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
In Matthew’s office at Sterling Empire Headquarters, he and Sheila entered, chatting casually.“Son, you practically spent all day out yesterday. There were a few calls that landed on my desk,” Sheila remarked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.Matthew, adjusting the air conditioning, replied, “Sorry, Mom. I was taking care of a few things.”Sheila raised an eyebrow. “Would it be too mysterious or unreachable for me to know?”Matthew turned to her, considering their conversation from the previous day. “No, you can know. Yesterday, I found out that Nate is working at the Happy Snack Bar.”Sheila gasped, clearly surprised. “Wow…! What a scoop!”A slight smile played on Matthew’s face. “Funny, right? The guy who was supposed to be the heir to this place is working at a snack bar.”Sheila chuckled. “Hey, but it’s not just any snack bar. We’re talking about the Happy Snack Bar — a seaside spot, the favorite for beachgoers to grab a bite while having fun.”“That’s true,” Matthew conceded. “
In Matthew’s office at Sterling Empire Headquarters, he finally confronted Sheila, asking who she suspected of killing Karl. Sheila looked taken aback, hesitating.“Son, I don’t want to be reckless with accusations,” she replied, unease in her voice.Matthew pressed on, “My grandparents think you already are just for suggesting murder.”Sheila pursed her lips. “They prefer to believe the most convenient answer. But the thing is... well, you know that when Vicente married Andreia, he was nothing but a freeloader living off our money.”“I’ve been informed of that,” Matthew said. “I also know Nate isn’t Andreia’s child, which is why I opposed so strongly to him taking over the conglomerate.”Sheila nodded. “Well, Karl and Vicente were constantly at odds, to the point where he and Andreia moved into that apartment. I witnessed fierce arguments between them. I even asked Karl to tone it down before Vicente lost his cool and did something crazy.”“But my dad didn’t stop,” Matthew observed.
In Ronaldo’s office at Silva Oil Company, Elaine began questioning him with the same awkward phrasing she once used with Karl, clearly trying to provoke. Her prying felt invasive, and Ronaldo felt his jealousy flare as she subtly stoked it.“I don’t understand the ‘finally,’” he responded coldly.Elaine gave him a faux-innocent look. “Well, I’m just worried about Patty.”Ronaldo’s voice grew bitter. “You don’t need to be. SHE is not worried about you.”Elaine smirked. “Of course, she hasn’t gotten over my victory, has she?”At that, Ronaldo pointed firmly toward the door. “If you have nothing to do, I suggest you leave immediately!”Elaine only seemed more amused. “Calm down, Ron! I just wanted to check how we’re doing, for Matt’s peace of mind.”“What does Matt have to do with this?” Ronaldo asked, narrowing his gaze.“He cares about Patricia’s future,” she replied with a touch of smugness. “They have a long history together, especially Patty, before we knew them.”Ronaldo’s expressi
In his office at Silva Oil Company, Ronaldo was intently monitoring the transport of oil through underground pipelines. As he prepared to start a videoconference with the refinery’s collection manager, who had sent a message to confirm everything was under control, his desk phone rang, interrupting him just as he was about to click on the video.Annoyed, Ronaldo muttered to himself, “Who could that be?” before answering, “Hello?”On the other end, Ernesto’s voice sounded panicked. “Mr. Silva? We need help! There’s a dockworker here who’s very unwell, shaking uncontrollably! It looks like he’s having a seizure!”Ronaldo’s face turned serious. “Oh, crap! I’m calling an ambulance!”He hung up immediately and dialed the company’s emergency services.“Go immediately to dock 07. There’s an employee who needs to go to the hospital!”Just then, Gustavo burst through the door, looking alarmed. “Mr. Silva, have you been informed about what’s happening?”“Yes, and I’m already taking action,” Ron