At Golden Letters, Matthew was tapping his stomach while having a tense conversation with Karl. “I think it’s time for us to have lunch. Are you coming with me?” Matthew tried to sound casual. Karl shook his head. “You’re not going to shake this topic off so easily, Matt. I’m waiting for your confirmation as the honorable man you are.” “What do you want me to do, huh? Confirm that I tried to kill Nate just like Uncle Vicente killed my father?” Matthew’s abrupt and angry question made Karl pause and think for a few seconds. He continued, “If you’re so convinced of this, why don’t you investigate and gather evidence of what happened?” “Does it even matter anymore? How much time has passed... no one wanted to believe my mother. Then, she and I disappeared from everyone’s sight. But Uncle Vicente remained free, enjoying the Sterling family money. If Nate weren’t such a misfit, he would be the president of the conglomerate even after I returned to the family. So, I can’t accept that

After his nap, Vicente left the house and headed to the Sterling Cultural Hall. Smiling excessively, he presented himself at Edmund’s office, extending a printed sheet in Arial font. Edmund took a while to pick up the sheet as if it were covered in feces. “What is this?” Edmund asked sourly. “My repertoire list,” Vicente exclaimed excitedly. “You’ll need this, I suppose.” “Yes, we’ll need it. But I wanted to use this sheet as toilet paper.” Edmund carelessly left the paper on the desk. Vicente chuckled. “Heh, heh... come on, have a sense of humor, Edmund! You’re doing the right thing by allowing my concert!” “You know I could call Matt right now and let him know, right?” Edmund raised his voice. “But you won’t do that,” Vicente shook his index finger. “You won’t add another burden on Matt’s shoulders. He just came out of a press conference and has to deal with a crazy, hysterical wife. I can only imagine how much she’ll demand for divorce alimony...” “Why don’t you ask that a

At Sterling Cultural Hall, Bryce was having fun watching his father and Karl always evasive and suspicious when he questioned their friendship. He decided to be bolder this time. “Okay, I’m not going to be prejudiced. We know times have changed, and—” “Prejudiced about what, son?” Edmund asked, already tasting bitterness on his tongue. “Huh...” Bryce held back a laugh. “I thought you two actually...” Bryce gestured ‘wedding ring on finger,’ causing disgust in Edmund and Karl. “NO!” Karl clutched his stomach, feeling nauseous. “We are not a couple!” “Well, come on: tell me what’s going on!” Bryce suddenly became serious. “Bryce, when you stop trying to eavesdrop on our conversations from behind the door, you’ll be happier and stop feeling like you’re in a spy movie.” Edmund tried to deflect, pushing his son out of the office. “This won’t stay like this. I’m going to find out what’s going on, even if it costs me my life!” Bryce grew tired of the games and decided to leave, slamm

Monday, another workday. Also a day of certain revelations. At the beach house, Nathan paced back and forth, deep in thought about two situations. Especially the second situation: what he read in Elaine and Matthew’s divorce agreement... Andreia came from the kitchen, noticing Nathan like this. “Son, is everything alright? You seem... well, restless.” “I’m wonderfully fine, Mom.” Nathan tried to mask his anxiety. “Is the coffee ready?” “Yes, and I intended to call you for us to eat. Is your dad still getting dressed?” “Yes, and I don’t even know for what.” Nathan narrowed his eyes, looking at the closed door of his parents’ bedroom. “He’s taking care of his concert, knowing you have other things on your mind,” Andreia replied kindly, rubbing her belly. A notification from Nathan’s phone caught his attention. He checked the device... ...And smiled triumphantly. “Was it what you were hoping for?” Andreia asked. “Yes. The DNA test results are out. I can pick them up at any ti

Elaine, at the kitchen table, had just finished breakfast, still thinking about her conversation with Matthew. “Something’s wrong, I can’t pinpoint it.” Elaine murmured to herself, very suspicious. “He didn’t say at any point that he loved me.” Determined, she picked up her phone and dialed a number. At the beach house, Nathan answered from his room. He was wearing dress pants and choosing a dress shirt when the phone rang. “Hello, sweetheart.” “Nate, I’m glad you picked up. Can you talk?” Elaine asked anxiously. “Yes, but I need to go to the Andrade Clinic to get the DNA test.” “What risk are you taking by doing that test where Bella’s sister works!” Elaine exclaimed. “Don’t worry, we’ve managed to be discreet.” Nathan smiled. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you something strange.” Elaine recounted, “Matt came here early, saying he’s willing to give our marriage a second chance.” Nathan held his breath, narrowing his eyes. Then he asked point-blank, “Does he want to give a chanc