The grand vestibule of the Vasconcelos Mansion echoed with the clipped footsteps of Gilson and Claudia as they entered, their voices already sharpened by disagreement. Claudia’s hands fluttered in agitation, her eyes flashing.“I’m telling you — we’ve hired a ticking time bomb!” she declared, her tone edged with panic.Gilson, by contrast, seemed maddeningly calm. “I honestly don’t understand where all this nervousness of yours is coming from, my dear.”At that moment, Sandro appeared at the foot of the staircase, dressed in his comfortable evening clothes and making his way toward the sitting room.“Good evening,” he greeted, pausing as he caught the tension in the air. “What are we discussing?”Claudia turned her fury on him, as though the entire problem had sprung from his existence. “The hiring of Celia Soares, what else? Perhaps you might remember you are the e

Jake lounged on the living room sofa of his apartment, eyes fixed on the television where an episode of ‘Times of Glory’ played. Behind him, Celia paced restlessly, phone pressed to her ear, her steps quick and agitated as she waited for someone to answer.Jake burst into laughter when the battle sequence began. “Look, darling! That’s me! Isn’t this scene incredible?”“Yes, darling, wonderful. You’re the best,” Celia murmured absently, barely glancing at the screen. “Pick up, Mary Ellen…” she whispered under her breath.A flat, automated voice cut through the room: The number you have dialed is outside the coverage area or turned off.Jake slapped his knee with delight. “Ha! Take that! Jeez, seeing the scene with all the CGI is something else. It feels like living the actual era… look at that BLOOD, it seems so real!”“Love, I need to go to Mary Ellen&

Mary Ellen was lounging on her sofa, a bucket of popcorn resting on her lap while a platter of shrimp and fries and a bottle of soda sat on the coffee table.On the television, the screen was frozen on yet another episode of the Turkish drama she followed religiously. The pause button had been pressed, for Mary Ellen was on the phone with Briana, the speaker turned on so she could also hear Mark’s deep voice resonating from the other end.“It seems Celia won’t be my friend anymore either,” Mary Ellen confessed, her tone weighted with disappointment.At Ferro House, Mark and Briana were seated at the dinner table, enjoying a lavish meal. Briana’s plate was filled mostly with vegetables and wholesome food, while the shrimp had been left to Mark.The curtains stood wide open, yet the pool outside lay untouched — Julian was not swimming that night.“Why would she want to end such a long friendship?” Mark

The moonlight shimmered across the Vasconcelos Mansion’s pool, its pale glow painting the water in hues of silver and deep blue. Nadir reclined on her favorite lounge chair, eyes fixed on the shifting ripples.No one swam there, yet in her restless imagination, she saw Julian cutting through the water with effortless strength, every stroke glistening with youth and vigor. In her vision, he wore nothing at all, and the image branded itself into her mind as if seared in iron.She could not release it.She could not tame her craving.She needed that man!!Behind her came the sound of footsteps. Nadir stiffened, then composed herself, willing serenity into her body. Sandro appeared, laying his hands gently on her shoulders.“Admiring the night?” he asked.She tilted her head, a mischievous smile teasing her lips. “You’ll think me mad, but I was imagining something bold.”“Skinny dipping ben

The next day.Briana felt lighter that morning, far better than the day before, as she sat at the dining table of the Ferro House, enjoying her carefully chosen light breakfast.Across from her, Mark ate his toast with honey, his eyes drifting now and then to the tablet resting at his side.Julian moved about with his usual quiet restraint, serving them with the discipline of one who knew how to remain invisible.Yet beneath that controlled demeanor, his mind still wrestled with the memory of the previous day, when his employer’s mother had dared to suggest something indecent, as though such a thing could ever become routine between them.“What are you checking, my love?” Briana asked, dabbing delicately at her lips with her napkin, curiosity softening her tone.“I told you I would take care of our baby’s nursery, didn’t I?” Mark replied, still focused on the screen.Her face brightened at once. “And what exactly does that mean? Or am I forbidden to know?”He chuckled. “Forbidden? You