Chapter 12 - Combined

Leandro's voice cut through the air with firmness.

"Sandra?"

She turned quickly, surprised to see him standing at the door with his arms crossed and an impassive expression.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sandra forced a smile, trying to mask her discomfort.

"Of course not, sir. I was just delivering the documents. Mr. Marcos needs your signature."

"I got the impression you were talking about something else."

"Just discussing work," she replied with a nervous laugh. She looked at Aurora for support, but Aurora kept her gaze fixed on anything other than her face.

"Then get back to work. And please… avoid unnecessary comments."

Sandra's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the direct tone.

"Yes, sir," she answered with a tense smile. "I'll come back later for the signed documents." She pointed at the folder she had left on the desk and hurried away, her heels clicking down the hallway.

Leandro turned to Aurora with a serious expression.

"Can you come to my office?"

She nodded and followed him in silence. As soon as she entered, he closed the door calmly and walked straight to the chair behind his desk. His gaze was intense, but there was a hidden softness, as if he were torn between two worlds.

"Aurora," he said quietly, "I heard what she said. And... it's not the first time I notice some tension between you two."

She hesitated. For a moment, she thought about denying or downplaying it. But she was tired of dealing with it alone.

"She keeps making insinuations," she confessed. "At first they were just indirect. But now it's becoming more and more explicit."

Leandro frowned.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since day one. She looks at me like I stole someone's place. She's already accused me, in those veiled comments, of using 'shortcuts' to get ahead here. At lunch today, she was more direct. And now again."

He leaned back in his chair, clearly displeased.

"That's unacceptable."

"I tried to ignore it, you know? I didn't want to seem like a troublemaker. But today it crossed the line."

"You did the right thing by telling me. You shouldn't have to put up with that."

She looked down, embarrassed.

"I just want to work in peace, nothing more."

He studied her for a moment. Then nodded, his voice firm.

"And you will. Leave it to me. Sandra's behavior is going to change. This isn't the place for that kind of attitude—toward you or anyone else."

Aurora nodded silently, feeling for the first time like someone truly had her back.

"If anything else happens, tell me right away. Agreed?"

"Agreed," she murmured.

He stood and walked to the door. For a moment, his hand rested on the handle, thoughtful.

"And just to be clear, Aurora… you're here because you're excellent at what you do. Anyone who doesn't see that... is blind."

She smiled, her eyes sparkling just a little.

"Thank you, Mr. Leandro."

He opened the door with a small nod.

"You may return to your desk."

Aurora left the office feeling lighter, even though the tension still lingered in the air. She knew Sandra wouldn't give up easily—but now... she wasn't going to hide anymore either.

Leandro sat back in his chair, deep in thought. Aurora stirred something in him. He had always been a strict, cold, even distant boss. He had built that wall for emotional survival. But with her, those defenses were starting to crack. And as much as he wanted to step back, something inside him told him to stay.

"Maybe this isn't right," he thought, staring at the computer screen without actually seeing the numbers. "But maybe… it's inevitable."

Outside, Aurora returned to her desk and picked up the folder Sandra had left behind. She opened the documents and quickly recognized the content — reports from the Flor Dourada project. However, in the middle, there was something new: an updated blueprint showing an expansion of an area already under construction. She frowned. She didn't recall any meeting about this.

With the blueprint in hand, she returned to Leandro's office and knocked on the door. He answered promptly.

"Come in."

"Sir, these are the papers Sandra brought. But there's an update here that caught my attention."

"An update? What kind?"

She walked to his desk and handed him the paper.

"An expansion in this section of the Flor Dourada project." She sat in front of him. "Look here," she pointed. "In the previous version, the playground and recreation area were much smaller."

Leandro examined the document carefully, his expression darkening.

"I didn't approve any expansion," he said, voice restrained but tense. "The owner of Flor Dourada hasn't mentioned anything to me. Who authorized this?"

"The blueprint has the engineer's signature, and the budget document is dated yesterday. It's signed by the director, Mr. Marcos."

He ran his fingers over the page as if trying to pull answers from the ink.

"Did Sandra mention anything about this?"

"No."

He leaned back again, his eyes distant.

"This is serious. A change this significant without a prior meeting could jeopardize the entire budget and timeline."

He sighed, then looked at Aurora, his tone shifting to a more formal, colder register.

"Excellent observation, Miss Aurora. I'll look into this personally."

She noticed the change in his tone, colder now, more distant—he had called her "Miss Aurora"—and nodded, understanding, even if she didn't like it.

"If you need help, I'm available."

Leandro hesitated, as if fighting with himself.

"Thank you. You may return to your tasks."

She left, carrying the image of him—serious, focused… and conflicted.

Inside, he was torn. He wanted to get closer to her, but he couldn't.

Leandro left his office at 4:59 PM. With a neutral expression, he walked to Aurora's desk and placed a folder on it without ceremony.

"File this folder. On Monday, submit these documents. I'm heading home. See you next week."

"Yes, sir. See you."

Aurora watched him until he disappeared down the hallway. Only then did she let out a soft sigh, like she had been holding her breath all day. She carefully stored the folder, wrapped up the day's tasks, locked her drawer, shut down her computer, and grabbed her bag.

With each step toward the exit, the weight of the week slowly slipped off her shoulders. She would finally see her son.

The sky was already tinged with orange when she arrived home. As soon as she opened the door, Davi rushed to her like a rocket, throwing himself into her arms with an excited shout.

"Mooooom!"

Aurora laughed, kneeling down to hug him tightly.

"I missed you so much, sweetheart."

Friday night was simple and calm. They had dinner together, laughed at an old cartoon, and ended the day on the couch under a blanket, with Davi nearly asleep in her lap.

It was in moments like these that Aurora felt, despite everything, that something in her life was truly right.

On Saturday morning, she took advantage of the time to tidy up the house. She did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and gave extra attention to her son, who seemed particularly clingy that weekend. When she finally sat down to enjoy some coffee with cheese bread, her phone buzzed on the table.

Henrique.

Aurora answered, curious.

"Hi?"

"Good morning, Aurora. Everything okay over there?"

"All good. And you?"

"All fine. So, I called for two reasons. First, I wanted to check on Davi. Is he doing okay?"

"He's great. Right now he's trying to build a pillow fort," she replied with a smile.

"Awesome. So… Eliza suggested that I take Lucas and Alicia over tomorrow to spend the afternoon with you two. They're always surrounded by adults, and I thought it would be fun for everyone. I'll be there with them, of course. Eliza and her friend Angela might come too, if you don't mind. Or we could go to my place, but I don't have any toys," he laughed. "What do you think?"

She hesitated for a few seconds. She had never hosted Rafael's kids at her home. She had never hosted anyone from the company, really. But Henrique's voice sounded genuine, and getting to know Eliza better could be good. Plus, Davi would be thrilled.

"Sounds good. If they're okay with it, so am I."

"They are. And I promise we won't turn your house upside down."

"I hope you keep that promise," she replied, chuckling softly.

"I'll bring pizza. See you tomorrow, then?"

"Deal."

When she hung up, Aurora let out a long, uncertain sigh. Henrique's friendly demeanor still felt strange—his spontaneous attention seemed almost too sincere to be real. She was used to being ignored or looked down on by people from that world—people used to seeing others from a higher place. Her history with that kind of relationship was, to say the least, delicate.

Even so, she accepted the invitation. Partly for Davi, who would surely love the company, and partly because Eliza would be there. She seemed genuinely kind and, like Aurora, was also an employee, which created a kind of safe bridge. Aurora didn't know Angela yet, but she liked the idea of expanding her friendships beyond the office walls.

It might be a small step… but it was still a step.