"Don't you feel that way?" Mark asked affectionately. Briana softened her gaze, looking like a little girl waiting for her dad to return from work to hug him. "No, Mark. I may seem naive, but I really felt like my dad was being sincere with me, just telling me what happened to him without any ulterior motive." "I admire your faith in humanity, dear." Mark stroked her hair. "And you, do you not have that faith?" Briana was intrigued to uncover another facet of her husband. "Well, unfortunately, because of my past..." Mark chose his words carefully. "My life hasn't been easy." "Are you referring to poverty?" Briana probed further, "I remember when we just got married, you went to your old apartment to get your things. It was a pretty rundown complex, if I may say." Mark smiled. "Yes, I allow that. I have no issue with that. Anyway, let's keep an eye out, shall we?" Briana crossed her arms. "The one who is really trying to behave out of her character is Grandma Althea. Yesterday,

At Ferro House, Briana and Luana are having lunch in the kitchen. There were leftovers from yesterday's lasagna. Luana mixed in other things, like rice and a green salad, to add it up. Luana had to do this because Briana still felt shattered and sore. Sitting at the table caused grimaces of pain and discomfort for Lady Ferro, making Luana burst into laughter. "HA, HA, HA! I understand you, my friend." Luana teased while Briana turned beet red from embarrassment. "Stop it, Luana, I thought you were my friend!" Briana couldn't eat due to her awkwardness. "Let me guess: your virile and insatiable hubby wanted to 'celebrate' your victory with the LCN Group, right?" Luana provoked, eager for the juicy details. Briana can't help but let a mischievous smile escape from her lips. Yes, what a celebration… Mark knows exactly how to handle that! Does the Military Force of Aurelia teach their soldiers to be skilled with their wives in marital intimacy? How? Briana tried to veer away from

Meanwhile, Katrina was sulking in the living room of the Vasconcelos Mansion. Christopher appeared and found her like this. "Sis, what's with that face? What did James do to you this time?" Katrina shook her head. "You immediately thought it was something related to my husband. Why do you hate my man, Chris?" "Is he really your man?" Christopher sat down on the sofa next to her. "Yes, he is! What nonsense is this?" "Well, I was thinking about a certain occasion when he should have been with you but chose to spend time with escorts instead," Christopher replied sourly. Katrina poked her brother. "Shh! Don't say something stupid like that! No one knows if that's really what happened." "Oh, sis..." Christopher slowly shook his head, "Your husband is swimming in the pool outside. There are no white marks on him, not even where he should be wearing swim trunks. The Speedos he's wearing now are quite tiny, making the maids swoon." "And so? That doesn't mean he was with anyone..." K

The loud music and the dancers doing everything but dancing properly on stage didn't distract Anthony and Adrian from their conversation. Anthony insisted, "Son, how are things at Glamour? You already told me about the absurdness of the company having Mark the Pauper from janitor to manager. What's he doing there?" "Dad..." Adrian was about to cry like a baby. Anthony had no patience and slammed his fist on the table. "ADRIAN! Swallow those tears, don't be a crybaby!" "Dad, you would definitely cry if you were in my shoes. Do you know what happened?" "I won't know if you keep crying like a little girl." Anthony glanced at the dancers who were trying to entice the customers. "The HR manager, Gene, he called me in to talk. He said I wouldn't be getting paid for a week!" Adrian recounted dramatically, with watery eyes. The waitress appeared with the drinks. Adrian grabbed his and nearly downed it in one go. "This is unacceptable!" Anthony complained, "Come on, what was their just

Briana felt embarrassed by the question. "Uh... Chris, I don't want you to have any illusions about Luana. She really isn't interested in anything beyond friendship." "That Karl is still—" Christopher interrupted himself, "Oops, I can't say those things anymore. Grandma gets disgusted and forbade us." "Huh? Chris, what are you really saying?" Briana frowned, confused about the conversation. She checked the oven. Christopher didn't know how to respond without implicating Katrina. "Nothing much, cousin." "OK, Luana admitted that she has 'known' Karl in the biblical sense." Briana commented, "And if Grandma Althea doesn't want you to talk about it, it means you guys are discussing those vulgarities. But Luana isn't the subject of discussion, right? She's not that close to the family." "Cousin..." Briana hit the nail on the head, "You were talking about me and Mark, weren't you?" "ARGH!" Christopher felt cornered, unable to escape. "You started it, huh?" Briana, leaving the phone