Andreas’ muscles stiffened, and his breathing increased a thousand degrees. Although he had made the proposal, he hadn’t imagined that Antony would accept it so easily. He had to absorb the information before going any further.“Are you really serious?” The boy’s eyes flashed in his direction, and he smiled for the next second.“Yes. I’ve just created a position for you,” the serious tone in his voice made Andreas realize that Antony wouldn’t joke about something so serious, “I’ll pass on my shares to you for a fixed period.”A few minutes passed in silence as Andreas tried to absorb what was happening. After that, he rephrased the next step in the agreement with his brother.“You’ve made the right decision, brother,” he said, but Antony’s countenance turned sour every time Matteo reminded him that they were brothers, “I’m going to call my lawyer so that he can draw up the document for our agreement.”“I don’t trust your lawyer,” he paused, “or you, even though I’m putting my life in
Giovana had to sit down because she could no longer feel her legs reacting to Antony’s voice. Her heart was beating so uncontrollably that she felt like the air was escaping from her lungs. A genuine smile appeared on her face, and her eyes sparkled.“How are you?” He asked after long seconds of silence.“I’m fine,” she replied with a smile on the other end of the line, then remembered what had happened to her stocks, and the smile immediately left her beautiful face. “Antony, I’m sorry about the stocks. I didn’t mean to.”“It’s okay, Giovana,” Antony looked up at Andreas, who was looking at him with great expectations, but his words were sincere. Antony was no longer angry with Giovana. “Andreas and I have already sorted that out.”“Sorted it out?” The revelation startled her. Antony and Andreas had teamed up to resolve something?“You should only worry about the pregnancy,” the words came out of his throat like a dagger, “that’s all that matters now.”He closed his eyes as he spoke
There was no more time for regrets. Antony was getting dressed in Giovana’s old room, while looking at the graffiti or what was left of her marks on the wall, remembering that it was for that reason that his whole life had crumbled.If he hadn’t asked for a divorce on the same day, Gina was in the hospital fighting for her life. If he had listened to Giovana instead of projecting his frustrations onto her, Gina would have survived, and none of this would have happened.Irma wouldn’t be chasing her, he wouldn’t have married Giovana a second time.He wouldn’t have discovered how much he loved her. Life would lose its charm, and he wouldn’t be the man he had become at that moment.Perhaps things happened that Antony couldn’t understand. He put on his suit and ran his hands lightly through his hair as he concluded his thoughts. He needed to focus on the major goals and forget the rest so that he could live in peace.To live alongside the woman he now loved. Giovana was fixed in his though
Irma stood in front of Gina’s old computer, looking for any clue as to where Giovana had gone. She scrolled quickly through the web pages, her eyes glazing over every article about Antony’s arrest, trying to find any clue, but there was nothing.She screamed, slamming the mouse down hard on the table as her chest filled with anguish and anxiety. Not only that, but she stood up shakily, as she paced back and forth across the small room and searched for a solution. Irma would only rest when she managed to take revenge on Giovana and make her pay for Gina’s death.She still lived in the same house that her late husband had bought. The dirt-stained walls and punctured roof tiles indicated that the house had not been renovated for many years. Irma remembered that the fact that the house was in ruins was one of Gina’s chief complaints. In fact, after she died, things got considerably worse for Irma, since it was Gina who had to pay for the entire house.It was like a stone, crushing her hea
The weeks passed quickly. Antony sat on the porch of the old house, spending the afternoons watching the little movement on the streets, while Andreas didn’t return from the company. He had been forbidden to set foot there due to security and strategic reasons. There were days when he felt like he was going to go baffling inside that empty house. Living a monotonous life, away from work, was something he had never imagined.In the same proportion, it was reassuring to know that slowly the investors were returning due to the confidence Andreas inspired. Who would have thought that a boy could be good in business and prevent the company from declaring bankruptcy? Although everything seemed fine, something was still missing. Antony felt a huge void in his chest, and that absence had a name.He tried to push these thoughts away when he saw Xavier approaching. He had a worried look on his face and seemed tired, as if he had fought an endless war. Not only that, but he loosened his tie and
Antony walked away from home as quickly as he could, knowing that in a few minutes, everyone would know about his escape. The tropical sun made his skin burn, and sweat droplets soaked his clothes in a matter of minutes.He had no idea where he was going. He thought about going to Irma’s house, but concluded that it would be naïve of her to stay in the same house after everything she had done. Only after long minutes of walking through the streets did he come to a decision?He stopped at the bus stop. Antony had even forgotten the last time he had taken the bus. He was still a child when Nicolau worked as a simple candy seller. The memories, albeit incomplete, of him getting in the vehicle and sitting next to his father filled his heart with nostalgia. But there was something he never forgot, how nauseous he felt with the bus turns around the city. The volume of people in the same place gave him a strange sensation that made Antony even sick.When he saw the bus approaching, he prepar
Antony returned to the same bus stop he had gotten off at, but this time, the sun was even stronger, and the bus took longer than he had imagined. He was impatient and distressed. Maybe by the time he reached Irma’s house, it would be too late. She would certainly flee far away, and he would miss the great opportunity to regain his freedom. These thoughts only made the hole in his chest widen to unimaginable proportions.Exactly twenty minutes later, the bus stopped next to him. Irma’s house was far from there, practically on the other side of the city. For a moment of insanity, Antony even thought about walking there, but he wouldn’t get very far.As the vehicle moved forward, he devised a plan. He thought about the various possibilities and consequences. He would need to do everything correctly to avoid being discovered and to succeed in getting Irma to confess everything.When he got off the bus, his heart raced. He walked a few more meters until he spotted the house in the distanc
It was summer, and the sun was shining intensely in the sky. Giovana was crouched in front of the farm’s garden, picking chives for lunch. The contact of the moist earth with her hands gave her a sense of peace. Giovana had decided to occupy her mind with everything possible so as not to think too much about Antony.It had been a few days since she had heard from him. She hadn’t dared to call anyone, and no one had called her. Antony had his own problems to worry about, and Giovana didn’t intend to become another one.When she stood up, she felt a slight twinge in her back, closing her eyes. She heard the sound of a car approaching, and when she opened her eyes, the sunlight blurred her vision for a few seconds. She didn’t recognize that vehicle. However, she watched the car stop, and two male figures got out.Giovana hurried towards the boys with a wide smile on her face. Although she hoped Antony would also get out, she didn’t mind when she realized that only Andreas and Ricardo wer
Nicolau got discharged a few weeks later. When Antony saw Giovana holding their son for the first time, he felt so many things that he couldn’t decipher the feeling that pulsed the strongest in his heart.As Giovana approached with a genuine smile on her face, she asked him if he wanted to hold their son for the first time. Nicolau was so small that Antony was afraid of hurting him. He looked at the baby, who was sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms, and with an affectionate look, he replied yes.Holding his son for the first time made Antony understand the true meaning of love. Ricardo himself, took without him noticing, a photo who imagined that photograph hanging on their wall.On the other side of the room, Tania was packing things for Giovana’s departure, her eyes filled with tears.“I think I haven’t forgotten anything,” she quickly scanned the room, looking for anything that might have been left behind, but there was nothing.Tania soon realized it was time to tell Giovana
Antony got into the car next to Xavier and was driven to the company. When he found the memories of that place almost paralyzed him. He barely remembered the last time he had been there. He had aspired to own that empire even when Nicolau was alive. His eyes would sparkle at the thought of owning it all. Now, standing in front of everything he had achieved, none of it made sense anymore. In the end, the greatest wealth he had received was marrying Giovana.He entered the elevator alone. Xavier had left with the mission of buying the shares and returning them to Antony. And to think it was because of those shares that he married Giovana for the second time. Now his life revolved around her. A smile tugged at his lips as Antony came to this realization. At that moment, he found himself completely in love with his wife, despite his promise never to fall in love with another woman besides Roberta.When he stepped out of the elevator, the first face he saw was Valeria’s. The woman looked a
Antony had a fixed idea in his head and thought about it every time he looked at Giovana. He had spent that night by her side, holding her hand while she slept. She was eager to see Nicolau, but the doctors recommended that she wait for the anesthesia to wear off before getting up. The next day, when Antony woke up, she was sitting up, which startled him and made him rush to help her.“What are you doing?” He looked at her, scared that she might do something reckless.“I want to see our son,” she said, already putting on her sandals, indicating that no one would stop her.Antony threw his head back, closing his eyes tightly and sighing in disagreement, but when he looked at her and saw a deep sadness for not having met their son yet, he relented.“All right,” he said, taking her hands and helping her to walk, “let’s go meet Nicolau, and on the way, we’ll talk about something very important.”“What do you want to talk about?” She looked at him, furrowing her brow with concern.“I need
Antony stopped to think about what Andreas was saying. Things in his life were starting to calm down, and he needed to recognize that Andreas had made a considerable effort to help him. On the other hand, Andreas fell silent, embarrassed, as if he had made significant mistakes and was convinced that Antony would never forgive him. Only after a long period of silence, in an attempt to clear up the misunderstanding, did Andreas apologize.“I should have told you that I didn’t find Giovana when I arrived at the farm,” Andreas’ regretful tone was more than enough for Antony to understand that the boy was not at all happy with what had happened. “I promised you that I would take care of Giovana, and I didn’t want to fail again.”Antony laughed with disdain, as if he had heard a very tasteless joke.“Yes, you should have told me,” he replied calmly, looking away at the nursery in front of him, “but you need to stop always trying to please me. Why is my approval so important to you?”Andreas
Antony stared at Xavier with an apprehensive look. The lawyer was terrified until the call was ended. When he finally hung up the phone, he looked at Antony with a lump in his throat.“What happened?” Antony sweated, anxious to hear good news from Giovana.It was all he could think of. It was about Giovana’s safety, as if nothing else mattered. Before Xavier could think of opening his lips to tell him what was happening, his cell phone rang again. He looked confused at the phone number, realizing it was Andreas.He answered the call, hearing the boy asking to speak to Antony on the other end of the line.Xavier left, leaving Antony apprehensive behind. It took him a long time to make that decision. Would it be more appropriate to inform Antony about his freedom first than to let Andreas take up his time?He came back with the phone in his hands and handed it to Antony. He saw the man’s face slowly transform, and minutes later, he felt drawn to the most important news of his existence.
Irma slowly opened her eyes and heard voices coming from afar, as if in a dream. The trees seemed to be in constant motion, making her head spin faster. The same man she had seen in front of the farm was the one who came to her aid. Although dizzy and disoriented, Irma tried to get up and escape. Her efforts were in vain, as she was weak and injured. The man held her and called the police.When the police cars arrived, she mocked the officers. She laughed uncontrollably.“Do you not know that I am Giovana’s mother?” Her disoriented look frightened some. “I came to visit her. Don’t I have that right?”“She ran away when I called her,” the man accused. “She ran through the woods and fell, hitting her head. Forgive me, but Mr. Andreas asked me to watch over the farm and forbid this woman from approaching.”The police seemed confused by the situation. One of them approached Irma, touching her arm, which greatly irritated her.“You need to come with us.”The order did not sit well with her
Giovana could no longer stand the car shaking all the time. She closed her eyes tightly and believed that the pain in her abdomen was because of the long hours of travel. Tania remained by her side, never letting go of Giovana’s hand for a moment, and although she told the maid that she was okay, Tania could see from Giovana’s face how much she was suffering from the long delay.“We need to stop,” Tania said, noticing Giovana’s face changing color. “Giovana won’t be able to endure this much longer.”“We can’t stop now, Tania, it’s only a few more hours,” Maria declared.“You’ve been saying that for two days now,” she snapped, though she had no reason to.“Please, Tania, don’t argue with Maria because of me. I’ve already said that I’m fine.”Giovana held back from grimacing as the car went over a pothole, throwing her body forward. The pain was increasing as the minutes passed. Giovana remembered the moment when Antony was taken by the police and his words, begging Giovana to leave the
Antony was in a room, being watched by police officers. In front of him, Xavier kept talking only about subjects that wouldn’t raise any suspicion. The lawyer already knew about the evidence against Irma and was preparing to put his plan into action.“Ask Andreas to go to Giovana,” he said, looking at the mirrored wall, imagining the figure of the delegate looking at him behind the glass. “Keep her safe.”“Andreas has already gone to the farm,” he said, wiping the sweat from his face. “I’ll get him out of jail today, Antony. I propose we put an end to this injustice once and for all.”Xavier was in a hurry, although Antony insisted on knowing who had been responsible for discovering his location. Xavier had no idea who it had been. He left the interrogation room, demanding to speak to the delegate.The man was arrogant, thinking he deserved a prize for arresting a fugitive from the police, which Xavier certainly disagreed with. He placed the paid bail on his desk, which made the man j
Someone called Irma that morning and informed her that Antony had been found. The voice on the other end of the line asked her to turn on the TV as Giovana’s location would be revealed.She paced anxiously around the house, waiting for the moment to put her plan into action. Her soul would only find peace once Giovana was dead. When she entered the living room, the TV was broadcasting Antony’s arrest live. She stopped and looked at the small screen, seeing Giovana’s face. Her eyes sparkled with emotion. She had finally found her daughter Gina’s killer.A sudden sense of unease surged in her heart as she hurried to pack her bags and leave. She saw Gina pass by the hallway, sending a shiver down her spine. Gina's constant visions and appearances tormented Irma. Surely her mind’s delusions, but she believed Gina’s spirit would only find peace when Giovana finally paid with her life for the crime she had committed.“I will draw her blood and bring it to you,” she said to the empty walls,