São Paulo

I live in the great capital of Sao Paulo. At eighteen, I took over my father's companies — well, my mother's, really. She left us a massive empire: Schimidt Industrial.

It's a major producer of imported paint, and it grew incredibly profitable, expanding across Brazil and overseas.

My father officially signed it over to me when I turned twenty. Then he married Vanessa — an opportunist who's with my dad thinking she'll inherit what's rightfully mine.

My name is Carlos Eduardo Schimidt. I'm twenty-eight. I've been engaged for a while now, but that's where it ends — our relationship doesn't go anywhere. My fiancee Sarah is a spoiled princess. She doesn't care how many years we carry engagement rings on our fingers. All that matters is that I bankroll her pampered life.

Sarah moved into my house six months into our relationship. The second she saw the size of our mansion, she gave up her suburban apartment in Sao Paulo to live in luxury.

In the beginning it was good. Sex every day. But living with her got heavy fast. She was a disaster — clothes all over the bedroom floor, and that drove me insane. I can't stand mess.

She became my fiancee for status. I'd go out and hook up with other women because she wasn't what I wanted anymore. Every time I tried to break up with her, Sarah threw it in my face that she had nowhere to go.

That she'd given up everything for me. That I owed her my life. What life? She didn't have one. The car, the house, the money — I paid for all of it. While she maxed out my credit cards, I worked like a dog in the blazing sun.

"Mr. Schimidt," my secretary said from the doorway.

"Make it quick."

I hated when Eugenia barged into my office without knocking, all flirtatious. I'd cut off the arrangement with her after she tried to claim she was carrying my child. The only reason I didn't fire her was out of respect for her parents.

"Your fiancee is in the lobby."

Just what I needed.

"Send her in. And schedule a factory visit for tomorrow."

"Yes, sir. Excuse me."

Before she could leave, I called her back.

"Next time you walk in without knocking, I won't consider your parents. You'll be out on the street."

"It won't happen again."

She left, and Sarah walked in wearing a short dress that showed off her legs and hugged every curve. She sat on my desk, pulled me toward her, and spread her legs.

"Why did you block my credit cards?" she asked.

"They're not yours. They're my backup cards, and I had them canceled. Enough spending what takes me hours to earn."

"You can't do this, Cadu. I don't have a job."

"Then find one. I'm not supporting you anymore, Sarah. And we need to end this."

"This again, Cadu? I'm not leaving you. We've been married for three years."

"We're engaged, Sarah. Not married. Now close your legs and get out of my building."

Sarah slid off the desk, pulling her dress down, shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Then came the epic scene — crying, repeating the same lines I already knew by heart. I was sick of it.

I grabbed her by the arms and put her inside the elevator. Pressed the button. The doors closed with her losing her mind inside. I went back to my office. Eugenia stared at me, incredulous. I couldn't have cared less about her opinion.

I threw myself into work. My dad called about the ranch — maintenance issues that needed handling. Since my mom died, I'd never set foot there. That place was her life. My dad had given it to her as a gift. She'd spent my entire pregnancy there. I think I only went when I was about five.

Plenty of people take care of the ranch. My dad and stepmother go regularly, staying for about three months at a time. Whenever they come back, Vanessa insists on playing my best friend.

"My boy, you have to visit. Your mother's ranch is beautiful," Vanessa said.

"Vanessa, do me a big favor. Don't say my mother's name, and don't force our friendship."

"Carlos Eduardo, you don't have to talk to her like that," my dad said.

"If she stays out of my life and stops pretending to be the world's best stepmother, I won't be an asshole to her."

I went upstairs, exhausted from work. Years back, Vanessa had tried to seduce me. My dad was traveling, and she came to my room crying. I hugged her. She kissed me, said she had feelings for me. That day forward, she repulsed me. I threw her out of my room. She knows I could tell my father, and she's scared of that.

My dream was to kick both of them out of this house, but I thought of my dad. They were master pretenders, and my father adored their act. Sarah was the perfect daughter-in-law, and my dad ate it up.

I showered. Sarah walked into the bathroom naked, touching me. I'm not made of stone. We fucked right there. I left her behind.

"Hey — I didn't even finish, Caduuuu!" she yelled after me.

I didn't care about her. I wanted her gone. I could be cold and arrogant — everyone knew that — but I'd never throw her on the street. I'm not that heartless.

I got dressed, put on my Rolex, grabbed my keys, and headed out to meet my friends at a club in Sao Paulo.

Sarah came downstairs wrapped in a towel.

"Where are you going, Cadu?"

"None of your business."

She started screaming. I walked out the door with her yelling my full name. I drove my Mustang to the club and met my three closest friends, greeting each one.

Romeo — surgeon.

One of my best friends. We met on a trip abroad and became inseparable.

"What's up, bro? Left the psycho at home?" Romeo asked.

"I can't take it anymore, man."

My other friend hugged me.

Thomas — Carlos Eduardo's lawyer.

Thomas and I go way back. He's my attorney — handles everything in my life.

"Why don't you buy her an apartment and ship Sarah off to space?" Thomas said.

"That's not a bad idea. That could work."

"I can check with my dad," Bernardo said. "He's got a residential complex. There's probably one available."

Bernardo — police chief.

Bernardo is the most levelheaded of all of us. He thinks with his heart and acts by the law. His family runs a chain of gated communities, but he was the only one who went into law enforcement. He loves it. We only see each other like this.

"Carlos Eduardo, that could be your freedom. You've been dealing with this for years, man. Get out," Bernardo said.

We went into the VIP section. Each of us found a girl for the night, and we made the most of Sao Paulo's nightlife.

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