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 thepany ‘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 coboration 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 eximed , “ 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-w 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-inw ‘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 –


    w 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-inw ‘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 aprehensive 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 sry 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-inw was nning to


    profit from this . However , it would be a miscalction 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 ns .


    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 repliednguidly before entering my room . _ Bianca was already home aft


    er I changed my clothes , while my mother-in-


    be .her sry , 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 simr to what I did .  _ _ _


    Apparently in a good mood , Pam 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


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    uld feel if they knew what wasing _; the mere thought of it made me shudder with blissful anticipati


    on .