Tuesday. Elaine is abruptly awakened from the sleep she barely managed to get after hours of crying in pain and despair. The calmness of sleep turned into extreme irritation when Elaine discovered it wasn't the alarm clock but her phone that woke her up! "Who could it be at this hour?" she grumbles as she picks up the phone. Seeing that it's Matthew's number, Elaine promptly answers, "Hello?" On the other end, Matthew is already dressed in a fine linen suit, sitting on the sofa of his suite. "Hello, Elaine. I need to meet with Lawrence Vieira today. Arrange the meeting." "WHAT?" Elaine is shocked to hear her fiancé's request. "Why didn't you tell me yesterday?" "You seemed to be asleep," Matthew didn't ask, he sort of accused Elaine. "I WAS asleep! I took a long time to fall asleep!" Elaine complained. "And why did you take so long to sleep?" Matthew provokes her. "Don't be impertinent, Matt. You know very well why I took so long to sleep. Besides, I intended to handle other
Meanwhile, in the apartment upstairs, the unconventional couple Sheila and Jonah is sprawled on the floor, tangled among the mattress, pillows, sheets, and blankets. The marital activity was so beastly and inhuman that the bed couldn't hold up and broke. But this didn't discourage Jonah, who continued to assert his authority and virility over Sheila without hesitation. Now, Sheila couldn't move a millimeter without feeling extreme and excruciating pain. It felt like she had been ground in a coffee grinder or run over by a tractor! Being on the floor reminded her of the agreement with the neighbor downstairs. With a hoarse voice from all the yelling and crying, she tried to speak, "We broke... the promise..." "Huh?" Jonah's interjection came out strong and normal, as if he hadn't expended an ounce of energy during the tumultuous activity that lasted all night. "The promise... Mr. Vieira..." Sheila turned her head to the side and tried to sleep. She was utterly exhausted! Jonah,
Matthew looked at Karl for the first time. Karl, in turn, felt ashamed to reunite with his son under these circumstances, openly talking about his mother's intimacy in front of strangers! Karl knew that Sheila and Jonah's relationship was known to Matthew. Matthew cleared his throat unnecessarily and closed Elaine's office door. The situation was quite embarrassing! "Er... Are you Lawrence Vieira? Nice to meet you, I'm Matthew Silva Sterling." Karl felt a twinge of disappointment realizing that Matthew didn't recognize him. Both gentlemen shook hands. Karl thought maybe it was better this way. For now, he needed to keep the secret. Besides, many years had passed, and Matthew wouldn't recognize Karl disguised as 'Lawrence.' "Lawrence Vieira, your new PR." "I assume you live in the same building as my mother and Mr. Lopes, correct?" Matthew asked, trying to be casual. "Excuse me for the rudeness, Mr. Sterling—" "No, you have nothing to apologize for. I recognize that those t
Brennon visited Jonah’s penthouse. The writer had to take another break from his relentless marathon when he heard the doorbell. Poor Sheila couldn’t even tell if she was still awake... Unable to find something to wear, Jonah grabbed one of his books from the dresser and went to the door, placing it between his legs. Opening the door, Brennon was startled. He hadn’t had this privilege yet, even though he was dating. “Mr. Lopes, it seems I interrupted you. I’ll come back another day...” It was the tone of Brennon’s voice that made Jonah insist. “Wait, you sound like you know why I missed the meeting.” Brennon, who had taken two steps back, returned and faced the writer. “Yes, and I apologize for that.” “What?” Jonah was astonished, his eyes widening. “Er...” Brennon scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. “You don’t know? Your neighbor, Mr. Lawrence Vieira, lives downstairs. He complained that he could hear... your intimacy. But he let it slip when Matt was coming in!” Jo
The afternoon sun filtered softly through the blinds of Karl's office, casting stripes of light and shadow across the room.Vanda opened the door cautiously, her eyes catching sight of Karl, who was engrossed in the screen of a laptop he'd brought from his apartment. With a gentle click, she closed the door behind her.“Mr. Vieira, may I have a word with you?” Vanda’s voice was steady, though her tone carried a hint of curiosity.Karl looked up from his laptop, his expression shifting from focused to surprised. “Yes, Mrs. Borges. Any questions about our action plan?”Vanda hesitated, her fingers fiddling with the edges of her folder. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something a bit personal…”Karl’s demeanor softened as he adjusted his glasses, a smile creeping across his face. “Well, besides being business partners, I consider you a friend, Mrs. Borges. One of these days, invite me to dinner with your family.”A flicker of excitement danced in Vanda’s eyes. “That would be nice. My ques
Back to the Sterling Empire Headquarters, Matthew sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on the computer screen as he sifted through reports with an intense focus.The quiet of the room was broken by a soft knock at the door — three gentle taps that barely interrupted his concentration.“Young Matthew…” Evan’s voice was cautious as he entered.Matthew looked up, his attention shifting from the screen. “Yes?”“I need to inform you about something that happened. You know… your order with the Bento family guys?” Evan’s tone was hesitant, as though he was treading on delicate ground.Matthew’s interest was piqued, and he leaned forward slightly. “Speak. Did they fulfill the agreement?”Evan approached the desk, his posture tense, and swallowed hard. “Uh… Their superior said that, for your sake, they won’t eliminate Nathan so you won’t be accused.”Matthew’s dissatisfaction was evident as his expression darkened. “What does that mean?”“They fear you might be implicated. After all, you just becam
In Andreia’s office at Urbano Magazine, the calm outside was a rough contrast to the chaos within.Andreia sat at her desk, her phone ringing incessantly. Each call seemed to demand more of her attention than the last, adding to the mounting stress she was struggling to manage.“I know, I KNOW!” Andreia’s voice was strained as she spoke into the phone. “But unfortunately, my son no longer works here; that’s a reality we have to accept. I’ll send you everything by email because he left here without resolving almost anything…”As the call ended, Andreia sighed deeply, trying to regain her composure.She barely noticed Vicente entering the room until he moved directly to her side and gently took the phone from her hand.“Dear, hello… I didn’t see you come in,” Andreia said, a mix of surprise and exhaustion in her voice.“That’s the problem,” Vicente replied, his tone more serious than usual. “You’re working too much.”Andreia’s face softened as she looked up at him. “Aww, the hubby came
The night fell down in Blue Cove.At Jonah’s penthouse, Sheila managed to get up and was now walking very slowly to the kitchen, wincing in pain with each step.Karl was attentively cooking shrimp risotto on the stove.“Hmm, it smells good... Ouch!” Sheila said.“Be careful, dear. You should go back to bed,” Jonah advised.“Bed, where? Our bed went kaput,” Sheila replied playfully.Jonah, puffed up with pride, responded, “Of course, that’s how it should be! My dad raised me to be a virile man.”“I’ll congratulate my father-in-law one of these days,” Sheila said.At the mention of his father as “father-in-law,” Jonah burned his finger.“OUCH, DAMN IT!”“Everything okay, dear?” Sheila asked.Dismayed, Jonah replied, “Dear, you know my parents have passed away. I’m not that young.”“I’m joking. Did you really have to get scared because of that?” Sheila asked.“No, it’s the word you used,” Jonah said, his voice trailing off.Sheila’s smile faded, not liking the direction of the conversati