Isabel enters Melissa's office because it was the closest place to make a call.“Hi, Izzy, what happened?” Melissa is surprised by the urgency stamped on her friend's face.“Melissa, can I use your phone? My husband called and it sounds like it was urgent.”“Yes, be my guest!” Melissa holds out her desk phone.Isabel dials the phone with trembling fingers, “Hello, Harold! Don't scare me, what happened?"“I am in perfect health, dear, it is not now that you will become a widow.” Harold jokes, “I got a call from the Cariacica penitentiary.”Isabel widens her eyes, “Concerning our son Wally?”“Honey, I don't think it's in good taste to repeat the nickname created by the culprit for everything that was disgraceful in our son's life.” Harold gets serious.“Darling, tell me what the penitentiary said...” Isabel feels a lump in her throat.Harold senses that his wife is sad and says cautiously, “Well, you remember that our son was sentenced to ten years in prison. Well, next year will be ten
At Rocha Constructions, everyone is saying goodbye to Igor.“Guys, come to the little party tonight. It’s at Tiago’s house.” He informs them.“We'll be there.” Octavio replies, “Can I take my dad and Jack?”“The more people, the better,” Igor responds jokingly.Vânia informs them, “Ben is also going to Victoria to study gastronomy. He will live with João Paulo.”Igor nods, “May everyone’s dreams come true.”Mr. Paterson looks at Angela's empty desk, “Where is Mr. Rocha’s fiancée?”“She's in hell!” Vanya growls.Tiago frowns, “Mrs. Teixeira, the person we are talking about will be your niece.”“I already have a niece, Melissa Campos. I don't need another one.” Vânia looks around, “And where's Shirley with the butter cookies?”At this moment, Harold and Isabel enter the company together and find the celebration in the lobby.“Hello, everyone! What is this celebration due to?” Isabel greets them.Igor approaches the Freire couple, smiling, “We are pre-celebrating my farewell, Mrs. Freire
Shirley leaves Josias's room just as Harold and Isabel want to go in to talk to him.“Oh Shirley, people are looking for you to try that wonderful cookie you make,” Harold informs her.“They must be talking about Igor's farewell.” Shirley smiles slightly, “A good guy...”Shirley leaves and closes the door. Josias is interested in the visitors.“Mr. and Mrs. Freire.” He happily greets them, “How can I help you?”Harold excitedly announces, “Josias, the Cariacica penitentiary has contacted us. They want to release Wallace for good behavior. His sentence would end next year.”Josias had completely forgotten that Wallace was going to be free next year. He widens his eyes and a surprised print on his face, “Oh, God... I don't know what to say!”Isabel is beaming, “Well, say you're happy for us!”“I'm happy.” Josias scratches the back of his head, “All I care about is the rest of the family and Lagoon City.”Isabel wiggles, “Don’t bother. The two women who destroyed my son's life are in Vic
At night, Igor Bento's farewell party is about to begin.Tiago walks around the room decorated with a poster on the wall that says “Goodbye, Igor!”. The sofas were pushed into the corner and the kitchen table was moved to the middle of the living room. In it, a cake and various goodies are spread out for guests to serve themselves.The owner of the house turns on the radio and the song “This Ain’t a Love Song” by Bon Jovi brings the atmosphere to life.Carmen approaches with another platter of pecan cookies, “Not Shirley's cookies, but I think people will like it anyway.”Tiago smiles and hugs his wife from behind, “Thanks for the dedication.”“All for my brother-in-law's well-being.” Carmen sets the tray on the table, “He's going in search of happiness.”Tiago sighs, “He's going to reconnect with Stacy and maybe get married... while Marcelo remains behind bars.”“Sometimes I forget about your little brother.” Carmen breaks her smile, “Darling, isn't there any danger of Marcelo gettin
Uélton is disconcerted when Reuben inadvertently repeats the forbidden nickname. He crouches down and looks his son in the eye, “Reuben, when Uncle Wallace shows up, don't repeat the cursed nickname.”“Why?” Reuben asks innocently.“Because Uncle Wallace won't like it.” Uélton taps his head.“OK, I thought he liked it.” Reuben smiles at him.Uélton gets up. Flavia realizes that he still has more to say.“Reuben, wait for us outside.” She commands the child. After Reuben leaves, she adds, “It's not just because of the nickname that you're like this.”“Of course not, honey.” Uélton closes the living room window, “I worry how Wallace’s return will affect our son’s life.”Flavia smiles, “It won't affect negatively. Wallace has certainly learned from his mistakes, and the two wretched women are living in the capital.”Not knowing what is happening in the Chaves family, Uélton comments with an ironic smile, “Have you ever thought if Pamela returns with the lame excuse of wanting to see Rose
At Tiago's house, the party continues with the Freire family arriving. Igor receives Uélton, Flávia and Reuben.“Whoa, we have cake!” Reuben exclaims.“Son!” Flavia is embarrassed.Igor laughs, “Children's things, Flávia. I was agitated like that too. Come on, Reuben, there's chicken pie.”Flavia decides to accompany Reuben before he knocks over the table or something.Uélton shakes Igor's hand, “We're leaving too, buddy. We'll move to Green Park and be close to the old folks. My father can't wait to be close to his grandson.”“What about Wallace?” Igor asks respectfully.Uélton undoes some of the enthusiasm, “We still haven't talked deeply about my rehabilitated brother. For now, he will certainly live with my parents.”“You don't look very pleased to me.” Igor watches with the precision of a shrink.“I just want to know where this is all going.” Uélton forges a smile.The living room radio is playing “Can I Touch You... There?” by Michael Bolton. Josias is now talking to Vernon.“Da
Cristina, Moacyr, Diane, Adolfo, Vânia, and Benjamin are the next ones to enter Igor's farewell party. The Teixeira family felt that this could be their farewell party too.The radio was now playing “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan and the children were dancing in a corner of the room.Elza and Vernon were sitting on the sofa and enjoying their grandchildren's improvised steps.“They're cute, aren't they?” Vernon asks with a piece of the pie in his hand.“Yes, they will be the future of the nation.” Elza comments, “Ah, the Teixeira family has arrived.”“Honey, I want to take advantage of the fact that you mentioned Melissa's uncles to talk about Josias.” Vernon finishes eating the piece of pie so he doesn't get distracted.Elza turns and faces her husband, “Yes?”“He's mentally debating whether or not to marry Angela.” Vernon announces to her, “I told him categorically to discard that home wrecker.”Elza smiles slightly, “I agree too, but Josias always thinks of David.”“If th
Melissa and Kelvin's wedding day arrived.Angela is increasingly furious and stressed with the date that has arrived. In her paranoid mind, Josias will scream 'I object' in the 'Forever hold your peace' part and will snatch the bride from the altar, leaving Kelvin shattered.That's why she's trying to be as unpleasant as possible to discourage Josias. When they eat breakfast, she neighs, “What are we doing this Saturday, my love?”Josias sets the newspaper on the table and looks at the fiancée in bewilderment, “What did you say? We're going to Melissa and Kelvin's wedding.”“No, we will not.” Angela informs as she cuts the bacon, “I want to have a family day with you and David.”“What about J.J?” Josias points to the excluded son, who eats his cereal undisturbed.Angela drops the silverware noisily, “Darling, it's no use insisting. We’re not going to the wedding, period.”“I don't know about you, but I won't run away like a coward.” Josias takes a sip of his coffee and gives her a fir
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