Chapter 6 The Perfect FiancéE

• Liam
• The moment our eyes met, I recognized the girl immediately. It was Cecilia, the cleaning lady I had impulsively fired in a fit of anger. An uncomfortable feeling washed over me. I avoided her gaze, reminding myself that she was just a maid.
• Thinking that Marta had been concerned about the girl, and here she was already working at a nightclub, probably making more than she did when she was in my company, brought a cynical smile to my face.
• I reached out to help her get up, doing the least I could for her at that moment. However, as soon as she managed to stand up, I withdrew my hand quickly, feeling uncomfortable.
• "Thank you, sir," she said with a falsely sweet voice.
• "No need to thank me. Just go away from here. You've already caused enough trouble for one night," I cut her off abruptly.
• Cecilia seemed surprised by my hostile reaction. Her eyes once filled with sadness, now reflected a mixture of hurt and indignation. It was evident that my attitude had deeply wounded her. However, I felt no remorse at that moment.
• She did as I asked, and I turned to my cousin, determined to take out all my frustration on that idiot.
• "You better not do anything now," Adriel tried to intervene, foreseeing what I was about to do.
• "You're hot-headed, man," Logan tried to step between Caíque and me, but I pushed him aside.
• Caíque was watching the scene from a distance, and after the girl left, he approached with a cynical smile on his face. His eyes were visibly intoxicated, exacerbating his already apparent lack of empathy.
• "Are you crazy!?" I spoke low enough for him to hear. "You can't harass girls like that, you jerk!"
• "Liam, my dear, you're overreacting. After all, she's just a waitress. You don't need to worry so much about these insignificant people," he said contemptuously.
• Anger welled up inside me at those words. Caíque had always been known for his snobbish behavior, just like my entire family, in fact, but this time he had crossed all boundaries. I approached him even closer, looking him in the eyes with a serious expression.
• "Your behavior is unacceptable," I said, pointing my finger in my cousin's face. "She can sue us, do you realize that?"
• Caíque let out a mocking laugh, clearly not taking my words seriously.
• "She's just a waitress, Liam," Caíque brushed it off. "She's got nothing going for her."
• "That doesn't matter!" I protested indignantly, surprisingly worked up by the way Caíque was referring to the girl. "You can't talk about her like that."
• "Oh, Liam, I'm just being honest. If she's in that position, it's because she doesn't have enough talent for something better. Why should I treat her any differently?"
• Frustration welled up within me, but I tried to stay calm. Caíque was beyond reason at that moment, and I knew it would be futile to argue with him in his drunken and arrogant state.
• "I think we better leave, Liam," Adriel pointed out sensibly. "We're attracting too much attention from other people."
• "Adriel is right," Logan added. "Can you imagine if the girl takes this to the newspapers?"
• I took a deep breath, trying to control my anger. Adriel and Logan were right. I couldn't resolve anything at that moment, especially with Caíque in his sorry state.
• "You're right. Let's go," I agreed, distancing myself from Caíque and heading towards the exit of the venue.
• In the car, Adriel broke the silence, looking at me with concern.
• "What a mess," he lamented.
• "My cousin always brings me trouble! I was sure today wouldn't be any different as soon as I saw him approaching our table," I grumbled.
• "We should have left when we saw him," Logan commented.
• "And to think you were planning to find a bride today," Adriel recalled with irony. "If that waitress hadn't been so clumsy, we could still be there."
• I was thinking the same thing at that moment. My mind was filled with chaotic thoughts. I felt frustrated. That girl, Cecilia, always gets on my nerves.
• "We need to find a bride for you. There are only nine days left until the deadline set by your father," Adriel said.
• "We have to find someone who will accept this crazy marriage as soon as possible."
• My tone carried urgency, and I wasn't exaggerating. My father will have a daughter-in-law in nine days, or my name isn't Liam Ricci. I won't lose the years I've dedicated to Laser Inc. because of my father's idiotic whim. And I certainly won't let Caíque, that big jerk, get ahead of me and take what's rightfully mine.
• I don't want to be tied down in a relationship. I lead a busy and independent lifestyle, and I don't want to give up my freedom and autonomy. It's hard to find someone willing to enter into this convenient game of appearances without expecting something genuine in return.
• The idea of proposing to one of my ex-girlfriends was brought up, but as we looked at the names, we all agreed that this approach had a high chance of being a disaster.
• "It needs to be someone who has a good reason to accept. And since you plan to annoy your father, a girl in a difficult financial situation could be the solution," Adrian suggested.
• "Adrian is right. Someone like that wouldn't hesitate to accept a marriage," Logan agreed.
• At that moment, an idea insinuated itself into my thoughts. Maybe I had the perfect solution to my conscience problem, and I could still fulfill my father's wish and irritate him just as much. He couldn't back out of his word.
• "I already know who could be the perfect bride," I said with enthusiasm.
• "Who?" Adriel and Logan asked simultaneously.
• I told my friends about the idea that had just occurred to me. Logan couldn't help but burst into laughter, while Adrian just stared at me with a horrified look.
• "Aren't you afraid of giving your father a heart attack, Liam?" Logan commented when he finally managed to contain his laughter.
• "Frederico Ricci wants me married, so I'll just be fulfilling his wish, right?" I pointed out with cynicism.
• "Are you sure it's a good idea to marry that girl, Liam?"
• "I'm determined. Tomorrow, I'll look for her and propose. She won't refuse, I'm sure."
• "I want to be present when you introduce your fiancée to Frederico. I wouldn't miss that scene for anything!" Logan joked.
• The first thing I did when I arrived at the office the next morning was to call Marta into my office. I had an important mission for my secretary.