Cindy reprimands her father for making things difficult. “Dad, you had no right to do something like this. What did you want? To stir up trouble in the Borges family, making them accuse me of being involved with that video?” Germano shook his head. “I didn’t think about that, but it would be a nice bonus.” “On the contrary. Since I’ve been getting along peacefully with the Borges family, they never thought for a second that I helped you with that disgusting insinuation. Do you really believe that EVERYONE living in Lion’s Den is involved with the drug gang?” “Not everyone, just Jackson and Patricia,” Germano replied mockingly. “So what you want is to create problems for my boyfriend, is that it?” “Your ETERNAL boyfriend and lover in bed!” Germano stopped laughing, shouting, “He and his father just left here without telling me when the wedding will be.” “We’re waiting for Patricia and Ronaldo’s wedding before planning ours,” Cindy retorted. “As for the insinuation, they might s
Sterling Mansion, Matthew’s suite, dusk. Matthew is sitting on the couch, freshly showered, wearing a gray T-shirt and sweatpants. He has his cellphone to his ear, waiting for someone to answer on the other end. At the Alvares family home, Bella answered the phone in her room, locking the door. “Hello, Mr. Sterling.” “So, what happened?” Matthew asked straightforwardly. “It’s over. Nate and I broke up,” Bella replied indifferently. “You don’t sound too sorrowful,” Matthew raised his eyebrows. “I’ve cried all I needed to cry. Coincidentally, Nate was also unsettled by recent events. I told him that his father was harassing my sister at the clinic, and he got furious.” “Of course, Uncle Vicente is losing his mind,” Matthew joked. Bella didn’t find it funny at all. “Well, now you deal with your uncle, making sure he leaves my family alone. I’m tired of all the drama.” “Yeah, it was getting exhausting.” Matthew thought for a moment. “I’ll transfer at least part of what we agreed
At the Andrade Clinic, there was a frenzied and chaotic movement among doctors and nurses due to Elaine’s hospitalization. Liz followed the ambulance and made a point of causing a commotion. Linda happened to be present. In fact, she was about to end her shift and return to Andrade Mansion, but the scandal made her stay at work. “Take good care of her!” Liz screamed, “She is my nephew Matthew Sterling’s wife! DON’T LET HER DIE!” “Mrs. Silva, are you causing unnecessary scandals AGAIN?” Linda reprimanded her. Liz looked Linda up and down. “And who do you think you are to reprimand me?” “Oh no, class differences against me, not a chance!” Linda shook her finger. “Here at the clinic, you need to maintain order. Screaming like that won’t cure Mrs. Sterling!” “And do you know why Elaine needs to be cured?” Liz raised her chin. “Patty Borges threw the rival on my coffee table! She is vulgar and violent, typical of a slum dweller!” “I’m from Lion’s Den, and I don’t behave like that!”
At the Alvares house, Bella opened the door for Ernesto and Paulina.“Jeez, you didn’t even decide to wait a little bit to disguise it, huh?” Bella complained as her parents entered.“Why should we wait?” Paulina closed the door. “We’re curious to know if you’ve managed to do anything decent in your life.”“Not that it’s your business, but go ahead.” Bella sat on her bed. “Yes, I broke up with Nate.”“YES! AWESOME!” Ernesto and Paulina cheered as if they were cheering for a soccer team.Bella stared at her parents in disbelief. “Are you for real?”“Ehr... I’m sorry, dear, we didn’t mean to be so obvious.” Ernesto cleared his throat unnecessarily.“You could’ve fooled me,” Bella said sarcastically.Paulina sat down next to her daughter, placing her hand on Bella’s left shoulder. “Bella, isn’t it much better this way? Don’t you feel a weight lifted off your shoulders?”Bella looked at her mother. “You still haven’t confirmed whether you knew Nate’s parents from somewhere in the past.”“
At Andrade Clinic, Liz abruptly accused Patricia of attempting to take Elaine’s life.Matthew narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what was happening.Ronaldo quickly came to his beloved’s defense. “Matt, pay attention to me. Things are not as they seem.”“Really?” Matthew asked sourly.“Patty and I were at the mall when we decided to go to the penthouse,” Ronaldo explained.“Why did you decide to go to the penthouse?” Matthew continued with a stern look.“They thought the penthouse was empty so they could have wild s*x,” Liz replied rudely.“LIE!” Patricia screamed horrified.Liz only glanced at Patricia, smiling with satisfaction.Matthew looked coldly at Ronaldo. “Continue.”“When we arrived, my mom and your wife were talking, having tea or coffee. At no point did we make it clear what my mom just said. However, Elaine insisted on that absurd theory and rained insults on Patty.”Patricia stood up. “I can take care of myself, Ron. I own my mistake.”“Your mistake?” Matthew raised
Andrade Clinic, lobby, night. Dr. Almeida waited for everyone to brace themselves for the news. “The patient Elaine Prates Sterling is stable.” Everyone except Liz sighed with relief. Liz, however, didn’t see this as good news. “How am I supposed to take the opportunity to confront Patricia if Elaine is okay?” she thought desperately. Fernando surprised Liz by shaking her shoulders. “Did you hear, darling? Elaine is going to BE FINE!” “I heard, but I can’t believe it!” Liz replied as if waking from a dream. Sheila jumped. “What? What more do you want, creature? Your friend is fine!” “For now!” Liz turned to Dr. Almeida. “Doctor, what will be the consequences?” Dr. Almeida was taken aback by the irrelevant question. “HUH? There will be no consequences of any kind unless there is some internal bleeding.” “She fell onto a glass table, pushed by HER!” Liz pointed a finger at Patricia. “How can you say for sure that nothing is wrong?” “We removed the patient’s clothes and thoro
At the Andrade Clinic, Fernando took his wife’s hand after hearing what Patricia said. “OK, enough of the drama! Let’s talk more calmly AT HOME!” “Darling, I need to see my best friend!” Liz struggled, not wanting to leave. “I don’t know why I’m not happy about this friendship.” Ronaldo frowned. “Come on, son, you don’t think I’m plotting something like your sister, do you?” Matthew asserted himself. “I sincerely hope not, Aunt.” Fernando pulled Liz again. “Come on, my dear. Matt has priority in seeing his wife. You’ll visit her tomorrow.” “Tomorrow is Sunday; I might as well go back myself.” Liz resigned. Besides, she didn’t want to be around to give Matthew the chance to continue asking her things. Fernando and Liz left, leaving the environment calmer. Sheila sighed. “Matt, I’m sorry about the confusion. Are you going to stay here?” “I will, Mom.” Matthew sighed, tired of so many problems. “You know Patty didn’t mean any harm, right?” Sheila smiled slightly, guiding her
At the Borges House, the family of four was having dinner in the dining room. Vanda prepared a garden salad with roasted rack of lamb and seasoned rice with spices. “Hmm... delicious, dear.” Hélio savored. “Thank you, my love. The good news seems to have opened the appetite of someone who didn’t want to have dinner, huh?” Jackson chewed and swallowed. “Huh? Was someone talking to me?” Cindy giggled. “Alright, folks, now we need to figure out what to do about the other problem.” “The video that defames us.” Jackson became thoughtful. “Do you think Patty told Matthew about this?” “I sincerely hope so,” Cindy replied, taking another piece of rack of lamb. “Knowing Ron, he must be furious and will try to take justice into his own hands.” “He can’t do anything extreme so he doesn’t mess up our advertising campaign.” Jackson was on alert. Hélio served himself more wine. “Don’t worry, Jackson. Luck is on our side; it always has been.” Vanda turned to Cindy. “And how was your meeting
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