Chapter 14: Did You still not Recognize Me?

Ingrid had dinner and then called her mother saying she wouldn't be home today but would be back tomorrow. She also warned her not to worry too much about the situation in the house, as she got help from a good friend and soon things would work out.

Luan also called his mother. Ingrid's situation was easy to resolve, but he still needed to talk to his mother to see if she could get an internship for Ingrid to work. Of course, when he mentioned he was trying to get a part time job for a young girl who was going to college, his mother was so excited with the hope that he had found a girlfriend.

Logically, she immediately gave the go-ahead, saying Ingrid could start in two weeks, just as Luan planned. Regarding the house, he did not ask his mother for help, since he had enough money to buy it with his own funds.

The next morning, Luan woke up early and started practicing the 48 movements of the body technique: <Divine Spiritual Body>. Ingrid woke up minutes later. She washed her face and joined Luan, doing her exercises.

When it was close to noon, both Luan and Ingrid had already finished doing the day's exercises and meditation. Luan looked at Ingrid and said, "As soon as we have lunch, we can go to a real estate agent to talk to them and find a good place for you and your mother to live."

"Okay," Ingrid replied shyly. She still felt strange having received so much kindness from Luan. It was kind of like they were dating...

*

When it was almost 2 pm, Luan and Ingrid left the hotel. This time Luan didn't want a driver, and they took a taxi. Around 2:30 am they arrived at "New Key - Real Estate."

The front of the Real Estate office was covered with glass with a black film and a glass door. Ingrid followed Luan into the office as soon as they got out of the taxi.

"Hello, good afternoon. How can I help you?" A nice woman smiled when talking to them. She wore a black suit with white clothes underneath and high heels.

"Good afternoon, I want to buy a house with two bedrooms." Luan went straight to the point.

"Do you prefer it to be a house, or do you want to take a look at the apartments too?" The broker, Bruna asked.

Luan looked at Ingrid since he didn't know what her preference would be.

"Home," Ingrid replied.

"Okay, what neighborhood would you be interested in buying from? We have many two-bedroom houses at a fair price," said the broker, Bruna.

"One that is close to the regional hospital," Ingrid replied.

"Okay, you can look here. We have many good places, especially these houses in 'Praia Comprida', which is a neighborhood in the municipality of São José." the broker showed a catalog with the houses and specifications. It was a little far from the place where Ingrid and her mother currently lived, but it was also very close to the Regional Hospital where her mother worked as a nurse, so it was possibly a good choice to buy a house in that neighborhood.

Ingrid was surprised since 'Praia Comprida' was a very good neighborhood; the houses were also very expensive. One of the houses interested Ingrid greatly, but the value was R$650,000.00 ($120,000.00).

Luan saw that Ingrid seemed to want this house, but she didn't have the courage to speak.

"We want to look at this yellow house with a garden in front and an orchard at the back of the land," Luan said to broker Bruna.

The broker Bruna was happy to see that they were interested in this house. She smiled even more and said, "You two came by car? If not, I can take you both in my car to see the house."

"Luan..." Ingrid wanted to refuse, but she really wanted this house. She saw that he gave her a reassuring smile and said it was okay. Although she was happy with Luan's gestures, it was difficult to accept that he would buy a house worth more than 500 thousand reais. After all, the house that she and her mother currently lived in was not even worth 50 thousand reais.

Luan put his hand on her head and said, "Relax. Soon you will understand that this amount of money is very small. As long as you have me, it's only a matter of time before you understand that."

' 'Have me'... What is he trying to imply with this?' Ingrid felt her heart racing, but she didn't have the courage to ask him what he meant when he said this to her.

"Mm? Still not convinced?" Luan raised a frown when asking, still with his hand on her head.

"Yes, I am convinced." Ingrid thought that regardless of his intention, she would find out sooner or later. And she decided to receive his help and hope that in the future she would be able to repay everything he was doing for her.

The real estate broker Bruna laughed secretly when she saw the interaction of Luan and Ingrid and thought to herself that they made a cute "couple".

Outside, the trio went to the garage of the real estate building and got into Bruna's car. Almost 4 minutes after they left the property, Bruna said while driving, "You will love the house. On the street where the house is located, it is super quiet, and the house is just a few blocks from the sea and the boardwalk."

"Looks good," Ingrid said.

"Yes, to tell you the truth, I was looking at this house myself to live with my son, only it is out of my budget... In any case, it is a great house," Bruna said with a sigh.

The rest of the way was silent, just a few words exchanged between Luan and Ingrid.

"We are here." Bruna stopped the car in front of the same yellow house that Ingrid and Luan had seen in the catalog.

As in the photo, the house was well maintained with a well-kept garden in the front yard. On the right side of the house was the garage and next to the garage was the kitchen access door.

"Shall we go in?" Bruna got out of the car and unlocked the gate with the key.

"Yes." Luan and Ingrid followed soon after the broker Bruna opened up the gate and entered.

Upon entering the house, they came across the kitchen, which already had a wooden table and four metal chairs, each with a white cushion. The kitchen also contained a sink, some cabinets, a microwave, refrigerator, stove, and electric oven. Next to the stove was a door which gave access to the service area, and on the other side was another door that gave access to the bathroom. The bathroom was large with a blue sink that had a marble basin and a mirror on the top. In the bathroom stall there was a white bathtub and a shower next to it.

As Bruna showed them around, they soon arrived in the living room that already had two sofas for three people and an armchair.

In the living room, there was also a large metal door with glass and a metal grille. Entering the room on the right, they saw it was large and cozy. It was also one of the only places in the house that had no furniture. In the other room on the direct opposite side it was no different, almost the same size, and in the middle of the two rooms was another bathroom. Inside the bathroom were a sink and a small mirror on top of it and on the right side was the shower stall.

"Isn't it beautiful?" after showing all the rooms in the house, Bruna asked them with a smile.

"Yes, I liked it a lot," Ingrid said sincerely. It was even better than she had expected.

"Is it not?" Bruna smiled and said, "There is still the back part of the land where there is a beautiful orchard."

Ingrid and Luan followed Bruna to the back of the property. Once there, they saw the green grass floor and to the left side was a clothesline and on the right side were five orange trees. In front of the orchard, there was a leisure area, with a plastic table and two chairs and a barbecue covered with dark brown flooring. Next to the barbecue, there was a small sink.

[Editor note: In the United States and some other predominantly English speaking nations, orange orchards are often referred to as groves but many other countries still commonly refer to them as orchards.]

"Do you like it?" Luan didn't think it was bad but still wanted to know what Ingrid thought, since it was for her and her mother that this house was intended.

"To be quite honest, yes, I find it very beautiful." Ingrid was very pleased with this house. She was sure that her mother would love it too. She just hadn't thought about how to give this news to her mother later...

"Okay, let's take this home." Luan was decisive. He saw no reason to think too much.

"Luan, aren't you afraid that I won't be able to pay later?" Ingrid couldn't help asking.

"Mm? Well, if that does happen, which I find difficult, it's not too much. I've told you this before, you worry too much. What I'm doing for you may seem like a lot, but in reality, it is not." Luan knew that no matter how much he said, Ingrid would still doubt it, considering the life she had before, but he was sure that in time she would understand.

"Okay, I trust you." Ingrid smiled.

"I'm glad you decided to purchase the house," said Bruna, "Let's go back to the agency and sign the contract?"

"Yes," Luan agreed.

After that, the two returned in the car with Bruna to the Real Estate Agency.

Once there, there was someone who made Ingrid furrow her beautiful eyebrows. "Bernardo..."

"Ah? Haha. Ingrid, what a pleasure to see you here." Bernardo laughed, but angrily and full of malice in his tone.

"Honey, who is this slut?" Beside Bernardo was a blond woman with blue eyes and full breasts almost exploding from her bra. She was in tight clothes, showing a lot of skin, with shorts so small that they could be mistaken for underwear.

"Mm?" An oppressive aura started to leave Luan's body and pressed the body of Bernardo and the woman with few clothes and thick makeup. Luan spoke in a cold and indifferent voice, "So, it's you..."

"Sorry, have we met?" Bernardo, who was being choked by Luan's aura, had difficulty breathing. He looked at Luan and didn't know why it seemed that if he took a false step, he would be dead.

"Heh... Look at my face; haven't you recognized me yet?" Luan chuckled coldly.

"You... Luan Dimas?!" Bernardo's eyes went wide open and his heart began beating very fast.

{Edited by: Azurtha}