“What is it, dear?” Karl asked.“You are acting horribly,” Sheila replied. “I bet Linda is suffering more than all the other family members combined, yet here we are, judging and condemning the poor girl.”“Wake up, Sheila,” Alice said with extreme disdain. “Gustavo Alvares was selling drugs in the diner YOUR SON opened.”“Plus, Matt didn’t even come down to breakfast with us, did he?” Abner noted. “He’s already gone to the police station to help however he can.”“My boy won’t leave a stone unturned,” Karl affirmed with pride.“It happens, people,” Sheila said, feeling emotional. “It’s perfectly possible that Gustavo kept this ‘job’ of his hidden from his family. Especially if he never consumed what he sold.”“No, he never looked like the type to use drugs to me,” Karl mused. “No, the bastard only sold them, causing misery in other families while he went home with money in his pocket.”Alice finished her breakfast and rose from the table. “I’ll call Emmanuelle. She must have an answer

Alice was escorted by Gumercindo onto the veranda of the Andrade Mansion, where Emmanuelle was enjoying a light snack.“Thank you, butler,” Alice said.“Alice, come closer! Would you like a chicken pâté sandwich?” Emmanuelle offered.“I think I’ll accept, dear,” Alice said, taking a seat. “At least it will hold off the hunger until lunch.”Emmanuelle waited for Alice to sit down and help herself, already guessing the topic of the Sterling matriarch’s visit.“How is your family taking the news?” she asked pointedly.“How else should we take it?” Alice chewed thoughtfully. “We are absolutely horrified by what happened!”“And Matt?”“He went to the police station to give a statement.”“Ah, yes. He was the founder of the Happy Snack Bar, and Gustavo was the manager.” Emmanuelle nodded.Alice’s indignation was evident. “How did he have the nerve to exploit a good deed by my little grandson for... I won’t even go into the details!”“Jacque went to the jail to talk to him,” Emmanuelle stated

Elaine rolled her eyes at Vanda’s utterly unfounded interrogation. “Vanda, listen: the person who called Jackson was Nathan.”“Oh, really?” Vanda said, clearly skeptical.“If Jackson hasn’t told you, then that’s no longer my problem,” Elaine said, shrugging.Vanda crossed her arms. “Why do I feel like something smells fishy around here?”“If anyone had ulterior motives, it wasn’t Jackson, and it wasn’t me,” Elaine stated.“Are you talking about NATHAN?” Vanda shot back. “He was the one who lost the most by reporting his half-brother!”Elaine offered a mischievous smile. “He’s got me won over. After all, I am Nayla’s best friend.”Vanda narrowed her eyes, trying to understand. “So, the divorce is really going to happen? Are you going to try for Nathan Gouveia?”“Minus the drug trafficking part. Yes, I’m going to try for a relationship with him.”Vanda pointed at Elaine’s belly. “Matt won’t allow you to raise his child with Nathan!”Elaine slammed her fist on the desk. “Matthew has no s

Patricia shakes her head, unsure what to do with her mischievous boyfriend.“I can never stay mad at you,” she sighed, smoothing the spot on his shoulder where she’d just flicked him. “So Walt and Linda patched things up in the most romantic way imaginable, huh?”Matthew’s grin was pure sunshine. “Yep. Proof that love conquers all.”“Let’s hope the Andrade family can tell the difference between the sinner and the saint,” Patricia said quietly.Matthew’s smile faded. “Yeah... I heard how torn up Jacque was.”The office door opened without a knock. Leonardo stepped in, looking like a man carrying the weight of several bad decisions on his shoulders.“Hey, Grandpa,” Matthew greeted, tone suddenly somber.Leonardo closed the door with deliberate care. “Hello, grandson. Hey, Patty.”“So?” Matthew pressed. “What did you decide?”Leonardo loosened his collar as if the tie had turned into a noose. “The whole thing is mortifying. Ernesto Alvares has been with this company for decades. People s

Bryce’s laugh was sharp enough to cut glass. “You’ve never heard of the cliché ‘enemies to lovers’?”Edmund waved it away like cigarette smoke. “Romantic nonsense. That’s the kind of garbage women swallow in cheap novels.”Bryce’s eyes narrowed. “So now you’re calling me a girl?”“Don’t be an idiot,” Edmund snapped.“Oh, perfect. Insult your own son. But the little slut you’re banging? Her you defend with cock and balls!”“It’s ‘tooth and nail,’” Edmund corrected automatically, then realized he’d been baited. He slammed the table so hard the coffee cups rattled. “ENOUGH!”He shot to his feet, fist half-raised. Bryce didn’t flinch, just stared him down with pure venom.Edmund forced his voice low. “You don’t love Tiffany. You never did. You’re just pissed I got there first.”Bryce’s smile was bitter poison. “And you? Do you love her, Dad? Or is this just a mid-life crisis with extra lube? Are you screwing that girl to prove you’ve still got it?”Edmund sat back down slowly. “I proved I