“Hello, Katty,” James greeted coolly.Snapping out of her stupor, Katrina spat, “Don’t ‘Katty’ me, you philandering bastard!”James raised an eyebrow, unfazed by her hostility. “Such aggression... Don’t worry, you won’t have to tolerate me anymore. I’m here to formalize my resignation.”Katrina turned to Gilson, her eyes pleading.But she only got Gilson’s expression remained stern and uncompromising.Desperately, she tried to find middle ground. “James... Listen to me. I know our marriage is going through a rough patch—”“It’s not a rough patch,” James interrupted firmly. “It’s the end of our union.”“But,” Katrina pressed, “we need to uphold our commitments to the company. If we lose you as one of the production directors for my series Hope Alive... How will we move forward?”James’s indifference was cutting. “You’ve already lost the support and sponsorship of the LCN Group—thanks to you, I might add. I don’t believe this series will go anywhere or even get released.”Gilson interje

Viviana turned toward the parking lot entrance, passing by the security booth on her way in.From inside the booth, Mauro, the familiar parking attendant, peered at her through the tinted glass.Viviana, ever the actress, donned her mask of innocence. She flashed an angelic smile and tapped lightly on the window. Mauro slid it open.“I hope Manager Vasconcelos won’t mind that I stepped out to handle a quick family matter,” she said, her tone sweet and disarming.“Those were your brothers?” Mauro asked, raising an eyebrow.“Yes,” Viviana lied effortlessly. “But it’s all sorted now.”Mauro nodded, visibly relieved. “Good to hear. If Manager Ferro asks, I’ll let him know what happened.”The mention of Ferro made Viviana’s stomach twist. Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she recovered. “Manager Ferro?”“Yeah,” Mauro replied casually. “Sometimes he asks about things that happen in the parking lot.”Viviana’s heart pounded as she strained to maintain her composure. She le

Adrian stepped into his apartment, clad in a workout tee and gym shorts, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He had just returned from the gym, and his expression was guarded, his brows furrowed in thought.On the couch, Anthony lounged, casually watching TV.Noticing his son’s wary demeanor, Anthony muted the television as the commercial break began.“What’s wrong, son?” he asked, his tone displaying concern.Adrian placed the duffel bag on a nearby dresser, hesitating for a moment before speaking. “Dad, remember what you said about James? Turns out we were wrong.”Anthony’s attention sharpened. “What happened?”Adrian crossed his arms, a grim look on his face. “James has sided with Mark.”Anthony chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. “No, no. They’re not friends. James is just using Mark to get closer to Briana, pretending to play nice.”Adrian frowned, unconvinced. “But would Mark really be that naive?”Anthony leaned forward, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Since when did we as

The living room of the Vasconcelos mansion buzzed with tension as Althea called the family together once again.The air was heavy with stress, and the expressions on everyone's faces reflected the weight of their name—a name that had long ceased to be a symbol of privilege and had instead become a burden.“I hear today was an eventful one for some of you,” Althea began, her sharp gaze sweeping across the room.Gilson frowned, suspicion creeping into his voice. “Mother... who told you?”Sandro responded with a sly, innocent smile, while Claudia pressed her lips tightly together, and Nadir absently ran her fingers over the pearl necklace that was rightfully hers.“Is it too much to ask for communication in this family?” Althea asked, her tone cutting.“Don’t confuse ‘communication’ with ‘gossip,’” Gilson snapped, his frustration boiling over.“Oh, I see,” Althea replied with icy sarcasm. “Because I’m an old woman living under this roof, I’m not supposed to know about the messes you all

The next morning dawned over Braspolis with a soft glow, the aerial view of the city bathed in golden light. The day promised a mix of tranquility and tension, a contrast that echoed in the lives of its inhabitants.Mark and Briana lay nestled together in the comfort of their bed. The silence of the room was abruptly interrupted by the simultaneous blaring of their phone alarms, making any attempt to continue sleeping impossible.Briana groaned. “Wow, who can sleep with this going on?”Mark chuckled softly. “No one. That’s the point.”Reluctantly, Mark reached over to silence his alarm while Briana did the same on her side.With a resigned sigh, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slipped her feet into her slippers.“I wonder how things are with my family right now,” she murmured, her gaze distant.Mark, still searching for his boxers, glanced at her. “You’re dying to find out, aren’t you? Why don’t you just go over there?”Briana turned to face him, catching the implicati