That night, the Monteserra family mansion was strangely silent.
Helena arrived a little after nine. She had spent the rest of the afternoon in meetings, signing international contracts and resolving a crisis involving a European subsidiary. Anyone else would have been exhausted, but she had learned very young not to bring the weight of business home.
The problem was that, over the past few days, her home had become more exhausting than any shareholders' meeting.
As soon as she handed her purse to one of the staff, she realized Dante had not arrived yet.
"Did he say whether he'll be having dinner at home?" she asked the butler.
"Yes, ma'am. He said he's finishing a meeting and should arrive in about an hour."
Helena only nodded.
She went upstairs to the bedroom, took a long bath, and put on a comfortable silk set. Then she opened her laptop and began reviewing a few documents.
She was not avoiding the conversation with her husband.
She simply did not chase after it.
While she was analyzing a financial projection, her phone vibrated on the table.
It was a social media notification.
Normally, Helena ignored that kind of alert. Her profile was discreet, and she barely followed other people's lives. But the message that appeared on the screen caught her attention.
"Maybe you know this person."
The suggestion was Lívia Navarro's profile.
Helena almost closed the window, but something made her tap the screen.
The profile was public.
There were few posts: photographs of sophisticated cafés, simple trips, flowers received from anonymous admirers, and carefully posed selfies.
The latest post had been made only twenty minutes earlier.
It was a photo of a woman's arm holding a glass of wine. On her wrist, a diamond and sapphire bracelet glittered under the restaurant lights.
The caption was short.
"Some gifts are priceless. What matters is the intention behind them."
Helena enlarged the image.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the jewel.
Not because it looked like hers.
Because it was exactly the same.
The arrangement of the stones.
The exclusive design of the clasp.
Even the small blue sapphire set discreetly on the side.
She locked her phone screen and sat in silence for several seconds.
Maybe it was the second unit sold by the jewelry store.
Maybe someone else had bought it.
Maybe...
The bedroom door opened.
Dante walked in, loosening his tie.
"You're still awake?"
"I was waiting for you."
He seemed surprised.
Over the past few days, the atmosphere between them had been distant, but Helena had never stopped being polite.
"Sorry I'm late. The meeting ran long."
She closed the laptop.
"Did you eat?"
"Yes. I ended up having something before I left."
"I see."
Dante took off his watch and placed it on the dresser. As he did, he noticed Helena watching him.
"Did something happen?"
She picked up her phone and, without saying a word, showed him the photograph of Lívia's post.
He glanced at the screen.
His body went rigid.
"What is this?"
"I thought you might be able to explain it to me."
"I've never seen that photo."
"I'm not asking about the photo."
Helena enlarged the image of the bracelet.
"I'm asking about the jewelry."
Dante frowned.
"What about it?"
"Do you remember the gift you gave me on our last wedding anniversary?"
"Of course."
"It was a limited edition. Two units in the entire country."
He fell silent.
The truth was, Dante had no idea only two pieces existed. His secretary had simply handed him the box and said it was an exclusive jewel.
Helena continued.
"This afternoon, I went to the jewelry store. I found out the second unit was sold yesterday."
She turned off the phone screen.
"Interesting coincidence, don't you think?"
Dante felt discomfort grow in his chest.
He had not bought any bracelet for Lívia.
But he knew exactly what the situation looked like.
"You think I'm the one who gave her that gift?"
Helena did not answer.
The lack of a direct response irritated him.
"Say something!"
She met his eyes with her usual serenity.
"Two days ago, you told me I was exaggerating. Then you took your intern in the front passenger seat of our car. Now she appears wearing a jewel identical to the one you gave me. What exactly do you expect me to think?"
"I didn't buy that bracelet!"
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure!"
Helena looked away.
"Then I hope you're telling the truth."
Dante took a step forward.
"You don't trust me?"
She took several seconds before answering.
"Trust is a curious thing. It doesn't disappear all at once. It leaves little by little, every time someone chooses to hide a truth or ignore a boundary."
The words struck him harder than a shout.
Because Dante knew he was hiding things.
Maybe not a romantic relationship.
But he was hiding lunches with Lívia, messages outside work hours, rides, small privileges, and, above all, the childish satisfaction he felt when the young woman praised him while Helena always remained steady and rational.
He wanted to argue.
He wanted to say it was all just a misunderstanding.
But even he did not believe that.
In the small apartment where she lived, Lívia was radiant.
She had received hundreds of likes on the post. Some coworkers had already sent messages asking about the bracelet.
She made a point of replying only:
"It was a gift from someone special."
The truth was that Dante had never said he loved her.
He had never kissed her.
He had never promised to get divorced.
But the way he protected her was enough to feed her imagination.
As she smiled at her phone screen, a new message from the unknown number appeared.
"Did Helena see the post?"
Lívia answered without thinking.
"I think so."
The reply came almost instantly.
"Good. Keep acting natural. Soon, Dante Monteserra will be yours."
She bit her lower lip.
"Who are you?"
This time, a few seconds of silence passed.
Then a single message appeared on the screen.
"Someone helping you take the place you deserve."
Lívia pressed the device against her chest.
She did not know why, but those words made sense.
She had never accepted the idea that some women were born destined to have everything while others had to accept scraps.
Helena had beauty, money, intelligence, and a powerful surname.
Why couldn't Lívia have at least the husband?
The next morning, Helena arrived early at Alencar Capital.
Clara was waiting for her with the day's schedule and a stack of documents.
"Ms. Alencar, the president of the Monteserra Group confirmed his attendance at the meeting with the Asian fund at ten."
She quickly flipped through the papers.
"All right."
"There's also a special request from his office."
Helena lifted her eyes.
"What request?"
Clara looked uncomfortable.
"President Monteserra requested that Miss Navarro attend the meeting to gain experience."
The room went silent.
Clara knew her boss well enough to know she did not like mixing personal matters with work. Even so, this seemed excessive.
Helena calmly closed the folder.
"The agenda for the meeting involves the acquisition of international assets and the opening of a new operation in Europe."
"Yes."
"Does Miss Navarro have the qualifications to participate?"
"She's an intern in the administrative department."
"Then there is no reason for her to be present."
Clara hesitated.
"Should I inform them the request was denied?"
Helena rose from her chair.
Her tone remained polite but firm.
"No. Inform them that the meeting will be held at Alencar Capital headquarters and that the participant list was defined exclusively by me. If President Monteserra has any objection, he can speak to me directly."
"Yes, ma'am."
Clara left the office carrying the documents.
Minutes later, at the Monteserra Group headquarters, Dante received the reply.
He reread the message twice.
"Miss Lívia Navarro's attendance denied. Composition of the negotiation table will be defined by CEO Helena Alencar."
His pride took the hit immediately.
"She did this on purpose..." he muttered.
Renato, who had just entered the office, heard the sentence.
"Did what?"
Dante handed the tablet to his friend.
After reading the message, Renato returned the device.
"Honestly? She's right."
"You also think I can't take an intern to a meeting?"
"I think you're confusing a corporate environment with personal problems."
Dante struck the table with his hand.
"Helena is trying to challenge me!"
Renato shook his head.
"No. She's protecting the company. You're the one turning this into a dispute."
Dante did not answer.
Deep down, he could only think of one thing.
Since the night of the charity dinner, Helena had not shouted, cried, or made scenes.
She had simply kept making decisions.
And, strangely, each of those decisions made him feel smaller and smaller.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, a man studied the photograph of the bracelet posted by Lívia and the report he had just received about the couple's argument.
He closed the folder, satisfied.
"Keep feeding his pride..." he said, handing the phone to one of his subordinates. "An arrogant man always destroys what he should protect most."
The third humiliation was almost complete.
And when it came to an end, no one would be able to stop Helena Alencar from ending that marriage.
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