Chapter 252
The door opened just as Lilian raised her hand to knock.
Benjamin froze.
Lilian was standing there—at the door of the computer room, beautiful as ever. Her tight black pants accentuated her discreet curves, her matching blouse molded her body just right, and her khaki jacket fell casually over her shoulders. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, leaving her face clear, illuminated only by the subtle shine of cherry lip gloss.
Even without makeup, she was a stunning natural beauty.
A spontaneous smile appeared on Benjamin's lips.
“Hi, sis... What a coincidence!” he said, laughing nervously and scratching his messy hair. “I was just looking for you. What brings you here?”
“We need to talk.” Lilian's voice was firm, but it hid something else: irritation.
He stepped aside, making room for her to enter. As soon as the door closed, the air between them seemed to change—dense, electric.
“Why the long face, sis?” Did something happen?“ Benjamin sat down in front of her, studying her every expression.
”Yes, something did happen,“ Lilian sighed, crossing her legs elegantly. ”And it's driving me crazy.“
”Who dared to upset my sister?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, half jokingly, half alert. “Just tell me the name.”
“Joana Mercadante.” The name came out of her mouth like poison. “That woman seems untouchable. And worse... I think she has someone powerful behind her.”
Benjamin's smile disappeared.
“Joana...” he murmured. “That woman is slicker than an eel.”
But Lilian didn't laugh. She didn't even look at him.
The atmosphere became tense. Benjamin swallowed hard and leaned forward.
“Do you want me to help you?” he asked quietly.
She watched him silently for a few seconds. Then her hard gaze softened.
“I need the recordings from Fábio's house.” Dinho found something strange on the cameras, but there are parts missing. Can you recover them?“
Benjamin sat up straight, already with the technical look of someone who had accepted the challenge.
”If the server is still connected to the network, I can track it. As long as they haven't removed the hardware or damaged the system.“
Lilian's heart raced.
”And how long will it take?"
“Give me a few minutes.” He was already at the computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “I know the address. You don't need to tell me anything.”
“Perfect.” Lilian took a deep breath and settled into the sofa.
As the sound of keys filled the room, she opened her cell phone. Headlines popped up on the screen. One in particular caught her attention.
“Joana Mercadante speaks after leaving the police station.”
The video started automatically.
Joana appeared surrounded by reporters, fake tears glistening in the sun.
“I am devastated by the death of my manager,” she said, wiping her eyes theatrically.
Lilian pressed her lips together, blood boiling in her veins.
Devastated? If there was one thing Lilian knew, it was pretense.
And Joana Mercadante was a first-class actress.
“I worked with Fábio for five years, and his death saddens me deeply. I regret his sacrifice to protect me and feel a loss that will never be overcome...” declared Joana Mercadante, her voice breaking and carefully calculated tears streaming down her face.
A man in a black suit—her lawyer, it seemed—approached and handed her a handkerchief.
Joana accepted it, gently drying her tears, while the cameras captured her every movement as if she were the victim of the tragedy herself.
Lilian almost choked with rage.
What cheap theater! If she could, she would have reached through the cell phone screen to wipe that fake expression off Joana's face.
“What fake tears...” she whispered through clenched teeth, her eyes burning with hatred.
She knew Joana Mercadante all too well. She knew what that woman was capable of — and how far she would go to get what she wanted.
The memory still cut her like a knife: Joana, alongside Suelen Legrand, plotting to steal her husband... even faking a pregnancy, as if life were a stage and she were the leading lady.
Joana Mercadante, you won't get away with it this time.
Even if I have to watch you rot behind bars.
Lilian paused the video, taking a deep breath. She didn't want to make her mood worse — but curiosity got the better of her.
She scrolled down and started reading the comments.
With each line, her indignation grew.
“Ridiculous...” she muttered. “How can they defend a snake like that?”
The internet seemed to have forgotten everything. Many blamed Globs Entertainment for Fabio's death, claiming he was drunk and overwhelmed by the lawsuit.
It was absurd. Cruel. And Lilian felt her blood boil.
“Damn it! These people never learn!” she muttered, clutching her phone tightly.
With a tired sigh, she closed the article and threw the phone back into her bag.
Her headache was throbbing.
She needed focus—not online gossip.
She leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to control her anxiety. All she wanted was an answer from Benjamin. Something that would change the game. A chance to expose Joana.
And then, finally, she heard the sound of the chair scraping across the floor.
Benjamin stood up.
His serious gaze made her sit up straight immediately.
“Well?” she asked, her voice thick with tension. “Did you manage to recover the images?”
Benjamin hesitated.
Silence.
Lilian raised her eyebrows impatiently. “Are you going to leave me dying of curiosity? Do you want me to have a high blood pressure attack?” she complained, narrowing her eyes.
Benjamin laughed briefly, trying to lighten the mood.
“Hahaha... of course not, sis. Your husband would kill me if I stressed you out.”
But Lilian didn't laugh.
Her gaze said speak now.
Benjamin took a deep breath and sat up straight in his chair.
“I'm sorry, Lilian...” he finally said in a low voice. "I can't connect to the server.
The CCTV images have been deleted. The server has been removed or destroyed.
The world seemed to stop for a second.
Lilian felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.
If even Benjamin—the best at what he did—couldn't track down the evidence, then Joana was one step ahead.
And that meant only one thing: the game was about to get even more dangerous.
Lilian punched the air, trembling with rage. Is this the end!? Is that damn woman really off the hook?
Her hands clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white. A deafening fury burned inside her, taking over every thought.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to darken.
A heavy fog took over her mind, making it impossible to think clearly. She stood there, motionless, staring at Benjamin as if she didn't really see him — her eyes empty, her soul collapsing.
Benjamin swallowed hard.
Lilian's silence made him uneasy.
She didn't blink, she didn't speak... and that look — cold, lost — sent a chill down his spine.