Chapter 66: Shadows of Concern

The air was tense with nervous energy in the practice room as Mariana stretched alongside her fellow trainees. The routine warmup felt meaningless compared to the news that had just exploded through the studio moments before. "Did you hear?" Sarah, a bubbly redhead, whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Tiago Alarcão! Hospitalized!" Mariana's stomach lurched. "Tiago? What happened?" "Apparently, some huge drug scandal from back when his brother, Luca, was running things at their pharmaceutical arm of business. Substandard products, people getting sick… the whole works!" Sarah continued, her voice hushed. "The police even showed up at Alarcao Enterprises to take him in for questioning." "But why shoot him?" A lanky guy named Mikel chimed in, his voice laced with confusion. "I mean, wouldn't an arrest be enough?" "That's the weird part!" Sarah exclaimed. "They say someone shot him when he was leaving the building with the police. Just like that!" Mariana's mind raced as she s