In the master suite of the Vasquez Mansion, Alan had finally managed to pull himself together, now sporting a crisp dress shirt and trousers. However, Sofia’s trained eye drifted lower, noting the distinct lack of underwear lines beneath the fabric.She smirked.“Aren’t you forgetting something?”Alan, completely unaware of his wardrobe malfunction, frowned. “You’re the one forgetting to answer me.”Sofia rolled her eyes, leaning back against the pillows. “Honey, you know what I think of Carol’s journalism career: dishonest and unscrupulous.”Alan moved to the mirror, flipping his collar up to tie his tie. “You would say Carol was being dishonest even if she worked as a street sweeper.”“No. Being a street sweeper is a dignified profession that doesn’t attract attention. Being a gossip journalist, on the other hand...”“Well, you could be accused of the same thing — making Vaztrans profitable again.”Sofia sat up straighter, accepting the challenge. “Now that is a feat we should celeb

In Bernardo’s apartment, Henrique sat at the breakfast table buttering a slice of toast, the rhythmic scraping sound the only noise in the room until he paused, noticing his mother staring blankly into her coffee cup.He snapped his fingers in front of her face.“Mom! Houston calling!”Maggie jolted, nearly spilling her drink. “YIKES! What is it? Is the apartment on fire?”Bernardo chuckled from behind his newspaper. “The only thing on fire is your mind, probably full of ideas.”“Probably,” Maggie admitted, smoothing her hair. She took a sip of coffee to reorient herself. “I was wondering if I should authorize a certain story.”“Any help from your favorite son?” Henrique asked.“Thank you, son...” She smiled, the warmth returning to her eyes. “I’m thinking about a suggestion Caroline gave me.”“Which one?” Bernardo asked, lowering the paper.“Interviewing Vaztrans.”Henrique stopped buttering his toast mid-stroke, his eyes widening in disbelief.“I know,” Maggie sighed. “It seems coun

Romulo and Alfred sat in their office at Rocha Constructions, sleeves rolled up and suit jackets discarded on the coat rack. The windows were flung wide open, but the stagnant air offered no relief.“When are they going to fix the air conditioning?” Romulo groaned, fanning himself with a file folder.Alfred chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from his temple. “Josias doesn’t delay with these things. Maybe today, tomorrow at the latest.”The door swung open, and Tony breezed in, bringing with him a gust of cool, conditioned air from the hallway. He paused, sniffing the warm, humid atmosphere of the office.“YIKES! What kind of heat is this? I just came from the Architecture section and it’s practically freezing over there!”“Yes, keep rubbing it in our faces,” Romulo muttered.“I’m not here to mock anyone,” Tony said, though the smirk on his lips suggested otherwise. “João Paulo is looking for you, Romulo.”Romulo paused, brow furrowing. “He already interviewed me.”“He wants it again, ma

Chaos erupted in the corridors of Rocha Constructions. The thud of a body hitting the floor echoed louder than any shouting match. Michelle lay sprawled on the carpet, pale and motionless, a casualty of João Paulo’s relentless intrusion.Romulo dropped to his knees beside her, panic stripping away his professional veneer. He patted her cheeks, his voice cracking. “Sis, wake up! For the love of Christ, wake up!”Alfred was already on the phone, barking coordinates to emergency services, his hand trembling slightly.“Do you see this, Alan?” Alfred hissed, covering the receiver. “This is exactly what we were talking about!”Alan stood over them, his expression shifting from shock to a cold, hard resolve. “Calm down, everyone. She just fainted.” His eyes darkened. “I’m going to take care of my uncle.”Romulo looked up, his eyes blazing with a protective fury that bordered on lethal. “Handle him, Alan. Or I will.”In the hallway, a cluster of employees gathered by the open door, their whis

Alan sat at his desk, staring blankly at a spreadsheet, his jaw tight. The office door opened, and Josias walked in, a broad smile on his face.“Hello, Dad. You won’t believe what happened.”Josias was about to share his own news, but the scowl on his son’s face stopped him cold.“It seems you haven’t heard yet,” Josias said, his smile fading into surprise.“Has Michelle recovered already? She was pretty shaken when she went to the hospital. Romulo was very upset.”Josias frowned, waving a hand. “Wait, we’re talking about two different things. I didn’t know about Michelle. What happened to her?”Alan stood up, pacing behind his desk. “Uncle João Paulo showed up here, wanting to ask Romulo if Michelle is seeing Jake Cogo. Romulo refused to answer, and Uncle simply assumed the answer was yes. Romulo came to complain about it to me, but Michelle heard through the door and screamed in despair, then fainted.”Josias clenched his jaw. What was happening to his younger brother?“Really, João