Episode 19

Luiza

Alexandre arrived by surprise for lunch.

I decided to make a dish I love for him to try. My mother taught it to me a long time ago, and today, after many years, I made the recipe. I hope he likes it. It’s gnocchi with pomodoro sauce, cheese, roast beef, and sauteed vegetables in butter and herbs.

He was all excited when I said it was the recipe my mother taught me.

I was a child, but my father always said I had a brilliant mind. So, voila!

"Bon appetit!"

I wait for him to eat first. When he takes a bite, he gets a serious look on his face while he chews.

I'm already panicking. Did I mess up the recipe?!

But when I go to try it, he starts laughing and says:

"It's wonderful! I've never eaten anything so good."

He kisses me, and I calm down.

My heart almost leaped out of my chest! I’m glad his mother left us alone. I was red with embarrassment.

We eat and chat about everything and nothing, and when we finish, we go to his office.

When we get there, he sits down and asks me to sit on his lap, and of course, I sit. He looks at me and says:

"I've taken care of everything."

I look at him, not understanding what he’s talking about.

He explains everything to me:

"Love, it’s about Julio's plan. He's been exposed, and you don't have any more problems with the law. And Julio will never, ever be a nuisance in your life again, my queen."

My jaw drops as he talks about all this. I thank him and shower him with kisses. I don't know how he did it, but everything is going so wonderfully for me that I don't care, except when it comes to that jerk.

Ale tells me:

"He paid dearly for what he did."

I was going to ask how, but from the look Ale gave me, I think it’s better not to ask anything.

We talk a little longer, and then he has to leave to finish resolving some pack matters. I go back to the room because I need to rest. Our wedding is in three days, and it's crazy here with people running around, getting everything ready, so that everything is perfect.

I lie down and soon fall asleep. When I wake up, it's already around five o'clock. I think I overslept.

I go into the bathroom and take a nice bath and then go downstairs. I find Maria in the kitchen, giving orders to the cooks about dessert and setting the table. She sees me, and we go out to the garden for a walk, she tells me.

"Ale will be here soon, can I talk to you for a bit?"

I tell her: "Yes, of course."

We're walking, and she starts to tell me:

"Luiza, you came into this house bringing light and joy. As a mother, I've never seen my son as happy as I see him today, and I thank you for that. He's always been a golden boy, but when we looked at him closely, there was always a sadness in his eyes. I used to think it was the lack of his father, but in reality, it was your absence that he always felt."

She hugs me and thanks me.

"Thank you so much for coming into my son's life. I can't wait for my grandchildren to start appearing!"

As always, I turn into a tomato with embarrassment, and she hugs me again. We talked for a few more minutes, and it was already getting dark, when on the way back, I hear a voice calling me.

"Luiza, you look so much like your mother."

Maria and I stop because I think she heard it too.

When I turn around, there in the darkness, there’s a male silhouette, very tall, and I can't see who it is, but the voice says my name again. It sends shivers down my spine—not the good kind, but the kind that fills you with dread.

I’m frozen in place, and Maria starts shaking me. Suddenly, I hear several growls, one in particular.

Alexandre comes running in wolf form, and the man disappears, snapping me out of my trance. The wolves fly through the trees, searching for the man, but nothing. He simply vanished.

Ale grabs me and carries me into the house, asking:

"Are you okay? Did you know that man?"

I say:

"I've never seen him before, but I was so scared I couldn't move."

I hug him, and Ale and I stay like that for a while. He takes me to the room, helps me lie down, and lies down with me, running his hand through my hair to calm me down.

"Luiza, I will never let anything or anyone hurt you. I promise."

And he kisses me, and I kiss him back.

Maria enters with a tray of our dinner, but I don't even know if I can eat anything right now.

But Ale helps me, and I eat a little so as not to be rude, but I can't eat much. I fall asleep quickly. I feel him leaving, but it's a blur in my mind, and I dream of that voice that fills me with fear.

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