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 As he has always lived in poverty, his cell phone has always been an outdated model.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
Matthew is leaving Golden Letters. Behind him, beyond his friends Brennon and Augusto, the sun sets on the landscape of Blue Cove.“This can’t happen, Matt!” Augusto says angrily, “What’s happening that no one lets you work here?”“Is there some mystery involved?” Brennon suggests, a little scared.Matthew shakes his head. If he didn’t know in advance that he was the heir to the Sterling Empire, he would also be in doubt. But now, he is in control of the situation.“Don’t worry, guys. Tomorrow you’ll see me back like nothing happened.” Matthew smiles confidently.“You’re confident you’ll make it back.” Brennan is surprised.“Brennon, if you don’t assert yourself in certain situations, people like Nathan Sterling will always abuse you. No wonder he’s not being considered to succeed the old Sterling.”Augusto’s eyes widen, “What did you say, man? Is Nathan Sterling not going to inherit the empire anymore?”Matthew realizes he said too much and tries to correct himself, “Ehr... I read in
The limo transports Matthew, Sheila, and Abner to the Sterling Mansion.Sheila is frowning, acting like a child who is being forced to go somewhere against her will. Matthew, however, acts like the star-struck child being taken to the circus.As they cross the most upscale neighborhood of Blue Cove, a replica of Sunset Village, Matthew glues himself to the vehicle’s window and holds his breath at every beautiful thing he sees.“Look, Mother! Look at the beautiful mansions, the beautiful cars, the beautiful women!”“MATT!” Sheila barks, “Don’t be a pervert!”Abner laughs heartily, “Leave your son, Sheila.”“You look like you’re not interested, Mom.” Matthew frowns.Sheila crosses her arms, “Nothing here is new to me.”The driver turns the car onto a more exclusive street.As if they were on a Hollywood set, the limousine reaches an automatic gold-colored wrought iron gate. The guards located at the guardhouse identify the driver and open the gate.Matthew’s mouth is open so wide that a
Still in the living room where the portraits were, Sheila was standing, unhappy with the outcome of the events.She went to university to try to dissuade Abner from making Matthew the next president of Sterling Empire.But Abner not only managed to convince Matthew but also brought him to the mansion, knowing purely that he couldn’t resist the idea of living in such a chic and refined place.Sheila heard footsteps but didn’t want to know who was approaching. The other person who entered, however, made her turn around.“Sheila.”Sheila turns on her heel and smiles sarcastically, “Oh... Hello, dear mother-in-law.”Alice Sterling, a sixty-five-year-old woman, was wearing a neutral-colored pantsuit and matching skirt. Her white hair was tied up in an elegant bun. Unlike many elderly women, Alice maintained an acceptable weight, as she was adept at light sports such as tennis and walking.If someone didn’t pay attention, she would say that Sheila was older than Aline!“For Christ’s sake, w
The next day, Matthew slowly wakes up in his big bed and stretches out with a smile like a ten-year-old boy.Never again will he open his eyes and see an ugly, dirty, and dark house. Now he is in a very clean and bright room, feeling scented sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. The fact that he slept naked added to the feeling of freshness.“Welcome to your new life, Matt.” He speaks to himself.But his break was about to end. When he turns to the right and sees his cell phone on the bedside table, Matthew is startled.“Oh, heavens, the heir here still has college to attend!”Matthew throws the blankets away and goes straight to the shower, grabbing the fluffy white towel that was on a chair.While showering, Matthew realized that the towel should have been left on the bathroom hook. He mentally reproached himself for this. Now that he’s living in a fancy house, he needs to maintain some order and organization. The days of chaos and mess he was used to are over.So, when he finished sho
Matthew approaches the kiosk, trying to understand how Patricia isn’t screaming for help when being molested by David.Clayton sees him and approaches him, “Oh, for God’s sake, but what are we looking at here? Matt, I’m not even going to ask you to hug me because I don’t want to stain your clothes!”“Don’t overdo it, Clay.” Matthew feels entitled to call his former boss by his nickname.“I’m not exaggerating, I’m telling the truth. So, what can I serve you with? We’re not preparing snacks yet.”“No, it’s too early for a burger.” Matthew points to the kiosk, “I thought you took up the waiter work to avoid that.”Clayton turns around and sees David talking to Patricia, “He can’t molest her while she’s inside. And she’s not screaming for help, so...”“So you let the two of them talk normally as if they were friends?” Matthew is outraged.Clayton grins, “Are you jealous? Go on then and claim your girlfriend!”Matthew controls himself, “You sound like my mother. Patricia Borges is not my g
Matthew is curious and stunned to hear from David that he talked peacefully with Patricia, even daring to make peace.“Look, man, I can accept that you tried to apologize. But to say that Patricia accepted you as a friend...”“I didn’t say we became best friends overnight.” David retorts, “I said we’re fine for now. I promised not to bother her and ordered Bryce to apologize to her as well. I heard what he was up to while I wasn’t here.”“Your friend wanted to ‘enjoy’ her in the same way you said.” Matthew accuses him, “You can’t say something like that to women and get away with it. I imagine you’ve done that to other girls...”“Keep to yourself, Matthew! You really are an enigma to me.” David shakes his head.Matthew chuckles, “What’s so hard for you to understand?”“You were dating Cindy Cardoso, a campus beauty who you didn’t deserve, but you always showed extreme care for the waitress. Did you realize that your ex-girlfriend didn’t even show up to college today?”Matthew frowns.