CHAPTER 1

OPPOSITE TWINS

The Origin of the Lady...

“Every being can be whatever the mind wants to be... and the heart, in short... will conceive.”

In one of the city's most noble neighborhoods, among the various mansions protected by high walls and immense gates, similar to castles, lives a peaceful and discreet elderly man. Isolated from everyone, as well as the other neighbors.

It was June, it was already past 10 pm on Saturday and, as always, he was waiting for someone. Taking into account the posture and the constant looking at the hands of the clock on the wall, there was a delay. But he, on that specific night, was accompanied by some characters characterized as figures from medieval times. All together in the huge room full of expensive paintings and rustic furniture. The only thing that was not part of the scene, due to modernity and technology, was the seat with wheels in which the old man was confined.

Finally, it was possible to hear, even for those using a hearing aid, the movement of someone approaching. The old host remained planted, with a slight smile on the corner of his mouth, right in the center of the room, on a huge, equally expensive Persian rug, pretending not to have noticed who was arriving, waiting for the “surprise caress”. Until he closes his eyes to feel, intensely, the touch of a soft hand on his shoulder, followed by a tender kiss on his face.

Until he feels something abruptly penetrate the top of his right hand, embedding it in the support arm of the chair. He slowly opens his eyes and, as he takes a deep breath, notices that the scene goes back in time in a very familiar way. He knew that, in addition to that piercing, others would come, in a precise and ritualistic sequence, in which the last of them would be, or used to be, the fatal one.

What was surprising was not the violent and inhumane acts, nor the scene of the carpet soaked in blood, nor the executioner's questions to a defenseless old man, but the fact that, despite the suffering and injustice he was suffering, the tortured creature demonstrated serenity and acceptance, as if he did not consider himself worthy of mercy.

Decades before...

In a coastal city, hundreds of kilometers from the capital, known as “Romantic”, in a figurative and literal sense, the eyes and ears of the simplest people pay attention to the richest people in the locality, as if they were all celebrities, for the simple fact of having a lot of money. But one family stood out far above the rest, to such an extent that even the rich looked at it with a certain... admiration.

A true love affair, worthy of a movie romance, brought together a handsome foreign man and a beautiful woman. The result of this relationship of genuine love was a beautiful little girl who, over the years, had become a young woman of extraordinary beauty, elegance and charm.

There were other love stories among less well-off and even unfortunate people, but this was already commonplace and expected in the city of Romântica, so much so that many from other parts of the country chose it to say their wedding vows, swearing that it would bring luck to their partner. relationship, as if such a thing depended on a geographic location.

Years passed, transforming girls into young women and young women into women. Now, a new generation of people and the rest of past generations are about to see the high-profile story, involving the owner of attention, as if repeat itself. Just like it happened with her parents.

“Will the same lineage give rise to another love affair?” One of the romantics asks (as people born in that city are known).

The beautiful and rich Rúbia Castro is a woman with small indigenous features, and owner of the beauty that makes her stand out among all the women in the rich and prosperous society of farmers, business owners, hotels and industries.

Anyone who sees it for the first time is enchanted by its beauty, elegance and charm. So beautiful that all other women, even the most beautiful, admit that she is superior in practically all aspects of beauty. Anyone who has known her for many years knows that she is the richest and most educated among those of her age.

“Rúbia's parents should have had more sons and daughters, as is customary here in our municipality” comments one of the boys who is the same age group as the young woman and who has three brothers.

"You are crazy? Just one makes us jealous, imagine more! They should have only had a few boys, as they would certainly erase all of you who think you are on par with Miss Rúbia, who she doesn't even look at..." comments a young woman, in response.

“A lady who worked at their house said that maybe her father had a daughter a year before he met her mother...” said another young woman who has a reputation for being a liar.

“What a lie, Maria. So where is she?” Ask another boy immediately.

“Why should I know, if they say Rubia’s father didn’t want anyone to know?” Maria responds.

“Why, you make up every story... just to pay attention!” They conclude the conversation and disperse.

When Rúbia was around seventeen years old, one day, her father received a visit from her brother who came from Europe just to see him. They agreed that, the next morning, they would fly over all her parents' properties and the one her uncle had bought on recommendation, before even coming to Brazil.

She, her father, mother and uncle had breakfast together and then went to a private airport, where there was a small hangar with a four-seater single-engine aircraft parked.

There wasn't a seat for everyone, given that one of the seats was occupied by the pilot. So, the young daughter stayed ashore and returned to wait for them at home. It should take about an hour, or so.