.”
The firm, elegant handwriting was unmistakable. She remembered the previous note: “Come back for dinner.” Katherine picked up the card and opened the bedroom door. João Pedro was there, leaning against the opposite wall in a relaxed posture, as if time didn't matter while he waited for her.
“Did you write this?” she asked, holding the card between her slender fingers.
“Would you like to try it?” His eyes were warm, contrasting with the coldness he had shown Daniel.
“I don't like wearing skirts,” Katherine confessed.
“That can be changed,” João replied calmly.
“Swap it for pants?” She laughed, finding the idea absurd for a gala banquet.
“Change it to ‘enjoy,’” he said, the seriousness in his voice giving unexpected weight to the word “like.”
Katherine stopped laughing. Her expression became indifferent again. “Thank you, but I won't wear it.” She handed the dress back to him.
João Pedro took the garment, and his dark eyes seemed to darken even more. An austere aura enveloped him for a second, but he just nodded. “Get some rest,” he said before walking away.
At ten o'clock that night, Katherine settled into her rocking chair and picked up her cell phone. It was update night for her favorite manga, Fifty-Nine Minutes. She devoured the new chapter of the crime thriller, but was met with a frustrating warning at the end: the writer, known for being the most capricious in the business, would be going on hiatus again.
Katherine sighed and turned off the device. She lay on her side, watching the breeze move the white curtains in the room. The fluid movement of the fabric under the moonlight inevitably reminded her of the dress she had just refused. She frowned, bothered by the persistence of that image, and closed her eyes, forcing sleep to come.
It was 6:30 in the morning.
Katherine got up punctually, maintaining her unwavering discipline. However, as she opened the door for her morning exercise, she froze for a moment. In the hallway, a new box lay silently. Inside it was a party outfit that, at first glance, maintained the purity of the white from the night before.
She examined it with initial indifference, but when she touched it, her eyes sparkled with restrained surprise. It wasn't a dress. It was a two-piece ensemble: a sophisticated, irregularly cut top, worthy of a red carpet, paired with impeccable tailored pants.
The design softened the stiffness of the pants with a relaxed elegance. More than style, that outfit offered what Katherine valued most: freedom. She wouldn't have to worry about hems being stepped on or limited movement. The fabric, of exceptional quality, exuded luxury without effort.
“Banquets require formal attire.” Try this one on,“ João Pedro's deep, seductive voice echoed down the hallway.
He approached slowly. The usual coldness of his features was there, but his eyes carried a new warmth, even though they were marked by discreet dark circles and obvious fatigue, as if he had spent the night awake solving that textile ”problem."
Katherine shrugged, yielding to his practicality and obvious effort. “All right.”
The man stopped, a gentle smile lighting up his tired eyes. He had won that battle.