7de Laan's stolen hearts

The beginning
When Neville Meintjies gets married and decides to go to America for his honeymoon, he finds he has a big problem – who is going to be able to manage Paula, Mandla and Aggie? But Neville is a clever man, and he makes a very wise decision in appointing the charming Brandt van den Bergh in the temporary position.

And it's all plain sailing from there...until Mandla's hijacking story is delayed and then scrapped. Why would an experienced journalist bin the scoop of the year without any real reason? When Aggie and Paula hear, on top of all this, that Brandt also goes by the name Gideon Malan, both their minds begin working overtime.

With Paula's journalistic aptitude and suspicion, and Aggie's inquisitive nature, questions start cropping up. Who is this man giving them daily instructions? Why doesn't he want Mandla to go ahead with his story? And if he can go by the name Gideon Malan, who's to say that Brandt van den Bergh's even his real name?

Twists in the tale
Where does professional interest end and personal curiosity start? That's the question Paula begins asking herself when phone lines between Hillside and the rest of the world are ringing off the hook. It becomes clear that the blonde's heart dominates her brain when it comes to Brandt. "It's love at first sight for Paula," says Diaan Lawrenson, who plays the role of the airhead journalist. "She tells Aggie that the man makes her heart pound and turns her legs to jelly – she is head over heels in love with him!"

But Brandt differs from Paula at the start. According to Steve Hofmeyr, the well-known beloved icon of SA culture who fills Brandt's shoes, "Paula is Brandt's ideal woman. Someone like Brandt is naturally the kind of guy who looks for temporary enjoyment because he doesn't have any long-term 'right' woman in his life." But that changes in an instant!

It's clear Paula's investigation isn't just about the trustworthiness of the editor – she also wants to get to know the man behind the mask. "And who wouldn't? He is a strong 'know it all' figure who's good at what he does. Her attraction to him is at an emotional level and it's the first time a man does that to Paula. His irresistible charm and his appearance are just pluses," laughs Diaan.

So what does Steve think? "The advantage to playing a 'skollie' is that your own ego can’t play a part at all. You can’t defend him, because he's supposed irritate the viewer," he says, and adds that it's "a bit harder being Brandt because he actually has to keep the viewer guessing. He's very complex and has a tragic wardrobe – a typical journalist."

The evidence against Brandt keeps building up: first there are the numbers that Aggie prints from Brandt's computer. The secret codes seem to be bank account details – all from different banks! Then there is the list of cars that Paula discovers in Brandt's jacket pocket on one of their dates – the same cars and quantities that were recently hijacked in Johannesburg.

Brandt's CV also seems just to be a bunch of lies thrown together – his home address belongs to the Blumenthals, his work experience can't be confirmed by anyone and even the university he went to doesn't have any record of him qualifying there. Paula's heart starts to sink. She admits to Aggie that Brandt's dark side and his naughty-boy attitude only made her more attracted to him. "I'm like a moth attracted to a flame, Aggie!" Paula cries.

Do you want to know the truth behind the lies? Diaan and Steve share more here.