In Briana’s office, she and Luana were each at their desks, tending to their affairs. The atmosphere had returned to being harmonious and healthy between the friends.Briana’s phone broke the silence, and she decided to answer her mother’s call.“Hello, Mom? Do you already want to discuss names for the baby?”Nadir spoke anxiously, “No, daughter! I just discovered a bombshell! Claudia and Gilson just left your father’s office after asking me if it’s true that you and I saw Katrina in the obstetrics ward!”Briana narrowed her eyes. “Mom, we saw her in the hallway, but Katrina swore she wasn’t going in.”“That’s right, that’s what she said. But I saw some papers with the Braspolis hospital logo coming out of her bag,” Nadir insisted confidently. “And how did Gilson and Claudia find out about this?”“She must have told the family she was going to the hospital,” Briana suggested.Nadir shook her head. “No. They didn’t know. Katrina snuck out. She probably left as soon as you showed up at

However, Celia stopped laughing when she remembered the problems SHE was going through.The memory of Karl, ordering her to leave him and Luana alone, acting like a jealous boyfriend and causing a scene in Jake’s dressing room, made her forget about the coffee.As a result, the liquid she should have swallowed lingered on her tongue, burning it.“UGH!” She almost coughed, quickly placing the cup on the saucer before she dropped it.“Is the coffee hot?” Mary Ellen asked, not noticing her roommate’s nervousness. “Put some milk in it.”Celia decided not to reveal her dilemma to her friend and did as Mary Ellen suggested.But it seemed Mary Ellen, in a way, guessed what was on Celia’s mind when she asked, “So, how’s it being to work in freedom?”Celia took a deep breath before continuing, “Honestly, friend? I didn’t expect things to end this way.”“You still wanted to work in the ‘Times of Glory’ studios?” Mary Ellen was surprised.“Yes. Doesn’t it look like the harpy won?” Celia pursed h

Gilson’s eyes popped out of their sockets, like something from a cartoon. He didn’t have the heart attack Katrina feared, but the explosion of anger left him shaken all the same.Gasping, he complained, “What’s the meaning of this foolishness, this indecency?”Claudia held Gilson by the arms, fearing the worst. “My husband, please, control yourself! You just came out of a complicated situation...”“While I was recovering, my daughter was sleeping with the lawyer!” Gilson pointed a finger at Patricio. “Listen here, young man: just because you’re the family lawyer doesn’t mean you should try to become part of the family too!”“I did not coldly plan to become part of the family, Mr. Vasconcelos,” Patricio replied coldly.“How do I know you’re not giving me your lawyer’s blarney?” Gilson asked disdainfully.“You have my word that my relationship with your daughter arose spontaneously and naturally.” Patricio maintained a respectful posture, not wanting to be aggressive.After all, he need

Mary Ellen looked with contempt at the scandalous Luana, who was laughing nonstop, no one knew what about. But Luana knew.After controlling her laughter and wiping away tears, she took a deep breath. “Phew! That was the funniest thing I’ve heard all week.”“Does that mean your life has been bland and boring, huh?” Mary Ellen provoked her.Luana didn’t feel intimidated or offended. She shook her head, continuing, “Are you saying that the famous journalist follows ‘tips’ from just anyone who comes along?”Mary Ellen became even more irritated, realizing that Luana was laughing at her skills as a journalist. “Any problem with the way I conduct my work?”“Maybe Efraim or even Brie have a problem; but they’re too gentle to tell you. I, who am not a journalist, can see that this method of work is not the most productive. Did this ‘contact’ of yours give you a story tip without any starting point, telling you to research everything from scratch? And you’re still surprised you haven’t found

“Didn’t you hear Efraim say he won’t wait any longer for the article?” Briana scratched her neck, trying to make sense of it all. “Didn’t you hear Mary Ellen say she could barely find anything about Lord Ferro online? Clearly, he’s living a quiet life out of the spotlight — for his own safety!”“Safety?” Luana asked, jaw dropping.“Someone as important as Lord Ferro, who’s won so many battles at such a young age, can’t just walk around freely. Someone could be watching him... retaliation... maybe from a defeated army...” Briana smiled at her improvised explanation.It made sense, right?But Luana wasn’t quite convinced. “So the guy needs to live in hiding to stay alive, right?”“Exactly! At least, that’s the explanation that came to my mind.” Briana gave her a thumbs-up.“Then why the hell does Mary Ellen want to find him?” Luana rolled her eyes, clearly using Briana’s explanation as ammunition to continue humiliating Mary Ellen. “If she reveals his whereabouts, wouldn’t that be consi