Briana leaned forward, her tone incisive and unyielding. “Mother, you can open up to me. Don’t you see how ridiculous you’ve been acting? What if my father discovers that all this passion you’ve shown him over the last few weeks was really just unfulfilled desire for Julian?”Nadir recoiled as if struck. “Don’t say such a thing, dear! I love your father!”“Then prove it,” Briana pressed. “Leave Julian alone. Mark said that if you don’t respect his staff, you will no longer be welcome in this house.”The words hit Nadir like a blow. Even Mark knew!In the hallway, Regis hovered by the entrance to the sitting room, grinning with satisfaction. At last, the issue that had tormented the household was being addressed.Thinking quickly, he decided he needed to speak to Julian before Briana or Nadir noticed him eavesdropping.Down in the kitchen, Julian was searing scallops for dinner, the cheerful hiss of the pan filling the room with the warmth and efficiency of a professional restaurant.R

Christopher stood in the Vasconcelos mansion’s living room, facing nearly the entire family. Only his mother was absent, though she herself was moments away from receiving a surprise.“Where is your wife, my son?” Althea asked, her voice burning with disapproval.“I don’t know, Mom,” Gilson answered, embarrassed and small beneath her stare.Althea scowled. “I keep telling you that woman has a lover, and none of you believe me.”Nadir glanced around, noticing another absence. “Katrina isn’t here either.”“I think she went looking for Celia,” Christopher explained, “to talk about her dismissal.”Gilson released a quiet, anxious sigh, praying no one noticed.The last thing he wanted was his daughter discovering too much about Celia’s abrupt departure.Althea suddenly brightened. “Well then, my grandson, you should give the news.”Christopher’s smile opened like a boy unwrapping a secret. “All right! Everyone, my fiancée has been chosen. Elara D’Arveil will be the next Mrs. Vasconcelos!”

The Vasconcelos family enjoyed a rare moment of harmony at the dinner table. For once, Claudia and Katrina were absent, and with them the usual chorus of complaints that often fractured the evening. Laughter and light conversation filled the long, polished room.Until Christopher’s phone chimed.He glanced at the screen, and a boyish smile spread across his face, so unguarded that even Gilson noticed.“What is it, son?” Gilson asked, catching the subtle shift in his expression.“Elara is coming over,” Christopher announced, unable to hide his excitement. “She wants to introduce herself to all of you. Formally.”A pleasant murmur of approval rose around the table.Althea nodded, regal and satisfied. “It seems you chose wisely, my dear boy.”“Will she make it in time to join us?” Nadir asked.Sandro scraped his fork across the nearly empty plate. “We’re almost finished.”“No, no,” Christopher said quickly. “I’m sure she’s eaten. And if she hasn’t, we’ll serve her dinner while we wait in

Gilson walked briskly down the corridor, unaware that his wife was in the sitting room being nothing short of venomous toward their future daughter-in-law. His attention was fixed entirely on the phone pressed to his ear, his voice low and urgent as he spoke to his mistress.“Celia, what happened?” he asked.In her bedroom, wearing a nearly transparent nightgown he himself had given her, Celia sat on the edge of the bed, recounting the evening’s unexpected intrusion.“Your daughter showed up and scared me half to death,” she complained.“What do you mean she showed up?” Gilson hissed, panic sharpening his whisper.“Well, we’re friends,” Celia reminded him breezily. “She thinks I live here alone.”“And she didn’t suspect anything?” Gilson asked with fear.“That’s the problem.” Celia’s voice tightened. “Tonight, she started to. She asked how I afford a house this big with my assistant salary, especially now that I’ve been fired.”“And what did you tell her?” he demanded, tension lacing

“The idea has crossed my mind,” Mark admitted, his voice tight. “The idiot must be operating out of a regular commercial building, completely unsuspected, especially since he was reported dead so many years ago.”“Be calm before you start scouring every building out there,” Clayton advised.Mark let out a sarcastic breath. “All we need to discover is that he’s been at Glamour this entire time.”Clayton, missing the joke entirely, mused, “Then it would be sensible for you to do a thorough inspection, wouldn’t it?”Mark was about to respond with, "I was kidding," but then he reacted as if a lightbulb had suddenly illuminated in his brain.Would it really be a good idea?Suddenly, out of the suite, hysterical, demonic shrieks and screams from Katrina were audible down the hallway.The wails were so horrifying and shrill that the laptop's speakers picked them up, making sure Clayton heard them too.“Is there an exorcism happening at your house?” Clayton asked, genuinely horrified. “Or are