Chapter 5 Chapter 5 - Lana

We were at the airport, my mother accompanied us with Ana Cláudia; lying to her was painful. I said I was going to work as a waitress and that Doctor Alberto was the owner of the restaurant. They announced our flight, and my heart seemed to want to leap out of my chest. I hugged both of them tightly, and our luggage had already been checked.

"We have to go now, Lana!"

"Yes, sir." We went up the escalators, through the glass I saw that immense airplane; it would take me so far away from all the people I love.

Our tickets were in first class, and there were many elegant people.

"Here, these are our seats!"

Alberto informed me, and he was already used to coming and going all the time. He said that Leon sent for many things from Brazil, not just women.

"You look so serious, your expression is of fear. You don't need to be like that, I've already given you my word that you can trust me."

"But it's that this Leon... I don't know why, but I feel afraid just hearing his name. It's as if something, inside me, agonizes my heart to the point of making me give up on this." He took my hand, his was warm and mine cold. 'Do you promise me, that if things don't go as we hope, you'll bring me back home?'

"Of course, it's in the contract. You can back out whenever you want and won't face penalties for your decision."

"I'm not talking to Lawyer Alberto, but to the man. Swear that you'll bring me back if that's what I want?"

"I swear, daughter, I have feelings and wouldn't allow you to be forced to stay where you don't want to be."

It was a long thirteen-hour journey, the flight service treated us like royalty, but my mind couldn't relax. The whole time I thought about the arrival and imagined what this man was like, especially after knowing that his face and part of his body were disfigured.

"We've arrived!" As soon as Alberto said this sentence, my nervousness only increased. We disembarked, and all those people were speaking in other languages, and I was afraid for not even knowing English.

We picked up our luggage at the carousel, to my surprise, a man was already waiting for the two of us. He spoke Portuguese and called for Alberto.

"I'm glad you're already here, Fabiano, help us with the bags, please. Oh, and this is Lana."

"Pleased to meet you." We greeted each other with a handshake; he was a handsome and friendly guy.

"Are we going to the hotel now, Doctor?" I asked while he opened the car door for me.

"We're going straight to the mansion, Lana."

"But sir, you told me it was very far, and it would be better for us to sleep in a hotel."

"Forgive me, daughter, but Leon is eager to meet you. You'll have time to rest at home!"

I was already so tired, my body felt like it had been run over by twenty cars. Inside the car, I ended up sleeping in the back seat most of the time, but not before hearing part of their conversation in the front seats.

"This is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"For your own good, stop eyeing her, Fabiano. She's just one of the girls hired by Leon, she's not here to take care of the house but his sexual interests!"

"She's a cheerful young lady, she won't stand to spend even a minute with a man like him."

"Never repeat what you just said, Leon has been generous with you and your Aunt Ofelia your whole life."

"Generous, but arrogant and cruel." Fabiano forced his voice.

"Consequences of what life stole from him."

"So, do you think it's fair for him to treat everyone like trash to try to forget his own suffering?"

"We're not here to discuss what's right or wrong, but to do our job." Alberto sighed.

I opened my eyes after they stopped talking; we were in a place with many trees, and it was much colder.

"It's better to wear a coat!" Alberto turned around and indicated that one of my bags was beside me.

I took out a coat and put it on; it was so cold that my jaw was shaking. It would be very difficult to adapt to this.

"We're in Bergamo, Leon's house is further away from the others. He always valued discretion."

Fabiano stopped the car at a huge gate; it looked like a mansion from horror movies, even more so because it was night. The driver had to identify himself for the car entry to be allowed, I didn't like knowing that everything was controlled in this way, who comes in and who goes out.

The car stopped in front of the house; it seemed they didn't keep many lights on. It was all dark and silent, I could only hear a few dogs.

"We've arrived, you and Leon will meet now!" Alberto said smiling, and I was filled with immense dread that dried up my throat.

The boy took the bags; I crossed my arms due to the cold and the strong wind. We entered the house, what a dark and colorless place, with old furniture.

"Forgive me for what I'm about to say, Mr. Alberto, but I feel like I'm entering Count Dracula's house." He smiled slightly, as if reluctant to agree.

"My boy is not a monster!" A lady said to me with a condemning expression, I lost my smile and returned to my fear.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to be rude."

"But you were!"

"Come with me, Lana, I'll take you to your room." Alberto and I went up the stairs, passed through a long hallway of rooms. I saw some family photos and stopped to look.

"Is this Leon?"

"No, this is Denner Versalles. His father!"

"He was a very handsome man."

I didn't want to delude myself with the possibility of him being a pleasant partner, but the photo made me a little less tense. Alberto opened the door to one of the rooms, and we entered.

"This is your room, what do you think?" He asked, and I took a few turns to analyze better.

"A bit dark like the other rooms in the house, but I can open the windows and let the light in."

"Of course, dear!"

"Can I ask a question?"

"Of course you can, Lana, what do you want to know?"

"The house doesn't have mirrors because of what happened to him, right?"

"Yes, unfortunately seeing his own image causes him pain!"

"Being so rich, why has he never sought help? Maybe a plastic surgeon, perhaps..."

"You're being invasive."

'I'm sorry.' I sat on the bed; the suitcases were next to the immense wardrobe.

"Take a hot shower and dress for dinner, don't forget that you should wear dark colors."

"Yes, sir, I won't forget. But wait!"

"What is it, Lana?"

"Are you going to have dinner with me?"

"Yes, for tonight I'll have dinner with you."

I felt calmer knowing that, Alberto left, and I locked the door to the room. I took a closer look at the room in more privacy, went to the bathroom, and it was bigger than my entire house. I took off my clothes and chose something appropriate.

"Is this dress neutral enough to please the odd one?"

I smiled, hiding the fear that was only growing inside me as the seconds passed.