The silence in the office lasted for a few seconds.
It was Augusto who broke it:
"How much time do we have?"
Eduardo Vasconcelos de Albuquerque leaned back in his chair for the first time since the beginning of the meeting.
A small sign of relief…
"That is, curiously, our only advantage."
He interlaced his fingers.
"They still don't know that we've found out."
Luis said nothing, but his focus sharpened.
Eduardo then stood up and began to walk slowly across the office.
"As you know… my position in the capital has never been simple."
He paused for a moment, turned slightly to the side.
"Neither fully aligned… nor completely distant."
He resumed walking.
"I became a facilitator, with many connections across all sides."
A faint smile appeared.
"Since the beginning of the year, I've been acting as an intermediary."
"Republicans, monarchists, capitalists, religious figures, and intellectuals… I conduct business, broker agreements, and exchange favors."
Miguel commented:
"A dangerous ground."
"Extremely," Eduardo replied.
He continued:
"Dinners. Balls. Private gatherings."
"Places where people say more than they should."
A pause.
"Even Deodoro da Fonseca himself has attended some of these meetings."
Augusto raised his eyebrows slightly but said nothing.
Luis simply took note.
Eduardo stopped again, now facing them.
"A few days ago… I hosted a smaller dinner."
"Discreet."
"Only three guests."
Adriano remained still at his side, giving a slight nod.
"One of them was a deputy."
"An old acquaintance."
"Reliable… at least as long as he has something to gain."
Luis tilted his head slightly.
"He was the one who told you about Álvaro Bittencourt?"
Eduardo nodded.
"Álvaro is moving quickly."
"Seeking support, weaving agreements, and promising favors."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"My contact has already been approached."
Miguel crossed his arms.
"And did he accept?"
"Not completely."
"But enough to listen."
Eduardo returned to the table.
"According to him… it's only a matter of time."
"Álvaro is close to getting what he wants."
Silence.
Luis crossed his arms and spoke:
"He avoided you."
Eduardo looked directly at him.
"As much as he could."
"He knows he can't confront me directly."
Augusto frowned.
"So he tried to act from the shadows."
"Exactly."
Eduardo placed his hands on the table.
"If he had managed to act before I noticed…"
"When I reacted… it would already be too late."
A short pause.
"And he almost succeeded."
The weight of those words lingered in the air.
Miguel shook his head slightly.
"Almost."
Eduardo nodded.
"My network still works."
Luis observed everything in silence, organizing the information.
Augusto spoke again:
"So pressuring deputies… is no longer an option."
Eduardo answered without hesitation:
"No."
"Now it would be risky… it could even accelerate the process instead of slowing it down."
Luis rested his fingers on the table.
"So we're not here to contain this directly."
He looked at Eduardo.
"We're trying to avoid the attack as much as possible."
"Exactly."
Luis let out a quiet breath.
"That complicates things."
No one disagreed.
The atmosphere grew heavy again.
It was the kind of problem that did not accept simple solutions.
A few seconds passed in silence.
Then Luis spoke again, calmer this time:
"In that case… perhaps the best course is not to force a response right now."
The others looked at him.
"If we try to act in haste… we may make a mistake."
He paused briefly.
"And they only need one."
Miguel nodded slightly.
Augusto remained silent, thinking.
Luis continued:
"We have information."
"We have time… even if limited."
"And we have multiple variables."
He looked from one to the other.
"Better to use that carefully."
Eduardo watched him attentively.
"What do you suggest?"
Luis answered simply:
"We split up for now."
"Each of us analyzes the situation in our own way. We organize different ideas and see what our options are."
"Possible scenarios. Reactions and consequences of our actions. If everything proves ineffective, we may need to seek an honorable way out. Let's take a pause."
"Tomorrow… we come back with something more solid."
The silence that followed was different.
They were all genuinely impressed by Luis. Such composure and reasoning were not common for someone his age.
Eduardo was the first to nod.
"That makes sense."
Augusto agreed soon after.
Miguel gave a slight nod.
"Better than acting in the dark."
The decision was made.
But none of them had any illusion that it would be easy.
In fact…
It was exactly the opposite.