Will you marry me?

He watched her with the same attention of someone analyzing a rare work of art... or a disguised enemy.

For long seconds, he studied every detail of her face, the way she breathed, the way she looked away.

And then, finally, he seemed to reach a conclusion:

She didn't know.

She had no idea who he was.

The silence between them stretched out—dense, electric.

Until he spoke.

His voice was deep, sharp, laden with something she couldn't quite define.

"What do you want?

Helena blinked, confused. “What do I... want?”

His gaze didn't waver.

“Women don't just happen to show up passed out with my son in their arms.”

His tone was cold, but underneath it there was something else...

A dangerous curiosity.

An interest that even he didn't seem willing to admit.

Helena opened her mouth to respond, but her throat failed her.

Her heart was racing.

That man—with his icy gaze and overwhelming presence—seemed capable of seeing everything she was trying to hide.

And for the first time in a long time, Helena felt fear.

Not of danger.

But of herself... and the strength that this stranger made her feel.

Before she could continue, Axel interrupted, excitedly:

“My brother wants to thank you for saving Mateo! He asked you to make a wish. Anything, Helena!”

She took a deep breath and looked at him.

“Mr. Ballmer, I don't want anything,” she replied calmly. “I saved Mateo, yes... but he also saved me.”

Henrique raised an eyebrow slightly.

Helena kept her voice steady:

“If he hadn't climbed through the window and asked for help, I'd still be trapped in that warehouse. So...” She smiled, gently but firmly. “We can consider ourselves even.”

The silence that followed was thick, and Henrique watched her, his eyes half-closed, evaluating every word, every gesture.

And, for the first time in a long time, something inside him stirred.

An old emotion. Uncomfortable. Almost forgotten.

Although she had been lucky enough to save the Ballmer heir, Helena would never demand a reward, because for her, it was just the right thing to do. But the slight frown on Henrique's face—that expression of restrained impatience—made her heart race.

Why was that cold look so scary?

Had she said something wrong?

Before the silence became unbearable, Axel broke the tension with a nervous laugh:

“Brother, for God's sake, don't make that face!” He turned to Helena, winking. “He's just trying to thank you, but with that expression... it looks like he's going to sue you instead of reward you!”

Helena blinked, torn between laughing and crying.

Axel continued, gesturing:

"Seriously! My brother can't stand owing anyone anything. It's a quirk of his. So, as strange as it may seem, he really wants to reward you. Make a wish. Anything.

Helena sighed.

“It's not that I'm being polite,” she explained calmly, “I just don't want anything. And if you don't believe me, you can check. It was exactly as I said.”

Henrique didn't look away.

“No need.” His voice cut through the air like a blade.

His tone was low, but it carried too much authority to be questioned.

Axel nodded, eager to lighten the mood.

“We already checked. The cameras show Mateo entering the warehouse alone, and the manager confessed that she was the one who locked you in there. So relax, no one suspects you.

But since you saved my nephew, it's only fair to ask for something in return.”

Helena took a deep breath.

It seemed impossible to escape this, and Henrique's gaze—firm, penetrating, predatory—pressed her without needing a word.

He wasn't going to let her leave without an answer.

“So...” she gave in, trying to sound confident. “How about... you give me money?”

The silence that followed was almost palpable.

You could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Henrique's face darkened.

His jawline tightened slightly.

Helena swallowed hard, already regretting it.

“I... I didn't mean...” she began, but Axel interrupted her, laughing nervously:

"What my brother means is that... um... he thinks money is too little to thank you.

“Not enough?!”

Helena's eyes widened. She just wanted to get out of there alive. But before she could refuse, Henrique's deep, cold voice rose, clear as a sentence:

“So... how about marrying me, Miss Rodrigues?”

The air disappeared from the room.

For a second, the world seemed to stop.

Helena coughed, choking on her own breath.

“W-what do you mean?!” she stammered, turning desperately to Axel. “Is he... serious?”

Axel ran his hand over his face, incredulous. “Henrique... what the hell do you mean by that? Are you out of your mind?

Helena, pale, clutched her pillow tightly.

”Mr. Ballmer... you want to thank me with a marriage?!

Henrique tilted his head slightly, and after a few seconds, replied with that icy naturalness that made her skin crawl:

"Yes. Exactly that.

Silence returned, heavy and suffocating, and Helena blinked, unable to react.

She must be delirious.

Or... he was.

Helena brought her hand to her forehead, exhausted.

“Mr. Ballmer... I think you'd better call the doctor.” she murmured ironically. “Maybe I hit my head and I'm having... hallucinations.”

Axel stifled a nervous laugh, looking from his brother to her. But Henrique remained motionless, not a muscle moving. He just watched her—with that deep, silent, unshakeable gaze.

And for a moment, Helena felt her heart falter.

Not because she believed the absurd proposal...

But because there was something in that gaze—something that made her lose her balance. The air seemed to change, heavy, dense, as if his presence had its own gravity.

Even so, logic tried to scream inside her.

She had saved a child.

That's all.

And now the boy's father wanted to “repay” her... with marriage? The coldest, most arrogant, and most inaccessible man in São Paulo?

The tycoon that magazines called the powerful king? The one who seemed to see the world as a chessboard and people as pieces?

“Aren't you gay, Mr. Ballmer?” Helena asked suddenly.

The silence that followed was deafening, and Henrique Ballmer's face darkened instantly—gloomy, tense, like the bottom of an iron pot.

Axel, standing next to him, widened his eyes... and then burst out laughing, almost choking.