At the Siren Restaurant, Ronaldo and Patricia realize they will be taking the table Matthew and Elaine were vacating. The waiter, unaware of the awkwardness between the couples, was clearing the used plates and cutlery. “Mr. Silva and Miss Borges, you can come closer and sit.” “That’s right, folks,” Matthew broke the silence, suddenly smiling. “We were just leaving.” Ronaldo shook his head. “Wait a minute, guys, what’s this? Why are we embarrassed as if it’s the first time we’ve seen each other?” Elaine tried to hide her embarrassment with a slight smile. “Exactly. We’re not doing anything wrong. In fact, we were worried about you two.” “Really?” Patricia’s question didn’t sound sincere. Elaine turned to her. “Yes, Patty. We were discussing the dangers the Silva Oil Company is facing with that drug dealing organization. How shameful that a dock worker suffered an overdose, huh? Has the police checked if he was just a user or something else?” Patricia replied sourly, “The worker
At the Siren Restaurant, Patricia and Ronaldo finished their lunch – shrimp risotto, as if they wanted to replicate the pleasant moments of Matthew and Elaine. “My dear, before I ask the waiter for the bill, how about we talk about something important?” Ronaldo suggested in a caring tone. Patricia smiled sweetly. This is the Ronaldo she fell in love with. “Yes, darling, let’s talk.” “I apologize if I got worked up with Gustavo Alvares.” Ronaldo sighed. “Will you swear to me he never tried to hit on you with those overused pickup lines?” Patricia giggled. “Hi, hi... no, dear, Gustavo is innocent. I mean, he never HIT on ME, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t tried with other women. Ripped and built as he is, I'm sure he's already picked up hundreds of girls behind the chestnut trees on the beach.” “Yeah, he has that look like he’s always pounding innocent girls— or not so innocent,” Ronaldo replied bitterly. “That’s why his file was the first one I read. And honestly, I didn’t even k
Silva Oil Company, Fernando’s office, afternoon. Matthew received the news that Ronaldo felt jealousy over a guy who barely exchanged two words with Patricia with unmistakable displeasure. “Aunt Nando, this is madness!” Matthew scratched the back of his neck. “At this rate, Patty won’t be able to handle so much jealousy and paranoia! Remember when he said he could get her pregnant in half an hour? That was already his obsessive jealousy triggered because of me.” Fernando became even more worried. “Nephew, do you think Ron is at risk of losing Patty for a second time? If that happens, he might commit suicide!” “Have you guys ever thought about getting Ron some psychiatric treatment?” Matthew frowned. “Our mistake.” Fernando lowered his head. “We thought the signs of mental instability we saw in our son were just ‘phases of adolescence.’” “What does Aunt Liz think about this?” Matthew asked cautiously. “Nowadays, she pretends to be deaf and mute about it.” Fernando replied, not e
In Fernando’s office at Silva Oil Company, Fernando reacted with pleasure upon learning that his sister is finally dating other guys. “I heard about this Lawrence Vieira. PR from Golden Letters, huh? He’s been helping Patty’s mom advance her career, how nice.” “Yeah, and now he’s helping my mom with her love life,” Matthew joked. Fernando laughed. “Matt, you sound like one of those boys who want their parents together. In this case, your mom married to someone so you can call him dad.” “Absolutely.” Matthew nodded fervently, “More than twenty years without a dad, I think I deserve one, right?” “That’s true. Ron has me, and I still have mine.” Fernando glanced at the phone on his desk. “By the way, I better give him a call. He wasn’t feeling well.” Matthew looked toward the office door. “Is Patty around?” “She’s definitely working with Ron,” Fernando replied, not grasping what Matthew really wanted. Matthew shook his head, dismissing feelings of possessiveness. Patricia now bel
At Andrade Mansion, Jacqueline pointed out the bed and closet space for Linda to sleep and store her clothes. This time, a maid nearby took care of putting away the clothes. “You’ll be sleeping here,” Jacqueline said with a sparkle in her eye. “And we have this sofa to gossip comfortably.” “Thank you for your kindness, everyone,” Linda felt a lump in her throat. Emmanuelle approached her. “What’s wrong, my dear?” “Guys, I don’t remember the last time I was treated this well.” Linda smiled gratefully. “Don’t feel that way. We want to help.” Jacqueline placed both hands on Linda’s shoulders. “I want you to know that not for a second will we believe you were involved in this drug scheme.” Linda became more emotional. “Oh, guys... I’ll never forgive myself for this. I should be arrested for complicity!” Linda went to her bed and collapsed on the mattress, distressed. Jacqueline and Emmanuelle followed her. “What’s this talk, my dear?” Emmanuelle asked, always the good host. “I wa
Nathan walks into the beach house and finds Andreia in the kitchen, peeling garlic to prepare dinner. “Mom, let me and Dad handle those mundane tasks.” Nathan approached her, trying to take the knife and the garlic press from her hands. “No, son, making dinner is not exhausting for me — yet.” Andreia smiled, feeling a little mischievous. “Ah, I don’t know, Mom.” Nathan pulled out another chair and sat down. “You’re over forty; I worry. Some doctors think you’re past the age to be pregnant. My brother or sister will probably be born via C-section.” “How about you let me worry about that?” Andreia winked. “In the meantime, you need to take a shower so you can get back to work.” Nathan sniffed his armpits and didn’t like the result. “Urgh. We needed to do some serious cleaning at the snack bar, so none of our customers get food poisoning. If anything happens, Matthew will blame me for it.” Andreia rolled her eyes. “The conversation was going so well...” “Mom, I know you want to es
Beach House, kitchen, dusk. Nathan takes the garlic press and crushes the garlic for his mother, continuing, “Since you two never met in the past, wouldn’t it be better for you to meet now to talk and finally determine what the big problem is that’s preventing Bella and me from being together?” Andreia doesn’t respond immediately. Nathan continues, “Or is there already a reason, and for some bizarre resolution, you decided to hide that from Bella and me, expecting us to just obey blindly as if we were five years old?” “What’s wrong with obeying your parents?” Andreia furrowed her brow. Nathan hands the garlic press back to Andreia. “That’s not the point. When I was a toddler, you and Dad told me not to play with knives or stick my finger in outlets, and I obeyed without asking why. But now I’m over 20, Mom. I can’t just accept what you say as I did when I was little!” “The car accident and the fact that she never answered you about what her previous job was, weren’t those enough
Sterling Mansion, Matthew’s suite, night. Matthew asked Sergeant Carvalho what the two punks said during the interrogation. “They explained what they wanted and named a few people we’re going to investigate and bring into custody at the station,” Carvalho revealed. “Any names we know?” “Don’t worry, no one with the surname Alvares was mentioned.” Carvalho smiled on the other end. “Oh, that’s a relief! I can now reassure my cousin Ron.” Matthew chuckled. Carvalho grew serious, though, “Mr. Sterling, you need to warn your cousin to stay out of the investigation!” “Don’t worry, sergeant. He’s just scared that Gustavo Alvares is making a move on Patty Borges.” This did not reassure Carvalho. “But this isn’t the time to be jealous, for Christ’s sake!” “It isn’t? Sergeant, have you seen how Gustavo is? The guy must have not just a little black book but a massive brochure full of girl names to ‘entertain’ behind the chestnut trees on the beach,” Matthew replied. “We don’t recommend
Gustavo had just finished driving and maneuvering a forklift. When he stepped out, he noticed a commotion of workers not far away. It seemed they were congratulating someone.“Hmm... Is it someone’s birthday?” Gustavo smiled and walked over to them.Gustavo realized that Kirk was the center of attention and stopped in his tracks.Kirk, for his part, smiled at Gustavo - mockingly? “Hey, Gus! Come hear the big news!”Gustavo approached with disbelief in his eyes. “Are you going to keep working here?”“Your dream has come true!” Kirk exclaimed so loudly that even those who weren’t close could hear. “I’m going to work somewhere else!”The phrase made a few heads turn toward Gustavo. What? He was hoping Kirk would get fired?Gustavo noticed that those who turned to him did not have friendly expressions.“Hey, take it easy! I didn’t mean to dig Kirk’s grave.”“What did you want with our friend then?” someone asked.“I wanted to know, at my father’s request, if Kirk would be staying with us
Elaine and Liz continued to discuss their plan. “Did you expect to achieve something after falling onto the coffee table?” Liz asked. Elaine stood up and went to a table where a thermos was placed. While pouring two cups, she replied, “I need to confess something. The whole thing was my idea.” Liz’s eyes widened. “You... planned to fall onto my coffee table?” “It all happened so fast, more of an impulse than a plan,” Elaine responded, approaching her friend with the cups. Liz picked one of the cups, replying, “You were being pulled by the hair by Patricia, caught a glimpse of the coffee table, and decided to throw yourself onto it so that I would think it was Patricia who maliciously threw you onto it. That way, my reaction of horror and outrage would be genuine.” “Exactly, girl. That’s why I winked at you to calm down.” Elaine sat back down, balancing her cup in her left hand. “Elaine, you took a huge risk!” Liz was flabbergasted. “You could have hurt yourself badly, bleed to
Liz visits Golden Letters and opens Elaine’s office door. “Elaine, can I have a word with you?” “Liz! Come in, my friend!” Elaine smiled and gestured. Liz hurriedly closed the door as if it were necessary. Elaine continued, “I’ve called you several times.” “Sorry, friend. I wanted to visit you on Sunday, but I was busy.” Liz pulled out a chair and sat down. “That’s alright. I was discharged; it wasn’t anything serious.” Elaine winked. “Are you sure, friend?” Liz decided to take a chance and asked, “It seemed like I saw you wink at me...” “Yes, I was fine. You were so desperate, thinking I was going to bleed to death.” Elaine was carefree. “That’s what I thought.” Liz calmed down. “Still, I made sure to cause the biggest scene in the clinic’s lobby, blaming Patty for everything.” “And did it work?” Elaine’s eyes sparkled. “Not exactly.” Liz shook her head. “Our husbands showed up and killed my buzz.” Elaine’s excitement faded. “As always, Matt defending that shameless trou
Silva Oil Company, Ronaldo’s office, around ten in the morning. Jackson explains to Ronaldo why Gustavo might not be suitable to be a model. “Gustavo is trying too hard, insisting too much, being inappropriate. That’s not how things work,” Jackson said with authority. “Take my case: I NEVER thought about being famous. All I wanted was to stay in my corner, posting my routine on social media. The thing is, people who make things happen discovered me, prepared me, and the rest you already know.” “I get it. When it’s meant to happen, it will happen. No rush, no anxiety – and without being a pain in the neck,” Ronaldo laughed. “Did he happen to approach you again?” “Patty ended up talking about Vasconcelos Fabrics, and he had that gleam in his eyes as if we had already made plans!” Jackson exclaimed, exasperated. Ronaldo lost some of his excitement. “Jackson, do you suspect that this Gustavo is getting too close to my fiancée?” “The guy really thinks he’s the best thing since sliced
At Silva Oil Company, Kirk appeared in Leonardo’s office. Fernando and Marta had already left. “KIRK!” Leonardo abruptly stood up from his desk. “How are you, my young man!” “Mr. Silva?” Kirk was surprised by such reverence. “I didn’t know you cared so much about me...” “Cut the small talk! You just had a seizure and looked like you were going to die in my company,” Leonardo gestured for the employee to sit down. “Now I want to know all the details. Don’t hide anything from this curious old man.” Kirk smiled and sat down. “Well, sir, there’s not much to tell. I was stupid enough to fall for the siren’s song.” “In this case, the cocaine song, right?” Leonardo leaned forward. “What do you intend to do from here on out?” “Obviously, I promised myself and my family that I wouldn’t use that cr*p anymore. It wasn’t worth all the drama and suffering,” Kirk replied honestly. “That’s good. Then you can continue from where you left off,” Leonardo smiled, relieved. “That’s about what I w
In Urbano Magazine, Cindy returned with the printed sheet, extending it to Andreia. “Read this not-so-pretentious article, my friend,” Cindy declared. Andreia took the paper and read it. A smile formed at the right corner of her mouth. “Cool... nothing so blatantly accusatory, but clear enough for any semi-literate person to understand that Elaine knocked over that pyramid of champagne glasses, causing a scene at the book signing.” “Of course, I won’t say she did it because the honored author was her enemy’s mother,” Cindy replied mischievously. “You don’t want to risk Matt’s wrath.” Andreia stood up, a bit slowly due to her pregnancy. “Speaking of which, how did he react after your dad’s video?” “I didn’t bring it up with him,” Cindy shook her head. “If I mention it, people will say I still love him.” “And you don’t want to do anything to ruin your relationship with Jackson,” Andreia repeated. “Cindy, it’s commendable that you’re more committed and focused on having someone in
Fernando appeared in the kitchen wearing gray sweatpants. Liz, who was sour and bitter, smiled pathetically with her gaze fixed on her husband’s pants. “Good morning, son. What’s new?” Ronaldo replied rudely, “The news is seeing my mother still able to walk!” “RON!” Liz was startled. Fernando shook his head. “Son, don’t be disrespectful. Your mother and I are trying to be as discreet as possible.” Ronaldo shot back, “Just missing discretion when discussing my fiancée, huh? Can we talk about that now?” Liz pursed her lips. “I was so happy when I woke up, but you made sure to ruin my day.” “Mom, we can’t avoid the obvious!” Ronaldo turned to Fernando. “Matt told me that Elaine was reprimanded.” “And I will never agree to that!” Liz shouted. “Elaine was a victim of that tough girl from the slums! She could have died from a cut to her jugular!” “But Elaine provoked Patty’s wrath by saying those nasty things,” Fernando reasoned as he served himself breakfast. “Couldn’t Patricia a
Silva Penthouse, Monday morning. Ronaldo was walking down the hallway to the kitchen in just his boxer shorts when the suite door opened. Liz was smiling a little too much, looking like she was about to dance ballet. “Mom! Long time no see!” “Yes, son, I had a wonderful time with your father!” Liz replied suggestively. Ronaldo blushed to the roots of his hair. “Is breakfast ready?” she asked casually. “I was about to check,” Ronaldo said, heading to the kitchen. There, the coffee maker was already brewing coffee. “Nando must have prepared it in advance.” Liz took bread and butter from the fridge. Ronaldo, cautious, sat down at the table. He noticed a tear in Liz’s nightgown. “Mom, did you and Dad make up this Sunday?” “We can say he’s no longer in love with your fiancée,” Liz replied with a mischievous smile. “Mom, stop talking about that disgusting stuff!” Ronaldo frowned. “This is all your sick imagination.” Liz simply shrugged, sitting down at the table as well. “You’r
Elaine arrived stumbling with fear and bewilderment. The truth about Bella and Nathan’s relationship was something horrifying and incredible for her to digest. “Oh my God... how did these two families let this issue intertwine like this?” Nayla was at the reception desk, smiling, waiting for Elaine to approach. But when she realized Elaine was going to walk past her, Nayla called out loudly, “ELAINE?” Elaine stopped suddenly and looked at her friend. “Oh, Nayla, I’m sorry...” “Don’t worry. I know you must be going through a lot of pressure.” Nayla stood up. “I really am. But I always have time for my friends.” Elaine smiled and approached, trying to distract her mind. “I wanted to know if there are any openings here at Golden Letters for my brother.” Nayla asked respectfully. Elaine’s smile vanished with the wind. As Nayla’s boss, she knew who the brother was. “Nayla, we’re friends, but you know I have a strong opinion against drug use and sales.” Elaine replied in a boss t