If Katherine couldn't move a muscle, her survival instinct made her reinvigorate herself just to escape the slaps and aggressions coming from Elza. She jumps out of bed and ends up tripping and falling to the floor like a sack of potatoes.“That's it, you promiscuous, get away from here! The maids will take a week to sterilize these blankets and sheets!”“Mother, what is this?” Josias is embarrassed.Katherine does her best to stay upright. Miguel surpassed himself in brutality... “Josias, are you going to stand still and let your mother insult me like that?”“I can't even understand what happened here!”Katherine smirks, “Well... Miguel and I bumped into each other in the hallways and just HAD to come here to quench our heat.”Elza slaps her son's concubine once more, “Putana!”Josias only cares about one thing, “And where is J.J?”“You didn't want him meddling with your bastard sons? I left him at the Rocha mansion!”“Tramp!” Elza slaps Katherine for the third time. Now blood is c
In the halls of LCN, Isabel is talking to Melissa about her failed attempt to cast Jack Motta as an actor.“He was very kind and respectful, but he flatly refused my proposal.” Isabel frets, “And I haven't even dared to tell Mr. Oliveira about it.”“Daniel Oliveira is a good man and he won't slaughter you for it,” Melissa assures her with a smile.“Jack Motta feels he's going to steal the spot from an actor more prepared than he is,” Isabel speaks reverently.“People with their feet on the ground are always like that. Unlike others...” Melissa tilts her head in the direction Vernon is approaching them.Vernon approaches them like they're best friends, “Have you heard the news yet?”“No, but you will tell us anyway.” Melissa mocks him.“Josias and I caught Miss Bezerra all worn out after a whole night of debauchery with Miguel Damascene! Has he divorced Pamela yet?”Melissa and Isabel are equally shocked. What?“Vernon, this is not funny!” Melissa complains, “You're accusing the mother
Shirley comes home after a day's work as a caterer. The conversation she had with Vânia made her thoughtful.“I love Bernie and I want him for myself... tsk, why did I open my heart to Vânia? I know she's my friend, but I was wrong to think she could handle my dilemma. It is better to spare her my dramas.”She turns on the radio for distraction, but another love song makes her uneasy, “Love Is All Around” by Wet Wet Wet.Someone rings the doorbell and Shirley goes to answer, “Who is it?”“It's Veronica!”Shirley answers Veronica, “Hi, niece! How are you doing?”Veronica enters, “Hi, Auntie! I'm fine, thank you. I think I lost a hairpin around here, I can't find it in my room.”Shirley smiles, “It's in my room, on the dressing table. Go look for it.”“Thanks. Phew, my modeling job is going great.” Veronica comments as she goes to her room.Kelvin arrives next and is already taking off his shirt, “Mom, the door was left open.”“Son, keep the respect. Your cousin is here.”But Veronica w
Some time later, all of Brazil gathered in several cinemas throughout the country to watch the great blockbuster “The Lion King”. The kids dragged their parents to watch the movie, and that included Josias.Somewhat embarrassed with the four children, Josias had previously arranged that Melissa and Angela would accompany the four children. Katherine was summarily excluded from the tour, as Josias feared that Kate would take everyone to an erotic movie.So Ernesto broke into Katherine's presidential suite and snatched J.J from his hysterical, furious mother.“Let go of my son! NO!”Ernesto pulled his revolver from his holster and fired it into the fireplace, narrowly missing Katherine. She threw herself on the rug and sprawled on it, shaking with panic and dread.After that, J.J had fun with his half-brothers at the Lagoon City movie theater.At the end of the movie, the kids were ecstatic, commenting on what they thought of the movie, while her parents took them out to eat. Josias ind
Monday, work day. Except for Katherine, who is once again pounded and crushed in Jock's bed, after the "help" her ex-husband gave. And Jock is equally exhausted after the extreme effort of "calming down" the hysterical ex-wife.However, Frederick had no pity and opened the bedroom door to wake his partner. He wrinkled his nose at the sight of his naked roommate, but he didn't give up.“Wake up, stallion! Today is the day for every Christian to work!”“Ouch, ouch, don't move me so hard!” Jock groans in pain.“Now you are moaning in pain, but at three in the morning you were moaning from something else!” Frederick mocks him.Jock smiles depravedly, “I gave my best shot, sexually speaking, to calm the hysterical one here.”Suddenly they hear Katherine's voice under the blanket, “Stop talking like I'm not here!”Frederick also shakes her, “Come on, you need to work!”Katherine has a Herculean effort to get out from under the blanket, “What job? The future Mrs. Rocha does not work.”Freder
Josias and Angela join the manager of Rocha Hotel. Vernon is feigning concern, but he wants one more scoop to denigrate Katherine.Elza is snorting and yelling, “She's not back yet. Now that Miguel Damascene is gone, she has gone out to indulge herself with other men!”“I'm going to get my son. Mom, call the company, Ernesto should be there waiting for me.”“Absolutely, son.” Elza is already on the phone.Josias finally notices his stepfather, “What are you doing here, Dad?”“I needed to come to give you moral support.” Vernon lies blatantly.Josias believes the story and calls him to get J.J. Angela remains in the office listening to Elza.“Hello, Mr. Paterson? This is Elza Rocha Queiroz. I need you to tell my son's secretary to come to Rocha Hotel to take J.J to the Rocha Mansion. Thanks.” She hangs up and turns to Angela, “Is his wife Lilian there already?”“Yes ma'am. When they take J.J., he will be keeping David company.”Elza smiles in satisfaction, “Angela, we still haven't had
At Rocha Hotel, Ernesto appears in the manager's office and Josias hands him the baby carriage. J.J is sleeping peacefully.“Ernesto, take my son to the Rocha mansion.”“Again, sir?” Ernesto asks without being disrespectful, “Where is this creature's mother?”“I wonder where she must be.” Josias grinds his teeth in disgust.Elza looks at her sleeping grandson, “Son, if you need a phone, you can use mine.”“Thank you, mother.” Josias picks up the hook and dials a number.Vernon takes the opportunity to cleverly slip away, “Honey, I need to go to work. Who knows, maybe we’ll have something on the midday news?”Elza slyly winks at her mischievous husband, “Tell them to do their best, eh?”Vernon gives his wife a light kiss on the cheek and runs away.Meanwhile, Josias is asking, “Hello, Simeon. This is Josias. Can you tell me if Jock Russo showed up there?”On the other side, in the storeroom of another construction site, Simeon wiggles, “No, he didn't show up today. Did something go wro
Angela is acting as secretary replacing Carmen. She works with excellence and the others have nothing to complain about.Octavio enters the company and she hands him a sheaf of letters, “Mr. Motta, mail for you.”Octavio smiles gratefully, “Thanks, Angela. How is work, are you enjoying it?”“Yes, it is very engaging and the company is wonderful.” Angela shows kindness.Shirley enters the company with a huge bag full of fresh cookies. The good smell catches everyone within a two-kilometer radius.“Good morning, Shirley.” Angela greets her, "Please don't leave me behind when you serve your famous cookies.”“And who said I leave you behind?” Shirley's voice sounds like a wall brawl.Angela is startled, “Prove me wrong by serving me today, duh!”“Just what I needed...” Shirley hurries into the kitchen.Octavio and Angela look at each other without understanding.******At Frederick's apartment, he opens the door with his key. Inside, the radio is playing “Animal” by Pearl Jam.A very exha
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