Bryce stood in front of his father’s desk, his voice with cold irony. “Given everything that’s happened, Dad, I suppose there’s only one solution left. We’ll have to let Tiffany go.”Edmund’s reaction caught him completely off guard. The older man shot up from his chair as if a snake had bitten him.His face flushed with fury, and his voice thundered through the office. “What did you just say, you insolent brat? You don’t make decisions here!”Bryce tilted his head, smirking. “How touching. You seem rather protective of your... promiscuous assistant.”“What Tiffany does in her personal life is none of our business!” Edmund barked.“When her personal life starts affecting her professional performance,” Bryce snapped, his tone sharp with jealousy, “then it becomes our business. Tell me, Dad: how many assistants have as many unexplained absences as Tiffany?”Edmund swallowed hard, caught off balance, unable to come up with an answer.Bryce pressed on, his voice darkly amused. “Our assist

Elaine was working quietly in her office, her fingers gliding over the keyboard when the door creaked open. She looked up and froze: Matthew was standing there, his expression unusually tense.“Elaine...?” he said softly, his voice carrying an unsettling weight.“Darling! Come in, come closer!” she exclaimed, half-rising from her chair. But he gestured for her to stay seated, his tone firm.“Don’t get up,” he said. “What I have to say won’t be easy.”Her smile faltered. “What’s going on?”Matthew shut the door behind him with deliberate calm. The look on his face sent a chill through her.“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?” she asked.“You could say that,” he replied.“Oh, God... what did your parents or grandparents do this time?”He moved closer to her desk, his cold expression betraying nothing. For a moment, Elaine thought it might be about business, some crisis at the Sterling Empire.“Elaine,” he began, his tone measured, “I’ve been thinking a lot about our situation.”“Our situation

Matthew’s patience evaporated as Elaine pressed on with her insinuations about Patricia and Ronaldo’s breakup.“Elaine,” he said tightly, “we’ve been over this.”But she refused to let it go. “I remember how suspicious you were at the time. You conveniently received a photo of Ronaldo cheating on Patricia. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel even the slightest urge to confess your feelings for her after that.”“I didn’t,” Matthew replied, his tone controlled but weary. “In fact, I accused my father of setting it up. I never took advantage of the situation. I still wanted to make our marriage work.”“Then what’s changed now?” she demanded, her anger cracking through.“Nothing’s changed,” he said simply. “I’m just seeing the truth I’ve been denying for too long.”“Don’t tell me we never loved each other, Matthew!” she cried. “You and I made a child together... there had to be something!”He gave a bitter half-smile. “Exactly. We felt something. But we can’t even bring ourselves to call it lov

Gustavo came home unaware of the drastic step Maurício had taken. He entered with a broad smile, pleased with himself, his good mood almost contagious.In the living room, Paulina was vacuuming, glancing at her son’s bright expression with mild surprise.“Son, did something happen?” she asked.“Nothing you need to worry about, Mom,” Gustavo replied lightly.Paulina switched off the vacuum cleaner, studying him. “I’ve never seen you this cheerful to go to work.”He grinned. “Let’s just say I was on an important mission.”He stepped carefully, mindful not to dirty the carpet she had just cleaned. But Paulina’s curiosity quickly overrode her pride in her spotless floor.“Come on, tell me,” she urged.“I gave that doctor who’s been harassing Linda a well-deserved punch in the face,” Gustavo said, still proud of himself. “And Walter threatened to fire him.”Paulina froze, clutching the vacuum handle too tightly. “Linda is having trouble at work?”“Look, I know my sister is gorgeous, but sh

Matthew took command of the chaos inside the Sterling Mansion. His patience had already been tested, and now it was time to bring order back to his home.“Patty,” he said gently, “are you sure you don’t want to move into the mansion today?”Patricia’s voice was soft but firm. “No, Matt. I don’t want to risk our love a second time. Maybe... when we’re married.”Elaine let out a bitter laugh. “How romantic. Excuse me while I go throw up.”Alice didn’t miss a beat. “We’ve wanted to throw up since the first day you set foot in this house.”Elaine’s eyes flashed. “Listen here, you wrinkled old—”“Enough!” Abner’s command sliced through the air like thunder.Elaine fell silent instantly, like a scolded lapdog.Matthew didn’t even bother hiding his irritation. “All right. Patty, when you feel the time is right, the master suite will be waiting for you.” He turned his gaze coldly toward Elaine. “As for you... you’ll be leaving this house now.”Elaine’s voice broke in desperation. “I don’t hav