The landline of the Rocha penthouse rings without ceasing, but Josias and João Paulo have already left the place. It remains to a fatigued Katherine to crawl to answer the call."You can’t rest in peace in this penthouse! Hello?""Hello, good morning! This is Maggie Marçal. Am I bothering you?"All the tiredness and pain in Katherine’s legs go away in seconds. Katherine adopts a more inviting tone of voice, "Hello, but of course not! This is Katherine Bezerra, the future Mrs. Rocha.""Nice to find you, Miss Bezerra. We met and I was supposed to set up a meeting for us to talk better, remember?""Yes, and I waited for your call." Katherine is thrilled."Well, let’s have lunch at Crystal Blue for—""No, please, let’s not meet in such a familiar place!" Katherine panics.If Angela goes through the huge windowpane of Crystal Blue and finds them talking, surely she will report them to Josias!"Come to lunch here at the Rocha Penthouse. I’ll instruct the doorman to let you in." Katherine gu
At Rocha Constructions, Carmen and Octavio are commenting on William's report with his luxury escort.“Guys, what a shame!” Carmen comments, “William continues to lead a promiscuous and irresponsible life. Does he not know the dangers of AIDS?”“Maybe he thinks it won't happen to him,” Octavio comments with disdain.William pushes open the glass door almost breaking it, “Where is he?”Carmen gets a big fright, “Who are you talking about?”“Don't play dumb, you damn secretary! I'm talking about your boss, my ex-brother-in-law, thank goodness!”Octavio scratches his ear, “I almost got deaf. Josias hasn't arrived yet, he's looking at his hotel. You should be with him.”William barks, “I'll wait for him here, I won't confront him in front of the workers!”Tiago enters the company, “And who says you are man enough to confront him?”William turns on his heel, shocked at the question, “You really think you're the untouchable ones, huh? Was it you who defamed me in the newspapers?”Tiago asks
Cristina takes Pamela by surprise by suggesting that she get revenge on William for taking back full custody of Caio.Diane just stays silent to follow her aunt's reasoning.Pamela gapes for a few seconds and the hug is broken, “Mom, what are you talking about?”“Remember the two times they snatched Caio away from you on the pretext that you were a bad influence as a mother? Well, who is being the promiscuous parent now?”Pamela's eyes are bright with excitement, “It's true, Mom! I will never forget the embarrassment William put me through. Now it's my turn, and best of all, I have my husband to help me!”Cristina adds, “And Miguel is representing Josias, to make it easier.”“No one will want to go against the wife of the head of the law firm.” It’s Diane who comes to that conclusion.“Exactly, cousin.” Pamela jubilates, “Let's calmly plot the plan for me to emerge victorious!”Moacyr wheels himself into the wheelchair, “What plan is being drawn up, girls?”Cristina turns to him, “My
Daryl is gloomy in his office, listening to "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. on his portable radio. He looks at a picture frame on the desk and sees the photo of the Mountain family on a walk in the park. Everybody is smiling and happy."Where or when did it all go wrong?" He laments.Kelvin walks into the office, "Bro, Melissa is at the bar having a shot of cognac to calm down."Daryl is surprised, "Isn't it early for that?""She needs it after getting some discouraging news." Kelvin pulls out a chair to sit in."What news?""The LCN executive board is concerned about being sponsored by a company whose Head of Engineering sets a terrible example concerning HIV protection."Daryl nods, "And to make matters worse, the promiscuous one is her younger brother."Kelvin rages, "I can't calm down. Not only did he cause that whole scandal at the Rocha Hotel opening party, but he also tarnishes the company's conservative image?"Daryl holds up his index finger, "Little brother, you'd better focus o
Katherine opens the door to the Rocha penthouse for Maggie. She enters admiring the exquisite venue. The song "A Million Love Songs" by Take That reaches the editor-in-chief's ears."Let's talk in the living room." Katherine invites her, "Any inconvenience for you?""No." Maggie follows delightedly around the place, "Is there anyone who might get in our way?""J.J is sleeping. Come on, sit down."Maggie sits on the sofa and tries the soft, expensive upholstery with her hand, "What a beauty of a sofa. Where was it bought?"This is where Katherine realizes how far she is from surpassing Melissa, "Ehr... it was at a store around the corner... it cost R$2,000.00."Maggie disguises her displeasure. She realizes that Katherine does not know finesse and glamour.The clothes that Katherine is wearing are not of an international brand but sewn by Adelina while she was still living on the farm."So you are the next Mrs. Rocha." Maggie begins the interview by firing up the recorder, "How does it
William feels he has fallen into a trap. With no Josias in the conference room to criticize and deflect rebukes, he feels cornered in front of gentlemen who have the morals to judge him."That's not fair!" William whines, already feeling that he has lost this one.Tiago smiles wryly, "What's the matter, William? Didn't you hear Josias? He is completely correct in remembering his situation.""I still believe that Rocha Constructions will not go bankrupt because of my intimate nights." William tries to fight back, "I know very well who did this to me, it was Vernon Queiroz! I got that idea when Josias mentioned his mother."Romualdo raises his eyebrows, "Why would Vernon Queiroz do something like that?""Ah, old man, you're out of date!" William replies disrespectfully, "While you were enjoying retirement, Vernon Queiroz waged a ridiculous war against the Freire family. I never understood why, but it cost him his dismissal at Marçal Publishing. Weeks ago I spoke some truths to Josias's
At two in the afternoon, Katherine met her father in the Main Square as arranged.Better said, almost arranged. She sported J.J in the stroller, much to Ephraim's panic and terror."What is this brat doing here?" Ephraim shouts in terror, startling other passersby, "Get him out of here! Get him out of here!"Katherine raises one of her eyebrows, "Dad, this is already sounding crazy to me. Why do you reject your grandson?""I told you I just wanted to see you! This brat has the damned blood of Josias Rocha!"Katherine is offended, "So that's it? You're going to take your hatred for my husband out on your innocent grandson?""He may be innocent, but his mother is not!" Ephraim speaks about the reason for his coming, "What is this story that you have been going to bed with Jock Russo?"Katherine becomes more appalled, "What? How did you hear about that?" Katherine interrupts herself and then smiles wryly, "Oh sure, how silly of me to ask!""That's right, Jock came here to bring you back
The next day, Josias goes early to Simeon's house to convey the decision of the executive board of Rocha Constructions.He listens to the song "Too Much Information" by Duran Duran and wonders if the news would be too much for them.However, when the door opens, Josias is determined, "Good morning, Dora.""Josias, what are you doing here so early? Come in."Josias enters and finds Melissa putting on Alan's shoes."Son, at this age and you still need your shoes put on?""Daddy!" Alan and Caroline exclaim excitedly.The two children run up and hug him. Melissa stands up and smiles."He's still fumbling, Josias, I'm helping him." The ex-wife explains what happened."I fell like an idiot in the middle of class, Dad," Alan replies scratching the back of his head.Josias giggles, "Okay, you must learn so you don't embarrass yourself anymore."Josias sits on the couch and places Caroline on his lap, "And how are you, my little princess?""I am fine, missing you."Josias hugs Caroline very fa
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