At the Gibraltar Club, Jackson and Patricia meet Matthew celebrating the promotion. Patricia even has a certain interest, but something stops her.“He’s celebrating something and those appear to be his co-workers.” Patricia sits on the bar stool.“And you’re not dying to know what it’s about.” Jackson urges her on, “I thought you guys were friends.”“David Rocha is my friend now.” Patricia takes offense, “He’s the one I spend most of my time with.”“Looks like you decided to swap the poor guy for the rich guy.” Jackson jokes.“Nothing like that.” Patricia grimaces, “Matt was the one who left me for his rich, promiscuous ex-girlfriend.”“Patty...” Jackson tries to comfort her.Matthew looks towards the bar and finally sees the pair of siblings. “Oh, Patricia and Jackson are there. Excuse me, gentlemen.”Augusto and Brennon look in the direction and are enchanted by Patricia’s beauty.“Wow, could this be Matthew’s chick? She is a beauty!” Augusto praises her.“And the big guy appears to
Tuesday. Matthew is now well-received by other colleagues at Golden Letters.“Matt! We learned that you’re now a permanent employee! Congratulations!”“You handled last week’s literary event masterfully.”“We found out that Jonah Lopes mentioned you on his social media!”“Seriously?” Matthew asks, somewhat wary of drawing undue attention, “I haven’t had a chance to tell him who I am, but I’m glad to know he enjoyed our service. Golden Letters didn’t do badly this time.”“Cool!” Everyone applauds.Elaine enters the company. She is ostentatiously tanned and has the smile of a woman who has made love non-stop to an Italian stallion in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, under the sun and moonlight.Nayla and the other women who fawned over Matthew turned to her immediately. “ELAINE! You came back! Ah, tell us everything, my friend!”“Calm down, people. The spicy details will be told at lunchtime. Let us not deviate from the true reason for our celebration.” Elaine stares at Matthew with
The waiter who served Walter and Matthew wasn't too pleased to see one of the expensive glasses being smashed on the floor. Other customers watched the scene, fearing that a fight was breaking out. But it wasn't anything big, just Walter being shocked by the news given by Matthew.“Excuse me, waiter. Include the value of the glass in the bill.” Walter said as he tried to calm down.“OK, sir, be careful.” The waiter walks away to clean up the broken glass with a broom and dustpan.Matthew sips his drink, “Calm down, Walt. The news shouldn’t shock you like this.”“For sure it shocks me!” Walter exclaims in a low voice, “First, I know that Patricia does not behave indecently. Second, I know she comes from a good family. Third, I know that Jackson Borges would never let something like that happen!”Matthew puts his hand on his chin. "Do you want to know? When she told me this, Jackson was on her side. They were both here, but they didn't look like they were going to order any drinks. I wa
Wednesday. Matthew passes by the university’s main square and can’t resist stopping by the kiosk.Clayton welcomes him. Patricia isn’t around yet.“Hi, Matt! Came to check out your future business?”“Clayton, it seems like you don’t believe me when I tell you I want to help.” Matthew frowns.“Look, Matt, I didn’t mean to offend you.” Clayton explains good-naturedly, “I know you want to help me. Managing my kiosk is probably some kind of extracurricular job you need to do to earn your degree. I’m happy to be your guinea pig. Patricia, however, drew my attention to something.”“The money.” Matthew rolls his eyes. Why doesn’t Patricia believe him?“Yes, where are you going to get the money to invest in my beloved kiosk?” Clayton turns serious, “If you’re thinking about taking out a bank loan, I won’t allow it.”“Why not?” Matthew feels like laughing.“Because you certainly already have a lot of commitments to pay.” Clayton responds worriedly, “Tell me: how much did your new cell phone co
Alice returns to the Sterling Mansion after her appointments to charity work. Jarbas meets her in the foyer.“Good afternoon, Madam Sterling. Here is what you asked for.”“And what did I ask for?”Jarbas holds out a piece of paper, “The phone number of someone in the Silva family, Mrs. Sterling’s relatives.”Alice smiles malevolently, taking the paper. “Thank you, Jarbas. She is here?”“I don’t know, ma’am.” Jarbas apologizes.“OK, she must be doing more shopping. I don’t understand why she lived like a slum dweller for many years if what she wants most is to have a life of luxury and spending.” Alice goes upstairs to her suite.Upon entering the master suite, she goes to her double bed and sits down. Nobody was around.Alice takes out her cell phone and dials the number. A male voice sounds from the other end.“Hello?”“Hello, good afternoon. This is Alice Sterling speaking.”“Mrs. Sterling?”“Yes, and I’m calling on behalf of Sheila Silva Sterling.”The male voice falls silent for a
The next day, Sheila woke up in her suite with her cell phone ringing.She rubbed her eyes while grimacing. Did the alarm clock need to go off right now? She was dreaming that she was talking to Jonah...OOPS! Sheila suddenly blushed and looked both ways, fearing that Karl’s ghost would appear to accuse her of being an adulteress. But no one was around.Hanging up the phone, Sheila lamented, “Don’t be ridiculous, Sheila. Karl died, and now you need to take care of Matt. He’s all I have left.After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Sheila decided to go to her son’s suite.When she opened the door, however, Sheila was quite disappointed to find articles of women’s clothing scattered across the floor and towards the bed.Sheila followed the trail of clothes to the bed and discerned that two people were sleeping under the blankets.Determined to make a scandal and drag the call girl out of the mansion, Sheila takes two steps......And she is immediately stopped by Alice.“SCHI! Don
At the Sterling Mansion, Leonardo is surprised by Sheila insinuating a setup regarding Karl's death.“Dear daughter, what are you insinuating?”“I never believed Karl's accident was legitimate. I always had the suspicion within me that the tragedy was an arranged death. Men like Karl DON’T GET into car accidents!”“But why didn’t you come to us, or seek help from the police? What about the Sterlings? They would be the most interested in pursuing this matter and seeking justice!”Sheila purses her lips. “They never wanted to believe me. And I stopped having contact with you for fear of involving you. That’s why I hid in the favela and took Matt along.”Leonardo shakes his head, “It's a shame that the daughter of an oil businessman lived in an unhealthy place. You didn't do well, daughter. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel.”“I confess that I missed shopping and going to the beauty salon.” Sheila smiles vainly."And your son?" Leonardo is anxious.“He must have taken a shower to go to co
In the afternoon, Matthew and Clayton enter one of the bank branches in Blue Cove.They get the password, go through the revolving door that has a metal detector, and go to the loan department.As they wait, Clayton whispers, “Last chance, buddy.”“It’s your last chance to keep quiet,” Matthew whispers back good-naturedly.“Maybe if I take out the loan in my name and you pay me later...” Clayton suggests.“No. I had the idea, I brought you here, so I’ll be the one to take responsibility. Allow me this gesture of friendship, Clay.” Matthew blinks.Clayton gives up. But the feeling that he is exploiting a young man with a golden heart never leaves his mind.Time passed, and Matthew’s password was called. He took all the paperwork and documentation from the Happy Snack kiosk and went to the service window.The place was basically a cubicle with seats, for the customer and bank employee to talk freely about the details of the loan.“Good afternoon.” Matthew introduced himself, “I have com