Chapter 6 - Leon

I saw her arrive, I was looking through the window of the room, hidden behind the dark blind. She's much more beautiful than I imagined; I noticed the way Fabiano looked at Lana. Perhaps choosing her to come was a huge mistake.

Again, this stupid feeling of making a huge mistake. Through the corridor, I heard Alberto's and her footsteps and the question she asked.

"Is this Leon?"

"No, this is Denner Versalles. His father!" Alberto replied to Lana.

"He was a very handsome man."

Pain pierced my chest upon hearing that phrase; she's like the others. She'll abhor being in my arms; the rough touch of my skin scarred by fire will horrify her. But I'll show who's in charge, even if she hates being with me, money will ensure she's always at my disposal. That happiness she displays will soon fade away.

I sat in front of the laptop to watch the show, but Ofélia knocked on the door, and I closed the screen.

"What do you want, Ofélia?" I asked, irritated.

"Just to know if you'll have dinner with the girl and Dr. Alberto?"

"No, tell him to eat and then come to my office."

"And the girl?"

"I don't want to see her, at least not today. She must be tired, and I need her well-disposed." Ofélia didn't like the idea of having a woman in the house, other than Carla, the serpent.

"I just want to make it clear that I won't accept orders from this call-girl, just as I never accepted from the others."

"I have no intention of giving her a position of command within this house, but don't forget your place!"

"Of course not, young Leon, I'm loyal to you and your family, and I won't fail now."

I went to the office and remained there waiting for Alberto to finally enter through that door.

"Sorry for the delay, Leon, I thought you wanted to meet Lana today."

"No! Leave her where she is. How was it in Brazil?"

"Everything is going well; I brought the company reports. Your brother, Osvaldo, seems to be keeping everything under control." Whenever Alberto mentions that bastard's name, my mouth dries up. He and I have always hated each other; he's the result of a relationship my father had before meeting my mother. He's a bastard, and having to share the company that belonged to my family with him is a heavy burden.

"Don't refer to him as my brother anymore! Leave the reports on the table, and Lana?"

"She's scared, and I know, very anxious to meet you."

I smiled ironically.

"This anxiety will pass soon; she told me over the phone that she lives in a humble house in Tocantins."

"Yes, Leon, I'm not sure if I made the right decision bringing her here."

"And why this doubt now, Doctor Alberto?"

"All the others were professionals; she's not."

"She may not have made a living out of it, but she's here because she signed a contract renting her body to me!"

"But she has a strong reason for it, Leon."

"It seems she has a special way of charming men."

"Not in the way you're imagining; she made me promise I would take her home if she didn't adapt to life here."

I smiled even more strongly.

"Don't smile, Leon, Lana is afraid, and I ask you to be gentle with her."

"As long as she respects everything in the contract, I think we won't have any problems!"

"Speaking of which, sign here." Alberto placed several other papers on the table.

I signed the contract, and now everything was sealed; I quickly checked the documents he gave me and her exams.

"As you said, she's healthy. You can go now, and see you later." I greeted him with a handshake.

"I'll say goodbye to her, with the advance you sent, I bought a cell phone for her. That was one of the conditions Lana imposed to accept coming here."

"You shouldn't have done that, Alberto, I don't want her taking pictures of my house!"

"Lana won't do that, she just wants to be able to talk to me and her family in Brazil."

I didn't like knowing that he had made this decision behind my back, but everything that bothers me I get rid of it. Alberto's excessive protection of her makes me uncomfortable; she must think I'm a monster.

Later, Ofélia brought my dinner. I ate and stayed up late reading; I ended up dozing off. I woke up, looked at the clock on the wall, 11:31 PM, got up, and for some reason, I felt a sudden urge to pass by her room. I walked down the corridor of rooms, stopped in front of the door, put my ear to the wood, but everything was quiet.

"Mr. Leon?" I was surprised by a sweet voice, but I couldn't look at her, I was without my mask. I quickly left and went back to my room.

[...]

Ofélia served dinner for Leon, and he didn't want to see the girl that night. He was acting strangely with her; he seemed afraid to confront her directly. Despite his situation, when he hired the services of these women, he treated them as inferior things; he didn't fear and imposed himself the entire time.

She descended the stairs; the other maids were serving Dr. Alberto and Lana.

"Young Leon made it clear that the girl should have her meals in the kitchen."

"But I'm here, and I asked her to keep me company. If you don't agree, go there and discuss it with Leon." Alberto replied curtly. He knew that Ofélia wouldn't bring such an issue to him because Leon would be furious.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. If you prefer, I can take my plate to the kitchen." Dr. Alberto held Lana's hand and stopped her from getting up.

"Stay and finish eating." Alberto said to her, and they both continued eating.

Lana didn't seem to be a woman like the others who had been there; at least, she didn't seem to be the arrogant and authoritarian type. She was hungry and kept yawning all the time.

They finished eating, and Lana already knew the way to her room. She looked around the house with a curious expression.

"Which state are you from?" She was looking at the paintings in the living room and turned to Ofélia.

"I'm from Tocantins, from Palmas, to be more precise, Mrs. Ofélia. Dr. Alberto told me that Mr. Leon prefers to have Brazilian employees."

"Yes, he feels more comfortable. I think it reminds him of part of his childhood and adolescence when he lived in the country."

"Doesn't he ever leave this house?"

Ofélia turned her back and sighed. Talking about Leon's sadness and isolation always hurt her.

"If you really want to understand Leon, first, you'll need to have patience, girl. He suffered and still suffers a lot; he wants to escape the world and turned this house into a refuge. You will slowly understand what I'm saying, I just advise you not to be infected by the emptiness of this place."

"Hope we can become friends. My mother is in a difficult situation right now."

She disarmed Ofélia; her humility seemed sincere. It even saddened her to think that Lana would be exposed to all of Leon's outbursts of fury and revolt.

"I'm sorry for what I said about dinner, and yes, we can be friends. If you need anything, I'm here!"

Ofélia returned to the kitchen. Perhaps Carla isn't the best option to heal Leon's heart. This girl has sweetness in her gaze, and she hoped Lana could soften his heart.