Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The man strode off the elevator as a crowd followed him , while Jessica was in the middle of
the group , so I wanted to know if he was the client I was supposed to receive . In a
few moments , the women in the pantry were stunned.with the sight of
that man . Perhaps it was because of their passionate gazes that the man turned to look in my directio
n . _ _
There was a hint of surprise in her gaze when our eyes met . It
was evident that he recognized me . Out of courtesy , I should have greeted him in return , but I just no
dded . _ _ _ Without further ado , the manhe was ushered into the reception room by the crowd behind
him as I hurried back to my office .
As I sat in my chair , I was surprised to realize that I would
receive it . Jessica ‘s call came when I was distracted , rushing to meet President Ribeiro in the recepti
on room . _ _ _ _
After a moment ‘s hesitation , I
went into the living room , confused . All eyes were on me as I entered the room as Jessica quickly intr
oduced us . _ _ “ She is our main designer , Linda Morais ! _ Linda , he is theMr. Henriques Ribeiro , th
e president of Ribeiro Internacional “ .
“ Good afternoon , Mr. Ribeiro ! ” I tried my best to extend my hand to him with courtesy . _ _
“ It ‘s a pleasure to meet you , Ms. Morals ! ” Henriques squeezed my hand with his big and warm hand
s . _ _ _ So , Jessica started introducing me to her assistants , and it
was only after a few conversations that the tour started .. As the company ‘s chief designer , I had enter
tained countless clients before this , but this was the first time I felt so nervous . _
Henriques was a serious man who maintained eye contact with those
who listened . As I did so , I began to stutter despite my usual eloquence . _ I even made some mistake
s , but Jessica managed to save the day , which helped me to avoid mistakesyet
bigger .
Jessica and I went
down to send Henriques and his team away after the tour . However , his assistant got out of the car aft
er the engine was started before walking towards me to hand me a business card . _ _ _ “ Miss Morale
s ,this is our president ‘s business card . _ He also stated that he is looking
forward to a future collaboration with you ! ” The assistant smiled at me before turning to get into the ca
r . _
he
what _
mean by that ? _ I looked at the car in surprise as it pulled away before checking the business card in
my hand .
“ Linda , show me the business card ! _ _ Perplexed , Jessica snatched the business card from me bef
ore examining it closely , whereupon she exclaimed , “ This is actually his business card ! _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Henriques Ribeiro gave – _You even have his business card ! _ ”
“ It is
just a business card , so why are you so surprised ? _ _ ”
“ You don’t know him ! Rumor has
it that he does n’t like to be in contact with women , so he never gives his business card to women . ”
“ Really ? _ He sure did n’t look that way on tour . ” I was inclined to disagree with Jessica .
I
went back to work after talking a bit with Jessica . Before leaving work , I got a call from Carlos saying
he was going to pick up Bianca , so he sent me straight home . When I arrived , I opened the door and saw my mother-in- law andJoana watching television together on the sofa . _
They both turned to look at me when they heard the noise at
the entrance , and the smile on my mother-in-law ‘s face disappeared as
soon as she saw me . “ Why are you home so early ? _ _ Where are Bianca and Carlos ? _ ”
“ Carlos went to get her ” , I replied dryly .
Meanwhile , Joana got up from the sofa while asking : “ Linda , what do you want to drink ? I
will serve a little
“ No need for that . Thank you ! ”
My wife was anxious as soon as Joana got up . “ You are pregnant , Joana , so you
don’t need to serve her ” .
you .
“ That’s right , Joan . I am the mistress of this house while you are a guest , so you don’t have
to be so polite to
me and wait on me . She said it intentionally , causing a noticeable flicker of annoyance to cross her ey
es . _Joana.
However , my mother – in –
law did not seem to understand what I meant . She stopped me before I could leave for my room . _ _
“ Sit down , Linda . _ I have something to talk to you about ” .
“ What ‘s the matter ? ” I sat down on the couch across from her .
“ Today I found a maid in the job market . She is a 45 – year –
old woman from out of town who is good at both housework and cooking . _ ” A smile bloomed on my
mother-in-law ‘s face as she spoke .
In
the past , she would engage in arguments with me with a cheerful disposition whenever she needed m
oney from me , which I would do as soon as I saw signs . I would
take the lead on conversation , which would make it easier for her to ask for money . At the
However , I chose to keep my gaze on her as I waited for her to continue .
The smile on her face faded as she noticed my silence . “ I
chose someone with a comprehensive skill set , as we
will need her to care for Joana . She is used to caring for pregnant women and she seemed capable , s
o I thoughtit would be appropriate for her to work with us . We
have already agreed to pay her a monthly salary of twelve thousand .
While I knew a good postpartum carer would cost a lot , a simple housekeeper would n’t cost that muc
h . It was evident that my mother-in-law was planning to
profit from this . However , it would be a miscalculation on her part this time . _ “ It isIt ‘s rare to
find someone as capable as she is , so bring her to work with
us , as you chose her . ” I had agreed to his suggestion of her without revealing my own plans .
She quickly broke into a smile as she said , “ I ‘ll get her to start work tomorrow . ”
“ It’s all in your hands . You don’t have to go through me .
Seeing how easygoing I was about it , she left for the enchanted kitchen . _ _ She even asked me befor
e she walked in , “ Linda , what would you like for dinner tonight ? ”
“ I ‘m fine with anything ” , I replied languidly before entering my room . _ Bianca was already home aft
er I changed my clothes , while my mother-in-
law was talking to Carlos about hiring a maid , but she didn’t mention how much it would
be .her salary , nor did Carlos ask , as he never intervened in such matters . All he did was ask his mot
her to do whatever she wanted , which was similar to what I did . _ _ _
Apparently in a good mood , Pâmela went to the kitchen to help her mother prepare dinner . I pretende
d I needed something from the kitchen when I noticed them whispering to each other so I could hear th
em despite their low voices . _ _
“ Mom , why did n’t you ask for fifteen thousand ? ”
“ I never expected her to agree to that ! I would have asked for more if I’d known she ‘d take it ! ”
I mentally scoffed ,
because I was always the one who managed the household expenses , in addition to providing for Mor
ais ‘ living expenses , while Carlos never helped manage any of that . In the
past , I thought I should treat Carlos ‘ s family well becauseI loved him , that’s why
I never refused any of their requests . So I spent a lot of money on them .
Carlos did n’t seem to know how his family was spending money , or he might , but he preferred to
feign ignorance. However , I would not be paying for anything from then on . _ I wondered how they wo
uld feel if they knew what was coming _; the mere thought of it made me shudder with blissful anticipati
on .