“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
Back at Glamour, Luana takes a deep breath as she closes the door, unsure of how to approach the grim conversation she’s about to have with Adrian. “Miss Barros, I need to get back to work,” Adrian rolls his eyes, impatiently. “You are working,” Luana states firmly. “And you’re going to work overtime to make up for your absence yesterday.” Adrian raises his eyebrows. “I already told you I was terribly sick!” “Okay, take your medical certificate to Gene to justify your absence,” Luana replies with a slight smile, as if expecting something. Adrian shudders, retreating from his resolve. This was the reaction Luana anticipated. “What’s wrong? Don’t you have a medical certificate? Was your sore throat a made-up excuse?” Luana presses him against the wall. Adrian reacts defensively. “Why would I fake being sick? I’m not a child.” “You sounded like a child making up that sore throat to avoid going to your company’s party, promoting two shows that would help fatten your bank account.”
In Briana and Luana’s new office, Luana decides to confide in her boyfriend about what she discovered regarding her best friend’s marriage. “Karl, what I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential,” Luana asks. “I found out how Mark and Brie decided to get married. Everything is shown in that video.” “They wanted to play that video instead of the teasers?” Karl raised his eyebrows. “That’s right,” Luana shook her head. “The video shows Mark carrying Briana in his arms outside in the parking lot. He takes her to Briana’s old car. It looked like Brie was feeling sick. But instead of taking her to the hospital... the car started shaking.” Karl feels an embarrassing heat wash over him. “Wait, Luana, are you suggesting that—” “I don’t know what to think,” Luana’s voice trembles. “Did Mark take advantage of the situation with Briana? Remember, dear: Briana never wanted to tell us how she and Mark met. Sometimes she reacted with fear.” “That fear would be of Mark? That doesn’t seem
“Karl, leave me alone with my friend,” Luana said solemnly. Karl nodded and stepped out. Briana went to her desk and placed her bag on the surface, not understanding what was happening. “Look at these beautiful desks they left for us, my friend…” “Brie!” Luana didn’t smile, looking at Briana with a look of pity. Briana felt her heart race, sensing that her best friend was about to announce a tragedy. “Brie, I know you’ve always tried to avoid this topic. It must have been painful for you,” Luana positioned herself toward the door. “But it’s time we talked about when you and Mark—” Luana’s move was clever. Briana instantly wanted to run out of the office, but Luana grabbed her, blocking her escape and pushing her back near the desk. “Let me go, Luana, LET ME GO!” “I already know the whole truth, Briana!” “NNOOOO!!!” Briana tried to escape the office two more times, feeling suffocated. Luana, with uncommon strength, wouldn’t let her best friend escape this time. “Karl must b
Ray and Alanna exchange glances, and the camera captures the moment as if it were something forbidden to say.“Well, everyone is going to find out, right, Alanna?” Ray asked playfully.“It’s going to appear in the opening or closing credits of every episode.” Alanna shrugs. “Yeah, we’re under the jurisdiction of Vasconcelos Company.”Lisandro nodded. “What do you think of this arrangement? I’ve heard various actors are competing for a spot to work with Glamour.”Ray let out a hearty laugh and leaned back on the sofa, trying to project an air of relaxation. “Nah, we’re cool. When Sandro Vasconcelos approached us with this opportunity, we didn’t think much about it. We received the pilot episode, liked what we read, and quickly contacted our agent.”Alanna nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Mr. Sandro Vasconcelos was very kind to us.”Lisandro threw more fuel onto the fire. “By ‘Sandro Vasconcelos,’ are you referring to the older brother, the father of Briana Vasconcelos, who is workin