The chit-chat between Briana and Luana continued. "Anyway, you're not seriously thinking about forgiving your exploiting and dishonest family, are you?" Luana asked 'delicately'. "Ouch!" Briana pretended to feel pain, even though she still felt aches in her legs and backside. That Mark... "Don't get sensitive. I'm speaking the harsh reality this world imposes on us." Luana cut the lasagna, "I feel your grandmother is using your parents as bait to get you back to Vasconcelos Mansion." "Why, so I can go back to being the doormat Katrina wipes her feet on?" Briana shook her head vehemently, "No, thank you! I prefer to stay here, hidden with my husband, being happy and maybe stuffing this mansion with kids." "'Stuffing' would be the right word if he keeps this up!" Luana burst out laughing again. Briana smiles as if to say, 'You never learn, do you?' Luana, stopping her laughter, touched on the third subject, "Hey, friend, I've been thinking…" "Uh-oh, here comes trouble!" Briana m
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
Luana and Briana entered the latter's office and found Mark working. Anyone seeing Mark like this would confuse him for an ordinary 9-to-5 worker. However, Mark was taking the opportunity to check on matters related to his true identity. For example, he was reading everything Linda's guys had uncovered about Anthony and Adrian Curtis, the woman-beaters. Upon seeing the two ladies enter, Mark quickly changed the online documents and smiled at them. "Hello, ladies!" "Hey, you're not watching something inappropriate, are you?" Luana repeated the usual question, noticing Mark using the mouse. "I have nothing to hide." Mark challenged her. Luana, however, didn't approach the monitor like Adrian had done. She laughed and sat in a chair. Briana approached the desk. "I know you don't have those disgusting habits. By the way, why would you need to look at other women when you have me all night long?" "HEY, there are kids in the room!" Luana was surprised by the sudden change in tone o
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
Vasconcelos Mansion, dusk.The situation was tense in Althea Vasconcelos's house, with her two children nearly getting into a fight in the middle of the living room. "You need to teach your daughter some manners!" Sandro roars, "That's why mom is paying more attention to Briana!" "How ridiculous!" Gilson mockingly sneers, "Your daughter is surely submitting to the lowest and most degrading depravity that those guys from the slums always impose to their wives in bed!" Claudia chimes in, smiling maliciously. "But from what we know about Briana, the fact that she defended her husband so much here at home shows that she likes being degraded!" "SHUT UP!" Sandro kicks the coffee table. The coffee table had a glass top, and with the kick, it shattered. The shattering glass shocked everyone present. Althea pressed her lips together, and her body began to tremble with rage. Gilson and Claudia kept their composure, seeing Althea react in outrage, not wanting to worsen the situation for
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
The next day, Briana woke up feeling rejuvenated for her next task: selecting servants for the Ferro House. She thought an employment agency would send a highly selected team, but in reality, it was Mark through Linda who had chosen the candidates after an extensive review of their profiles. At the breakfast table, Briana joked, "So, does this mean yesterday was the last day I prepared any meals in this house?" "God willing, yes." Mark romantically smiled at his beloved wife. "Well, if I ever want to and am interested again, I will want to cook something, sweetheart," Briana promised with a tender tone. "Feel free, my love." Mark leaned toward her, kissing her on the cheek. "Anyway, I've got work to do." "Honey, people have been congratulating you on working so diligently. I was right: you are a rare gem that was being wasted in the maintenance sector. How could that obtuse Anthony Curtis not realize that?" Briana asked, intrigued. Mark had a serious look. "Forget about that in
The revealing conversation between Mark and Celia continued. "Did you hear?" Celia asked in a trembling voice. "Yes, they sent me the internal circuit video." Mark responded somewhat sternly. "Celia, I know you can't expect much from your boyfriend. But Glamour expects things like assault and violence against women not to occur on its premises." Celia leaned forward, anxious. "And why does this concern you?" "What do you mean?" Mark narrowed his eyes. "Why are you worried about this?" Celia pressed. "It's not what you think." Mark leaned back in his chair. "And what am I thinking?" Celia insisted more and more. "Celia, focus on the subject!" Mark cut her off sternly, "Adrian Curtis was punished by the company. From what I understand, he took his frustration out on you. How can the company resolve this without him possibly killing you? If the management decides to punish him for assaulting an employee inside the company premises, that imbecile will completely lose his sanity!"