As he watched the young woman standing before him, Tom's thoughts raced. He tried to maintain a professional demeanor, but it was impossible to hide the fascination he felt. Catarina had something that completely disarmed him. It wasn't just her obvious beauty, but her restrained manner, the blend of shyness and longing in her eyes.

She stood there before him, her hands clasped in front of her body and a calm expression on her face, but Tom could barely focus on the words she was saying. His ey