My Father's Protégée

Stay with me

Clara

The night air was sweet, filled with the scent of cinnamon and burnt sugar coming from the food stalls. The colorful lights strung between the tents created a magical effect, and for the first time in months, I felt... light.

The past week at Ferraz had been a whirlwind. Endless meetings, sideways glances from coworkers who still saw me as “Teresa’s replacement,” and the constant feeling that I was on the verge of messing everything up. But nothing, absolutely nothing, had been as torturous as avoiding him.

Theo Ferraz.

The heir who seemed to take pleasure in appearing at the most unexpected moments, always with that crooked smile and those light eyes that stripped me bare without ever touching me.

So when Laís, the twenty-one-year-old receptionist with an easy smile and a stash of irreverent stories, invited me to the Harvest Festival, a traditional town event with live music and food stands, I said yes before I could even think about it.

I needed to escape the tension bubble.

“You have to try the coffee brigadeiro!” Laís tugged my arm, her hot pink nails digging into my wrist. “It’s literally the best thing in the world!”

She was a whirlwind of energy, her dark curls bouncing with every movement, a spark in her eyes that never seemed to dim. So different from me, still clutching my juice like it was a life preserver.

“Okay!” I laughed, letting her pull me along.

We entered the dessert tent, a cozy space decorated with checkered tablecloths and glass jars filled with sweets. Laís shoved a brigadeiro into my mouth before I could protest, and the intense coffee and chocolate flavor melted on my tongue, almost making me moan.

“ISN’T IT AMAZING?!” she shouted, like we’d just discovered the secret of life.

I was about to agree when I felt something... strange. A presence. The kind that made the hairs on your arm stand on end before your brain even caught up.

“Oh. My. God.” Laís stopped chewing, her eyes wide like saucers. “Theo Ferraz just walked in.”

My heart stopped.

Then raced violently, like it was trying to escape my chest.

Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t…

I looked.

And there he was.

Theo Ferraz, in the flesh, standing at the entrance of the tent like a mirage.

He wore a black shirt clinging to his body, and as always, the sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing those veiny arms I remembered too well from sleepless nights, imagining them against my skin.

And the worst part?

He was already staring at me.

His light eyes, even more golden under the warm lights, locked onto mine with a heat that made me swallow hard.

Laís whistled low.

“Either he owes you money, or you’ve already hooked up with him.”

“Neither!” I said too quickly, my cheeks burning.

Theo took a step into the tent, followed by two tall, well-dressed friends who laughed at something he said. But he didn’t take his eyes off me.

“Clara.” My name in his mouth was a sin. Low, husky, like it was meant for just the two of us. “Didn’t know you had a sweet tooth.”

“I didn’t know you were into small-town festivals,” I shot back, trying to keep my voice steady.

He smiled slowly, and my stomach did a dangerous flip.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Laís, sensing the tension, bit her lip and whispered:

“I’ll go get more brigadeiros. You... handle this.”

Before I could protest, she vanished into the crowd, leaving me alone with him.

Theo closed the distance between us in three long strides. His scent hit me first, overwhelming my senses.

“You’ve been avoiding me this week,” he murmured, grabbing a chocolate from the table beside me without breaking eye contact.

“I’ve been working.” A lie. I was running. From us.

“Hm.” He popped the chocolate into his mouth, his lips closing around it in a way that should not have been so sensual. “Thought maybe you were scared.”

“Of you?” I let out a short laugh, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “I’m not a coward.”

Theo smiled slowly, like a predator eyeing its prey.

“Then prove it.”

Before I could respond, he took my hand, his fingers lacing through mine with a grip that stole my breath.

“Come with me.”

It wasn’t a request. It was a challenge.

“Where to?” My voice came out weaker than I wanted.

He didn’t answer. He just pulled me out of the tent, his warm body shielding me from the crowd as we moved away from the lights, the music, the festival. Each step was darker, quieter, more... ours.

My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.

We stopped behind a large tree decorated with faint twinkle lights, far from everything and everyone. The music was just a distant echo now. The only clear sound was our shared breath, quick and uneven.

Theo turned to me, his eyes gleaming in the shadows.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked, trying to steady my voice.

He didn’t answer with words.

Instead, he raised a hand and touched my face, his fingers gliding softly over my skin and into my hair. His eyes dropped to my lips, and I felt the world collapse around me.

“You know why.”

Then he leaned in, slowly, giving me time to run.

But I didn’t run.

When his lips finally met mine, it was like something inside me detonated. His kiss was warm, insistent, perfect. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me against him, and I melted into his touch, into the lingering taste of coffee on his mouth, into the way his body molded to mine like we were made for each other.

There was no festival. No Ferraz Holdings. No rules.

There was only us.

And in that moment, I didn’t want anything else.

We were alone. Invisible.

There were no more words—just the urgent heat of his mouth on mine, his hands on my waist, his body pressing mine into the tree. He kissed like he needed to. Like he’d waited too long.

And I matched his rhythm.

My hands ran down his chest, feeling every muscle beneath the thin shirt. His fingers dug into my waist, then slid around to my back, pulling me closer. Every part of me screamed that this was wrong. That it was dangerous.

But all I wanted... was more.

Theo pulled back for a second, his eyes burning with desire, and something else... something vulnerable.

“I’m not going to treat you like the others, Clara,” he said, his voice rough. “I’m not playing games with you. But I need to know… do you want this?”