From her room window, Cielle watched a car leaving the mansion. Distracted, she picked up her favorite book, already read 17 times, and began to reread it, comfortably sitting in her bed.
A soft knock on the door interrupted her reading. It was Stewart.
"Do you need anything, miss?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you. Has Mr. Rafaell already left for work?"
"Yes, miss... He had to leave early today and apologized for not being able to meet your request."
"Ah, that's alright."
"Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you."
"Anything you need, we're at your service."
Stewart closed the door, leaving Cielle alone with her thoughts about Rafaell. Shortly after, another knock on the door.
It was Nancy.
"Do you need anything, miss?"
Cielle smiled.
"No, thank you. I'm fine."
Nancy withdrew, and Cielle returned to her book. A few moments passed until another knock.
"Come in."
This time, it was Demira.
"Do you need anything, miss? Some tea or coffee with milk?"
"Thank you, I'm fine as is."
Demira left. Cielle had resumed her reading when another knock sounded.
It was Selina.
"Miss, is there anything I can help with?"
Cielle smiled again.
"I'm fine, Selina. Thank you very much."
Selina nodded and left. Cielle returned to her book, maintaining her smile.
In the kitchen, Stewart, Nancy, Demira, and Patricio, the chef, gathered, eagerly awaiting Selina's return. She came back empty-handed.
"She doesn't need anything!" Stewart expressed his frustration. "It's unsettling for me!"
However, the maids were calm, having nothing to do. They were enjoying grapes.
"It's the first time I see you without someone to serve, Stewart," commented Patricio, working on the dough.
"I was expecting a demanding lady," Stewart reflected. "But she is kind, humble, and almost shy."
"She also treats us very well, didn't want our help with the bath," said Selina, eating grapes.
"Her soul is as beautiful as her appearance, the miss looks at me with so much gratitude that I feel embarrassed," added Nancy, enjoying strawberries. The chef had to take them away from her.
"She has few clothes for someone of her position," observed Demira, sneaking a strawberry.
"I'm curious to meet her and discover her tastes," said Patricio, excited. "I want to cook for her."
Stewart, however, was thoughtful.
"She's a kind person," he murmured. "Maybe that's exactly what we needed."
Excited, Stewart clapped his hands, startling the maids.
"Chef, prepare a brunch. Girls, set up the terrace. I'll bring the miss!”
"Is this... for me?" Cielle asked, enchanted by the carefully arranged table on the terrace. The maids watched, smiling at the expression of surprise on Cielle's face.
"But of course," Stewart replied with a smile. "Please, take a seat, miss."
Cielle settled at the table, and soon Chef Patricio approached.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Patricio, the house chef. I hope you enjoy what I have prepared for you," he said, offering a polite bow.
"Oh, thank you so much. Everything looks so wonderful! I don't even know where to start," Cielle expressed, clearly impressed.
"I recommend starting with the savory green leaf tart, followed by the four-layer coffee cake," the chef suggested, pointing out each dish on the table. "I hope it's to your liking, miss."
Cielle smiled, radiating happiness, and tasted the savory tart, savoring each bite. "It's delicious!" she exclaimed, and the chef smiled in satisfaction. "Why don't you join me? Come on, eat with me!"
The maids hesitated at the unexpected invitation.
"Miss, we are just employees," Stewart reminded, concerned about etiquette.
The maids seemed disappointed.
"But there's so much food here... And they say food is even better when shared," Cielle insisted with a sweet and persuasive look. Stewart cleared his throat, visibly conflicted.
"Miss, it would be inappropriate for a butler like me..."
Cielle interrupted, biting her lip, thoughtful.
"Then, for a few minutes, could you stop being the butler and just be my guest?" Stewart blinked, surprised at the suggestion. "Come, join us."
Stewart exchanged a look with Chef Patricio, seeking support. The maids eagerly awaited his decision.
"It would be an honor to be your guest, miss," said the chef, enthusiastically. "And what about you, Stewart?"
Everyone awaited Stewart's response, their eyes full of expectation.
"Well, of course," Stewart conceded with a smile. "I appreciate the invitation, miss. Let's sit down."
The maids celebrated and quickly took their seats at the table, joined by Stewart and the chef. Cielle felt surrounded by smiling faces and contented hearts, warming her own heart.
Then, she remembered something.
"What about Jasper?" she asked softly to Stewart, who paused his bite into a pastry. "I don't see him in the garden. Can I invite him?"
Stewart cleared his throat, taking a sip of tea.
"Miss, you don't need permission to invite anyone in this house. However, I regret to inform you that he is not here today," Stewart explained.
Cielle nodded, understanding.
The car stopped in front of the most imposing mansion on the street. Rafaell stared fixedly outside, his expression stern. Isaac, the driver, watched his boss through the rearview mirror.
"We're here, sir. This is the Burroughs' residence."
Rafaell nodded, getting out of the car.
"Sir, don't you think we should have announced our arrival?" Isaac inquired.
Rafaell replied, "After the money I gave them, the least I expect is to be well-received. Don't you think, Isaac?"
Isaac followed Rafaell up the path to the mansion, where they were greeted by the staff and promptly invited inside.
Inside the mansion, Rafaell noticed a portrait of the Burroughs without Cielle, increasing his displeasure.
"What terrible taste in art. Tacky."
Ottoni appeared in the hall with his wife and daughter.
"Rafaell!" Ottoni exclaimed, approaching.
Elisa, seeing Rafaell, felt her heart race.
"I hope I'm not intruding," said Rafaell, masking his resentment.
"Well, not exactly. Let me introduce my daughter, Elisa. Elisa, this is Rafaell Valentinov, the future husband of your cousin Cielle."
Elisa extended her hand to greet him, but Rafaell put his hands in his pockets.
"A pleasure to meet you," he said dryly.
Elisa lowered her arm, surprised.
"Young man, what about your brother, is he married yet?" Ottoni asked.
Rafaell disliked the question.
"I wouldn't know," he responded, maintaining his seriousness.
Elisa intervened.
"Dad, please... And Cielle? Is she doing well?"
"She's fine," said Rafaell, curtly, turning to Ottoni. "May we speak privately?"
"Of course, of course," Ottoni replied, exchanging glances with Cora.
"It's a surprise to see you here. Any problems?" Cora asked, with Elisa beside her, still fixated on Rafaell.
"I've come to talk about Cielle," Rafaell announced.
"Then let's all go to the tea room..." Rafaell interrupted Cora.
"I'd prefer to speak with Ottoni alone. As the last living relative of Cielle, as far as I know," said Rafaell.
Cora took offense.
"I am also Cielle's aunt, though not by blood. She is like a daughter to me."
Rafaell calmly replied.
"If you say so. Shall we?"
"Yes, of course," said Ottoni, leading him away.
Isaac stayed with Cora and Elisa, excusing himself to leave.
"Mom, is that really Rafaell Valentinov? He's going to marry Cielle?" Elisa asked.
Cora replied, irritated.
"Yes, it's him. Insolent boy. If it weren't for the money offered by that wretched girl, I wouldn't have received him."
Elisa raised her eyebrows.
"So much money, mom? But wasn't he disowned?"
"I don't know, Elisa," Cora responded impatiently. "All that matters is that we got rid of Cielle and the Castillo surname."
"But why does he want to marry her? She's just an indebted orphan! Why would someone so attractive and elegant be interested in her, mom?!"
"Stop shouting! He didn't choose Cielle for her beauty. If that were the case, you would be the chosen one," Cora stroked her daughter's ego. "There must be something underhanded behind it. I hope Cielle suffers at his hands."
Cora smirked maliciously, but Elisa was still thinking about Rafaell, impressed by his beauty.
In the tea room, Ottoni was clearly nervous. Rafaell, on the other hand, sipped his tea with disarming calm.
"Well, I hope there were no inconveniences with my niece's arrival," Ottoni began, trying to control the conversation.
Rafaell didn't respond immediately, just fixed his gaze on Ottoni.
"Are you thinking of calling off the marriage? After all, the dowry has already been paid..."
Rafaell spoke with calculated coldness: "I understand you recently took a family trip. I imagine the money I provided was well spent. But that doesn't interest me. I'm here because I didn't like seeing my fiancée arrive alone and with almost no belongings."
Ottoni stuttered, lost for words.
"You see, Cielle has always been very independent, she left so early that we didn't even have a chance to say goodbye..."
"So, you didn't even say goodbye to her?" Rafaell emphasized the negligence. "And about her belongings, in this large house, she surely has many memories and personal items."
"I intended to send everything to her soon. In fact, right now," Ottoni called an employee. "Bring Cielle's things, please." Turning back to Rafaell, he continued, "Please don't misinterpret our actions..."
"I came here with a specific purpose," Rafaell interrupted again. "You are Cielle's last living relative, correct?"
"Yes, since Cielle's mother's death, my brother distanced himself, and I never saw him again. Why do you ask?"
"Then, Cielle is the last Castillo, since you adopted your wife's surname."
"That's correct. And I'm relieved to say that soon that surname will be extinguished, with Cielle becoming part of your family," Ottoni said, satisfied.
Rafaell watched him, his thoughts boiling. He stood up.
"There's one more thing."
Ottoni followed his movements.
"Do you remember my single request when I made the dowry payment?"
"Yes, you asked that we cut ties with Cielle, which makes sense, as she'll be a married woman. She won't have time for us," Ottoni replied, smiling.
"To honor that request, I'll start with something simpler. I'm disinviting your family from my wedding with Cielle." Rafaell adjusted the buttons of his clothing, while Ottoni looked at him confused.
"You're disinviting us?"
At that moment, an employee brought two simple bags to the room.
"These are Miss Cielle's belongings, sir."
In front of this scene, Rafaell added his last words in that mansion:
"This can stay. She won't need anything more from here." Rafaell walked towards the door. "Have a good afternoon, Mr. Burrough."
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