Chapter 5

Pedro walked into the Italian restaurant on the third floor and sat at his usual table, in the most secluded corner, where he had a prime view of the shopping mall's central atrium.

It was almost automatic — always the same table, the same order, the same controlled routine.

The restaurant was relatively empty for the hour. A few couples spoke quietly, a family was finishing lunch, while businessmen were just starting to trickle in.

Pedro placed his order and, while he waited, rested his arm on the table and gazed absently at the movement on the floor below.

He couldn't stop thinking about the scene he'd just witnessed: the young woman, who in his mind couldn't have been older than twenty-three or twenty-four. Pretty in a way that drew attention without even trying — slightly wavy brown hair, an easy smile, and an absurdly affectionate way with the children.

The way she held the baby in her arms was natural, and the boy holding her hand obviously adored being near her. And still, the answer she'd given that man echoed in his mind.

Pedro let out a quiet breath, replaying the scene.

"Actually, I have five kids... each one with a different father..."

He slowly turned the glass of water between his fingers before taking a sip, trying to push the image of her from his mind.

His order arrived a few minutes later, and Pedro finished lunch quickly, barely tasting the food, then headed back to his office. The rest of the afternoon was filled with meetings, number crunching, and operational decisions. But every now and then, the image of that woman smiling sweetly while dropping that bombshell drifted back into his thoughts.

Pedro shook his head and moved on, because her life was none of his business.

Meanwhile, Duda dropped off her niece, her nephew, and the nanny at her brother's house, then headed to her parents' place, still irritated from the run-in with Vinicius.

As soon as she pulled out of the garage, she was greeted by two of her five dogs, who came sprinting toward her like they'd lost their minds.

Julu, an absurdly needy golden retriever, jumped on Duda and nearly knocked her over.

Vivi, the mutt she'd rescued two years ago off a highway, spun in circles around her legs, tail wagging furiously.

"Easy! My God, you guys act like I went off to war."

Julu barked loud, as if to say yes, and followed Duda through the house.

"You agree with me, don't you?" She pointed at the dog as she dropped her bag on the couch. "A man with redpill syndrome really does live in an alternate reality... A woman can't work, can't have kids, can't dress how she wants, can't have a tattoo without being called trash!" she said, remembering some of the things Vinicius had said back when they were dating.

The dog tilted his head and stared at her.

"Exactly... I knew you'd agree with me! And where are your siblings?" she asked, looking around for the other dogs.

Duda kicked off her shoes in the middle of the living room and walked to the kitchen, followed by the two of them.

"Because honestly... what's the logic in that guy looking at me with two kids and automatically assuming they're mine, and that I was trying to pull some scam on him? When I told him I had a niece and a nephew back when we were dating..."

Duda yanked the fridge open, still fuming.

"Who exactly does that man think he's become? The heir to Monaco? Some Prince Charming?"

Mel, Floquinho, and Filhote — the three remaining dogs — came running in and stopped right beside her.

Mel barked for attention.

"Thank you, Mel. You understand my outrage..."

Duda grabbed a bottle of water and a treat for each of her four-legged children, then leaned against the counter, looking at them.

"At least you guys never disappoint me... never!"

Duda went to take a shower, put on something comfortable, and tried to think about something else. She started working, because her head was buzzing with ideas for the mall campaign.

It hit her then — she needed to better understand the crowd that visited the mall at night — to observe and feel whether the atmosphere changed.

That was why, at six o'clock, she was grabbing her car keys to head out. She was going back to the mall.

"Mommy's going to work... she needs to make sure the treat money keeps coming." Duda joked, saying goodbye to each of her dogs.

"Don't judge me... I'll be back soon."

A short while later, Duda was already at the mall.

The nighttime atmosphere was different — fewer teenagers, more couples walking slowly, hand in hand.

People leaving the movie theater, tables filled in the food court.

Duda walked through it all, observing everything closely while jotting down notes on her phone.

And it was exactly while making those notes that Duda didn't see someone coming from the opposite direction, using his phone for the same purpose.

She collided hard against a solid body and nearly dropped her phone.

"Sor—"

Duda stopped mid-word. Because the man in front of her had quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from losing her balance.

Their eyes met, and Duda saw a tall man before her; she caught the scent of the woody cologne he wore, noticing that his gaze was far too serious for someone so handsome.

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