At Sterling Empire Headquarters that afternoon, Sheila walked into Matthew’s office with a look of concern. Her arrival hinted at unpleasant news. Matthew looked up, curious.“Mom, what do you mean by that? What did Elaine do?” he asked.Sheila sighed. “She’s been impossible. I’ve run into her having lunch with Liz twice, and they were rowdy.”Matthew raised an eyebrow. “Rowdy?”“Exactly! Today, I noticed a bottle of Spanish wine on their table,” she said, crossing her arms.“Oh, great... they were drunk...” Matthew muttered.“Probably. And now, can you talk to her?” Sheila urged.Evan, standing nearby, interjected carefully. “Excuse me, Mrs. Sterling... but do you think there’s something strange about Young Mrs. Sterling hanging out with Liz Silva?”Sheila’s eyes gleamed, appreciating his insight. “Exactly. I don’t know why, but those two have become friends. Very unusual for me, but I didn’t want to make harsh judgments.”Matthew’s expression shifted as he recalled something. “Mom,
That afternoon, in his office at Golden Letters, Karl watched Jorge’s podcast with a wary eye, hoping Jonah wouldn’t say anything unwise.Jonah’s voice echoed through the room. “Not quite like that. I don’t accuse Jorge Podcast of stifling my freedom of expression. I just wanted to stick to the agenda we agreed on. During our last conversation, I was under the guidance of Golden Letters; on ‘Germano News’, I only went there to talk about my personal life. Please, dear fans, don’t spread hate on social media towards Jorge Nunes, he’s a good guy.”Karl scoffed, muttering under his breath, “‘Under the guidance of Golden Letters,’ is that how you phrase the situation, man? Anyone with a keen ear will interpret that as censorship on our part. What an idiot!”At that moment, Matthew entered the room and caught Karl grumbling. “Good afternoon, Lawrence.”Karl jumped up in surprise. “Good afternoon, Matthew. I was watching the podcast where your favorite writer decided to show up — again.”Ma
The broadcast with Jonah had just ended, and Jorge and Bella were off to the side, chatting in a corner while Jonah admired Bella from across the room.“Miss Alvares—” Jorge started.“You can call me Bella,” she replied warmly.“Then you’ll have to call me Jorge,” he responded with a smile. “Your role will be to help me with the podcast. Usually, the other studio staff members handle that, but with you here, I can spare them the extra tasks.”Bella nodded. “Got it. For example, I noticed a cameraman left his post to bring you water.”“Exactly. With you here, he’ll be able to focus exclusively on his job.”“It’s not a difficult task,” Bella said, clearly excited.“And, of course, you’ll also act as my secretary — contacting guests or speaking with them when I can’t.”“Oh, this is getting more interesting.”Jorge’s face lit up. “Are you willing to take this job, Bella? Most girls your age want management positions, as if that’s always possible.”“Not me,” Bella replied. “I know that we
Elaine’s face went pale when Matthew mentioned the idea of annulling their marriage, fear flashing across her features.“Do you have to bring that up, knowing full well I don’t want it?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.“I know. I don’t want that either,” Matthew assured her. “But that’s not what I want to talk about. Can’t you see that your interactions with Aunt Liz aren’t doing you any favors?”Elaine looked horrified. “Matt, she’s your aunt! Why are you so against her?”“The embarrassments you’ve caused at fancy restaurants are reason enough.”“Oh, but there’s a more important reason,” Elaine countered, recalling her actions. “The frame of Patricia that I rightly threw into the fireplace—”Matthew’s expression darkened. “And that nearly cost you your marriage!”Stepping out from behind her desk, Elaine clung to his suit jacket. “Darling, please, let’s not bring it up again! What does it cost you to admit you were wrong to have a picture of my rival?”Matthew looked away. “
As the sun sets over Urbano Magazine, Sheila stands in Andreia’s office, surprised by her skepticism over Matthew’s intentions.“Andreia,” Sheila begins, “how can you doubt such a generous offer from my son?”Andreia shakes her head, contemplating her words carefully. “Do you really want to know, Sheila?”With her arms crossed, Sheila nods. “I have all the time in the world.”Andreia hesitates but decides to press on. “Alright. Vicente and I have been discussing... recent events, especially those involving our son.”“Are you talking about your unborn child?” Sheila asks, raising a brow.“I’m talking about Nate,” Andreia says, sounding exasperated. “Ever since I became pregnant, I’ve thought of Nate as my son too, and that feeling only grows.”Sheila nods. “That’s wonderful, Andreia.”“Yes, but so does my instinct to protect him. When that accident happened — Nate trapped in the car with that hooker, almost drowning — I couldn’t help but wonder if Matt had something to do with it.”She
As the sun sets at Urbano Magazine, Sheila stands across from Andreia, who has just accused Matthew of setting up Vicente’s solo concert out of guilt.“Andreia,” Sheila begins, her tone firm, “I want to be perfectly clear: regardless of what I think happened to Karl, I would never encourage, let alone approve of, Matt taking any action against Nathan. The rivalry over the presidency of the Sterling Empire was more than enough for them.”Andreia looks at her skeptically. “Sheila, Matt wouldn’t tell you if he had plans. He’d know you’d try to talk him out of it.”Sheila shakes her head. “No, my son isn’t like that!”“Then who is, Sheila?” Andreia’s voice drops, laced with accusation. “My husband?”Sheila sighs, exasperated. “I don’t know. But I’ll admit this much, Andreia — Vicente has always been my main suspect. Or have you forgotten the constant fights he had with Karl?”Andreia’s face darkens. “No, I don’t want to remember those times. They were... dark.”“So don’t be surprised when
Andreia arrives home, weary after her conversation with Sheila, and finds Vicente absentmindedly playing piano keys, as if he’s working on a new composition. In truth, his mind is on the discussion he had earlier with Nathan.“Good evening, dear,” Andreia greets him, her voice tired but contemplative. “I had a very interesting conversation today.”Vicente glances up, curious. “With whom?”Andreia sinks into the sofa. “Sheila showed up at the office to talk about the solo concert that Matt is planning for you.”Vicente’s interest piques. “What did she have to say about it?”“Well,” Andreia says slowly, “she believes Matt’s doing you a favor. But we also talked about... our suspicions.”A chill runs down Vicente’s spine. “Did you tell her what we suspect about Bella Alvares?”Andreia nods. “Yes, I did. Sheila was horrified. She swore she’s never seen or heard Matt planning anything against our son, and she insisted she would never support it if she had known.”“Good to know,” Vicente re
Vicente joins Andreia on the sofa, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.Andreia smirks. “Hmm... I’m liking the direction this conversation is taking.”“First of all,” Vicente says, smiling warmly, “I want to know how our baby is doing.”“He’s doing well,” she assures him, leaning into his embrace. “Hey, will you be able to come with me to the next ultrasound?”“Count on me, my dear.”“Thank you.” She hesitates, then continues, “So, what have you decided about this concert that, to me, seems like a trap?”Vicente takes a deep breath. “I talked to Nate at the snack bar. Can you believe he agrees with you?”Andreia laughs, surprised. “Ha, ha, ha... what an interesting coincidence.”Vicente looks at her with affection. “So, dear, I thought about it carefully. I’ve decided not to accept this opportunity.”Andreia studies his face, wanting to be sure he’s confident in his choice. “Are you sure? You were pretty excited about it before.”Vicente nods. “But my son’s life comes fir