In the afternoon light filtering through the blinds of Ronaldo’s office at Silva Oil Company, the air was light and relaxed. Ronaldo and Patricia, having just returned from a delightful lunch, were in high spirits.Ronaldo’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction as he remarked, “Ah... what a delicious lunch we had, didn’t we?”Patricia, still basking in the afterglow of their meal, agreed. “Yes, it was delightful. I hope to have one of the chefs at our mansion so we can always eat well.”Ronaldo’s smile widened as he gazed at Patricia. “He, he, he... I want to see you like this, always happy and beautiful.”Patricia chuckled softly. “It’s easier for me to be beautiful than happy.”Suddenly, Ronaldo pulled Patricia into a warm embrace. His voice took on a romantic tone as he asked, “What did we agree on?”Patricia, playfully, responded, “You know I forgot? Oh! I remembered: always be positive.”Ronaldo nodded, his expression earnest. “Exactly! I don’t want to hear any more complaining. You’r
Matthew returns to Sterling Mansion. Evan follows him, entering through the foyer.“We’re already arranging for Elaine’s move, boss.”“Good. The sooner, the better. Is she awake?” Matthew asks with an eager smile.Jarbas appears, descending the stairs. He heard what Matthew asked.“Young Matthew, Miss Prates had breakfast in bed.”Of course, the poor thing could barely hold a spoon or cup, needing assistance from the maid!“I’ll go up.” Matthew grins mischievously, heading up the stairs.Jarbas and Evan exchange glances, suspicious of what Matthew intends to ‘do.’“How did the big extraordinary meeting go?” Jarbas asks, trying to hide his discomfort.Evan smiles with satisfaction. “Young Matthew nailed it, as always! He defeated Nathan Gouveia once and for all, assigning Alfredo Dantas to manage the branch in Victoria.”Jarbas feels relieved. “Ah, what a clever move by our young boss! If he had fired Mr. Dantas, the other board members might have felt uneasy. Even though the old man i
At Silva Oil Company, Fernando and Ronaldo discuss how Patricia can participate in the company as a spokeswoman.Ronaldo rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Patty, how about you take part in the informational commercials we produce for the public?”Patricia ponders for a moment. “The family model is Jackson.”Fernando makes a face, pretending to be disgusted. “Ew. We don’t want something sexy to attract the ladies’ attention. We want you, being beautiful and demure, appealing to the general public.”Patricia laughs. “Ha, ha, ha… Come on, guys? Jackson can help too.”“Yes, by acting as a seductive dockworker, shirtless, flexing his muscles while carrying heavy crates of goods.” Fernando doubles down on the teasing, causing Patricia to laugh even more.“Enough, Dad, too much detail.” Ronaldo shakes his head. “Patty, I was thinking of something more informative and civic, like, for example, our commercials informing people that we’ve never had an oil spill, ruining the sea and marine life.”Pat
Jonah returns to the penthouse only to find Sheila calmly and domestically preparing dinner in the kitchen. The day was fading over the urban horizon, visible through the open windows.Jonah preferred to observe his girlfriend’s scene. Approaching with slow steps, his tone was romantic. “This calls for a nice Italian wine, what do you say?”Sheila smiles upon hearing Jonah’s voice. She responds while stirring a pot of country chicken stewed with potatoes, “Yes, the proposal needs to be special.”“The proposal?” Jonah loses color in his face.“Yes, aren’t you going to propose to me today?” Sheila continues with her back to Jonah, not seeing him step back in panic.“Darling, it’s still too early!” Jonah can’t take it anymore. What’s going on, a conspiracy?Sheila, however, thinks Jonah is joking and laughs heartily. “He, he, he... I know the idea always scares men, but if they want to start a family and continue the family line, marriage is necessary.”Jonah crosses his arms in disdain.
The next day, Evan cautiously entered Matthew’s suite. Last night, neither he nor Elaine came down for dinner, which meant they... But upon entering the suite, there were no creaking noises or the incessant rhythmic banging of the bed against the wall. Evan identified the sound of a shower running in the bathroom. He took the liberty of opening the door and entering. Inside, Matthew was showering as if the marathon of love had been just a casual jog for him. “Good morning, Young Matthew. How are you?” “Fine.” Matthew’s voice was firm and clear. Evan frowned. His boss’s stamina is relentless! “I came to check on how things are between you and your girlfriend. Now that she’s living here, will she handle the wedding preparations?” Matthew turned off the shower with a contemplative expression. What to do? “It’s better if you handle that for me, Evan.” Matthew decided. Poor Elaine won’t even be able to open her eyes today. “OK. I’ll be available for anything. Ah, the articles b
Matthew was now having breakfast in the dining room, dressed and with his hair styled, still damp from gel. Evan entered the kitchen, unsure whether to mention this to him. “Any problem, Evan?” Matthew asked with a smile. “Young Matthew, Miss Andrade wants to speak with you.” Evan cleared his throat unnecessarily. Matthew remained calm. “Call her in. If she hasn’t had breakfast yet, we have a place for her.” “It won’t be necessary, Matt.” Jacqueline was nearby and entered, sitting in the chair next to him. Evan withdrew, confident that Matthew would handle this situation as well. “What did you want to say to me, Jacque?” Matthew asked as he cut his toast. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?” “No, thank you. I’ve already had breakfast.” Jacqueline continued to smile gracefully. “I came to tell you that I’ve made a serious decision.” Matthew smiled sympathetically. “You don’t need to tell me, Jacque.” Jacqueline lost some of her composure. “Huh... Have they already
Nathan woke up in the bed of a girl he met in the dark streets of Blue Cove. At first, his eyes had to adjust to the new environment. His vision slowly cleared from blurry to sharp. Nathan frowned and squeezed his eyes, unable to recognize or remember how he ended up in this place. “Where am I?” he asked in a groggy voice. Beside him in the bed was the girl he had spent the night with. The room was not a luxury suite in some hotel where he intended to hide. On the contrary, it looked like a shabby place in Lion’s Den! Nathan struggled to get up, feeling aches all over his body, and realizing he was missing clothes. “What happened?” he tried to speak faster, but his voice came out sluggishly. The girl started to stir, showing signs of being disturbed in her sleep. “Argh... Who’s speaking so loudly?” Nathan finally leaned against the headboard and rubbed his eyes. Ugh! How tired he was! Usually, when something like this happened, he didn’t feel so wrecked... “You overdid it
Nathan waited for the girl with the sorceress look to explain how they met or what really happened. “So, girl, tell me what happened,” Nathan insisted with irritation in his voice. “Well, we met on the street and you took me to a cool restaurant. Siren, that’s the name. Then we drank more wine than we had for dinner,” the girl replied, seemingly amused. “And what kind of place is this? Lion’s Den?” Nathan looked around the shabby room with disgust. “What’s wrong with being in Lion’s Den?” The girl teased him. “I take you to dinner at the Siren restaurant, and you still ask why it’s strange to be in the slums?” Nathan decided to get up and pick up the clothes on the floor. “Don’t be so prejudiced against the slums.” The girl lost some of her cheer. “Didn’t we have the grand opening of the water and sewage treatment yesterday? The lovely Patty Borges gave a speech—” The girl stopped as she saw Nathan hurriedly getting dressed, as if he wanted to escape from a war zone! “I can’t