Sérgio, instead of backing down with what little dignity he had left, seemed even more provoked — almost eager to reclaim the spotlight. He stood up abruptly, raising his voice with theatrical flair."That’s the real problem!" he declared, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Now filming’s farther from my house. That’s why I want to know — will Miss Vasconcelos remain in custody?”Briana rolled her eyes. So that was it?From a short distance away, Mark quietly observed the entire exchange. Without a word, he reached for his phone and typed out a message.He texted Regis: “Look into everything you can about the actor Sérgio Saldanha.” He tapped Send, then leaned back in his chair with a cryptic smile as if enjoying a particularly juicy stage play.Armando approached him, concerned. “Aren’t you going to do something, man?”Mark gave him a calm look. “My wife can handle herself.”Briana, facing away from them, didn’t catch their brief conversation. But she didn’t need to — she wasn’t wait

After the long-awaited embrace, what should have been a moment of peace quickly unraveled into yet another family clash.“Why did you bring my father here?!” Katrina exploded, her eyes blazing with frustration.Claudia, clearly unprepared for her daughter’s wrath, tried to keep her composure. “Sweetheart, your father insisted on seeing you. He was worried about your safety.”“He should be resting after the heart attack!” Katrina snapped, then jabbed an accusatory finger in Sandro’s direction. “You brought him here hoping he’d have another one!”Nadir shot up from the couch like a cannon. “Enough! You just got out of jail after being caught in bed with a damn drug lord!”“Shut up!” Claudia shrieked back. “Don’t talk about my daughter like that!”The two women launched into a vicious, rapid-fire argument — words flying so fast the others couldn’t even catch what was being said. It was a verbal machine gun fight, with no winners.Meanwhile, Gilson gestured for Patricio to come closer, a

Gilson woke that morning in far better spirits than the day before. One pressing weight had lifted: his precious daughter, his little princess Katrina, was safe and sound.He smiled contentedly as Claudia, misinterpreting his cheerfulness, brought over a breakfast tray of toast without honey, plain yogurt, unflavored gelatin, and sugarless coffee.“Are you smiling because of this breakfast?” she asked, raising a brow.“No, woman,” he replied, his smile broadening. “I’m smiling because our daughter, our princess, is safe.”Claudia made a dismissive face as Gilson propped himself up against the headboard, carefully balancing the tray on his lap. His pajama shirt hung open, unbuttoned, suggesting he’d tried removing it earlier.“Don’t take off your pajamas,” she warned, casting a glance at the door. “It gets chilly at night. What if one of the maids sees you like that?”“I’m hot,” he grumbled, chewing a bite of toast.Claudia leaned in closer, a coy smile forming on her lips.“If you wan

Mark headed to the Pratt studios, where everyone was buzzing about the start of filming for ‘You Can’t Buy Happiness.’ People around were chatting about the news, crew members were preparing sets, costume designers were discussing wardrobe options for the actors, actors were heading to their dressing rooms with scripts in hand to memorize their lines, and the director was engaged in an important discussion with one of the junior writers. “Good morning, everyone,” Mark greeted almost singingly. “Is Thales Miller around?” The director respectfully turned to Mark and replied, “He hasn’t arrived yet. He’s probably tired from the party last night.” “But it looks like everyone’s here,” Mark looked around. “Yes, everyone’s here, except a few,” the director frowned. “Did anyone see Sergio Saldanha? He keeps complaining he doesn’t have enough scenes to ‘shine on screen,’ whatever that means.” Mark smirked disdainfully. So, Sergio, besides being a bad actor, is also unprofessional and has

Katrina was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, covering herself with the blankets and making a stubborn little girl face. Patrick, on the other hand, was hurriedly buttoning his shirt, ready to leave.“I don’t remember saying you could leave,” she snorted.“Believe me, my dear. You’d prefer that I leave,” Patrick smiled and winked at her.“Please, Patrick!” Katrina smiled immorally. “Let’s pick up where we left off!”“I can’t, I have other clients to attend to. Our case was a success, right?” Patrick leaned down to put on his shoes.“Yes, we don’t need to face the wildness of the court. I just hope Lawrence doesn’t lie, claiming I had something to do with it.” Katrina looked serious, remembering the real world.“He can’t lie. His testimony is already recorded in the case files,” Patrick assured her.“Thanks, Patrick,” Katrina laid back down. “You will be greatly rewarded.”“I’ve already been,” Patrick chuckled mischievously.“Of course, whenever you want, I’ll always b