While Celia hadn’t entered yet, Mark was reviewing what Linda had sent him yesterday about Elara.To Mark’s surprise, there wasn’t much to see.He now understood why Linda found it intriguing. Basically, the only information available on Elara D’Arveil was what they’d gathered for the list of potential wives for Christopher.“Christopher is probably the person who knows more about Elara than the rest of us combined,” Mark joked to himself.Celia walked in just as Mark’s smile faded.Seeing her ex-husband moving his lips, Celia mistakenly felt like he was smiling at her.Her heart skipped a beat, reminding her of the days when they were married.Mark had always been handsome and sexy, but Celia had never allowed herself those hot, forbidden nights of wild, untamed passion with him just because he was poor.How she regretted it now!Mark, seeing Celia enter, wiped the smile off his face completely, now showing a neutral expression.“You were smiling a second ago, don’t pretend!” Celia t

“Hello, Celia.” Karl narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you think you’re a bit too far out for just a simple snack?”“Too far out?” Celia played dumb.“Too far from the Vasconcelos Company,” Karl explained patiently.Luana’s smile grew more and more disdainful. “You still don’t get it, honey? Celia isn’t near the Vasconcelos Company because she got fired.”“Is that true, Celia?” Karl’s look could mean two things: annoyance or compassion.Celia, as expected, went with the second one.“Thanks for your concern, Karl.” Celia smiled mysteriously. “I’m in a tough spot, but it’ll be resolved soon.”“My fiancé wasn’t worried about you, you slut!” Luana dropped the smile and quickly grabbed Karl’s left arm. “He was just being polite. Damn, you still play the victim when I call you out for eyeing my man?!”Karl shook the arm Luana was holding. “Honey, keep your voice down. The other customers are going to hear.”Luana glanced around. Indeed, some customers were already looking at the scene.Celia stood

Mark received a visit from Ribeiro to discuss the progress of the investigations into the bombings.The lieutenant was seated while the coffee girl served two cups of coffee with cream. Ribeiro raised an eyebrow, feeling like he was in a café.“Do we need all this?”“Of course.” Mark smiled charismatically. “We have to treat famous visitors properly.”“Me, famous?” Ribeiro laughed heartily.“Absolutely.” Mark gestured in thanks, and the coffee girl left.Ribeiro picked up his cup and smiled faintly, remembering all the chaos involving Lawrence Sodré.“Did someone test this coffee first?”“Come on.” Mark chuckled, taking a sip. “So, Lieutenant, what’s the news?”“Luckily for us, City Hall has promised to install surveillance cameras in public areas.” Ribeiro smiled. “With that, we’ll investigate who placed the bomb — or bombs.”“Do you think there are more people involved?” Mark raised an eyebrow, getting serious.“Maybe. There was more than one bomb, right?”“Exactly. Investigate as m

However, the situation was different now.If some media outlets started hyping up the population with claims that they were in the same boat, without proof or confirmation from Parliament, that’s when pointless panic would set in, making people worry over fake news.Neither Mark nor the Public Security Council had yet confirmed that the bombings were ordered by Drakov.All they had so far were photos of a black feather and some warnings.Something any teenager could reproduce thanks to today’s technology and artificial intelligence.Mary Ellen nodded. “You’re right, Mark. This kind of article will end up scaring the public. That’s why I plan to write a counterpiece, urging our readers to trust the authorities.”Mark smiled. “Exactly, Mary Ellen. Let’s be responsible with our audience. And tell Efraim to pass that guidance on to the entire editorial team. Any article hinting at civil war without solid evidence or government confirmation won’t be published. The last thing we want is Gla

“Fine, let’s drop it!” Karl shut down the topic when he saw it wasn’t going his way.Luana giggled, snatching the thermos back from him. “Don’t let your dad hear you, okay? He’ll think you’re just looking out for the actresses.”With her back to Karl while pouring herself some coffee, Luana didn’t see him widen his eyes, a clear sign of guilt or getting caught.But Mark saw it and shook his head in pity.Does Luana deserve to know the truth?“Mary Ellen was talking about that LCN article,” Luana commented, oblivious to the vibe in the room. “I think it’s crazy for someone to say these terrorists are actually separatists or rebels against the Government like what happened years ago.”“Oh, come on!” Karl mocked the idea too. “If that’s true, we’ll have to hide out at my parents’ house again, honey.”Mark just sighed, wondering if Luana and Karl might actually have to do that in the future.******At the Vasconcelos Company, Elara was walking down the hallways when she heard shrill yelli