Cindy decided to get up after observing that the tan on her arms and legs was what she expected. Then, she notices the buzz among the bathers.The girls said to each other, “Look at those two! Are there any photo shoots happening around here?”“Maybe a commercial for those stylish sunglasses.”“Friend, are you noticing the sunglasses?” This indiscreet question caused laughter among the women.A jealous young man retorted, “Don’t be fooled, girls! Two handsome guys like that must be a couple!”“GET OUT!” The women refused to believe.Cindy, interested, fixes her gaze on the two friends who are causing commotion on the beach...And her jaw drops when she recognizes who they are!To increase her bad luck, Ricardo appears from another dive. He approaches and hugs Cindy from behind.“What’s wrong, honey?”Cindy is scared. She didn’t expect that one.Meanwhile, Matthew got closer and closer to the sand. He managed to discern Cindy among the sunbathers.But the sight of Ricardo appearing and
Sheila heads to the living room window. She notices a black luxury car parked not far away with two bodyguards keeping watch.“You guys better get out of here.” She turns to Abner and Evan, “My neighbors will comment. I don’t want Matthew to be harmed at all.”Abner nods, “OK, Sheila. But now you know everything. I’ll no longer allow you two to be away from me, away from family, and away from what you deserve.”“I don’t want your money or your lifestyle.” Sheila retorts.Evan counters, “But you asked if Matthew wanted that? Did you allow your son to choose whether he wanted to have a good life or not? I bet he doesn’t even know everything about his father.”“He knows his father died in a car accident when he was very little.” Sheila responds defiantly, “He knows what he needs to know.”Abner shakes his head, “Sheila, as I told you before, it’s time to put an end to this. Tell Matthew the truth today. I’ll meet him at the university office on Monday to explain further. Let’s go, Evan.”
After classes, Matthew is talking to Walter at the kiosk.“Can you believe my EX-girlfriend had the gall to demand that I help her with her internship?” Matthew complains while eating a natural sandwich.“Why would she ask you for help?” Walter takes a sip of guava juice.“Because she saw us on the beach on Saturday. She became jealous while I was talking to Dayse, and Ricardo got angry with her, threatening to kick her out of the LCN.” Matthew reports with satisfaction.“You seem to enjoy her misfortune.” Walter watches him.“She had fun when she started dating another richer guy, knowing I was poor.” Matthew shrugs, “Why did she start hanging out with me?”“Maybe she hoped you would turn out to be an unknown heir or prince of some kingdom out there.” Walter scoffs without suspecting that he called his friend what he is.Matthew shakes his head and eats some more. Patricia approaches them.“What’s up, boys?”“Patty, congratulate the new grill cook. He knows the job. The sandwich is w
“Patty, I’m so embarrassed to ask you this.” Sheila states with a lump in her throat and a shaky voice, “But Matt is right. You need to leave.”“What’s going on here?” Patricia isn’t convinced, “What’s that picture, Matt?”“MATT!” Sheila warns her son to keep his mouth shut.“Patty, as you can see, this will be a very serious matter. Please.” Matthew softens his face to convince his friend that everything is fine.Patricia turns off the iron, “OK, your clothes are ironed. Your mother was enjoying the soap opera. Good night to you both!”Somewhat upset, Patricia leaves. Matthew closes the door.Sheila takes the remote control and turns off the TV. She sits on the sofa.“So...” Sheila finally says something, “You found out...”“Mom, aren’t you going to ask where I took this photo?” Matthew positions himself in front of her, standing, intrigued, “So, do you already know that I got this photo in Golden Letters?”“Yes, my son...” Sheila’s voice indicates that she is about to cry.“And why
Abner told the story to Matthew, adding some details from his point of view. Matthew listened intently, feeling like he was listening to a fairy tale. He would never even dream of suspecting that he was worthy of a multi-million dollar business empire.When Abner finished, Matthew started asking questions that he didn’t dare to ask Sheila, “Grandpa, my mother suspects that someone in the family ordered the accident.”Abner, however, dismisses the theory with a gesture, “Your mother thinks that, because your father was the only heir in sight, he would be fatally targeted by envious people, in this case, my son-in-law Vicente Gouveia, your uncle. But that is absurd. Your uncle is incapable of doing such a thing.”Matthew caught the tone used in the word ‘incapable’, “He’s not one of high achievement, right?”Abner wrinkles his nose, “It was obvious from the beginning that he was only marrying my daughter Andreia for our money. But Andreia loves the idiot, and I didn’t want to be one of
“Hey guys, what’s going on here?” Matthew asks as he approaches the commotion.Ricardo becomes angrier, “Ah, the object of Cindy’s desire has arrived! Enjoy and be happy together!”“RICARDO, stop being jealous, for God’s sake!” Cindy snorts inelegantly.The college students start recording the scene on their cell phones, having the time of their lives.Patricia shakes her head, “Matt, that ex-girlfriend of yours is trying to get back to her previous status. You guys better talk.”Matthew’s gaze is surgical as he looks at Patricia, “What mark of slap is that?”Ricardo smiles deprecatingly, “In addition to being poor, the guy is stupid.”Matthew turns to him, impatiently, “Didn’t you have to investigate a corrupt politician? What are you doing here?”“I came to talk to my ex-girlfriend, thinking she had recovered her mind. I was wrong, apparently. You showing up in new clothes was enough for her.”Only now does Cindy notice Matthew’s clean, new clothes. She also checks his sneakers whos
Matthew finds himself at the Blue Sea Mall, which coincidentally is where he purchased the new clothes paid for by Walter. He even passed by the store, taking a peek inside. When he could see the two girls at the cash register working and serving customers with fake smiles, he shook his head and continued on his way.Probably, if it weren’t for the third attendant, Vivian, one of them would refuse to swipe Walter’s credit card.Not trying to focus on bad things, Matthew met with the mall employee who was organizing the literary exhibition.“Even with people buying digital books and reading them on their cell phones, those who are fans of the writers tend to buy the physical book because of the autograph.” The employee, a man in his thirties, explains to Matthew, “That’s why we still hold these fairs. And there’s always that one person who prefers paper.”“I know, and I’m one of those,” Matthew admits. As he has always lived in poverty, his cell phone has always been an outdated model.
Nathan is surprised by a company newbie trying to stifle a laugh after he introduces himself as heir to the Sterling Empire.The fact is that the situation was ironic and funny: the newcomer was the real heir!Matthew was supposed to be discreet, but he could tell from afar that Nathan was just another playboy who was lavish with beauty and money, without being properly interested in the family business.“I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling.” Matthew clears his throat, “I wasn’t prepared to meet the heir to the Sterling Empire.”“You don’t read newspapers, do you? You didn’t recognize me?” Nathan retorts, very offended.Elaine cleared her throat, “OK, let’s not make a fuss about this, shall we?”“I just want to work in peace.” Matthew gestures.“If you continue to work like this, young man, there will be no work for you around here,” Nathan responds arrogantly, looking Matthew up and down as if he were a bug.Matthew swallows his indignation for now.“I came to talk about the 2022 literary exhibi