Secret Wife Of The Arbex Heir

“Kath?”

The man’s voice sounded firm but tired. A gray-haired doctor entered the office with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry for the long wait.”

“It’s okay,” she replied, trying to sound calm.

Katherine approached and sat down at the table. The doctor was holding a stack of test results in his hands—his eyes darted back and forth between the papers and her, with a hesitation that made her hold her breath.

“Mr. Malvares, be honest with me. I promise I’ll be strong.”

The doctor sighed, running his hand over the papers. “Have you been experiencing frequent pain?”

“Sometimes... my heart races, then it hurts. But it's all very unstable.”

He nodded, his expression serious.

“Kath, the results aren't good. If we don't treat it soon, in five years... I'm afraid you'll end up like your mother.”

He didn't need to finish.

“Like your mother” meant death.

Two weeks. That was how long ago her mother had passed away, victim of an incurable heart disease. A genetic curse.

Now, Katherine carried the same burden — and the same fate.

At the moment, she seemed healthy. But the doctor knew that, inside, her body was already beginning to fail. Soon, she would depend on medication... then machines. And in the end, all that would remain would be a shadow of her former self — alive, but in a doomed body.

Kath's mother found out too late. For years, she believed it was just a rare disease. Until her best friend, Daniela Arbex, revealed the truth.

The two had worked together in a pharmaceutical laboratory. Kath's mother was a renowned researcher; Daniela, a brilliant and ambitious scientist. Together they created a new drug — promising, but full of side effects. The project was shelved.

But Daniela secretly used the experimental drug... on her own friend.

At the time, Kath's mother was already pregnant.

When Daniela died, she confessed everything on her deathbed. And that's when Kath's mother realized: the real enemy was not the disease, but the past. She created a research group to develop an antidote. She needed Daniela's records, but no one knew where they were.

Shortly before she died, she told her daughter everything. She said the files must be at the Arbexes' house.

And that no one, absolutely no one, could know.

Now, Katherine was alone. Fulfilling her promise.

“You've been with the Arbexes for five days. Any progress?” asked Dr. Malvares, breaking the silence.

He had been a friend of her mother's, and now he looked at her as if he were seeing a ghost from the past.

Kath shook her head.

“I heard you were kicked out last night. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

She smiled slightly, her gaze cold and determined.

“Doctor, do I look worried?”

“I mean... emotionally. Aren't you upset?”

Kath picked up the glass of water on the table, brought it to her lips, and replied in a calm, almost provocative tone:

“Are you afraid I'm being intimidated?”

He nodded silently.

She shrugged, with a smile that mixed defiance and irony.

"Whether they like me or not, it doesn't matter. As long as I get what I came for. No one can be too greedy, right?“

Dr. Malvares' eyebrows relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

”I'm glad you think so, Kath. After all, they don't know what happened. It's natural for them to reject a stranger who suddenly moves into their house. By the way...“ — he hesitated — ”when I came in a little while ago, I saw a young man waiting for you outside. Who is he?“

Katherine played with her pen, her voice indifferent.

”João Pedro Arbex's assistant.“

”João Pedro?“ The doctor raised his eyebrows. ”But he's the coldest one to you in that house. He barely looks at you. Why would he send someone to pick you up?“

”Because his grandfather told him to.“

The answer was sharp. ”The old man forced him to take me back, so he sent his assistant to pick me up.“

The doctor smiled slightly.

”João Pedro is young, brilliant, and the most beloved grandson of the Arbex matriarch. If she ordered him to pick you up, it's because she really wants you back.“

Katherine didn't answer. Instead, she murmured thoughtfully:

”Speaking of João Pedro... there's something strange.“

”Hmm?“

She stared at him, serious.

”Whenever I'm near him, the discomfort in my heart disappears. Immediately."

The doctor raised an eyebrow.

“That's strange. Could it be some perfume he wears?”

“He doesn't wear perfume.”

“Then it must be his natural scent.” Malvares laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Each person has a unique aroma. Maybe his is... therapeutic. A human air freshener, perhaps?”

Katherine stopped twirling her pen and stared at him, humorless.

“Mr. Malvares, I'm not joking.”

“Neither am I.” He raised his hands. “But are you sure it's not a coincidence?”

She thought for a moment.

“I need to confirm this.”

“Do that. If it happens more than three times, we'll have something real.”

Katherine nodded, standing up.

“I need to go.”

The door opened. A man entered quickly, tense, his face laden with concern.

"Miss Lutz, Mr. João asked me to accompany you. He is taking care of some business and will pick you up personally later. Oh, and please...“ — the assistant scratched the back of his neck nervously — ”don't be angry. Last night, Miss Dandara misunderstood you. Mr. João asked me to let the past go and come with me to the car."

Katherine stopped.

Not because of his words, but because her heart tightened again — a sharp, suffocating pang. She took a deep breath until the pain subsided, then resumed walking with a cold expression.

“Where is he?”

“In the restaurant on the first floor of the Hotel Inn. A meeting... organized by his grandfather.”

“Take me there.”

“Of course!”

The assistant let out a sigh of relief and opened the car door.

Twenty minutes later, Katherine entered the hotel. The expensive perfume in the air mingled with the sound of clinking glasses and muffled conversations.

She went straight to the restaurant.

One glance was enough to find him.

João Pedro Arbex.

Seated at the center table, impeccable in a dark suit. Firm features, cold gaze, the posture of someone born accustomed to giving orders. Across from him, a woman stared at him as if he were a god. Red lips, bright eyes, a voice too sweet. A blind date—and apparently, the kind of date his grandfather thought was “appropriate.”

Katherine didn't call him over. She just sat discreetly at the back table and ordered a coffee, ignoring the curious glances around her.