Daniel sat behind his desk, eyes fixed on the screen of his laptop, fingers moving steadily across the keyboard.
The office was quiet.
Behind him, only a few inches away, Luccianho stood with his usual composed posture, hands loosely clasped behind his back.
After a moment, he spoke.
"Chefe, I must say… your relationship with Miss Lee seems to be going quite smoothly."
Daniel didn't respond.
He kept working.
Luccianho tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"It's… better than I expected."
Still no reaction.
Luccianho allowed himself a small, thoughtful smile.
"Personally, I never imagined you supporting someone with… her personality."
That finally made Daniel pause.
Luccianho continued calmly.
"Usually, you prefer women more like Camilla."
He shrugged lightly.
"Discreet. Controlled. Not someone with such a strong temper."
There was no judgment in his voice.
Just honest surprise.
He chuckled softly.
"Mas como dizem… os opostos se atraem."
Daniel's fingers stopped on the keyboard.
Slowly, he leaned back in his chair.
The chair rotated slightly as he turned to face Luccianho.
"Opposites attract each other," Daniel repeated in English, his voice calm.
His gaze lingered on him for a second before he spoke again.
"She knows about the curse."
Luccianho's expression shifted instantly.
"I know," he replied quietly.
A pause.
"I also know you would never have told her… if you felt nothing for her."
Daniel closed the laptop slowly.
"In the contract, she wasn't supposed to know."
"That's true."
"I didn't tell her everything," Daniel added.
He stood up and walked toward the large window overlooking the city.
Luccianho watched him carefully.
"You mean," he said slowly, "you haven't told her the real reason you chose her for this… contract game?"
Daniel remained silent.
The city lights reflected faintly in the glass.
And somehow, that silence already answered the question.
Luccianho watched him for a moment.
"You mean you haven't told her why you chose her for this contract in the first place?"
Daniel kept looking outside the window for a few seconds.
Then he replied calmly.
"There was no reason worth mentioning."
Luccianho raised an eyebrow.
"Chefe, if you decided to tell her about the cursed then you could tell everything…the impact that she has.." Luccianho paused
"Plus Chefe… you and I both know you never do anything without a reason."
Daniel didn't turn around.
"It was convenient."
Luccianho smiled faintly.
"Convenient?"
"Yes."
"At the first place, She needed something. I needed something."
"That's all."
Luccianho tilted his head slightly.
"But now it's not just convenience anymore, is it?"
Daniel finally turned around.
"What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything," Luccianho replied calmly. "I'm just observing."
Luccianho frowned slightly.
"And you're planning to keep it that way?"
"For now."
A brief silence settled in the office.
Luccianho crossed his arms.
"Chefe… are you sure that's a good idea?"
Daniel turned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Luccianho chose his words carefully.
"When she finds out the truth one day… she might not see it the way you do."
Daniel's expression didn't change.
Luccianho continued,
"She could think you used her."
He paused before adding,
"That the whole marriage was just a way for you to get what you needed."
Daniel said nothing.
"And even if things are different now," Luccianho went on, "she might believe that you all these contracts stuff was just to used her and that you're not in love with her."
Daniel's gaze hardened slightly.
"That's not the case."
"I know that chefe, I know you since to know that you're in love with miss Lee " Luccianho said calmly.
"But will she know it?"
Silence filled the room.
Luccianho sighed lightly.
"She might think you manipulated her, chefe."
Daniel looked back toward the window.
"That's a risk I'll deal with later."
Luccianho looked at him then continued.
"Chefe, I know you since we were kids and you have changed"
"No.."
"Maybe you can't see it…" Luccianho let a small smile.
"She changed you…not badly but in a positive manner"
Daniel sat back on his chair.
for a brief moment, his mind drifted back to the first time he realized something strange.
The day the bold server gave him a kiss, just a simple kiss. The next morning, he hadn't lost his memory not a single fragment and that never happened before.
"She's the reason the curse doesn't affect you the same way anymore." Luccianho said really trying to convince him to tell her that part.
Daniel's voice remained calm.
"I'm aware."
"And she doesn't even know that."
Daniel finally turned to look at him.
"In the contract, she wasn't supposed to know anything about the curse."
"But now she does," Luccianho reminded him.
Luccianho studied him carefully.
"So you're planning to keep that part hidden?"
"For now."
Luccianho sighed softly.
"Chefe… if she finds out later that the marriage started because of that…"
Daniel opened his laptop again.
"It started because of that."
He put his finger on his chin trying to reason.
"What I don't know is that … why her? Why does she had the impact on this cursed"
"I did all the research, I search the reason but nothing. Why over 1billions of women it was her"
"Maybe , she is related with VESPERIS or something like that" Luccianho said.
And those words worried Daniel.
"Atleast the only thing positive in this is that, you finally love someone" he smiled.
"I thought you will stay that colded guy that felt nothing and end everything with women when he knows already that women are already in love with him Luccianho said as calmly "
Daniel rolled his eyes.
"Às vezes a verdade chega mais cedo do que a gente espera."
Daniel glanced at him.
"Sometimes the truth comes sooner than we expect huh?," he repeated in English.
"You may right! But before to her everything, I need to the relation she is having with VESPERIS , why her?"
Neither of them spoke after that.
Because they both knew…
That day might come sooner than Daniel wanted.