In the Vasconcelos Mansion, tensions flared as James faced Katrina’s sharp suspicions over his whereabouts the previous night. Katrina sat upright, her eyes steady on him.“If you break my laptop, you’ll have to buy another one, okay?” she said coolly.James, his voice rising, retorted, “I’m tired of buying things for others!”“But aren’t you tired of BREAKING other people’s things?” she countered. “What kind of reasoning is that, James?”“Honey, I’ll only say it one more time: I – was – here!” James insisted.Katrina met his gaze with a calm defiance. “OK, let’s check.”She picked up her phone, and James’ tension briefly eased — she wouldn’t find anything in the tabloids since he hadn’t been at the Red Light Club that night.As she scrolled and came up empty-handed, she put the phone down.“OK,” she said, “you win for now.”James’ relief gave way to a renewed frustration. “FOR NOW? Katrina, when are you going to admit you’re wrong?”Katrina’s tone softened. “You know when, sweetheart
Lawrence was driving in his car when he received a phone call. Thanks to the car’s technology, he pressed a button on the dashboard, taking the call through there. This way, he wouldn’t have to use his cell phone (and break a traffic law).“Hello?”A female voice sounded from the car, “Hello, Young Mr. Sodré. We’re calling from the Braz Social Club. We want to confirm your attendance at the party that will take place here at the club regarding the start of production of the Glamour series.”Lawrence frowned, intrigued. “I was invited? I didn’t know that.”“Then we’ll cancel the entire party—”Lawrence sensed that the female voice retorted sharply, as if displeased.“Hey, wait! Why the exasperation? I didn’t say I wouldn’t go to the party.”The female voice corrected herself, returning to a friendly tone. “Oh, my apologies, Young Mr. Sodré. It’s great to confirm your invitation; we appreciate that.”Lawrence scolded her, “You know? I hate when people tell a story backward.”“What do yo
The day of the big party had arrived. The staff at the Braz Social Club gathered in a circle for prayer before their work began, hoping everything would go smoothly. They weren’t entirely at ease due to the recent chaos. So what if Fernanda Gabas and Romulo Ribas were in jail? Those unlucky customers could bring bad luck in other ways! The only thing that gave them some comfort was the presence of their savior, Lawrence Sodré. Lawrence arrived at the club, and for this reason, he was received with great reverence. “Young Master Sodré, come in, make yourself comfortable! The snacks will begin to be served!” “Thank you!” Lawrence smiled and expressed his gratitude as he entered. But upon doing so, his smile faded. He was worried about whether he could maintain the disguise that had somewhat been forced upon him. He had no idea what was going on, but for some reason, everyone was counting on him for the successful execution of the party. Would he be able to keep his composure
At Ferro House, Briana appeared wearing a black strapless midi dress, aiming to wear an elegant shawl or coat to add glamour and seriousness at the same time. She understood that the party was for the launch of her series and not a completely casual bash. Mark opted for a blazer without a tie, a white shirt, and brand new jeans. As the “manager” of Glamour, he couldn’t stand out too much. After all, the star of the night would be her, Briana, as it always should be. “Sweetheart, any news about Katrina?” Mark asked as Briana put on earrings in front of the full-length mirror. “She’s much better. Thank you for your concern.” Mark laughed disdainfully. “I’m not worried about her health. I wanted to know if she’s well enough to see you shining in this stunning outfit.” Briana laughed excitedly, pretending to be shocked. “Come on, don’t be heartless, dear.” “Katrina can’t die now.” Mark hugged her. “She needs to be alive to see you as a winner.” “We’re going to come out on top, reg
“Brie, Mark, come over here!” Luana gestured energetically. Briana and Mark approached. Looking around, they noticed the difference between this party and the previous one. The current party was more lively and oriented because Luana, unlike Fernanda, wanted everyone to have fun and not be reserved. Fernanda kept the party subdued because she had ulterior motives; even the food got cold that night. But with Luana, guests wasted no time eating, drinking, socializing, and dancing. Briana smiled in approval. “Wow, nobody is holding back today, huh? Why do the staff keep comparing this blowout party to the last one’s failure?” “They’re traumatized, but there’s no reason for it.” Luana nodded. “What do you think, Mark?” “The decoration is decent, and the music is pleasant,” Mark replied politely. “He, he, your husband has always been this way, with few words, hasn’t he?” Luana teased Briana and stepped aside. A waiter passed by with trays of champagne flutes, and Mark grabbed two
The audio-visual staff member, like the others, had a strong bias against Briana and the rest.“I already spoke to the manager,” he complained. “We need to ban you all from the Braz Social Club.”“HOW DARE YOU?” Luana shouted in horror.“You honestly expect us to show such content in front of all these people? This proves that you were responsible for the earlier chaos!” The employee became agitated, standing up.Briana heard Luana’s voice and turned her head in that direction. She frowned upon noticing Luana arguing with the employee.“Mark, something is wrong.”Mark also looked towards the audio-visual section, seeing Luana having trouble with the employee from a distance.Luana approached them, visibly scowling and disappointed.“What happened?” Briana asked, extremely worried.“It's absurd!” Luana replied. “The employee said the video they brought from Glamour isn’t the series teasers but something really embarrassing to watch. They checked before showing it to us and are accusing
After the success of the party (without the teasers), routine returned to ‘normal.’ Except for Mark and the strange feeling that something was wrong with those videos and Adrian’s absence. At Glamour, he appeared in the magazine’s editorial, scanning the place with fishing net eyes... until he found the fish he wanted. Adrian was at his cubicle as if he had never had a sore throat in his life. He greeted and gossiped with his colleagues about the party he had missed. Mary Ellen narrated enthusiastically, “Seriously, Adrian, you could have just taken a lozenge for your throat. Have you ever heard of honey and propolis?” Adrian shrugged. “What good would it do for me to medicate and go to the party? You didn’t serve soda or warm champagne, did you?” “No, you’re right. Everything was perfectly chilled.” “Then my presence at the party would have been a danger to my poor throat.” Adrian tapped his fingers on his throat. Mark approached them. “That’s really too bad, Adrian. But we d
At Vasconcelos Company, Katrina is back, smiling and confident of victory. “Good morning, Mrs. Ross!” “Good to see you back sober and secure, Mrs. Ross!” Katrina walked into her husband’s office, puzzled by the last statement. James noticed her grimacing. “What’s wrong, dear?” “Someone greeted me by saying they were happy to see me ‘sober’ and secure.” Katrina shook her head. “What does that mean? Do they know I drank before driving?” “Dear, you know what I think of that. By the way, when will we confront Briana and Mark for what they did?” James smiled maliciously. Katrina put her hand on her chin. “Honey, is that really how it happened?” “Briana telling Mark to cut the brakes on your car? Well, your brother was pretty convincing, right?” James repeated the lie, remembering the threats Christopher made to him. “I know we lost the hiring of actors I wanted for my series just when I was hospitalized. THAT wasn’t a coincidence, dear. But what did the police say about my car? Wa