Outside the Sterling Cultural Hall, Edmund walks briskly, his phone pressed to his ear as he talks to Karl.“Karl, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know my son would be so curious!”Karl’s voice comes through the speaker, calm yet firm. “Sometimes I think it would be better to tell him the truth, man. Or he’ll find out another way.”Edmund frowns, glancing around to make sure no one is listening. “How would he find out who you are?”“Talking to Patty, or Vanda, or anyone who works here at Golden Letters,” Karl replies.“That’s crazy; I need to put a stop to this,” Edmund says, his voice low and hurried.“If there’s no other way, you can say it, buddy,” Karl responds, his tone resigned.Edmund sighs. “You still need to keep the secret. Bye for now.”“Bye for now,” Karl echoes.Edmund ends the call and heads toward the parking lot, where Bryce is already approaching.“Oh, are you leaving already? Can I get a ride home?” Bryce asks, his expression casual but his eyes sharp.Edmund narrows his gaze
The engagement party at the Borges house was in full swing. Guests had been momentarily surprised by Patricia’s choice of dress but quickly relaxed into the festivities.“Patty, congratulations!” Jacqueline greeted warmly.“Hey, Jacque,” Patricia smiled, “I should be congratulating you on your relationship, right?”“Oh yes, thank you. I’m very happy with Zach,” Jacqueline replied, and the two women hugged.Zachary, standing nearby, extended his hand to Ronaldo. “Congratulations, Ron. I hope everything goes well this time.”Ronaldo shook his hand with a confident grin. “I don’t even consider the first time, buddy. Thank you.”Zachary smiled cautiously, “Soon you guys will be invited to my engagement party too.”“Consider it my congratulations in advance. Jacque is an excellent girl to marry,” Ronaldo said.“And what about...?” Zachary hesitated.“Matt? He should be arriving soon,” Ronaldo assured him.Just then, Matthew arrived at the entrance, accompanied by Elaine and Sheila.From Ma
Vanda had arranged for the French doors to be opened, allowing guests to step out onto the wooden balcony and enjoy the sunset. Jazz music filled the air, adding a sophisticated touch to the evening. Ronaldo and Patricia moved about, capturing moments with their phones.The party had evolved, with snacks and canapés giving way to chicken pie and chocolate cake, while juice and soda had been replaced by wine and cocktails.Cindy approached Elaine with a sly grin, her voice dripping with mischief. “Elaine, are you satisfied with this arrangement?” she asked, her tone as tempting as the serpent in the Garden of Eden.Elaine responded cautiously, “Cindy, it’s not appropriate for the two of us to talk.”“Why not? We’re friends now!” Cindy declared with feigned innocence.Elaine raised an eyebrow. “Since when?”“Since I stopped loving Matt and fell for Jackson. Didn’t you know? We’re living here now.”Elaine’s shock was evident. “Mr. and Mrs. Borges are letting you live here without being m
Andreia and Vicente were sitting closely together on the couch, watching TV in the cozy living room of their beach house. The peaceful moment was interrupted by the sound of a notification from Andreia’s cell phone. She checked it and smiled with satisfaction.“That’s our girl,” she said, her eyes still on the screen.“Who?” Vicente asked, glancing over at her.“Cindy,” Andreia replied, smiling.“What did she do this time?” he asked, curious.“She didn’t do anything wrong. On the contrary, she did a really great job.” Andreia turned to face him.“Does that mean...?” Vicente started, a hint of excitement in his voice.“That we’ll have an awesome piece for the website tomorrow and for the print version on Monday,” Andreia announced proudly.Vicente smiled affectionately. “I’m happy for you, dear.”Andreia leaned back, content. “The week’s big gossip is Patricia and Ronaldo’s engagement.”“Finally, it happened, huh?” Vicente chuckled.“And there’s more... Matt was there and didn’t cause
Inside the beach house, Andreia got up from the couch, oblivious to the fact that Vicente had become pensive after Matthew was mentioned.Stretching, Andreia sighed, “Urgh... I’m not really in the mood for dinner tonight, how about you?”Vicente, still distracted, replied, “Thinking about a late-night snack?”“The snack bar must be super crowded... It’s Saturday night,” Andreia said, already dismissing the idea.“You could order by phone and wait for delivery,” Vicente suggested.With a mischievous grin, Andreia announced, “Here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to Happy Snack Bar.”Vicente raised an eyebrow. “All this just to see the kid, huh?”Andreia laughed. “Darling, it may sound crazy, but I’m really starting to accept Nate more and more as my true son.”“I’m really glad to hear that,” Vicente said, a small smile forming.“Maybe... a lot of things could have been avoided. A lot of pain,” Andreia added, her voice softening.Vicente, not wanting to dwell on the past, said, “Don’t
At the Happy Snack Bar, the Alvares family was taken aback when they spotted Nathan working the register.“Good thing Bella didn’t want to come with us,” Linda muttered, grateful their younger daughter wasn’t there.“I’ll handle the order,” Gustavo said, standing up. He felt his mother’s hand gently clasp his, and glanced at her.“Don’t be too hard on him, son,” Paulina urged softly.“Okay, Mom,” Gustavo reassured her. “I won’t make a scene.”With that, he approached the counter where Nathan was busy taking an order.“Excuse me! I want to place an order,” Gustavo said, leaning in.Nathan, who was looking down at the register, responded without glancing up. “Why don’t you wait for one of the waiters...” Then, suddenly recognizing Gustavo, his eyes widened. “HEY!”“Shh! No need for a scene,” Gustavo warned.“What are you doing here? I haven’t seen your sister in days!” Nathan blurted out.“Thanks, I know that,” Gustavo replied dryly.“So, what’s this all about?” Nathan asked, suspicion
Inside the Happy Snack Bar, Gustavo, Linda, and Paulina sat at a table, already snacking on their orders.“So, son? How was it with Nathan?” Paulina asked, her tone curious.Gustavo, mid-chew, shrugged. “He was overly cautious. I really scared him off last time.”Linda chimed in, her eyes glinting with interest. “Did he say anything about Bella?”Gustavo shook his head. “He just said he hasn’t seen her.”“Thank goodness,” Paulina muttered, relief evident in her voice as she glanced intently over at Nathan before returning to her sandwich.At that moment, Andreia walked in, heading straight for the counter.Nathan, seeing her approach, sighed. “Mom! You didn’t need to come here.”Laughing, Andreia replied, “I wanted to, son.”Paulina continued to watch Nathan, her gaze intense enough that Linda noticed.“Mom, what’s wrong?” Linda asked, frowning.Paulina shook her head, trying to dismiss the question. “It’s nothing. Your cheese is stretching nicely, huh?”Linda, still chewing, held up
In Walter’s office at the Andrade Clinic, the atmosphere was cloudy.It was a Monday morning, and Walter was pacing back and forth, deep in thought, clearly troubled.He muttered to himself, “I need to clear up this nonsense about the photograph. What was all that about?”The door creaked open, and Zachary cautiously entered the room.“Here I am, future brother-in-law,” Zachary greeted nervously.Walter didn’t return the smile. “Let’s see if we’ll still be brothers-in-law after this conversation.”Zachary swallowed hard and closed the door behind him.******At the Alvares family house, the kitchen was alive with the sound of breakfast preparations. Paulina stood by the stove, stirring something in the fryer, when Gustavo appeared, rubbing his eyes and looking drowsy, dressed in sweatpants and shirtless.Hugging his mother from behind, he greeted, “Good morning, mom!”“Good morning, beloved son,” she replied, a smile touching her lips.Gustavo let go of the hug and sat down at the tab
Gustavo had just finished driving and maneuvering a forklift. When he stepped out, he noticed a commotion of workers not far away. It seemed they were congratulating someone.“Hmm... Is it someone’s birthday?” Gustavo smiled and walked over to them.Gustavo realized that Kirk was the center of attention and stopped in his tracks.Kirk, for his part, smiled at Gustavo - mockingly? “Hey, Gus! Come hear the big news!”Gustavo approached with disbelief in his eyes. “Are you going to keep working here?”“Your dream has come true!” Kirk exclaimed so loudly that even those who weren’t close could hear. “I’m going to work somewhere else!”The phrase made a few heads turn toward Gustavo. What? He was hoping Kirk would get fired?Gustavo noticed that those who turned to him did not have friendly expressions.“Hey, take it easy! I didn’t mean to dig Kirk’s grave.”“What did you want with our friend then?” someone asked.“I wanted to know, at my father’s request, if Kirk would be staying with us
Elaine and Liz continued to discuss their plan. “Did you expect to achieve something after falling onto the coffee table?” Liz asked. Elaine stood up and went to a table where a thermos was placed. While pouring two cups, she replied, “I need to confess something. The whole thing was my idea.” Liz’s eyes widened. “You... planned to fall onto my coffee table?” “It all happened so fast, more of an impulse than a plan,” Elaine responded, approaching her friend with the cups. Liz picked one of the cups, replying, “You were being pulled by the hair by Patricia, caught a glimpse of the coffee table, and decided to throw yourself onto it so that I would think it was Patricia who maliciously threw you onto it. That way, my reaction of horror and outrage would be genuine.” “Exactly, girl. That’s why I winked at you to calm down.” Elaine sat back down, balancing her cup in her left hand. “Elaine, you took a huge risk!” Liz was flabbergasted. “You could have hurt yourself badly, bleed to
Liz visits Golden Letters and opens Elaine’s office door. “Elaine, can I have a word with you?” “Liz! Come in, my friend!” Elaine smiled and gestured. Liz hurriedly closed the door as if it were necessary. Elaine continued, “I’ve called you several times.” “Sorry, friend. I wanted to visit you on Sunday, but I was busy.” Liz pulled out a chair and sat down. “That’s alright. I was discharged; it wasn’t anything serious.” Elaine winked. “Are you sure, friend?” Liz decided to take a chance and asked, “It seemed like I saw you wink at me...” “Yes, I was fine. You were so desperate, thinking I was going to bleed to death.” Elaine was carefree. “That’s what I thought.” Liz calmed down. “Still, I made sure to cause the biggest scene in the clinic’s lobby, blaming Patty for everything.” “And did it work?” Elaine’s eyes sparkled. “Not exactly.” Liz shook her head. “Our husbands showed up and killed my buzz.” Elaine’s excitement faded. “As always, Matt defending that shameless trou
Silva Oil Company, Ronaldo’s office, around ten in the morning. Jackson explains to Ronaldo why Gustavo might not be suitable to be a model. “Gustavo is trying too hard, insisting too much, being inappropriate. That’s not how things work,” Jackson said with authority. “Take my case: I NEVER thought about being famous. All I wanted was to stay in my corner, posting my routine on social media. The thing is, people who make things happen discovered me, prepared me, and the rest you already know.” “I get it. When it’s meant to happen, it will happen. No rush, no anxiety – and without being a pain in the neck,” Ronaldo laughed. “Did he happen to approach you again?” “Patty ended up talking about Vasconcelos Fabrics, and he had that gleam in his eyes as if we had already made plans!” Jackson exclaimed, exasperated. Ronaldo lost some of his excitement. “Jackson, do you suspect that this Gustavo is getting too close to my fiancée?” “The guy really thinks he’s the best thing since sliced
At Silva Oil Company, Kirk appeared in Leonardo’s office. Fernando and Marta had already left. “KIRK!” Leonardo abruptly stood up from his desk. “How are you, my young man!” “Mr. Silva?” Kirk was surprised by such reverence. “I didn’t know you cared so much about me...” “Cut the small talk! You just had a seizure and looked like you were going to die in my company,” Leonardo gestured for the employee to sit down. “Now I want to know all the details. Don’t hide anything from this curious old man.” Kirk smiled and sat down. “Well, sir, there’s not much to tell. I was stupid enough to fall for the siren’s song.” “In this case, the cocaine song, right?” Leonardo leaned forward. “What do you intend to do from here on out?” “Obviously, I promised myself and my family that I wouldn’t use that cr*p anymore. It wasn’t worth all the drama and suffering,” Kirk replied honestly. “That’s good. Then you can continue from where you left off,” Leonardo smiled, relieved. “That’s about what I w
In Urbano Magazine, Cindy returned with the printed sheet, extending it to Andreia. “Read this not-so-pretentious article, my friend,” Cindy declared. Andreia took the paper and read it. A smile formed at the right corner of her mouth. “Cool... nothing so blatantly accusatory, but clear enough for any semi-literate person to understand that Elaine knocked over that pyramid of champagne glasses, causing a scene at the book signing.” “Of course, I won’t say she did it because the honored author was her enemy’s mother,” Cindy replied mischievously. “You don’t want to risk Matt’s wrath.” Andreia stood up, a bit slowly due to her pregnancy. “Speaking of which, how did he react after your dad’s video?” “I didn’t bring it up with him,” Cindy shook her head. “If I mention it, people will say I still love him.” “And you don’t want to do anything to ruin your relationship with Jackson,” Andreia repeated. “Cindy, it’s commendable that you’re more committed and focused on having someone in
Fernando appeared in the kitchen wearing gray sweatpants. Liz, who was sour and bitter, smiled pathetically with her gaze fixed on her husband’s pants. “Good morning, son. What’s new?” Ronaldo replied rudely, “The news is seeing my mother still able to walk!” “RON!” Liz was startled. Fernando shook his head. “Son, don’t be disrespectful. Your mother and I are trying to be as discreet as possible.” Ronaldo shot back, “Just missing discretion when discussing my fiancée, huh? Can we talk about that now?” Liz pursed her lips. “I was so happy when I woke up, but you made sure to ruin my day.” “Mom, we can’t avoid the obvious!” Ronaldo turned to Fernando. “Matt told me that Elaine was reprimanded.” “And I will never agree to that!” Liz shouted. “Elaine was a victim of that tough girl from the slums! She could have died from a cut to her jugular!” “But Elaine provoked Patty’s wrath by saying those nasty things,” Fernando reasoned as he served himself breakfast. “Couldn’t Patricia a
Silva Penthouse, Monday morning. Ronaldo was walking down the hallway to the kitchen in just his boxer shorts when the suite door opened. Liz was smiling a little too much, looking like she was about to dance ballet. “Mom! Long time no see!” “Yes, son, I had a wonderful time with your father!” Liz replied suggestively. Ronaldo blushed to the roots of his hair. “Is breakfast ready?” she asked casually. “I was about to check,” Ronaldo said, heading to the kitchen. There, the coffee maker was already brewing coffee. “Nando must have prepared it in advance.” Liz took bread and butter from the fridge. Ronaldo, cautious, sat down at the table. He noticed a tear in Liz’s nightgown. “Mom, did you and Dad make up this Sunday?” “We can say he’s no longer in love with your fiancée,” Liz replied with a mischievous smile. “Mom, stop talking about that disgusting stuff!” Ronaldo frowned. “This is all your sick imagination.” Liz simply shrugged, sitting down at the table as well. “You’r
Elaine arrived stumbling with fear and bewilderment. The truth about Bella and Nathan’s relationship was something horrifying and incredible for her to digest. “Oh my God... how did these two families let this issue intertwine like this?” Nayla was at the reception desk, smiling, waiting for Elaine to approach. But when she realized Elaine was going to walk past her, Nayla called out loudly, “ELAINE?” Elaine stopped suddenly and looked at her friend. “Oh, Nayla, I’m sorry...” “Don’t worry. I know you must be going through a lot of pressure.” Nayla stood up. “I really am. But I always have time for my friends.” Elaine smiled and approached, trying to distract her mind. “I wanted to know if there are any openings here at Golden Letters for my brother.” Nayla asked respectfully. Elaine’s smile vanished with the wind. As Nayla’s boss, she knew who the brother was. “Nayla, we’re friends, but you know I have a strong opinion against drug use and sales.” Elaine replied in a boss t