Benny was practically vibrating with excitement, throwing little punches into the air like a teenager celebrating a winning goal in a school soccer match. When Ilda opened the office door and saw him acting like that, she immediately raised an eyebrow.“Another commercial campaign was a success, dear?”“No,” Benny replied, beaming. “Although I believe we’ll achieve that too.” He pointed excitedly at the computer screen. “I just got confirmation from LCN. I convinced them to turn Vanda’s novel into a miniseries!”Ilda was so stunned her jaw nearly hit the floor.“No! Are you serious? Do you realize what that means?”“That Vanda is climbing yet another step toward success?”“And that we will be the main sponsors, right?”Benny put on a falsely modest expression, pretending that was not exactly what he had been hoping for.“Well... of course. Everyone who still doesn’t know our appliance stores... is going to know them now.”Ilda clasped her hands together, nostalgic.“In the old days it

Matthew showed up at Blumberg Appliances after the intense conversation with his family and found Benny and Noemi visibly excited.“It looks like I’ve walked into something big,” he said.“You have!” Benny replied, gesturing animatedly. “LCN just approved the miniseries based on your friend Vanda’s novel!”“Isn’t that amazing, dear?” Noemi added with a bright smile.Matthew smiled too, thinking fondly of the Borges family, still his friends.“Yeah, that’s really exciting. How did they react?”Benny looked slightly embarrassed. “Hélio didn’t even pass the phone to his wife. From what I gathered, they’re... celebrating privately in their suite.”Matthew scratched the back of his neck. “Sounds like Hélio’s following his son’s example instead of setting one...”Noemi laughed. “It just shows the Borges couple still has a healthy relationship.”“Have you heard the latest?” Matthew continued. “Walt and Linda eloped. They’re probably lying low until things calm down.”Benny’s eyes widened. “W

After the awkward incident, Hélio remained behind Vanda, pretending to embrace her, though everyone had already seen his full nudity. Matthew’s laughter echoed throughout the foyer.“Man, have some respect for my parents’ privacy,” Jackson said, mortified.Matthew tried to contain himself. “Ha, ha... sorry, guys, but that was hilarious.”“Hello, Matt, Noemi... what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?” Vanda asked.Still flushed, Noemi replied, “Mrs. Borges, we need to discuss some details regarding the miniseries. But if you’d prefer, I can come back tomorrow.”“I’d actually prefer that,” Vanda said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming.”“That’s okay, I understand,” Noemi said, then turned to Matthew. “Are you staying to talk about the other issue?”“What issue?” Hélio asked, suddenly alert.“Dad, put on some shorts, for the love of God,” Jackson said as he headed upstairs. “I’m going to put something on too, I don’t want to catch a cold. Excuse me.”Vanda came down the stairs

Noemi walked into the apartment and found Ilda sitting on the couch watching ‘Love Spins the World’. Suddenly, a commercial interrupted the program.“The LCN network is proud to announce that preparations have officially begun for the filming of a new miniseries,” the announcer declared enthusiastically. “This time, it will be based on Tropical Romance, the bestselling novel by Vanda Borges that has taken Brazil’s Southeast region by storm — and soon, the entire country! Stay tuned for more updates!”Ilda practically lit up with excitement.“Oh, sweetheart, look! They’ve already started promoting it!”“But how?” Noemi asked, surprised. “Vanda hasn’t even signed the paperwork yet.”“And where was our dear friend?” Ilda asked knowingly.Noemi smirked and sat beside her mother.“Where else? ‘Celebrating’ with her husband and apparently unwilling to stop. When I went to their house, she was literally running away from him while he was completely naked. Mom...” She lowered her voice in emb

Abner kept pressuring Karl, demanding to know whether or not he admitted he had gone too far with the whole Praia Grande affair. Until he saw genuine regret on his son’s face, he would not be satisfied.“All right, Dad,” Karl finally said. “I admit it. I tried to reunite my son with Patty, and I failed miserably. But when I think about how all of this helped my son get away from Elaine… then it was worth it. At least partly.”Matthew and Sheila smiled. Yes, the best outcome had definitely been Matthew’s divorce from Elaine.“Well,” Abner replied, “now we’re finally clear on things. Do we have your word, son, that you won’t attempt any more insanity?”“If I truly want Matt to get married someday,” Karl answered, “then he needs space.”“Thank you, Dad,” Matthew said sincerely.Father and son embraced tightly while Sheila and Alice looked on emotionally, their eyes glistening with tears.“How beautiful…” Alice murmured. Then a thought suddenly struck her. “But darling, now that things ha