Chapter 250
“Bluff.” The word echoed in Leandro's mind. “This woman doesn't have the courage to leave me...” But then he saw it. The fire in her eyes. A gleam he hadn't seen in years, dangerously familiar.
‘That gleam... it's the same as our useless daughter, Lilian.’
The resemblance disturbed him, a pang of déjà vu that he quickly crushed.
“You think you can just walk away, huh?” he growled, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Do you have money? A roof over your head? You have NOTHING!”
His voice was a whip. He knew she was bluffing. How stupid.
Juci didn't say a word. She just stared at him, her jaw clenched.
He laughed, a hollow, cruel sound.
“Fine. You can go. But you leave this house as you arrived. With nothing. Leave the suitcase. Leave the money... because everything here is mine! MINE!”
His voice became a scream.
“NOTHING HERE IS YOURS! Without me, Juci, you are nothing. NOTHING! If you hadn't married me, you would be just a POOR WOMAN crawling for crumbs...”
Blood rushed to Juci's face, a wave of fury and humiliation. But once again, she swallowed the poison.
The silent defiance in her eyes enraged him even more.
“I won't stop you, Juci. You can leave now, if you dare!”
Victory was certain. He turned away, a gesture of utter contempt, walking to the glass window to enjoy the view outside, hiding his smile of satisfaction.
"Ah, Juci... a woman like you would never abandon me.
You're addicted to luxury, too cowardly to go back to being poor.“
Minutes passed. The silence stretched on, heavy, abnormal.
A crease formed on Leandro's forehead.
”This is new. Why is she so quiet?“
Normally, by this point, she would already be crying, begging.
”All right, enough of this tantrum, Juci. Come here and ask for forgiveness. I'll forget about this crazy divorce idea of yours.
His voice was impatient.
Silence.
He rubbed his forehead, his irritation growing.
“If you want an apology, fine! I'll apologize!”
Silence.
“I'm sorry for what I did last night. I didn't mean to hurt you, but you made me angry...” I won't do it again! He spat out the words, his regret already turning to anger at her audacity.
The lack of response was the last straw.
Irritated, he turned around, ready to yell. But the hallway was empty. The air where she had been seemed to vibrate. And on the floor, alone, was the red suitcase. A silent monument to her rebellion.
Where did she go? Did she run back to the bedroom?
“Bold, Juci. Did you leave your things for me to take to the bedroom?” Leandro walked toward the suitcase, a scornful smile on his face, still refusing to believe it.
Ask for a divorce? How stupid.
Divorce? Never. Juci was a stupid woman, easy to control. And besides, the disgrace that would befall him if his father found out... Unthinkable.
A cold smile formed on his lips as he walked toward her suitcase. But his hand froze in midair. On top of the luggage was a macabre arrangement: credit cards, bank cards.
“Why did she leave this here?”
Leandro's throat went dry. Next to the cards were gold jewelry and, like a final stab, his wedding ring. Stacks of cash completed the scene.
“What the hell is this! Did she leave? Seriously!? No!! Impossible.”
The bitch wouldn't dare... he growled, running to the bedroom.
It was still a bluff. She must be in the bathroom, crying, as usual.
But the bedroom was empty. The bathroom, too. His blood boiled, rising to his face in a wave of blind rage.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the guard at the gate.
“Have you seen my wife?” His voice was dangerously calm, a harbinger of the storm to come.
On the other end of the line, the guard hesitated.
“Y-yes, sir. I saw her. But... she just left. In a taxi!”
“What?! She took a taxi?” Leandro shot up, stumbling down the stairs.
“Yes, sir. I asked if she wanted the driver, but she didn't say anything.”
“Find that taxi and stop it for me! NOW!” His calm shattered. His voice was a roar, and the guard on the other end cringed.
“I'm sorry, sir, but the taxi... it's already gone at high speed, I can't see it anymore...” the man stammered.
“The license plate! Did you write down the license plate?”
“I'm sorry, sir... but... but... I didn't see it...”
Did they fight again? the guard wondered, panic rising. The boss would take it out on them. Again.
Leandro's footsteps stopped at the front door. Fury consumed him. Stupid woman.
Then it hit him. She left everything behind except her phone.
“Stupid woman! You leave with nothing, but you take your damn cell phone?” he muttered.
A sinister smile spread across his face. He was already searching for her number when the screen lit up. Two messages.
\[Juci\] Leandro, sign the divorce papers and send them to the court. I don't want anything from you, just my freedom. After that, as far as I'm concerned, you can go to hell.
\[Juci\] By the way, don't worry about the clothes I'm wearing. They will be returned. I'll send them by mail today.
“Fuck you, woman! Fuck you! You think you're so smart, don't you?! Fine! Return the clothes, but what about the cell phone? You can't keep it! That phone is mine! I bought it with my money!”
Leandro smiled, a victorious growl. But the smile died when another message lit up the screen.
\[Juci\] Oh, I forgot. You can't ask for this phone back, Leandro. You may have forgotten, but you didn't give it to me. It was a birthday present from Gisele.
The urge to throw the device against the wall was almost unbearable.
At the InvestCapital building.
Lilian arrived at the office punctually at eleven in the morning. She hurried into the building, dismissing Antonio back to the residence.
She didn't go to her floor. The elevator took her straight to Matthew's penthouse. She needed to see Benjamin, she needed updates on the massacre she was promoting at the Arbex Group. Anticipation was an addiction.
However, as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Dinho walking toward the emergency stairs.
“Dinho, one minute?” she called, remembering another loose end: Joana Mercadante.
Dinho's footsteps stopped. A rare smile touched his serious lips as he turned and walked toward her.
“Good morning, boss. I didn't see you arrive. But you're just in time; I was about to call you.”
Lilian frowned.
“Go on.”
“It's about Fabio, Joana Mercadante's manager...” said Dinho.
“Right. I wanted to ask about that too. Let's talk inside,” said Lilian, guiding him into the living room.
The apartment was empty. She knew Matthew would be in his own office. But what about Benjamin?
As Dinho sat down, Lilian's gaze turned to Benjamin's room.
“Is he still suffering from jet lag? It's almost lunchtime.”
Dinho shook his head.
“He woke up early and had breakfast with us. He went into the computer room and hasn't come out since. He seemed focused on something...”
“I'm glad he's adjusting to the time zone here,” Lilian said with a smile, before her face turned serious.
“So? Did you find anything? Any clues at the crime scene that point to the real cause of Fabio's death?”
Ever since she had ordered Dinho and his team to hack into the Sentinel Network's systems, curiosity had been consuming her. The sudden death of Joana Mercadante's businessman smelled rotten. It wasn't natural. Someone had killed him.