At Sterling Empire headquarters, two tense conversations were taking place. The first occurred in Matthew’s office. Walter entered, serious and intimidating – not to our hero. Matthew closed the door. “Well, well... we’re all frowns today, huh?” “Matt, you’re going to stop joking when you tell me what’s going on around here.” Walter retorted sternly. Matthew dropped his smile. “Walt, what’s got you all worked up? Did I do something to you?” “Tell me, Matt!” Walter asserted, sitting on the couch. “What do you want me to say?” Matthew crossed his arms. “Did you have anything to do with Bella Alvares?” Walter narrowed his gaze. He managed to discern a hint of discomfort on Matthew’s face. Something inside him grew tense. Walter smiled smugly. “Yes, you did.” “Walt, you barged in here practically barking and recounting what happened backwards. I know you love Linda Alvares, so I believe the conversation—” “Matt, my future sister-in-law is accusing you of forcing her to cling to

At the Alvares family home, Bella stepped in to prevent Paulina from knocking over the pot of beans — for the second time. “Daughter!” Paulina whispered through clenched teeth, indignant. “Why do you insist on being so annoying?” “I’m just seeking the truth!” Bella replied in the same tone. “You have no right to deny me that!” “You weren’t supposed to find this out!” Paulina placed the pot of beans on the stove. As she reheated lunch, Bella persisted, “Tell me: is Nate Andreia’s son or yours? If I’m your daughter, then he’s the bastard.” “Don’t poke the hornet’s nest, Bella...” Paulina warned her in an angry tone. “It’s going to be hard for me to tell Nate the truth when I see him—” “NO!” Paulina’s sudden shout startled Linda, who was entering the kitchen. She immediately understood what was happening. “You two needed to discuss the forbidden topic, huh?” Bella crossed her arms. “Who decided that this topic was forbidden?” “SHH!” Linda lowered her voice. “Our dad isn’t deaf

Bryce, unfazed, grinned. “Well, well! The truth finally comes out.”“A truth that was none of your business!” Karl growled.“See, Dad? I should change careers. I’d make a great detective.”Karl waved him off impatiently. “Ed, I need to talk to you alone. I didn’t know your brat would be here.”“Karl, I’m so sorry!” Edmund said, his voice filled with regret.“I’m not blaming you, but... Sheila found out.”Bryce got up, clearly trying to stifle a laugh, though not making much effort to leave discreetly.As the door shut behind him, Edmund turned back to Karl.“How did she find out?”“In the most unexpected way possible, even for someone like me: after our meeting, we made love.”Edmund tried — he really did — but he couldn’t stop himself from bursting into laughter, proving beyond a doubt that Bryce was indeed his son.Nathan and Vicente wrapped up another live broadcast from their beach house. Vicente stretched his back as he stood up from the stool, while Nathan sat on the couch, scro

At the Beach House, Vicente insists with Nathan some theory that his son is somehow involved with Elaine’s sudden regret of her misdeeds.Nathan groaned, annoyed. “Dad, don’t put words in my mouth. Elaine and I talked, and she decided that accepting Matt’s second chance was in her best interest. Maybe I won’t even need her for my plans anymore, but if I do, the fact that she’s still married to Matt makes for an excellent cover.”“You expect her to act as a double agent? That’s tricky, son.” Vicente crossed his arms, worried sick.“Well, that’s what she decided,” Nathan stated firmly. “The press conference was Matt’s demand.”Vicente let out a dry chuckle. “Jeez, my nephew is so generous with women. And what about what she said regarding Liz Silva?”“Oh, that you can be sure of — she WILL get rid of that crazy woman. All to stay by Matt’s side,” Nathan said, his voice burning with sarcasm.“Be careful, son. Just like she’s kicking Liz out, she could do the same to you.” Vicente raised

Liz finally opened her eyes in her hospital room at Clínica Andrade. The sterile white walls and soft beeping of monitors greeted her as she slowly regained awareness. Around her, Fernando, Ronaldo, and Patricia were overwhelmed with emotion, their relief palpable. Dr. Almeida, standing at the foot of the bed, observed with quiet satisfaction.“Liz, congratulations. Look, your family is here, rooting for you! Can you say something?” Dr. Almeida encouraged.Liz’s voice was weak but audible. “Yes...”Dr. Almeida nodded approvingly. “Great. You haven’t lost your ability to speak. Now, Liz, I want you to blink. Can you do that?”Liz blinked. Both eyelids functioned perfectly.“Excellent. It seems the classic ‘left-side-paralysis-from-a-stroke’ does not apply to you.”Fernando, his emotions spilling over, asked hesitantly, “Does that mean she’ll recover, doctor?”“If she continues improving and stays free from stress, yes.”Patricia sighed. “That’s going to be difficult.”A thought flicker