جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

An excited buzz ran through the set like an electric current. Edward Cassano approached, the perfect image of a modern Prince Charming, wearing designer casual clothes that cost more than the annual salary of many there. Behind him, two employees carried large coolers and began distributing tubs of premium ice cream to the sweaty crew.“Wow! It's Häagen-Dazs!” someone shouted, ecstatic. “Thank you so much for the treat, Mr. Cassano!”Camila smiled, her eyes scanning the room like a benevolent queen feeding her subjects.“Wow, even when I offer you food, you keep your mouths shut!” Camila joked in a sweet, seductive voice, walking over to Helena with a tub of ice cream in her hand. The smile on her face was angelic, but her eyes, when they met Helena's, were icy. “Sister, you should eat too. You must be exhausted from... trying.”“Thank you,” Helena replied, accepting the tub with cold and distant politeness.She knew that game better than anyone. C

The girl, still shy, just pointed to the bottles.“The Little Master said for you to read the notes.”Helena peeled one of the small sticky notes off the cold glass and opened it. There was only one word written in English, in childish, shaky handwriting: “Fighting,” accompanied by a crooked heart drawn at the end.For a moment, time stood still. The noise of the set, the heat, the judgmental glances... everything disappeared.She could almost picture the scene: Mateo, his forehead furrowed in absolute concentration, holding the pen tightly, drawing that heart for her.“So it's Mateo...” Helena's gaze softened. All the storm of anger and humiliation that swirled inside her dissipated instantly, replaced by a gentle warmth in her chest.At first, she was terrified of exposing herself. As a newcomer, she feared attracting gossip, feared being the target of envy, feared that every misstep would be used against her. The spotlight felt more like

The conversation with Edward Cassano had been a colossal mistake. The mere memory of his voice left a bitter taste in her mouth, so unpleasant that Helena felt her appetite evaporate completely. All she needed now was to return to her safe haven, to the warmth of home, and hug her puppy to recharge her batteries. As soon as the car stopped in front of the imposing Ballmer residence, Helena saw a small figure running toward her. Mateo seemed to have spent the last hour sprawled on the windowsill, standing guard like a faithful dog waiting for his owner. “Honey!” Helena opened her arms, receiving the impact of his embrace.“Have you had dinner? I sent you a message telling you not to wait for me. Did you obey your aunt?”Mateo nodded vigorously twice, his eyes shining.“Good boy!”As a reward, Helena covered his face with kisses, eliciting muffled giggles from the child."Play by yourself for a while now, okay? Aun

“You could call it ‘good fortune comes in pairs.’ Mateo gains a mother, and you gain a life,” Edson joked, raising his eyebrow. “So, when will I be able to drink expensive wine at your wedding?”“I'm working on it.”When the subject came up, a rare trace of unease crossed Henrique's face.He was used to controlling the stock market, destroying competitors with a simple signature. But Helena's heart? That was wild, untamed territory that he still needed to conquer. And he would not accept defeat.Edson's eyes widened in surprise, and he let out an incredulous laugh.“You mean you're still working on it?” The great and almighty CEO Ballmer is still at “zero to zero”? He shook his head, amused by his friend's vulnerability. “I thought that with your charm and power, the matter would already be settled. But I have to admit: a girl who can resist you and at the same time attr

As soon as the day's filming ended, the atmosphere behind the scenes was tense.Camila dragged her assistant into a dark corner, away from the microphones.“What's going on?!” Camila hissed, squeezing the girl's arm. "It's been an entire afternoon! I watched her face in close-up on the monitor.Her skin is perfect! No blemishes, no swelling!The assistant was panicking, sweating cold.“I swear, Camila! I put the metallic powder on myself! I mixed it into the blush, the eyeshadow, the highlighter... I put on a huge amount! It should have been instant!”Camila stared at her furiously.“Impossible! Helena has a severe allergy! If she touched that, her face would look like a pepperoni pizza in thirty minutes! That's how I humiliated her at that banquet years ago, remember?”“So... maybe she didn't use the products on the counter?” suggested the assistant, her voice trembling.&