Paulina swept the living room floor, still troubled by Bella’s outburst earlier.“That girl was so rude to me and then left without saying where she was going,” Paulina muttered under her breath. “We may be poor, with little hope for improvement, but she still needs to find a job!”As if on cue, Bella walked in, wiping away her tears, startled to find her mother there.“Oh, I thought you were taking your afternoon nap,” Bella said, trying to sound casual.“I already did,” Paulina replied, her tone guarded. “Now I’m tidying up the house, something you should be helping with. Or better yet, maybe you could get a job.”Bella sighed, “Mom, it’s hard to find work in this country.”“Your sister could get you a secretarial or receptionist job at the clinic,” Paulina pressed.“I hate the hospital atmosphere.”“What about your father and brother? They could help you get something at Silva Oil Company.”Bella slumped onto the couch, her frustration evident. “Everyone from the neighborhood works
At Golden Letters, Sheila sat at her desk, reviewing the photos Jackson had taken, her eyes scanning the screen with satisfaction.Across from her, Patricia and Jackson waited, both smiling with excitement.“These turned out really well, didn’t they, Sheila?” Patricia asked, clearly pleased.“Excellent work,” Sheila agreed. “Jackson, make sure to update your financial details with HR so we can deposit your payment.”“Thanks, Sheila,” Jackson replied.“At first, he was a little hesitant, but I managed to cheer him up,” Patricia chimed in, throwing a warm glance toward Jackson.Sheila stood up, nodding. “I know this isn’t your usual gig, Jackson, but you did great.”Jackson shrugged, a hint of seriousness crossing his face. “I need the money to find my own place.”The remark caught Sheila’s attention, and Patricia’s smile faltered slightly.“I thought you had reconsidered,” Patricia said, her voice tinged with disappointment.“What am I supposed to do, Patty?” Jackson shot back. “Move C
In the living room of the Alvares family home, Paulina sat comfortably on the sofa, chatting on her cell phone with her daughter Linda. A wide smile lit up her face, a stark contrast to the stern and worried demeanor she typically displayed when dealing with her other daughter, Bella.To Paulina, Linda was the responsible and sensible one in the family.“Thank you for checking in, honey,” Paulina said. “Your father was about to send out a search party.”At the other end of the call, Linda had finally propped herself up against the headboard, still wrapped in blankets and too exhausted to get out of Walter’s suite.“Mom, that’s ridiculous! I’m just staying over at the Andrade family mansion in Golden Sun.”“So, are you getting along with Miss Andrade? Bella mentioned something about you dating her son, young Mr. Andrade.”Irritated, Linda snapped back, “I’m in a healthy relationship with Walter Andrade, Mom. Please take whatever Bella says with a grain of salt. How is she, anyway?”Pau
In the dining room of the Andrade Mansion, Jaqueline and Emmanuelle were carefully inspecting the entire setup.The maids had arranged the chairs, cleaned them, replaced the tablecloth, and were now placing the special silverware and dishes reserved for such occasions.Emmanuelle picked up a spoon and admired its shine, smiling with satisfaction.“It’s like I’m looking in a mirror,” she said.“That’s the idea, Mom,” Jaqueline replied with a grin.“Congratulations, girls, everything looks perfect. How about the food?” Emmanuelle asked.“Everything is ready, madam,” one of the maids assured her.Emmanuelle beamed with pride. “Well then, this dinner is going to be a success!”Jaqueline, feeling the excitement, reached for her cell phone. “Wait a second, everyone, I want to capture this moment!”She positioned herself in a corner to take a photo, but her screen lit up with notifications from social media.‘Hmm, I’ll check those messages later,’ she thought. She snapped the picture and gav
Inside the dining room of the Andrade Mansion, Zachary was escorted to his seat alongside his parents.Before sitting down, they were warmly greeted by the hosts. The atmosphere was formal, though not excessively so — elegant, but relaxed.Charles smiled, “Mr. and Mrs. Loss, please, have a seat!”Damiano responded, “I think we can drop the formalities, Charles. Just call me Damiano, and this is my wife, Katia.”Katia nodded, agreeing, “Exactly, we’re all family now.”With a chuckle, Charles added, “The young man here said he’d lose his tongue if he ever called me Chuck!”The room filled with easy laughter, and Damiano, still smiling, said, “Maybe after the wedding... for now, let’s stick with Charles.”Zachary nodded, “Okay, Dad.”And with that, Damiano had granted Zachary permission to address Charles by his first name.******Later that evening at the Happy Snack Bar, Nathan attentively absorbed management tips from Clayton.Clayton pointed to the computer, explaining the commands a
At the Happy Snack Bar, Jackson and Patricia are both taken aback as they see Nathan dressed casually, preparing to take on the role of manager – a position that once belonged to Jackson.“What’s going on here?” Jackson asks, confusion clear in his voice.Patricia glances at her brother and responds, “Looks like Nathan is going to work at the snack bar, bro.”Jackson shakes his head in disbelief. “This can’t be true!”As they stand there, Clayton, the owner, turns to leave but bumps into the Borges siblings.“Jackson! Patty! Long time no see,” Clayton says with a friendly smile.“Likewise, Mr. Saldanha,” Patricia responds.Clayton chuckles, “Still calling me that? Just call me Clayton, or Clay.”Patricia nods and gestures toward the counter, “Is Nathan going to manage now?”Clayton smiles knowingly. “Yeah, the guy replacing your brother couldn’t keep up. I stepped in for a while, but you know how it is.”Jackson sighs, understanding. “Yeah, you’d rather take care of your kiosk during
In Walter’s suite, Linda felt the tension in Walter’s voice.“What happened, Walt?” she asked softly.“We’ll talk later. You need to leave,” Walter responded firmly.“Can’t we talk now?”“Zach and his parents are already here. I need to go to the dining room,” Walter said, his impatience growing.Linda noticed something was off. "If you had brought the dress, I would have changed in five minutes and avoided holding you up. But you didn’t. Something happened."Walter snapped, “Yes, something happened, Linda, but I can’t talk about it right now!”Linda, exasperated, replied, “Walt, I sincerely hope you’re not throwing me aside after passionately taking me for over 12 hours straight!”“If you don’t get dressed now, I’m going to leave you here, and you’ll have to explain things to the staff! My mom and sister don’t know you spent the night here!”Walter’s words stung Linda, and she froze, horrified by the thought of showing up at dinner. If she shows up...In her mind, Linda realized, “Ja
The next morning, in the Silva Penthouse kitchen, Fernando, Liz, and Ronaldo sat around the breakfast table in uncomfortable silence.Fernando and Ronaldo exchanged awkward glances, their tension palpable. Liz, sipping her coffee with milk, noticed the strange atmosphere between them.“When are you two going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked, cutting through the silence.Fernando, clearly caught off guard, blurted out, “Nothing is wrong, honey.”Liz raised an eyebrow. “Of course, there is. You’re both acting like enemies. Did something happen that I should be suspicious of?”Suddenly, Fernando choked on a piece of bread, coughing uncontrollably.Ronaldo quickly jumped to his father’s side, patting his back hard to help him recover.“There, are you okay now?” Ronaldo asked with concern.Fernando, relieved, nodded. “Ah... yes, thank you, son.”“Anytime.”Liz, watching the interaction unfold, couldn’t help but add with a touch of irony, “Oh, great, we’re back to civility.”Ronaldo t