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.
In the kitchen of the Cardoso family house, Zilda and Germano were finishing dinner. As Germano wiped his lips with a napkin, Zilda got up and started clearing away the dishes.“What’s for dessert?” Germano asked casually.Zilda gave him a pointed look. “We have cake of ‘tell me what you and Mrs. Silva plotted.’”Germano rolled his eyes. “Come on, dear!”Zilda’s voice was determined. “I’m going to ask her, dear! She didn’t seem like she promised to keep it a secret.”Germano leaned forward slightly. “If I tell you, you can’t tell even Cindy, okay?”Zilda slammed the dishes noisily into the sink. “Why does our daughter have to be left out?”Germano sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? Cindy is now busy sleeping with Jackson.”Zilda corrected him, “Living with Jackson. They are getting married.”With a sarcastic tone, Germano replied, “I haven’t received the wedding invitation yet. Anyway, if Cindy finds out about this, she’ll feel torn between us and the Borges family. She’ll be in internal conf
The next morning in the dining room of the Sterling Mansion, Matthew and his mother Sheila sat in comfortable silence, eating breakfast.Matthew occasionally glanced at Sheila, noticing that she was smiling to herself, seemingly without reason.“Is it still too early to talk about how dinner went last night?” he asked, breaking the silence.Sheila, looking surprised, replied, “Huh? Oh, the dinner…”Matthew chuckled. “Mom, don’t tell me you found last night’s dinner boring or tedious.”“No, it wasn’t! It was wonderful... Especially after you said that,” Sheila said, her smile widening.Just then, Elaine walked in with a cheerful greeting. “Good morning, beautiful people!”Matthew returned the greeting warmly. “Good morning, my dear.”Elaine sat down, glancing between them. “Looks like we’re in a good mood today, huh?”Matthew nodded. “Definitely. My mom was just saying how it was to have dinner with the man who looks a bit like my dad.”Elaine’s eyes widened. “Huh? What do you mean?”S
In his office at Golden Letters, Karl sat back in his chair, lost in thought. The memories of last night’s dinner with Sheila lingered, making him smile. Though it hadn’t been overtly romantic, there was a warmth to it that he couldn’t quite shake.Flashback to the night before:In Karl’s cozy kitchen, he set down his wine glass, turning the conversation toward lighter topics. “Okay, let’s talk about good things. I really enjoyed having dinner with you, Sheila.”Sheila smiled back at him. “Likewise.” They clinked their glasses, enjoying the moment together as they continued their meal.Back in the present, Karl smiled to himself like a fool.He murmured, “I hope to have that dinner with you again soon, my dear wife. This was the first of many.”Just then, a knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts. Karl quickly straightened in his chair. “Come in!”Elaine entered, greeting him with a cheerful, “Good morning, Lawrence! I heard some good news at Sterling Mansion.”Karl raised an