At the beach house, Patricia rose from the dining table and walked into the living room, where Sergeant Carvalho was already deep in conversation with Matthew.“Ah, Patty,” Matthew said, glancing toward her.“It’s alright, Matt,” she replied, then turned to the visitor. “Good evening, Sergeant. Would you like something to drink?”“Thank you, Miss Borges,” Carvalho said politely, “but I’m on duty.”“You’re investigating the Happy Snack Bar, aren’t you?”He nodded. “Since Mr. Sterling owns the establishment, I came to inform him personally.”Matthew sank onto the sofa, trying to process the weight of that information.“So... Gustavo was the dealer,” he murmured. “Does his family know about this?”“I haven’t investigated that angle yet,” Carvalho admitted.“Oh, I doubt they do,” Patricia said quickly. “Linda would never have the nerve to stay involved with Walter if she knew about a secret that dark.”“If this turns out to be true,” Matthew said grimly, “Walter will be devastated.”“And

By Thursday morning, the Blue Cove Police Department was in turmoil.Gustavo Alvares had just been released from temporary holding and was now being marched (pushed, really) down the corridor by Sergeant Carvalho to be booked and interrogated, all the routine formalities the law demanded.But the story had leaked. The press flooded the entrance, shoving microphones and cameras toward the doors, desperate for a statement, a glimpse, anything to fuel their coverage.Gone was the friendly, easygoing diner manager everyone knew. As Gustavo was ushered through the building, his face had hardened into a ferocious scowl.The mask had fallen; he didn’t bother pretending anymore.Inside the office, with the officer who had found the suspicious “ketchup” and “mayonnaise” containers standing by, Gustavo was shoved into a chair.Carvalho settled behind the desk, folding his hands with chilling composure.“Is this what it comes down to, Mr. Alvares?” he asked. “You were the one supplying drugs at

Walter sat on the edge of his bed, his phone cupped between his hands as if it might burn him.He kept staring at the screen, torn between calling his girlfriend or letting the silence stretch. Jacqueline sat beside him, watching him with that mix of affection and exasperation only siblings could manage.“So?” she asked. “What’s it going to be, big brother?”“I love her, Jacque,” he murmured, voice weighted with worry.“We all know that. But what about her brother being a drug dealer?”“That could be a terrible misunderstanding... or it could be true without meaning Linda had any part in it.”She tilted her head, urging him to connect the dots. “Come on, Walt. Now everything adds up. Remember when Kirk Camargo overdosed and ended up in our clinic? Weren’t there two hitmen who tried to kill him so he couldn’t testify? And didn’t those thugs give Ernesto and Gus as their references?”Walter’s face fell as the memory surfaced. “And Linda was working the front desk that day...”“Exactly,”

In Kirk and Nayla’s apartment, Kirk and Nathan stood face-to-face like two rival stags ready to battle for the same doe.“Why are you so stressed this early in the morning, man?” Nathan mocked.“You already made your indecent proposal,” Kirk snapped. “Elaine does NOT want to move into your apartment. She wants to live HERE.”“Here? With you strutting around in nothing but boxer shorts?” Nathan shot back. “Yesterday I caught you shirtless.”“I had just gotten home from work and was about to shower,” Kirk lied smoothly. “What, Elaine’s never seen a man without a shirt?”“If Elaine is going to live here, you need to start behaving,” Nathan said. Then, firing sarcasm, “Though I have a feeling you won’t be able to behave... or control yourself.”“And Elaine is what to you? Girlfriend or mistress?” Kirk fired back. “Her divorce from Matthew Sterling isn’t even finalized.”“Okay, enough, both of you!” Nayla interjected. “This is getting ridiculous!”The bathroom door opened, and Elaine stepp

Walter caught up to Linda in the bustling corridors of Urbano Magazine. A frustrated journalist was escorting the furious visitor out, clearly exhausted by her insistence.“I told you the editor-in-chief wasn’t here, but you insisted anyway,” he grumbled.“How could you prove she wasn’t hiding unless I checked for myself?” Linda snapped.“Linda?” Walter’s voice cut through the commotion.“Walt!”Her transformation stunned the journalist. Moments ago she had been a storm, ready to slap, scream, and kick down doors — yet at the sound of Walter’s voice she melted into a trembling, innocent girl clinging to her hero.Walter brushed his fingers over her hair gently before giving the journalist a reassuring look that said, 'I’ll handle this'.The man nodded in relief and hurried back toward the editorial floor, deadline breathing down his neck.When their embrace dissolved, Walter took on the expression of a stern parent.“Before you start—” Linda began.“You had no right to come here tryin