My entire body stiffened instantly, tension detonating inside me like a bomb.
“What?”
He inhaled deeply, his expression dark.
“She’s going to claim you’re emotionally unstable and a risk to your daughter’s safety and emotional development. She plans to accuse Valentina of being complicit in an emotional manipulation that supposedly affected you since you returned to Tiradentes. She says she has evidence and witnesses, though I seriously doubt the validity of any of it.”
I shot up from my chair, nausea rising as anger and disbelief collided violently inside me.
“She wouldn’t do that,” I muttered, trying to convince myself more than him—even though I already knew the truth.
André shook his head, serious and unwavering.
“Enrico, you know exactly what Eloá is capable of. She doesn’t want Clara out of love. She wants her to control you. To keep you permanently tied to her will. And more than anything, she wants to destroy any chance you and Valentina might have of being a family—now or in the future.”
I took a deep breath, my heart hammering as I tried to organize my thoughts.
“What can we do to stop this? Has she talked to anyone in the press yet?”
André shook his head quickly.
“Not yet. But she’s already lined things up with influential people in her social circle. She plans to make the announcement at the ball, knowing you won’t attend. Your absence will be used against you—as proof of the negligence and instability she intends to claim.”
I dragged a hand down my face, fighting the surge of fury.
“Then I need to be there. I need to show up and confront her publicly.”
“Exactly,” André agreed immediately, relief flickering across his face. “The only way to shut this down is for you to appear at the event with Valentina. Show the world you’re a solid, united couple—responsible, stable. That alone dismantles Eloá’s entire argument.”
I ran my hands through my hair, fully aware of how hard it would be to convince Valentina—especially after everything that had just happened between us.
But one thing was certain: there was absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do to protect Clara and Valentina from my grandmother’s manipulative grip.
“The Caravaggio Foundation…” I repeated quietly. I hated events like that. “When is it?”
André sat back down across from me, meeting my gaze.
“Tomorrow night. The annual charity ball in São Paulo. Full of authorities, press, and influential figures. Eloá chose the perfect stage—but that also gives us the perfect chance to neutralize her.”
I nodded. The weight of the decision threatened to crush me, but I had no choice.
“I’ll be there. And Valentina will be with me. Eloá won’t win this time. I won’t allow it.”
André exhaled, relieved.
But as he started planning our next steps, my mind was already focused on the hardest challenge ahead: convincingValentina to face that public battle at my side—even if it meant pretending to be united in a way she wasn’t ready to accept.
Almost an hour later, I left the office with my thoughts racing but my path clear. The idea of approaching Valentina now—after our last conversation—with yet another difficult request filled me with dread. But I had no alternatives. And I knew she’d understand.
I found her sitting alone on the back veranda, her distant gaze fixed on the garden. She looked as lost in thought as I felt.
When she heard my footsteps, she turned, meeting my eyes with a mix of caution and anxiety.
“We need to talk,” I said carefully, keeping my voice steady.
She took a deep breath, studying me before nodding once.
“Bad news?”
