The CEO and The Heiress

The sound of heels echoed through the pristine marble corridors of Bravo Company’s headquarters. A near-reverent silence enveloped the place whenever Lauro Bravo, the ruthless CEO, walked past his employees. His presence was intimidating, almost tangible. He seemed larger than any other man in Alvorada, not just because of his physical stature, but because of the aura of power that surrounded him like armor.

Lauro was the kind of man who dominated a room with a single glance. His cold, deep blue eyes observed everything as if he was always one step ahead of everyone. He walked with the confidence of someone who had never known failure, a man molded to lead and win, no matter the cost.

As he made his way to the main meeting room, his employees avoided eye contact. No one dared to meet his gaze. He knew the impact he had and relished it. There was something almost addictive about the power he wielded over those around him. For him, control was everything.

When he entered the meeting room, all the executives straightened in their chairs. The tension was palpable. No one there dared show weakness, and that was exactly how Lauro liked it.

"Good morning, gentlemen," he said, his voice firm and direct. "I hope everyone is ready. I don't have time for excuses."

Sitting in the leather chair at the center of the meeting table, Lauro looked at each of the directors, measuring their expressions. He knew every one of them. He knew their ambitions, weaknesses, and even their darkest secrets. He kept them close for one reason: to control them. There was no room for mistakes at Bravo Company. Mistakes, to Lauro, were signs of incompetence, and incompetence was something he did not tolerate.

The first to speak was Vicente, the financial director. A short man with graying hair who always sweated during meetings with Lauro.

"We’re reviewing the last quarter’s numbers, and we’re seeing a slight drop in international investments. The economic outlook..."

Before he could continue, Lauro interrupted, impatient.

"Drop in investments, Vicente?" Lauro leaned his elbows on the table, inching closer. "Tell me something: why should I keep hearing this excuse from you every time the numbers don’t meet my expectations?"

Vicente cleared his throat, visibly nervous. "Mr. Bravo, the market..."

"The market is ruthless, yes," Lauro interrupted again, his voice as sharp as ice. "But if I'm hearing about the global economy as a problem, it means we’re not being smart enough to anticipate it. And that, Vicente, is a lack of vision. Lack of vision kills companies."

Vicente muttered an apology, but Lauro had already shifted his gaze to the next executive, Ana, the marketing director. She seemed uneasy, fidgeting with her pen.

"Do you have something to say, Ana?" Lauro asked, his tone almost disinterested, but his eyes were piercing.

She took a deep breath before responding. "We’re working on a new campaign to revitalize the brand in the luxury market. I think..."

"You think, or you’re sure?" Lauro interrupted brusquely. "I pay you to be sure, Ana, not to think. If I wanted guesses, I’d have hired amateurs."

Ana swallowed hard, clearly unsettled. "Yes, Mr. Bravo. I’m sure."

He nodded, satisfied, though no approval showed on his face. "Good. The last thing I want is a team that’s unsure of what they’re doing."

This was Lauro Bravo: cold, calculating, and utterly ruthless with his employees. He firmly believed that the business world was no place for kindness. To him, emotions were weaknesses, distractions from success.

After meetings, Lauro always retreated to his glass office at the top of Bravo Company’s skyscraper, a structure of steel and glass that symbolized his empire. His office was as immaculate as he was. Modern furniture, minimalist décor, and windows offering a breathtaking view of the city of Alvorada. But to Lauro, that view was nothing more than a reminder of everything he owned. Everything there was controlled by him. And control, above all, was his greatest passion.

He poured himself a glass of expensive whiskey, staring at the city below. His thoughts wandered briefly, as they always did when he allowed his self-control to falter for a second. Memories of the past, of his father, Júlio Bravo, and the relentless lessons he had taught him. Júlio always said love was for the weak, and Lauro had taken that lesson to heart.

The women in his life were, to him, mere distractions. Beautiful, intriguing, but empty of any real significance. He preferred to keep them at a distance. Emotional involvement only took focus away from what really mattered: power. He had dated the most beautiful and sophisticated women, but none of them had managed to penetrate the barrier he had carefully built around himself. Love? A joke. A foolish invention of people who didn’t understand the world the way he did. After all, those who allowed themselves to love became vulnerable. And vulnerability was the end.

As he took a sip of whiskey, the door to his office opened. Justine, his personal assistant, entered with her usual efficiency. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties who had long since learned not to expect more than the bare minimum of cordiality from Lauro.

"Mr. Bravo, here’s the merger report with Oliveira Corp. They’re ready to sign the contracts," Justine said calmly.

Lauro didn’t look at her immediately. Instead, he continued staring at the city below, lost in his thoughts.

"They're ready," he repeated, as if savoring the words. "Interesting how everyone is always ready to sign deals with the Bravos, Justine. Because they know resistance is futile."

He finally turned to her and took the report from her hand. "Cristiano Oliveira must be eager to partner with me. But, as always, he’s mistaken. I don’t make alliances. I command, and they follow."

Justine nodded, accustomed to Lauro’s authoritarian view of the world.

"Anything else?" he asked, not looking at her again.

Justine hesitated for a moment, something rare for her. "Actually, Mr. Bravo, there is something else. Employees are talking about possible changes to the year-end bonuses. It seems HR..."

Lauro raised his hand, silencing her. "Bonuses?" He laughed, but it wasn’t a friendly laugh. "Do you think I’m here to be a charismatic leader, Justine? That I’m interested in giving bonuses to the incompetent people who are only here because they need a paycheck? No. The only thing these employees need is the fear of losing their jobs. Fear is the greatest motivator. And, as far as I know, we’re more productive than ever."

"Understood, Mr. Bravo," Justine replied, returning to her professional posture.

Lauro turned his gaze to the horizon again, now with the report in hand. The world was his, or at least Alvorada was. Nothing happened there without his permission, and he had no intention of letting anyone, inside or outside, threaten that.

With one last sip of whiskey, he smiled to himself, satisfied. He knew what was coming. He knew new challenges would arise. And he was more than ready to face them — the way he always did: with absolute control and, if necessary, ruthless destruction of anyone who dared to stand in his way.

As the door closed behind Justine, Lauro was already thinking about his next move. To him, life was a chess game, and he was always certain he was the only one with his hand on the board.

Poliana walked through the corridors of Bravo Company with light, silent steps, almost as if she feared being noticed. It wasn’t out of fear of reprimand, but more out of habit. In that immense building of glass and steel, she had become practically invisible. To the executives, she was just a figure in uniform sweeping the marble floors and cleaning the meeting rooms after they left. That’s what she had always been: the janitor. A silent, imperceptible presence.

She gripped the broom handle firmly, feeling the weight of her simple life in each movement. In a place where power and wealth filled the air, Poliana was just a small piece in the grand puzzle that was Bravo Company. As she cleaned the tables, the echo of meetings still reverberated through the glass walls, but the arrogant voices of the executives no longer affected her. She was used to overhearing snippets of their conversations, comments about business and mergers, always with the same disdainful tone directed at anything that didn’t involve numbers or status.

She sighed and wiped a coffee stain from a conference table, distracted by her own thoughts. Since she started working there, something inside her had changed. And she knew exactly what it was. Lauro Bravo. The man who seemed to have the world in his hands and, at the same time, the coldest heart she had ever known. He had never noticed her. Poliana wasn’t the kind of stunning beauty that could catch the eye of powerful men like Lauro, and even if she were, she knew he wouldn’t care. But for some reason, something about him fascinated her. It was a strange mixture of admiration and a certain repulsion. His presence, his unshakable confidence… Everything about him attracted her, yet she knew how dangerous that fascination was.

While tidying the table, she remembered a time when Lauro had passed by her. It was a brief moment, perhaps only seconds, but for Poliana, time seemed to stop. He didn’t look at her, as usual. His gaze passed right through her, as if she were part of the furniture. The indifference was painful, but familiar. After all, who was she in that world? Just a janitor.

Poliana and Justine As she worked, Justine, Lauro’s assistant, entered the room. Poliana respected her. Justine always seemed confident and knew what she was doing. She was never rude to Poliana, which was rare in that place, but she was also never exactly friendly. It was as if they both knew their lives followed parallel tracks but would never truly intersect.

"Good morning, Poliana," Justine said with a brief nod, her eyes never leaving the folder she was carrying.

"Good morning," Poliana replied, a little surprised by the formality.

Justine stopped beside her for a moment. "Have you heard about the merger Lauro is about to close with Oliveira Corp?" she asked casually, as if Poliana were part of the conversation.

"I’ve heard whispers," Poliana said, shrugging. "But those things are far from my reality."

"Yes... Maybe they are," Justine said, seeming thoughtful. "But sometimes, power changes hands. And sometimes, people no one notices can end up making a difference."

Poliana frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Justine shrugged, as if just throwing out ideas. "Nothing. Just an observation. There’s more going on here than meets the eye."

Poliana watched as Justine left the room, her mind full of thoughts. There was an enigma in the assistant’s words, and although she didn’t fully understand what it meant, something in her began to shift in that moment. It was almost as if she was starting to realize that maybe being invisible had its advantages.

The Burden of Self-Esteem As she cleaned the floor, Poliana couldn’t shake her thoughts. Her life, up to that point, had been marked by hard work and few rewards. She had grown up in a humble family, learning early on the value of effort and resilience. But no matter how hard she worked, she felt she would never be able to escape that position, to change her fate.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of one of the windows. Her janitor’s uniform made her look small, faded, like she was part of the backdrop of that imposing building. Her brown hair tied in a simple bun, her hands rough from so much work... There was nothing about her appearance that stood out. At least, that’s what she thought.

"How could someone like him ever notice someone like me?" she murmured to herself.

She constantly felt as if she was in an internal battle, trying to balance her battered self-esteem with the desire for something more. Sometimes, she wondered if she should give up hoping for change. Maybe she was destined to always be the invisible janitor of Bravo Company. But other times, a small flame of hope lit up in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, there was something greater reserved for her.

As she finished cleaning the office, her thoughts returned to Lauro. She had spent enough time in that building to hear stories about him. His employees feared him, but they also deeply respected him. He was the kind of man who got what he wanted, always. But Poliana saw something more. Behind that icy façade, there was something... broken, or at least she liked to think so. How could someone be so ruthless and yet carry so much weight in their eyes?

"You’ll never understand, Poliana. Never," she told herself, trying to push away any foolish thoughts about him.

It was a dangerous line of thinking. Dreaming of being noticed by Lauro Bravo was like trying to touch the sun: beautiful, but impossible. He was the kind of man who chose the most sophisticated women, always seen by his side at events, in the society columns. Poliana would never be part of that world, and she knew it. It was better that way, anyway. What Lauro represented wasn’t what she wanted. Or was it?

After finishing her work, Poliana leaned back for a moment, gazing at the skyline of Alvorada through the window. The city’s bright lights seemed as distant as her own life. She reflected on her journey so far and what the future might bring.

"Will I always be this person who goes unnoticed?" she murmured. "Will I never have the chance to... be someone? Someone who matters?"

Her hands tightened around the cloth she was holding. She knew she was more than what people saw. But would anyone ever see that? Would Lauro Bravo ever see her for who she truly was, and not just as another invisible employee among many?

Interrupted by the Executives While Poliana was lost in her thoughts, two company executives entered the room, laughing loudly. They barely noticed her presence as they talked about a new contract they had just closed. To them, Poliana was just a shadow, someone whose presence was too insignificant to be acknowledged.

"Is she working overtime? She needs to clean quickly; we have another meeting soon," one of the executives said, while the other just laughed, not even glancing at her.

Poliana lowered her head, biting her lip to hold back her frustration. Those small daily humiliations were something she had become used to, but that didn’t make the situation any easier. However, she raised her chin, determined. Maybe they didn’t notice her now. Maybe Lauro would never look at her. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t valuable. One day, she would find her place. One day, she would be more than just the invisible janitor.

With that thought, Poliana gave the meeting room one last touch, picked up her cleaning tools, and left, ready to face another day of work, another day of invisibility — but with the persistent hope that something greater might be lurking around the corner.