The family meeting in Sandro and Nadia's apartment remained tense among them. Briana patted Mark's shoulder. "Darling, let me speak. Don't expose yourself." "Briana, why do you always take the hits?" Nadir brayed in disbelief. "Ever since you introduced Mark to us at our house, he positions himself behind you as if he's afraid." "Mother, your anger isn't with Mark; it's with me," Briana retorted bravely. "We don't want to be angry, daughter," Sandro tried to calm the situation. "We don't want to, but that's what we have," Nadir replied sourly. "Tell me, you two: what are you going to do moving forward? A little party at the Aurelia Cathedral isn't enough."The wedding party is just the beginning. You obviously had a crazy time on that isolated island, but now you're back to reality." Briana turned red with anger. "Mother, don't disrespect me! Are you envious of what I've accomplished thanks to Mark?" "Thanks to Mark?" Nadir sneered, staring at the impassive son-in-law. "You hav
Mark, finishing packing his and Briana's bags, heard Nadir's scandalous question and frowned in outrage. NO! They're not going to live in his house! Grabbing Briana's laptop, Mark noticed there was some dirt between the keys. Did someone drop cookie crumbs? Did Sandro or Nadir try to mess with their daughter's laptop after learning of her victory with the LCN Group? Resolute, Mark picked up the bags and returned to the living room. Before Briana could agree or disagree to bring her parents with them, Mark announced loudly, "Dear, here's your laptop. We can go." Nadir turned to Mark with bulging eyes. "We demand to know where you two are going to live!" "Dear mother-in-law, that's none of your business," Mark replied with an elegant smile, but the words burned like acid on Nadir's face. She gaped, unable to contain her outrage. "Is that how you treat your elders, you insolent? Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a pauper relying on the money and influence of others!"
Briana and Mark returned to Ferro House. In the suite, Mark puts his clothes in the closet he chose. Briana's voice reaches him. "You really didn't want them to come here, did you? I was considering it." "Exactly, that's why I wanted to stop you from doing this madness," Mark joked. "Maybe they'd settle down living in an environment that suits their lifestyle," Briana suggested thoughtfully. Mark shook his head and went to her closet. "Dear, people like your parents don't deserve to be in a beautiful mansion in an upscale, exclusive neighborhood. They don't know how to thrive; they don't have the gift." Briana was surprised by this. "How do you know that, dear? You talk like you're a born entrepreneur." Mark, feeling he had said too much, cleared his throat unnecessarily. "Uh... I can see these things, my dear. Tell me: who is the current president of the Vasconcelos Company?" "My uncle, Gilson, has always been at the helm of the business as long as I remember. Now he's taken
Glamour had been notified in advance that Briana would return after lunch. All the employees were on edge, eagerly anticipating the arrival of Briana and Mark. Speculation about Mark's future was rampant. The general manager of this company, who had caused quite a stir by marrying in style at the most sought-after venue in the city, wouldn't have her husband working as a janitor, right? There was someone who was not pleased with that: Celia. Since then, Celia had been weighing the pros and cons of having divorced Mark. While idly chatting at Mary Ellen's desk, she asked, "So, how's Mark's new role here at the company?" Mary Ellen rolled her eyes. "The world is so unfair. We, the good citizens, work hard at this company and don't get the recognition we deserve."Yet Mark, a mere janitor who would do us a favor by disappearing off the face of the earth, has been appointed interim manager while Miss Vasconcelos is still being hired." Celia asked further, "And now that they're bot
Adrian Curtis was quite unwilling to acknowledge Mark as someone equal to or above him. "What's going on here? Miss Vasconcelos, you brought the janitor—" BLAM! Briana slammed both hands on the desk, filled with fury and indignation. "What's your name, young man?" she asked fiercely. "Adrian Curtis, I'm the supervisor of—" "Did you not pay for your cable TV or internet plan?" Briana asked disdainfully, feeling like she recognized Adrian's last name from somewhere. Mark smirked, hoping Briana would make the connection: standing before her was the son of the man who had drugged her! Adrian, on his part, was annoyed to be reprimanded by a woman, typical of someone like him. "Er... Excuse me, Miss, but I don't allow a woman to speak to me in that tone." Noticing a significant glance from Mark, Gene sprang into action, sharply questioning, "So you allow another man to reprimand you? OK, you careless one! Don't call her 'Miss' anymore, she got married a week ago, remember?" Adrian
Briana continued, "Tomorrow I'll have a conversation with Susana Linz, Vice President of the LCN Group. We will go over all the details to ensure we have the best collaboration possible." Joana chimed in, "Imagine, if we could be the fashion consultants for the cast of a successful LCN drama series... Everyone would know that Glamour was behind it! We would launch new trends and be recognized throughout Aurelia, possibly even reaching all of Brazil!" "Exactly, Miss Damascene." Briana was intrigued, "Er, excuse me, but do you have any relation to the Damascene law family?" "My uncle is Miguel Damascene," Joana proudly replied. "I wanted to pursue a different profession." "Oh, that's cool." Briana felt proud to be in the presence of qualified people. Well, except for Adrian Curtis. "Just one more thing," Briana added as the last topic, "Mark Ferro will no longer be the janitor. When our collaboration with LCN begins, he will be in charge of the project." The surprise was universa
Adrian carelessly tossed Mark's resume onto Briana's desk and turned to him.His voice trembled with rage as he indignantly asked, "Is this some kind of joke?" "What are you talking about?" Mark asked sarcastically. "How dare you falsify such a resume?" Adrian turned to Briana, "Manager Vasconcelos, you cannot believe this nonsense!" Briana became increasingly stunned and annoyed with Adrian.She sat down and crossed her arms impatiently at the little show Adrian was putting on. "Would you like to explain to me civilly what is wrong with my husband's resume?" "The mistake starts with you having a mere janitor as a husband," Adrian argued. "Also, remember that I was working here before you showed up. My father hired this individual, but his resume wasn't like this!" "Were you involved in the hiring?" Briana asked indifferently, already knowing the answer. Adrian shook his head. "No, but do you really think my father would be crazy enough to hire Mark as a janitor if he had such q
Mark told Briana his story and about Celia. Of course, he omitted the part where he was supposed to reveal his true identity on their one-year wedding anniversary. He only mentioned that Celia decided to divorce him right on their anniversary, preferring to be with Adrian. Briana reacted with outrage to all of this. "What a foolish and impatient woman! So what if you were poor? You're a man worth paying attention to, Mark."You're an extraordinary guy. I can't quite explain it, but I feel that you can't be measured merely by financial standards." Mark smiled in gratitude. "I'm glad to hear those words, dear." "They're not just words from a devoted wife." Briana rose. "I'm serious. I'm confident you will be able to make that connection between Glamour and the LCN Group." "Thank you! I promise I'll do my best to make you proud." Mark could hardly contain what he felt. Here he was, pretending to be just a mere apprentice promising to deliver the best results to his superior when i