Inside the Silva penthouse, the lack of what to do between Liz and Elaine is glaring as they sit in the living room that morning, their conversation filled with absurd theories about Patricia.Liz, astonished, exclaims, “Elaine, how dangerous! Why do you allow yourself to be subjected to such nonsense?”Elaine, feeling offended, retorts, “I allow myself? How about your nephew blocking that b*tch’s phone for a change?”With calm defiance, Liz responds, “He would never do such a thing.”Elaine sighs, “I asked Sheila for help, but she refused, saying it’s all in my head.”Sarcastically, Liz comments, “Wait, didn’t you two make a truce?”Elaine shrugs. “Who understands… I’m really scared, Liz.”Liz, ever the problem-solver, suggests, “OK, let’s team up to expose Patricia.”Elaine shakes her head, as if Liz is missing the point. “It’s not about exposing Patricia. EVERYONE knows who she is. They just refuse to acknowledge the danger.”Liz, her mind churning, says thoughtfully, “If they refu
Walter sat alone in his office, dealing with the mundane task of administrative paperwork. Despite the boredom, he wore a wide smile — the unmistakable grin of someone in love. Just then, Charles entered the room and immediately noticed.“I’ve never seen anyone work with that smile!” Charles laughed, taking in his son’s expression.Walter stopped typing and looked up. “Dad, come here. I’ve got some news for you.”Charles pulled up a chair, intrigued. “What is it?”“I’m going to meet Linda’s parents,” Walter announced, his excitement clear.Charles raised an eyebrow as he sat down. “I thought that would only happen when you were officially dating, like Zach and Jacque.”“We’re not officially dating yet,” Walter admitted, “but we’ve already talked about the honeymoon.”Charles smiled mischievously. “Son, I heard that the night we had dinner, you had Linda crying and grinding her teeth in your room nonstop.”Walter’s face flushed with shock. “You heard? Oh, Gumercindo...”Charles chuckle
Linda stepped out of the Andrade Clinic, descending the stairs, only to spot her sister Bella approaching the entrance. Without hesitation, she grabbed Bella’s arm.“Oh, there you are! We’re talking now!” Linda insisted.Bella squirmed, pulling back. “Let go of me, LET GO! Help!”The nearby passersby and a few nurses glanced over, clearly suspicious at the scene.Linda noticed and quickly reassured them with a smile. “She’s my sister, don’t worry!”Recognizing the sisterly banter, the onlookers relaxed and carried on. Bella, however, was less amused, rolling her eyes.“Are you really not going to tell them today that I’m an HIV patient?” Bella muttered.Linda crossed her arms, unfazed. “No, I’m going to tell them the next time you’re scheming against Jacqueline Andrade, my bosses’ daughter!”Bella’s expression shifted from irritation to shock. “How did you find that out?”Linda smirked. “Wasn’t I supposed to find out?”“Never!” Bella defended, flustered. “I wanted Zach back! What bett
Walter caught Bella just as she was making crude comments about him, and Linda was visibly upset.Walking down the clinic steps, Walter gave Bella a hard look and asked, "Didn’t your sister tell you we’re in a relationship?"Bella shot back without hesitation. "No, she didn’t mention you two are sleeping together."In a flash, Linda slapped her sister with such force that even Walter flinched.Bella yelped, “ARGH!”"Wash your mouth out with soap before you talk about me like that!" Linda retorted, her anger flaring.Bella looked at Linda, shocked. “Linda! What do you think you’re doing?”"Defending myself!" Linda replied sharply, just as Walter moved closer, wrapping his arm around her."Shall we have lunch, dear?" he asked, calmly.“Absolutely, before I lose my appetite," Linda replied, leaning into him.As they walked past Bella, Walter said, "Oh, Bella, do me a favor: when you see your dad, tell him he can schedule a day to come here to the clinic. We need to talk."Bella, unfazed,
Bella walked through the corridors of the Andrade Clinic, glancing at her cellphone before finally spotting Charles. A warm smile crossed her face as she approached him.“You must be Mr. Andrade, right?” she asked with a knowing smile. “According to this picture, you’re Walter Andrade’s father.”Charles looked surprised. “That’s me. Am I really that famous?”“Oh, don’t be modest, Mr. Andrade! Your clinic has been amazing for my community, Lion’s Den,” Bella replied enthusiastically. “Thanks to your affordable services and staff’s open-mindedness, we actually have access to healthcare.”Charles relaxed a bit, offering a humble, “Thank you very much. Do you have our health plan?”“Of course I do!” Bella said, a touch conspiratorially. “But that’s not exactly why I wanted to talk to you.”Charles leaned against the wall to let a group of nurses wheel a patient past.“If it won’t take too long, Miss…?”“Alvares. Bella Alvares. I’m the younger sister of your receptionist.”“Ah, so you migh
Sheila entered her office, grateful for the cool temperature, when Elaine burst in behind her, shivering dramatically.“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! What a freezing office this is!” Elaine exclaimed, rubbing her arms.Sheila rolled her eyes, discreetly hiding the remote control for the air conditioning.“No need to exaggerate, my dear. Now, how can I help you?”Elaine, still shivering, began hesitantly, “Well, after our conversation yesterday…”Sheila looked at her blankly. “You still remember? I’ve already forgotten what we discussed.”Elaine’s face showed a slight struggle as she continued, “We talked about my fears of losing Matt.”Sheila's expression grew colder. “That’s completely impossible. End of discussion.”Elaine seemed to gain confidence from Sheila’s bluntness. “You’re right. I’ve thought about it and decided to be happy with Matt, to keep him so content that he won’t even think of other women.”“Very wise of you,” Sheila nodded approvingly.“Then… our partnership is still on
In the reception area of Andrade Clinic, the atmosphere was charged as Liz made a huge scene over a headache that seemed more melodramatic than serious.Linda tried to calm her down, but Liz’s theatrics were unstoppable. Security guards appeared, stepping in to restore order.“Mrs. Silva,” one guard said firmly, “we need you to calm down. This is a clinic, and the doctors need peace to attend to the patients.”Liz, visibly distressed, yelled, “I AM a patient! Why don’t you understand that?”Linda, exasperated, suggested, “Call Dr. Almeida. She’ll know what to do.”As one guard headed down the hallway, other patients looked on disapprovingly.An announcement signaled the next ticket number, and the same gentleman gently lifted his elderly mother for her turn.Outraged, Liz burst out, “Hey, why was that old lady called, and I wasn’t?”“Mrs. Silva, how horrible!” Linda gasped.The guard interjected, “Priority service, Mrs. Silva. Wait until you reach her age, and you’ll appreciate it.”L
Hours later, Liz had finally been seen by Dr. Almeida, though she had been forced to wait behind all the other patients who arrived before her.She was fuming, feeling utterly insulted by the wait and vowing retaliation as she sat on the gurney, taking her prescribed dipyrone.Dr. Almeida spoke firmly, “You only had a migraine, caused by stress.”“Oh, doctor, don’t you understand what that means?” Liz said, exasperated. “Patty Borges is going to physically ruin me! To avoid a stroke, I must keep her far away from my son!”Just then, Walter entered the room with a dry, “Good luck.”Dr. Almeida rolled her eyes and left, glancing at Walter as if to say, “I tried.”Liz turned to him defiantly. “Don’t look at me like that. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”Walter gave her a skeptical smile. “Mrs. Silva, as far as I know, the only thing you’ve ever managed to accomplish is being Mr. Fernando Silva’s wife.”Liz bristled. “How dare you, you—”“Careful with the insults,” he warned. “My moth