In the main square of Sterling University, Walter and Jacqueline take it upon themselves to break the bad news to Matthew.Jacqueline holds out the book, “Matt, take this book. You’ll understand when you read it.”Matthew picks up the book and reads the cover, “‘Hug Me, My CEO’. Hey, it looks like the title of the book by the author I promoted.”Walter swallows hard, “That’s the problem, Matt. Jacque read the book by Gabriel Mattos and discovered that it was practically the same book!”Matthew loses the color on his face. His mouth drops open and exclaims, “Are you guys serious?”“Yes, Matt!” Jacqueline despairs, “We’re so sorry for the bad news, but—”“Hey, don’t worry!” Matthew calms down, “You’re not to blame for anything. In fact, it’s my fault. But how could I have guessed... How crazy, a plagiarist tried to scam Golden Letters.”Walter speaks hurriedly, “Matt, if Nathan finds out about this, he will use this incident as a weapon to detonate you. Public opinion will mercilessly m
Matthew returns to the Sterling Mansion after having failed to communicate with both Abner and Gabriel. It seems they both decided to use their cell phones at the same time...Not wanting to be rude and likely interrupt a business meeting, Matthew decided to return home and rest.However, as soon as Jarbas found him, the butler surprised him, “Young Master Sterling, your cousins are visiting you and waiting for you in the pool area.”“Cousins?” Matthew is startled.“Yes. Your aunt, Mrs. Liz Silva, and her children, named Ronaldo and Jasmine.”Matthew narrows his eyes. He vaguely remembers Ronaldo, but he had never even met Jasmine. She was born after the death of Matthew’s father...“How interesting. My family is coming in large numbers to see me. OK, if they’re in the pool area, tell them to wait for me.”“Yes, Young Master Sterling.” Jarbas leaves.Matthew goes upstairs and heads to his suite to change his clothes.He came down wearing swimming trunks and a towel on his back to dry
Elaine is appalled by Matthew ordering her not to tell Nathan what happened. But there is a possibility that Nathan will find out sooner or later...She tries to explain, “Matt, I know you have the ultimate power, but your cousin is also working at Golden Letters. Didn’t it occur to you that Jonah Lopes’ representative might try to contact him?”“Hasn’t he seen the press conference yet?” Matthew retorts dismissively, “He knows who I am. The last thing Jonah Lopes want would be a scandal.”“OK, for my part, I won’t say anything.” Elaine nods, “But that’s what I told you, I can’t guarantee that Nathan won’t find out by other means.”“Then we think about it. What I want at the moment is to avoid a tragedy of unimaginable proportions.” Matthew laments, “Thanks for listening, Elaine. I don’t want to ruin your night.”“OK. Bye-bye!” Elaine says goodbye to Matthew and ends the phone call.The door opens and the handsome Italian appears to Elaine’s delight. “Hello, cara mia. Ready to go?”“Ni
The next day, Sheila was in her suite, wearing her robe and sitting on the sofa, very worried about what was happening with Jonah Lopes’ book.She typed a message to Wagner’s cell phone and sent it. Now she’s staring at her cell phone, hoping the hysterical secretary will pass on the message.“Please be kind to my baby... He is an innocent boy...”Just as Sheila was thinking about calling, an unknown number started calling back.Sheila promptly answers, “Hello?”On the other side, Jonah’s kind and magnetic voice sounded like a Mozart symphony to Sheila’s ears, “Hello, Sheila? Wagner passed the message.”“Oh, Jonah...” Sheila feels like crying.In Jonah’s elegantly furnished room, showing his masculine taste, Jonah was leaning against the headboard, with the white blanket covering him from the waist down, showing off his fit torso.“Sheila,
At Golden Letters, the atmosphere was one of despair and distrust.The employees didn’t know what to say. No one wanted to blame Matthew so as not to sound disrespectful, but it was clear that they felt sad inside. The young man was doing so well...Matthew enters the company and Nayla welcomes him, “Good morning, Mr. Sterling. Don’t pay attention to the nasty comments on the Internet. Were your college friends understanding?”“I didn’t even go to college.” Matthew laments, “We had to move up this emergency meeting because my mother made the situation worse.”“Oh, what happened?” Nayla is surprised.“Jonah Lopes didn’t know about the plagiarism. We could solve the problem without disturbing him, but my mother called him... now he must be coming here to sue us...” Matthew sighs.“And why would your mother get involved in such a complicated matter?” Nayla’s mouth drops open.“Because my mom is hot for the writer,” Matthew responds angrily.Nayla swallows hard. She doesn’t judge Sheila:
Nathan didn’t like having lost some of his enthusiasm and giving Matthew an opening to counterattack. He straightens up in his chair and continues speaking, “Matthew, compose yourself. Our grandfather already warned you not to resort to verbal aggression, let alone physical aggression.”“That’s what you deserve, imbecile!” Matthew continues with a firm stance, “You’re trying to blame those who read the chapters of Gabriel Mattos’ book without detecting plagiarism. Well, you read it too. Something like that didn’t cross your mind, huh?”“You felt like the guy was ‘inspired’ by Jonah Lopes.” Nathan tries at all costs to convince others of Matthew’s guilt.“Yes, but I never thought about plagiarism. In fact, when was the last time someone tried to fool Golden Letters that easily?”Abner and Evandro start to think.“Huh... It’s been a long time, long before the pandemic...” Evandro comments.“We have always been careful in this regard.” Abner responds, “On the other hand, we used to think
Sheila returns from the SPA to the Sterling Mansion. Alice approaches her in the foyer before she goes up to the second floor.“Sheila, before you embarrass yourself... Jonah Lopes is here.”“WHAT?” Sheila couldn’t hide her pleasant surprise, “He came here to help Matt?”Alice doesn’t like seeing Sheila dazzled. “Control your fire, creature. This is not the time for you to be romantically interested in other guys. Jonah Lopes came to help.”Sheila grins, “I knew it! He’s not going to sue my son because I asked him to.”“Don’t be ridiculous, woman!” Alice dismisses her, “You look like a teenager in love.”“I may be in love, but I’m not a teenager.” Sheila shrugs, “Is he in his suite?”“Yes, but like any decent woman, you’re NOT GOING there, correct?” Alice teases her.“I’m a decent woman, so I just want to talk to him. Stop being neurotic, grumpy old woman!” Sheila goes upstairs after defending herself.Alice shakes her head. Abner returns from the meeting.“What’s wrong, honey?”“Abne
Just so it doesn’t become obvious that Andreia is no longer interested in Nathan, she decides to ask, “What happened, Nate?”“Cindy Cardoso gave an interview to Jonah Lopes! Who authorized this?” Nathan complains.“And what’s so bad about this interview?” Vicente cranes his neck towards his cell phone.“Jonah Lopes is calm, unwilling to sue Golden Letters, and practically clearing Matt of the mess!” Nathan gets up.He leaves the kitchen while Vicente takes out his cell phone to read better.“So, I was slapped by my father for this?” Andreia asks sourly.“Honey, your father didn’t have the right. You guys need to fix this as soon as possible.” Vicente speaks while reading the interview.“Vince, we’ve been arguing since the moment I looked at you.” Andreia sighs, “They will never accept you as a son-in-law, give up.”“So should I let you continue to be demoralized?” Vicente becomes impatient, just like his son.“Do whatever you want, I don’t care anymore!” Andreia stands up abruptly. Sh
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