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
Matthew and Evan entered the Sterling Mansion foyer with irritated expressions.Jarbas, looking concerned, extended his hand to take Matthew’s coat.“Good evening, gentlemen! What happened?” Jarbas asked.“You wouldn’t believe it, Jarbas,” Evan replied, shaking his head.Jarbas responded with a knowing look, “I’ve been at the Sterling Mansion long enough to believe any madness, Secretary Evan.”“Alfredo Dantas got up to something again,” Matthew’s voice was cold and dangerous. “I gave it some time so his dismissal wouldn’t be too obvious.”“It seems like you should have fired him even if it caused a stir on social media,” Evan suggested.Matthew’s irritation was palpable. “That’s what I don’t understand. The Bento boys refused to get rid of Nate because, according to them, it would backfire on me. So, how come—”Jarbas put his hand to his right ear, nodding as he listened to the message through his earpiece. “I understand,” he said, then turned to Matthew. “Young Matthew, shareholder
Matthew, Thomas, and Evan entered Abner’s office with serious faces, ready to tackle another big problem. Matthew closed the door and gestured for his companions to take their seats.Thomas and Evan chose comfortable, upholstered chairs, while Matthew stood before them.“So?” Evan broke the silence.“Let’s hear what Mr. Turner has to say,” Matthew responded, gesturing to him.Thomas leaned forward, ready to sum up the situation. “Alfredo Dantas has been telling several board members who voted for Nathan that you intend to fire everyone, making a real purge of the board.”Matthew’s face twisted with outrage. “But that’s a lie!”He kicked a nearby chair, sending it crashing to the floor. The sudden noise startled both Evan and Thomas.Thomas nodded. “I figured it was a lie.”“I never said anything like that,” Matthew insisted. “In fact, I didn’t even mention Alfredo’s dismissal, although I had it in mind. How could the other board members have believed this lie so completely?”“I don’t