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
The doorbell rang in the Cardoso family house, and Zilda moved to answer. Opening the door, she was startled to see Liz Silva standing there.“Mrs. Silva? What are you doing here? How did you even find my address?” Zilda asked, eyes wide.Liz stepped inside confidently. “Your location is on the Internet, easily found on any search engine.”Zilda looked horrified. “What? Who would do that? Such an invasion of privacy!”Liz gave her a knowing smile. “Probably your husband, when he set up ‘Germano News’. Speaking of which, I’m here to see him because of it.”Zilda sighed. “Oh, you better you sit and wait because he’s just now talking to his audience in a new edition.”“What’s today’s topic?” Liz asked.“He’s discussing the violence plaguing our city,” Zilda explained.Liz perked up. “Is he calling out Patty Borges? Fantastic!”“No,” Zilda corrected. “He’s covering all of Blue Cove, not just Lion’s Den. And Patty doesn’t live in the slum anymore, so why bring her up?”“Patricia Borges may
In the late afternoon, Germano sat in the studio of the Cardoso family house, his expression severe as Liz Silva joined him after sharing a coffee and indulging in personal gossip with Zilda.“Would you like more coffee or tea?” Zilda asked, her curiosity not yet satisfied.“If I drink caffeine now, dear, I won’t be able to sleep. Please, leave and close the door,” Germano replied firmly.Liz interrupted with a sly smile. “Oh, no need. She already knows, Mr. Cardoso.”Germano sighed. “If she knows, it’s because you’ve already told her. My dear wife has dinner to make.”Zilda, feeling defeated, added, “Dinner’s ready — I’ll just check on dessert.”With a gentle nod, she exited and closed the door.Now alone with Liz, Germano softened his tone. “So, Mrs. Silva, how may I assist you?”Liz hesitated, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor, but pressed on. “You’re doing remarkable work with your podcasts, Mr. Cardoso.”“My channel isn’t exactly a podcast,” he corrected, “I post video
As dusk settled over the Cardoso family home, Germano and Liz Silva finalized their plan for his next video in his studio.“So, Mrs. Silva, the video might take a while,” Germano said. “I’ll wait for all the details as the events unfold.”“Exactly,” Liz replied, her smile cunning. “We won’t let haste ruin the perfection of our plan.”The two stood, shaking hands to seal their partnership.“It was a pleasure doing business with you,” Germano said with a hint of satisfaction.“Likewise,” Liz responded, smiling. “I’ll be in touch.”Just then, the door opened, and Zilda appeared, looking curiously at them.“Dinner’s ready, dear?” Germano asked, his smile fading.“It’s been ready for a while. Would you like to stay for dinner, Mrs. Silva?” Zilda offered, her tone polite but with a hint of tension.“No, thank you, Mrs. Cardoso,” Liz declined smoothly. “Maybe another day. My husband’s waiting for me in the penthouse.”“But you mentioned you weren’t in the mood to—” Zilda began, before German
Karl and Edmund, dressed in running gear and glistening with sweat from their workout, checked Karl’s mailbox in the lobby of the Constance Building. Karl held his credit card bill, studying it with a frown.As always, Karl prefers to go without a shirt, showcasing his athletic physique for the delight of passing women“The credit card bill is high this time...” Karl muttered, distracted.Edmund grinned. “Dude, don’t you notice you’re attracting all the women here without a shirt on?”Karl chuckled. “Then join me and take yours off too.”Edmund shook his head, laughing. “Nah... I’m not as fit as my son.”Edmund looked down at Karl’s low-riding shorts. “And those shorts of yours are pretty low. Are you not wearing—” He teasingly ran a finger along the waistband of Karl’s shorts.Karl stepped back with a playful grin. “Whoa, don’t make me get arrested for indecent exposure, buddy!”“You fool...” Edmund shook his head, amused.Just then, Jonah passed by, and Edmund, unaware of the newcom
Sheila stood in her suite at the Sterling Mansion, holding the burgundy dress with a look of surprise. Matthew, watching her closely, noticed her reaction.“You seemed pretty scared, Mom,” he remarked.Sheila shook her head. “That wouldn’t be quite the word.”“Did you not like the comparison?” Matthew pressed.Sheila paused thoughtfully. “Son, now that you mention it... It’s not that I don’t respect your father’s memory; Karl was very important in my life... but...”Matthew smiled knowingly. “You never really noticed, did you? But you will at dinner tonight.”Sheila promised, “Oh, I’ll be gentle.”Matthew laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be tactful.”Sheila sighed, glancing at him. “Son, we never really talked about your father, did we?”“You’ve told me enough. Why, is there more I need to know about him?” Matthew asked, curious.Sheila hesitated, moving toward the closet. “Well... you know what I think.”Matthew scratched the back of his neck, realizing where she was going with this.