The mansion was steeped in a strange silence that morning. Clara moved carefully through the corridors, trying to organize the children's toys and check the rooms before Isabela appeared. Her mind was still caught in the memory of the walk with the mother and the feeling of forbidden desire that had made her tremble the night before.
But something changed when she heard a sharp knock in the library. When she turned, she found Ricardo, the father, leaning against the door with his arms crossed, watching her with an intensity that took her breath away.
"Good morning, Clara," he said in a deep voice. "I'm glad to see you being so diligent."
Clara felt a shiver. There was something in the way he looked at her that was different from Isabela: less seduction, more challenge. More danger.
"Thank you, Mr. Duarte," she murmured. "I'm just… making sure everything is in order."
Ricardo took a step toward her, and the air between them grew dense, electric. Clara felt her body react to his every movement, and the sense of risk excited and frightened her at the same time.
"You don't have to be perfect all the time," Ricardo said, softening his tone. "No one here judges you… although there are things that shouldn't be seen."
Clara turned slightly to meet his gaze. At that moment, Ricardo reached out and gently brushed her arm. It wasn't a casual touch; there was intention, tension, a silent invitation to cross boundaries Clara knew she shouldn't.
"I… I don't know what to say," Clara whispered, feeling her heart pound.
"Don't say anything," he replied, stepping a little closer. "Just feel."
He moved closer to her. He was much taller and stronger than she was, and Clara knew it. She also knew that in that moment he could do whatever he wanted with her. She noticed how all his muscles tensed, and she also noticed the bulge in his pants hardening...
The contact lasted only an instant that felt eternal, and Clara knew that something had changed. The love triangle was no longer just a game between her and the mother; now the father was actively involved, and everything had become more dangerous.
Later, Clara ran into Isabela in the living room while she was organizing some papers. The mother looked at her with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Clara sensed something in her expression: jealousy.
"Everything okay with the children?" Isabela asked, in an apparently neutral tone.
"Yes…" Clara said, trying not to give anything away.
Isabela leaned slightly toward her, as she had on previous days, and then slowly pulled back. Clara felt that every movement Isabela made was calculated to make her feel desired and trapped. The sensation of being watched, controlled, wrapped around her.
That afternoon, while she was helping Ricardo organize documents in his study, Clara noticed a folder labeled "Confidential." For a moment, curiosity outweighed fear, and she opened just a couple of pages: there were notes about suspicious transactions and dates that matched the photos from the envelope she had found on the first night.
Ricardo appeared behind her before she could close the folder.
"You shouldn't touch that," he said in a firm but not aggressive tone. "Some things in this house… aren't meant for everyone to see."
Clara felt fear, but also a dangerous rush of adrenaline. She was trapped between desire and danger, and her attraction to Ricardo mixed with the tension of uncovering secrets that could destroy the family.
Later, while Ricardo was showing her how to arrange some antique objects in the living room, their hands brushed accidentally… and then intentionally. The closeness became overwhelming.
"Clara…" he whispered, almost brushing her ear. "There are things that can't be ignored."
Before she could react, his lips gently touched Clara's in a first kiss—brief but charged with intensity, enough to leave her trembling. The world stopped for an instant: desire, guilt, and danger mixed in an explosive way. He took her by the shoulders and, with a quick, decisive movement, turned her so that he stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the neck, their bodies pressed tightly against each other. Clara noticed how her body began to tremble with desire, while Ricardo started to rub his penis against her buttocks. She felt it growing harder and harder, and herself growing wetter…
Clara stepped back, breathing heavily. She knew it was wrong, that Isabela and he were bound by something deeper than simple attraction, but she couldn't deny the intensity of what she was feeling.
At the end of the day, Clara went up to her room, trembling and confused. Her mind was trapped between two worlds: Isabela's dangerous seduction and Ricardo's intense desire, while the secrets she had begun to uncover threatened to pull her into something far bigger and more dangerous than she could imagine.
The envelope with photos and notes remained on her desk, reminding her that there were more secrets waiting to be uncovered… and that every contact with the family was drawing her closer to a game that could be deadly.