To set the record straight

**Murilo**

The normal work shift was coming to an end at the company, and I couldn't wait to go back home to my wife, something I always eagerly looked forward to throughout the day.

Sometimes, I wished to stay at home and simply enjoy Virginia and her pregnancy, but she, being the stubborn person she is, doesn't agree with my wonderful plans and practically forces me to come to FERZ.

But coming is one thing, and staying in the company for as long as necessary is a completely different matter, and I didn't intend to stay indefinitely at FERZ until I could catch up with all the work.

Times had changed, and now I had important things and people waiting for me at home, so I called Arlete to let her know I was leaving and that all important matters would be addressed the next day.

"There's something you might prefer to resolve today," Arlete spoke with a tone of apprehension in her voice.

"There's nothing that can hold me here any longer. I definitely wouldn't stay, and as I made clear, whatever the matter is, it will be addressed tomorrow."

"Bruna called and said she has something very important to discuss, and it would be smarter on your part to return her call."

How absurd! How could Bruna feel entitled to make threats like that to me? Surely she had forgotten what she did to Lavínia and how she got away with it, something I didn't intend to repeat if she continued to step on my toes.

That's exactly what I told Arlete, which brought a nervous laugh to my secretary's voice, leaving me both curious and worried.

"I didn't understand what she was referring to, but I believe it might involve something of great value or a significant amount of money," Arlete said doubtfully, making me even more curious.

"Why do you think that way?" I asked, already feeling tense and even more irritated.

I never thought I could have been so deceived by someone, like what happened with Bruna. She's a woman without any character, and it was almost unbelievable that I had been in a relationship with her for over three years without realizing who she was. But this wasn't the time for reflections, and I impatiently awaited Arlete's response.

"I came to that conclusion because she asked me to let you know that she knows about the auction, and the whole press will know too."

It wasn't possible that that damn Ethan is using Bruna again for his ridiculous revenge, and now she's blackmailing me, just like I'm sure he's doing with Mari!

I tried to control my anger, taking several deep breaths, an exercise quite effective in maintaining serenity, and I dismissed Arlete. I had to take action as quickly as possible.

"Is there anything else?" Arlete prevented me from ending the call. "Joshua is here."

"Tell him to come in," I instructed my secretary. "And you can finish your shift, Arlete. See you tomorrow."

I waited for Beatriz's brother, the girl who ultimately caused all that confusion, to enter my office, pacing back and forth. Meanwhile, I dialed Virginia's number. I would be late that day because I intended to resolve this definitively, and it was better to let her know.

But I would be lying to her, something I completely abhor.

"Hey..." She answered sleepily.

"Hi, love," I smiled, realizing she was already asleep. "I have an important meeting, and I'll be home later."

"Okay," she replied, not seeming to pay much attention to my words. "I'll sleep a little longer until you come."

I smiled again. Even from a distance, Virginia could still calm me down just by hearing her voice. But my smile faded when I saw Joshua enter the room and look at me with concern as if he had something delicate to say.

"I imagine these are problems that bring you here," I commented bitterly.

"You guessed right," he wasted no time confirming. "I need to talk to you about something you won't like."

"Don't tell me it has something to do with Ethan Constantino because I'm about to lose all my patience with that scumbag!"

From the expression on Joshua's face, I could deduce that it was indeed about Constantino that he wanted to talk to. I brought my hands to my face, trying to maintain composure, but even my breathing exercises weren't managing to calm me down.

"Ethan contacted me and asked me to come here because he intends to talk to you in person," explained Joshua. "But I don't exactly know what he wants to talk to you about because we haven't had a chance to have a proper conversation since I arrived in São Paulo."

"I can very well imagine!" I spoke with an altered voice, unable to contain all the anger I was feeling. "He wants to blackmail me, along with Bruna, and he's using you to do it, Joshua!"

Surprisingly, at that very moment, the door to my office was opened, and Constantino walked in, wearing a grim expression, reflecting the same anger that was on my face.

"You're mistaken, Murilo," Ethan said with his ever-unyielding voice. "I came here to join forces against Bruna, or anyone else, who wants to harm our women."

Well, those words left me speechless because I didn't expect something like that to come from someone who until a few days ago was a declared enemy, and whose main motivation in life was to harm me.

"I think it's best if we sit down," Joshua intervened. "Let's talk like adults and civilized people because, from what I understand, something extremely serious is happening. But I believe you two need to first clarify things between yourselves."

I believe my lack of reaction led Joshua to take control of the situation, and I ended up concluding that this was the reason Ethan had requested his support. Joshua's level-headedness and common sense would be much appreciated now.

"Explain yourself better," I demanded, addressing Ethan and walking over to my desk, taking a seat in my chair.

Ethan and Joshua also sat in the chairs facing my desk, and even though it was clear that Ethan didn't appreciate how I spoke, he took a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"I want to leave everything that happened in the past behind. After all, nothing can change the past, and I no longer care whether you were guilty or not for what happened to Beatriz," Ethan explained. "All I want is to move forward with my life and have Mariana by my side."

The fact that he wants to leave the past behind, even without knowing the facts, shocked me. Clearly, the tables had turned completely, and Mariana had managed to win the heart of the arrogant Ethan Constantino.

"That was the wisest decision on your part, Ethan," Joshua commented approvingly. "And it proves that I wasn't mistaken about my friend; after all, you have always been a good person."

"Better late than never," I spoke in a conciliatory manner. "But still, I prefer that everything is clarified and that you know about some points that I'm sure you're unaware of, Ethan."

He needed to know who Beatriz truly was and how he had been deceived about her all the time they were together.