In the kitchen of Rocha Constructions, William surprises Josias by slapping and knocking over the expensive cup of tea that the president had in his hands. Shirley is shocked by the Head of Engineering's boldness.Josias looks down and notices that William's action has stained his shirt with coffee.“William, can I send the laundry bill to your house?”“You know where to shove the bill!” William rages.“Respect your boss, Mr. Campos!” Shirley reacts with outrage.Josias turns to her, “Shirley, leave us alone, please.”Shirley retreats, shooting daggers at William with her gaze.After the door closes, Josias takes the broom and dustpan to pick up the shards.“So, you support my sister going out with lots of men like she's a prostitute?” William neighs.“You're the one who keeps calling Melissa those ugly names.” Josias mocks.“After the traumatic divorce, she should focus on her career at LCN!”“Have you tried talking it over with her?”William feels a thud, “No... we end up arguing an
Josias buries his hands in his head as he hears Octavio mention Vernon.“Man, if you didn't mention my dad...”“The guy hates you and you still call him 'dad'.” Octavio wiggles, not understanding.“It's out of respect for my mother. I cut the 'step' when referring to Vernon and João Paulo, to be a real family.” Josias smiles innocently, “Well, it doesn't seem to work. Vernon hasn't spoken to me since I was 'resurrected'.”“Yes, it seems he likes to pester Mrs. Freire.” Octavio ponders.Josias tries to understand, “But Vernon works on the TV news. He has no say in the printed part.”“What does it cost him just to break the news? Surely the story was signed by another journalist.” Octavio makes him understand.“If I know Uélton, he must already be plotting some revenge,” Josias speaks jokingly.******In the afternoon, as agreed, Pamela and Maggie are shopping at the most expensive and exclusive stores in Lagoon City. The growth of upper-class residents demanded stores that cater to the
In the evening, Daryl and Kelvin took two of their respective ladies to see "The Bodyguard".At the entrance to the cinema, Melissa begins to miss the past. She remembered that in 1981, Josias and she had an involuntary double date between them, Pamela and Wallace.Wallace was now in jail and Pamela was going around embarrassing herself for insisting on being a respectable lady.That's why she says through her teeth, “If everyone knew about her past...”Kelvin heard her, “Sorry, Melissa. Who are you talking about?”Melissa realizes she's been overheard and explains, “I'm talking about Pamela. I remembered that in 1981, we accidentally met right here at the entrance to the cinema. She was dating the eldest son of Mrs. Freire.”“Jeez, this lady has an interesting past, huh?” Daryl makes a joke.“A past that will not appear in Maggiezine.” Melissa weeps sourly.“I watched the interview.” Diane comments, “She thinks she can dethrone you. Who deceived her?”“She's been deluding herself sin
Melissa leaves the cinema, marveling at the artwork she has seen. She's singing "Run to You" by Whitney Houston. Melissa also remembered that in 1983, when she watched 'Flashdance' with Josias, she could barely pronounce a word in English.But now she sings and pronounces it in impeccable English, surprising Kelvin.“Wow, we will have our singer from Lagoon City.”Melissa giggles, “I'm rocked by the movie. You liked it?”“I liked that the bodyguard shot the idiot who tried to kill our heroine in the face.”Melissa bursts out laughing, “Men...”A few steps behind them, Daryl and Diane were also talking.“And those two, Daryl?” Diane asks, “Can we consider them boyfriends?”“I think so, they just need to figure it out.”“What about us?”Daryl stops in his tracks and stares at Diane. Diane stares back at him anxiously.“Do you want to be my girlfriend, Diane Barbosa?” Daryl asks in an affectionate tone, “I also feel like we just need to formalize our union.”Diane smiles and kisses Daryl
At Teodoro's building, Cristina and Moacyr are saying goodbye to Carmen, Pamela, and Diane. Beto is with them. The radio is playing “Felicità” by Lucio Dalla.“Have a safe trip, Mom.” Carmen hugs her, “Seu Moacyr, take good care of her.”“She is the one who will take care of me.” Moacyr jokes.Cristina positions herself behind the wheelchair, “We're going to have a lot of fun. I'll be back later with the photos.”“God be with you!” Pamela waves goodbye.Cristina turns to Diane, “And remember, niece: don't hesitate to ask Beto for help. He knows everything that goes on in this building and will help you as best as he can.”Beto smiles enigmatically at Diane and Pamela notices it.After more goodbyes, the happy couple heads to the waiting taxi.Carmen turns to her cousin, “Remember, Diane, everything was paid for by my husband.”“Thank you, cousin.” Diane nods, “Your mother and my uncle were silently disheartened that they couldn't enjoy their honeymoon.”“I can't believe that reckless
In Teodoro's building, Beto is dissatisfied with the knowledge that Diane is dating Daryl. Pamela notices her ex-husband's jealousy and tries to understand him.“What is it, dear?” She questions him as she breaks the hug, “Something against my cousin dating Daryl Mountain?”Beto shakes his head thinking that no one has noticed, “There's nothing wrong. Diane is an adult and knows what she does.”“Jeez, it feels like I'm entering the drug underworld!” Diane mocks.Carmen senses the awkwardness, “Guys, let's discuss the progress of this place and not personal matters. I need to go to the company as soon as possible.”“Go, Carmen. I have the day off.” Pamela offers herself.“Of course, you have every day free to do nothing!” Beto growls.Diane is bothered by the barbs thrown between the ex-couple. She abruptly pulls out the cash drawer and collects some bills, “I'm going to the grocery store to buy some vegetables for lunch. Excuse me!”“I'll accompany you, Diane. Bye, Pam!”Pamela waves
Beto and Pamela kill the longing with a warm and desirable kiss. Pamela wanted to slap her ex-husband but surrendered to the heat of the moment.After long seconds, they separate, gasping and short of air.“It looks like you still love me,” Beto comments suggestively.Pamela remembers Miguel and tries to correct herself, “Lie! I love my husband Miguel. You were the one who kissed me by surprise!”Beto approaches her like a lynx about to pounce, “And we can continue in some empty room here!”“Never! How am I going to appear in the media as the respectable lady of Lagoon City if I cheat on my husband?”Beto does 'pffff' and responds amusedly, “Pam, when everyone knows about your promiscuous past, no one will look at you as a high society lady. Forget this crazy thing about defeating Melissa Campos!”Pamela's blood boils, “No way! I need to take advantage of her being dethroned to take her place!”“Are you sure Melissa lost relevance?” Beto touches on Pamela's weak point.Pamela sourly r
Diane returns from the grocery store with vegetables for lunch. She finds the lobby empty and the radio playing “Lately” by Jodeci. “Is Pamela already gone? She said she would help me.” Diane heads to the cafeteria to prepare lunch. It's only when the pots are on the stove that Pamela reappears weary and panting as if she's been running a marathon. Diane had no idea that Pamela and Beto were mating like dogs. “Pam! Where were you? I thought you were gone.” Pamela draws in a breath, “I was strolling through the building. I had never seen the reconstructed site up close. When I lived here, there was a communal bathroom here on the first floor.” “Thank God this is in the past.” Diane smiles, “Now every tenant has their own bathroom. Can you help me serve the dishes?” “Yes, let’s feed the tenants. Beto decided to stay in the lobby.” Pamela responds quickly and Diane doesn't notice her guilty tone. ****** Uélton goes to Rocha Hotel. William surprises him by arriving quite late. “W
Josias visits the Rocha Hotel since he didn’t have a day off for the staff. In the management room, Eugenio gathered David, Benjamin, and Sybil. “Why is that mere cook present at this meeting?” David asked disparagingly. “Because that’s how our boss ordered it,” Eugenio replied dryly. “I didn’t say anything and didn’t call this meeting, so if you’ll excuse me...” Benjamin and Sybil were horrified to see David leaving the meeting just like that. However, when he opened the door, David came face to face with his father. “David, where do you think you’re going?” “DAD!” David exclaimed, extremely surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming!” “Didn’t Eugenio tell you I was coming?” Josias asked with a scowl. David understood who the ‘boss’ was. Benjamin and Sybil felt vindicated. Josias sat down at the desk, taking Eugenio’s seat, while the manager remained humbly standing. “Very well,” Josias began the meeting in a formal tone, “I’m here just to make things crystal clear. First
Melissa and Mary visit the Mountain Café.“A guava juice for me, Mr. Mountain!” Mary requested, smiling sweetly.“Of course, my princess!” Rodrigo replied, thinking Mary was very adorable. “Neil will make a delicious cup for you.”“Thank you. But the princess is Carol,” Mary responded, striking a serious pose.Melissa and Rodrigo laughed heartily. Mary is something else...“Rod, how has it been managing the café in your father’s absence?” Melissa asked seriously.Rodrigo served a baked chicken pastry with ketchup to Mary. “I'm getting by, Melissa. Josias was here earlier, more concerned about my loss than his own, as always. Isn’t he supposed to be resting?”Melissa nodded. “My husband is like that: he only relaxes when all of us are relaxed.”“An impossible mission because of certain people.”Neilton approached with the glass. “Who ordered a guava juice?”“I DID!” Mary grabbed the glass and went to a table.Melissa leaned forward, “Neil, Rod, how are Daryl and Diane? Behaving?”“Cont
At João Paulo’s house, he and Josias were about to have a significant conversation.“Walter, do you want to go with your mom to the kitchen?” João Paulo asked, looking at Helen. “I think she made some walnut cake.”“It was carrot cake,” Sandra replied, already getting up from the couch.“You got it.” Helen appeared and picked up Walter in her arms. “Let’s let Dad and Uncle Josias talk.”“Bye, Uncle!” Walter waved goodbye to Josias.“Bye-bye, I want a piece later!” Josias chuckled.Once alone with João Paulo, Josias became serious. “Don’t let anything or anyone ruin this family scenario, little brother.”“I’m fine. No one wants to ruin anything,” João Paulo replied casually.“Well, I hope David hasn’t caused you any trouble.”“He probably doesn’t even know I exist, man.” João Paulo shrugged.“But I stopped by Café Montanha and found out that the Vasquez family has replaced the Mountain family as the ‘annoying people.’”João Paulo sighed in disappointment. “Yeah. They—”The doorbell ran
Josias visits Café Montanha for a coffee and finds Rodrigo there. “Rod, how have you been?” Rodrigo is taken aback. “How am I? You’re the one who suffered a horrific loss recently!” “But you also lost your father. We’re in the same situation,” Josias explained as he sat down on a stool. “I’m okay, Josias. Life has a way of cheering me up. For example, I’m back at the diner after Thierry decided to take his place at the supermarket.” Rodrigo smiled. “What about the photography studio?” Josias smiled back. “It’s still going to operate, and Thierry will make periodic visits. But he’s going to appoint one of the staff to manage the studio.” Rodrigo served a pizza pastry to Josias. “Thank you. Well, I hope everything is alright between you two. I need to visit Rosemary and meet Jean Luc — is that the name of the baby?” “Yes, the name of the supermarket heir. Meanwhile, Frank will be here or somewhere else.” Josias interjected, “If Frank wants to work at Rocha Constructions, count
At the Rocha Mansion, Josias receives a visit from Benjamin. “How have you been, Ben? Any news about your parents?” The two embrace. “Actually, that’s what I want to talk about.” Benjamin scratches the back of his neck. The embrace breaks. “Let’s go to my office.” The two gentlemen enter Josias’s imposing office. “Any problems with Adolfo?” Josias asks, becoming serious. “Not yet, but I hope not to have any,” Benjamin replies with some sadness. “You know, Josias, what happened with your father made me think about my family, about how important it is for all of us to be together in the final moments.” “That’s true. João Paulo can tell you that better than I can.” “I think you can say it too. Vernon was the father you never had.” Benjamin clears his throat. “So, I’ve been looking into some hotels and realized there’s a demand at the Rocha Hotel in Victoria.” Josias looks at Benjamin, understanding where he’s going with this. “You want to go to Victoria to be close to your pare
Someone rings the doorbell at João Paulo’s house. The homeowner goes to answer after taking a shower and putting on clean clothes. But when he opened the door, João Paulo felt like slamming it in the visitor’s face. “Don’t be rude!” Erasmo exclaimed. “What do you want, you old bore?” João Paulo shot back. Erasmo barged into João Paulo’s foyer. “The mourning is over. Let’s pick up where we left off.” “Are you crazy? Who decides how long mourning lasts? We just got back from the trip!” “Not exactly, it’s been a day. Life goes on, my friend!” Erasmo replied mockingly. João Paulo remained serious. “But I don’t want to continue living this way, where fights and intrigues are the order of the day. Mr. Vasquez, you have a business to run, and I have a family to raise.” “But you found time to slap my son-in-law when he was here defending his family, didn’t you?” “Alan was extremely rude, but that was some time ago.” João Paulo frowned. “I don’t feel the same anger as before.” “So a
At the Vasquez Mansion, Alan could hardly believe that the people were thinking about more intrigues and disputes. “Guys, don’t you understand that I even forgot the reason I slapped Uncle João Paulo?” “Ridiculous!” Erasmo gestured. “You just maintained respect because it was a difficult occasion. But now, the mourning is OVER!” “Do you think João Paulo will rest, dear?” Sofia asked, sitting next to him. Alan shook his head. “If Uncle João Paulo doesn’t want to rest, then he is truly despicable. But my dad is back in town. He wouldn’t dare to do that.” The news should have been uplifting, but the members of the Vasquez family merely exchanged silent glances. With Josias present, it’s quite likely that he will put a stop to their fighting. Alan turned to Olivia. “In the meantime, we should celebrate the recovery of my dear mother-in-law!” Olivia and Sofia smiled awkwardly because of the secret they were keeping. “That’s right, let’s celebrate life!” Erasmo wrapped his arm arou
Josias Rocha and his family returned to Lagoon City. Those who were waiting for them stayed in the mansion and greeted them cheerfully in the foyer. “WELCOME BACK!” Melissa, crying, embraced her parents, William, and the twins fervently. Josias greeted them with a light smile. “Where’s João Paulo?” William asked. “He went straight to his house. His kids needed to rest from the trip.” Melissa wiped her tears with her fingers. “Alan went straight to his mansion. Especially now that his mother-in-law has woken up from the coma.” “That was a scare; I thought we’d have two funerals,” Simeon commented. Everyone headed to the living room. “Is Paris very beautiful, Mom?” Mary asked. “Yes, sweetheart, it’s stunning. We’ll go shopping together another time, okay?” “Do you have pictures?” Ignacio asked anxiously. “Yes, son, we took some pictures.” Melissa sat on the couch, pulling out a package from her bag. Josias sat in the armchair, taking a deep breath. William approached him.
At Café Montanha, Daryl walks in for a coffee and finds Rodrigo at the counter while Neilton serves the others. “Hey, are we back to the old tradition?” “Don’t be a clown, man.” Rodrigo laughs. “Yes, Thierry is at the supermarket, as we agreed.” “Hi, Neil. Can you make me a cappuccino while I enjoy a natural sandwich?” Daryl places his order. “Sure thing, Mr. Mountain.” Neilton heads to the back. Daryl sits on the stool. “So, how do you feel after getting back to your element?” “I don’t regret at all helping my dear wife at the supermarket, Daryl,” Rodrigo admitted while preparing the natural sandwich. “I’m not talking about regrets.” Daryl joked. “But it’s undeniable that after Uncle Francisco’s passing, you prefer to stay here, carrying on the legacy he left.” “Just like Crystal Blue.” Rodrigo smiled. “Hey, I’m aware that you’re looking to open another restaurant in Sunset Village. Do you think you can manage it? How’s the prospecting going?” Daryl picks up the sandwich but