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
In the living room of Jonah’s Penthouse, he, wearing a sardonic smile, broke the suspense.“I’m going to Mr. Cardoso’s house,” he announced.Brennon, visibly panicked, quickly interjected, “No, for Christ’s sake! Don’t do that!”Jonah couldn’t help but laugh at Brennon’s reaction, his amusement growing as he continued. “What’s wrong, Brennon? Don’t you want me to vent about the end of my relationship?”“No,” Brennon replied, trying to keep his composure. “You’re better than that. You don’t need cheap, sensationalist publicity for your book.”Jonah’s smile faded slightly, and with a more serious tone, he replied, “And who said I’m doing this for my book? I’m doing this for my personal image.”“You’re going to get yourself burned,” Brennon warned, his voice now carrying a pleading edge.Jonah leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. “You don’t know, Brennon, but I was a writer long before you joined Golden Letters.”Brennon collapsed onto the sofa in frustration. “So, you’re going to tak
Bella sat in an old office chair, likely from Silva Oil Company, casually scrolling through her phone. The room was quiet until Linda quietly entered, closing the door behind her, catching her younger sister’s attention.“So, are you going to explain that scene at breakfast?” Linda asked.With a smirk, Bella replied, “What’s the saying? ‘Those who have nothing to hide, fear nothing’?”“Exactly,” Linda shot back. “But it seems like you’re the one hiding something, trying to turn the attention onto me.”Bella put her phone down on the side table and stood, now facing her sister. “I can’t believe this. Are you really going to act innocent and play the saint?”“What are you talking about?” Linda asked, genuinely puzzled.Bella’s eyes flashed with accusation. “I caught you — with proof — in Walter Andrade’s car all night, but Mom slapped me instead. Now, this is your chance to prove you’re an honest daughter by telling the truth about where you were.”Without missing a beat, Linda lied, “Y
Inside the Alvares family living room, Paulina was giving her blessing to Gustavo as though he were still a young boy.Gustavo, however, didn’t mind. He stood there, shirtless, wearing beach shorts with a classic backpack slung over his shoulder, maintaining an obedient and respectful posture.“May God guide and protect you, my son,” Paulina said warmly.“Amen, Mom,” Gustavo responded with a smile.“And have fun at the beach. Just don’t get any girl pregnant,” she added with a playful tone.Still smiling, Gustavo replied, “Don’t worry about that. I just want to swim.”Paulina wasn’t convinced. “I’m sure you’ll meet up with your friends. Do you have any money?” she asked, heading to the shelf to check a jar of cookies.“No, Mom, don’t worry! I have money,” he reassured her.“Still, if that snack bar is open…” Paulina trailed off as her husband Ernesto appeared, laughing softly at his wife’s concern.“Woman, leave our son alone. He’s a man with a beard now; he knows how to take care of
Gustavo walked leisurely through the bustling Blue Cove Beach, surrounded by sunbathers and tourists enjoying the bright day.With now his almost bald head, short hair, and attire of sunglasses, black knee-length shorts, and leather sandals, he carried his famous backpack slung casually over his shoulder.His presence was hard to miss — women admired him, and men couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. But Gustavo, seemingly indifferent to everyone’s opinions, paid no attention to the stares.At one point, he stopped to gaze out at the sea. The waves were magnificent, exciting swimmers and surfers alike, while lifeguards stood ready, knowing those very waves could easily cause trouble.As he looked on, a beachgoer approached — stylish as well, wearing sunglasses and swim trunks, carrying a shopping bag.They exchanged a brief look of recognition and a slight smile, but no words were spoken. It was as if they understood each other telepathically.When the crowd’s eyes drifted elsewhere