Chapter 2
The muffled roar of traffic on Paulista Avenue barely penetrated the thick double-paned windows of my twentieth-floor office.
S?o Paulo pulsed beyond the glass, a gray sea of concrete and ambition beneath a cloudy midafternoon sky, but my thoughts were elsewhere—back in our bedroom, among the rumpled sheets I had left only hours before.
I signed the last document in the stack of contracts with a quick flourish, flinging the gold pen onto the solid mahogany desk. I leaned my head back against the leather chair, closed my eyes, and let out a heavy sigh.
The central air conditioning kept the room at a cool, precisely calculated temperature—the standard required to keep executives alert and productive.
Ironically, though, all I could feel was the lingering warmth of Maria Rita against my skin.
Her natural scent—a blend of lavender, fresh shower, and a sweetness all her own—still lingered on the collar of my jacket.
I smiled to myself in the empty office.
I was the CEO of my family’s construction company, responsible for managing billions of reais and thousands of employees.
My name opened doors anywhere in the country.
Yet the only thing that made me feel truly powerful wasn’t the balance in my bank accounts, but the fact that the purest and most fascinating woman I’d ever met had chosen me.
Maria Rita was my redemption. For years, I’d lived immersed in the futility of S?o Paulo’s high society, surrounded by shallow people, marriages arranged for convenience, and fake smiles crafted in cosmetic clinics.
But she… she was real. Every shy smile, every look of wonder at the simplest things, reminded me that I still had a heart beating in my chest.
The memory of our morning made my blood run hot. The way she had given herself to me, the unbridled trust in those bright brown eyes. I promised myself, once again, that I would protect her from everything. Especially from my own world.
I knew that adjusting to life at the mansion wouldn’t be easy for her.
My mother, Eleonora, was the embodiment of elitism.
Ever since I announced my marriage, she had made no effort to hide her disapproval.
“A vulgar whim,” she had called it, certain that I would soon grow tired of the “girl from the rural Northeast.” But I made it clear that any disrespect toward Maria Rita would be disrespect toward me.
With the typical arrogance of someone who had always controlled everything, I believed my authority would be enough to keep my mother and sisters in line. Maria Rita would be safe under my roof.
The soft beep from the intercom on my desk interrupted my train of thought.
I pressed the talk button, annoyed at being brought back to reality.
“What is it, Clara?” I asked, my voice instantly returning to the deep, impersonal tone I used in the office.
“Excuse me, Mr. Vasconcelos. The CFO is waiting for the 3:00 p.m. meeting, and the draft for the new venture has just arrived from the legal department.”
I glanced at my wristwatch. There were only a few hours left before I could go home.
“Have him come in and cancel any appointments after 5:00 p.m. I’m leaving early today.”
“Yes, sir.”
The afternoon dragged on in a blur of cost spreadsheets, market projections, and debates over environmental permits.
I maintained impeccable composure, countered arguments, and made ruthless decisions, but a part of my mind kept wandering.
I wanted to take her out to dinner, see the surprise on her face as she tried a new dish, or just sit on the couch and let her talk about anything while I stroked her hair.
At that moment, all I wanted was to get back to my wife.
When the meeting finally ended and the room emptied, I stood up to pack my briefcase. The relief of knowing that the workday was over brought a restrained smile to my lips. I picked up my cell phone from the table, about to send her a message.
That’s when the phone vibrated in my hand, its shrill ringtone echoing off the office’s glass walls.
The screen didn’t show Maria Rita’s name. It showed “Mansion—Security.”
I frowned. The head of security at my home was only authorized to call my personal number in cases of extreme urgency. A primal sense of alarm surged through me. Had something happened to Maria Rita? Had someone from the press tried to break into the property?
I swiped my finger across the screen and held the phone to my ear.
“Go ahead, Roberto. Has something happened?” I answered curtly, my pulse quickening.
There was a second of silence on the other end of the line. Only the sound of heavy, labored breathing. When the head of security’s voice finally came through, it lacked its usual firmness. It was trembling, laced with a panic I’d never heard before.
“M-Mr. Vasconcelos… you need to come to the mansion immediately.”
The temperature in my office dropped ten degrees. My hand gripped the cell phone so tightly that the knuckles turned white.
“What happened, Roberto? Is it Maria Rita? Is she okay?” The urgency in my own voice startled me. Raw fear washed over me in a fraction of a second.
“Your wife is fine, sir.” Roberto’s throat worked. The sound of someone crying hysterically came through the phone, muffled in the background. “It’s Dona Eleonora, sir.”
I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. A mixture of relief for Maria Rita and deep confusion washed over me.
“What’s wrong with my mother? Did she get sick? Do you want me to call a helicopter to take her to the hospital?”
“No… it’s no use now, Mr. Vasconcelos.” Roberto’s voice faltered completely, reduced to a choked whisper. “Your mother is dead, sir. She fell… she was pushed from the top of the main staircase. The police are already on their way.”
The world around me came to a standstill.
The hum of the air conditioner faded away. The city outside fell silent. The leather briefcase slipped from my free hand, hitting the wooden floor with a dull thud that I barely registered.
Dead. My mother. Pushed.
“What are you saying?” My voice came out like a rough thread, tearing at my throat. “That’s impossible. Where’s my wife? Where’s Maria Rita?!”
“She… she was alone with Dona Eleonora when it happened, sir. Mrs. Vasconcelos is in the living room… in shock. Covered in blood.”
A piercing chill took hold of my body, paralyzing every muscle.
The promise of a perfect day, the warmth of my wedding, the security of my empire…
everything crumbled to dust in those few seconds.
Darkness had just invaded my sanctuary, and it hadn’t even knocked on the door. It had destroyed everything.