CHAPTER 3
“True transformation happens from the inside out…”
DIEGO BITTENCOURT
“Why is it so hard to stop flirting with your secretary, Narcissus?”
Alexandre strolled into my office without knocking—like he always did. He’d been pulling that stunt for years, and even though he knew I hated it, he never stopped.
My twin brother loved to get under my skin, especially with that irritating nickname: Narcissus.
I was well aware I could be narcissistic at times—no denial there—but nothing pissed me off more than Alexandre calling me that. Maybe because he was the only one who knew exactly where to press, the one person who dared to get under my nerves.
I lifted my eyes from the laptop slowly, keeping my face blank. Holding my expression steady was a talent of mine. Most people gave up trying to read me. Alexandre? He enjoyed the challenge.
“Who said I’m flirting?” I shot back, my tone flat, not even bothering to get up from my chair. “I’m simply encouraging her efficiency. Something you might try with your own employees.”
Alexandre laughed, dropping into the armchair across from me with his usual laid-back ease. He was the relaxed twin—the one everyone called the “friendly brother.”
What they didn’t realize was that this facade hid a sharper, more calculating side. But of course, he loved to play the joker while I was stuck with the role of the “serious one.”
It was a part we’d been rehearsing since childhood.
“You can convince the whole world you don’t feel a thing, but I’m your brother.
I know you enjoy that little game with Maria Gabriela.
” He leaned forward, crossing his arms. “Problem is, it’s only going to blow up the day you inevitably screw up.
Which, by the way, would be a fascinating change in your spotless record. ”
I didn’t have the patience for this today.
Alexandre loved to meddle in my personal affairs, especially if they involved Maria Gabriela. He always had an opinion—usually an unnecessary one. Unlike when I was with her, I didn’t feel the same urge to keep the conversation going with him.
It was exhausting.
“If you came here just to provoke me, as usual, maybe try your own office,” I shot back, dry as ever. “Pretty sure your team misses your charm.”
He chuckled again, though with less enthusiasm this time. He knew when I was done with his games. He also knew when to shift gears, which he did quickly—like slipping on a different mask.
“All right, all right. Let’s talk business, then,” he said, sitting up straighter.
“We’ve got a problem with the latest shipment of equipment to the client in S?o Paulo.
The network dropped again. I’ve done what I could with the team, but this one’s your area.
We need to fix it fast before it turns into a bigger mess. ”
There it was. The real reason he’d barged in. In the end, everything always came back to work.
And at least that was a conversation I was willing to have.
I sighed, finally pulling my gaze from the screen to focus on him.
“What exactly did the team say about the failure?” I asked, already lining up a list of steps in my head.
“They think it’s a flaw in the security protocol—something that slipped through in the last update.” His tone was serious now, for the first time since walking in. “You’ll need to review it yourself. We can’t risk losing this client, and the media’s already sniffing around.”
I nodded, slipping into problem-solving mode. Because that’s what I did best.
Fix. Control. Contain the fire before it got out of hand.
It was what kept me on top.
And yet, even as Alexandre kept talking through the technical details, part of my mind—the part I rarely let wander—drifted to Maria Gabriela.
No matter what crisis was in front of me, she always found her way back into my thoughts. Like a song I couldn’t get out of my head.
Even with all the technical problems piling up at the company, there was something about her that always crept back into my mind—like a song you can’t shake.
Focus, Diego.
Work first. Feelings later. If there are even feelings beyond the game. With a resigned sigh, I forced my attention back to the issue at hand.
“I’ve got something else,” Alexandre broke into my thoughts, his tone casual. And I already knew I wasn’t going to like it.
“Oh, here we go…” I muttered under my breath, folding my arms, bracing for it.
“I’m taking Theo over to your place this week. He wants to play with Arthur.” He said it with complete ease, like he was doing me a favor.
I just nodded, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
And it was.
Our sons were the same age—five—and had gotten along from the start. It was almost eerie how the two boys looked like miniature versions of us. Sometimes, downright unsettling.
Not that I ever let it show. And Alexandre never brought up our own childhood either—duties, discipline, little joy.
The kids would play, and for a moment, it felt like life gave us a pause.
But Alexandre didn’t notice how much it unsettled me. Or maybe he did and chose to ignore it. Like always.
I forced myself to focus, pushing away the memories clawing up from the back of my mind. Because sometimes, it all felt like too much.
Arthur didn’t understand why I was always absent.
And for all the control I had over everything else, I couldn’t control the memories. They tied my stomach in knots every time they surfaced.
And Alexandre? Oblivious. Like always.
“All right, then,” I said simply, hiding any trace of discomfort. “Have Theo bring that new ball of his. Arthur’s going to love it.”
Alexandre smiled, satisfied. But I knew he sensed when something bothered me. And, as usual, he didn’t dig deeper.
Sometimes, I was grateful for that. Other times, I wished he would ask. But not today. Not now.
Because I remembered.
I remembered something I’d rather forget. Something that might have happened… or maybe did happen. With Arthur’s mother.
And no matter how hard I tried to bury it, the memory always clawed its way back. A ghost that refused to be exorcised.
I blinked, cutting it off with the same precision I used to kill distractions in business.
“Anything else?” I asked, eager to change the subject.
Work. Fixing problems. That was what I did best.
“No, that’s it. I’ll swing by Saturday afternoon with Theo.” Alexandre rose, slipping back into his usual easy air.
“Perfect.”
“See you.”
He left without waiting for a reply, like he knew the conversation ended the second family entered it.
As the door shut behind him, the tension drained away… but the shadow stayed.
I needed focus. More work. More problems to solve. Systems to repair.
Feelings? I’d leave them for later—if they even existed.
I turned back to my laptop, ignoring the unease still gnawing at me. Work had always been my refuge. And as much as I hated to admit it, I needed it now more than ever.
Maybe more than I needed anything else.