Back to the wall
Shady knows where her bread is buttered and chooses her husband over her aunt and uncle.
It feels like just a minute ago Shady (Beáta Bene Greene) was single, carefree and wearing the Miss Gouestad 2022 crown. But in the blink of an eye, she’s married, holding a secret and had to give up her pageant title. “Shady is devastated. A condition of being Miss Gouestad is that you can’t be a Mrs. She made the choice to marry newcomer Jermaine (Adrian Steyn) and she has to deal with that now. It wasn’t Shady’s intention. She fell into this romance and she just wants to be happy,” says Beáta.
Fame-monster Jermaine meanwhile goes on a social media rant about the fact that his wife’s been forced to give up her title and that the pageant should be ashamed for dictating what married women are capable of. And that only makes Shady fall more in love, because while Jermaine is pushing his own agenda, from the outside it looks like he’s defending her honour. “Shady feels like her new husband is completely devoted to her. She’s never had that before. And better yet, she’s now Mrs Gervel,” adds the actress. But with that name change comes a significant quandary…
DADDY NOT-SO-DEAREST
OppieKoffie waiter Jermaine’s arrival in Hillside isn’t by fluke. He’s come looking for his father – who he’s told Shady is none other than DeWet Basson (Dirk Stoltz). “It’s a surprise to Shady when Jermaine revealed this after they wed. And DeWet is married to her aunt Bonita (Hildegardt Whites), which means Shady is caught in the middle,” adds Beáta. While Jermaine and Shady know that DeWet has this “secret” son, DeWet himself is none the wiser. “Jermaine came with the intention of meeting DeWet and revealing who he is. But that’s changed now that Jermaine knows what kind of a man DeWet is – he’s corrupt and dangerous. Jermaine isn’t going to reveal his true identity as DeWet’s son in the hopes that it comes out organically.”
So where does that leave Shady? She let’s slip to her aunt that Jermaine is DeWet’s son, which Bonita realises she needs to keep secret. “Bonita insists that Jermaine take a DNA test to prove what he’s saying – and she’ll make sure that she gets a sample from DeWet,” says the actress. “Shady knows that she isn’t Bonita and DeWet’s priority. She is to Jermaine. He is devoted to her and worships the ground she walks on, so she’s going to be at his side. What Jermaine does is what she’s going with,” says Beáta, whose character is still in the honeymoon phase of marriage.
While Beáta won’t say if or how DeWet will find out about his son, she hopes it happens. “DeWet has a hole in his heart from his son Shawn (Deanre Reiners) dying last year. I think that having someone fill that gap is something DeWet is in desperate need of. But in the meantime, a lot of secrets are going to come tumbling out…”
FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE
Shady’s also got to ride the rollercoaster with her friends. “They’re divided by her wedding, not even aware that Jermaine is controlling everything Shady does and who she spends time with. No one had any idea this would happen,” says Beáta, adding that Shady was talked into the shotgun wedding by her hubby who loves being in the spotlight. “Amorey (Kristen Raath) is happy for Shady. She supports her marriage and thinks it’s great. But it’s different for Khethiwe (Sesethu Ntombela) because she’s been planning her own wedding and feels like the focus is off her and on Shady. Khethiwe feels betrayed by her friend,” explains Beáta. “For the first time ever, Shady has someone who’s besotted with her and she wants to keep that feeling going.”
But as we know, happiness and joy don’t last in Hillside… especially when DeWet’s involved.