Ernesto stared at his eldest daughter, hurt tightening his features. “What are you suggesting? That you don’t believe in your brother’s innocence?”Linda spoke with the calm, practical tone she used when emotion threatened to blind others. “I believe what my eyes can see. The only one I trust without seeing is God.”Bella leaned forward, searching her sister’s expression. “And what exactly do your eyes see about our older brother?”“A man who has been lying,” Linda answered coldly. “A man who hid criminal activity from us.”Bella’s outrage was immediate. “Linda, there must be an explanation for those videos!”“I don’t believe anything beyond what was captured, Bella. Gus was handing out supposed ketchup and mayonnaise packets to people who didn’t even have burgers or fries on their tables.”“Did it not occur to you,” Bella insisted, “that Gus could’ve been forced? That someone higher up was using him? And now Gus won’t give any names because he fears retaliation?”Linda nodded, but th

Elaine blinked in surprise when her phone lit up. “Jackson is calling me!”Nathan stiffened instantly, jealousy cutting through his voice. “You still haven’t blocked his number?”“Why would I do that?” she countered, practical as ever. “Especially after he helped us with the plan?”“I only brought him in for the plan,” Nathan muttered. “Not for him to meddle in our lives.”But Elaine was already answering.“Hello?” she said, her voice suddenly soft.On the other end, Jackson stood at the entrance of Golden Letters, scanning the parking lot.“Elaine, I didn’t see your car out there.”“I’m thinking about selling it once the divorce is done,” she replied with a teasing lilt. “That is, if Matt doesn’t take it back first.”Jackson furrowed his brow. “Stop it. You know Matt only cares about the baby.”At the mention of the child, her features tightened. “What do you want, Jackson?”“We need to talk. I’ll wait for you in your office,” he answered coldly.Elaine lowered the phone slowly, look

Nathan let out a relieved laugh. “Oh, that? It was nothing.”“What do you mean, nothing?” Matthew countered, sounding almost proud of him. “Gus Alvares is practically your brother. And he was selling drugs in my snack bar. Considering our history, you could’ve turned a blind eye and let him ruin my business, but you didn’t.”Nathan looked at him carefully. “You’re not upset that I called Jackson in?”“Not at all. Jackson actually had fun,” Matthew replied.Nathan snorted. “I’m not so sure about that. But Matt, thank you for acknowledging it. Elaine and I both felt that learning about Gustavo doing that at the Happy Snack Bar was an insult on top of everything else. I didn’t want you thinking I supported any of it.”“You want to stay far away from scandals now,” Matthew said. “And having a drug-dealing brother in the mix wouldn’t help.”“Thank you for not firing Ernie from Silva Oil Company,” Nathan added quickly. “I’m sure he’ll cooperate with the investigations.”Matthew’s expression

“If Elaine claims the baby was fathered by Nathan,” Patricia said, her tone tight with frustration, “Matt will demand a DNA test. That’ll be one more scandal on our plate, a feast for the gossip media. More stress, more emotional damage, and more opportunities for that witch to make our lives miserable.”Jackson frowned, anxiety clear in his eyes. “So what do we do, sis?”Patricia leaned back, surprisingly serene. “We keep living our lives, big bro.”Just then, the waiter approached and set down their drinks: an iced hibiscus lemonade for Patricia and a tall glass of passion-fruit caipirinha for Jackson, along with the bill. Jackson lifted his drink in a toast.“To courage and love,” he declared.Patricia let out a soft giggle. “I’m overflowing with love. Courage... that’s what I’ll really need.”They tapped their glasses together, the ice chiming gently, and each took a long, refreshing sip as the tension slowly melted from their shoulders.******At the supermarket, Bryce strolled t

Elaine had just finished breakfast in Nathan’s apartment and now sat curled on the sofa, scrolling through the week’s news. Her eyes narrowed the instant she saw the photo splashed across the entertainment page: Matthew and Patricia strolling along the beach, fingers interlaced, the picture of harmony.Patricia glowed in a bikini that did perfect justice to her graceful, voluptuous figure. Beside her, Matthew drew sighs from practically every woman on the internet with those absurdly tiny speedos, looking as if he were about to dive into an Olympic pool.Elaine lingered on Matthew’s image a bit too long, zooming in to inspect very thoroughly the imprint left by the speedos.Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Startled, she quickly scrolled away from the photo, her trembling fingers tapping into Cindy’s earlier article: the interview with Karl and Sheila.“Need anything else, sweetheart?” Nathan asked as he approached.“No, I’m fine, thank you,” she answered a little too quickly.Nathan n