At the Sterling Empire headquarters, Sheila is now talking to Karl via video conference. “The old man Cardoso rejected our proposal?” Sheila reacts in shock. Karl responds from his office, “That’s a shame. Even Elaine was disappointed.” “Matt won’t like this…” Sheila grows suspicious. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he cancels his honeymoon plans with Elaine. And she could end the truce she and Vanda established.” “There won’t be any need for that.” Jonah shakes his head. “Your son can travel freely; we’ll take care of this. After all, we need to be of some use, right?” Sheila smiles, feeling more confident. “Did you read the article?” “Yes, I skimmed it.” Karl replied with a smile. He had saved the Urbano article in his ‘favorites’ on his computer. “The idiot called, wanting to convince me to come back, but I didn’t give him a chance. No ring in hand, no consent from me.” “That’s right, friend.” Karl does not hide his satisfaction. Sheila and he continue to chat amicably.******

“Excuse me, Mr. Silva.” Gustavo scratches the back of his neck. “There’s something I’m not understanding here.”“I’m willing to clarify any doubts.” Ronaldo smiles helpfully.“Where do you fit into all of this?” Gustavo narrows his gaze.“Here’s the thing: your sister showed up here wanting to pass you a message, but the doorman wouldn’t let her in.” Ronaldo leans back in his chair. “Patricia, my girlfriend, let her in. She introduced herself as the girl who was with Nathan Gouveia in that weird accident near the Happy Snack Bar.”Gustavo’s face turns red with embarrassment. “Yes, that’s going to become a stain on the Alvares family.”“She wanted to talk to you or your father.” Ronaldo completes the message. “She made it clear that she wants to talk at the Gibraltar Club. She’s expecting you at 7:00 PM because she doesn’t want to discuss this at home.”Gustavo smiles disdainfully. “Of course, she knows she has nowhere to run at home. That’s why she wants to discuss it in a public plac

The Gibraltar Club begins to fill up as the night goes on. Gustavo gestures to the waiter, pointing to Bella’s drink. “I can’t overdo it or I’ll get caught in a checkpoint.” “Good thing you’re a conscientious drinker.” Bella teases him. “Yes, others choose to drink and drive, putting their lives and their passengers at risk.” Gustavo smiles sarcastically. “Those people aren’t suitable for dating my younger sister.” “Now shut up!” Bella grinds her teeth. “I came here to warn you that I intend to pursue a serious relationship with Nate Gouveia.” Gustavo receives his drink but does not react to the news. “Gus, are you listening to me?” “I am, but I don’t know if I can accept such nonsense.” Gustavo seems to wake from a trance, shaking his head. “You don’t need to be that way, man,” Bella pleads. “I want to introduce Nate as my boyfriend to you and to our parents!” “They will never accept something like that, Bella!” Gustavo retorts sharply. “Better to let them decide,” Bella co

Matthew finished showering and comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He looks around and realizes that Elaine has not returned yet.He checks his computer, finding his inbox open.“Ah, grandpa replied. Great, I can get the passports and everything else.” Matthew smiles satisfactorily.Matthew heads to the closet to get dressed. Evan enters at that moment, noticing that the door has been fixed.“Young Matthew? Can I speak with you?”“I’m here in the closet, Evan!”Evan approaches but stands in a blind spot, so he doesn’t see his boss getting dressed.“Have you been on the Internet?” Evan asks cautiously.“I saw Urbano’s website announcing the end of my mom’s relationship with Jonah Lopes.” Matthew replied. “I admit it caught me off guard, huh?”“Me too, but that’s not quite what I wanted to talk about.” Evan takes a deep breath, summoning courage since he’s not looking at Matthew. “Germano Cardoso started a channel, a vlog, where he shares current news.”Matt

Sheila can’t help but let out an ironic chuckle as she hears Matthew grumbling about the situation they find themselves in. “What an ironic situation,” she comments after taking a generous bite of lasagna. “The Internet is buzzing with the news that I kicked Jonah out of my life, and now we’re going to depend on his book. Who could have predicted something like this?” “Surprises in life, Mom,” Matthew philosophizes. “But remember: we still have Jonah as our best writer and bestseller. That hasn’t changed.” “I considered the possibility that he might throw a tantrum, terminate our contract, and go elsewhere,” Sheila admits, her smile fading. “Where would he go?” Matthew shrugs. “If he leaves Golden Letters for that reason, no publisher would take him, fearing reprisal from us.” “That’s not really what we do, is it?” Sheila glares at her son. “I want to work peacefully as a shareholder in the conglomerate.” “Relax, Mom,” Matthew smiles affectionately. “You’re not going to get into