The next day, Dora, Isabel, and Melissa visit the Rocha Mansion to observe the preparations for Josias and Katherine's engagement. The ladies are amazed at the menu that will be served and the decoration already advanced.Isabel tries on the fine linen of the impeccably white tablecloths, “Katherine, your fiancé has spared no expense.”“I am so happy about it!” Katherine just needs to cry, “It's finally happening.”Melissa nods, “When it was my turn, it happened in Tiago Bento's backyard. And Pamela invaded the party making the biggest scandal. She had to be dragged out.”Katherine wiggles, “I thank God I don't meet Pamela every time you mention that minx. There isn’t a single good thing you guys say about her.”“Of all the people who pissed me off, none surpassed Cristina Barbosa’s youngest daughter.” Melissa recalls the past, “Not even Angela.”“Angela is busy in Rio de Janeiro.” Katherine sighs in relief, “But not to push my luck, we won't be having a bachelorette party.”All the l
Wallace is stunned at the prospect of seeing or talking to Vera again. He doesn't have the courage and wiggles frantically.“No, Beto.” Wallace refuses, “I still don't have the courage or the mental capacity to do so. If I see your sister again, I'm going to jail again.”Beto smiles satisfied, “OK, may Vera not complain later, because I tried.”Wallace smirks, “I think you're taking a big risk.” He notices the apron and chef's hat, “Have you taken over here?”“I talked to Mr. Ramos from the supermarket.” Beto nods, “Little by little, I'm taking on my father's legacy.”“My parents told me about your trajectory.” Wallace comments more calmly, “You went from supervisor to manager of the warehouse and the supermarket in general. Congratulations.”“Thanks, but with Cristina Chaves leaving, I had to take over the building.”Wallace chuckles, “I have been informed that Mrs. Chaves, now Mrs. Barbosa, went to Victoria to stop Pamela from coming back. What if she's already here?”“Better not ma
Veronica and Jack meet at Café Montanha.“Jack, see if my aunt is in there,” Veronica asks as if she were a child escaping punishment.“Veronica, don't be ridiculous.” Jack frowns.“Please...” Veronica asks pouting.Jack laughs at the almost-girlfriend's childishness and enters the cafeteria. No, Shirley is not.Rodrigo approaches him, “You look like you're seeking someone.”“It's Veronica who doesn't want to meet her aunt.” Jack chuckles.“No, and my dad just left to talk to her.” Rodrigo rolls his eyes.Jack returns to the entrance and gestures for Veronica to enter.“Thank you, dear.” She sees her brother, “Hi, Rodrigo. Please, don't be upset when I threatened to bankrupt the cafeteria if Aunt Shirley worked here.”“We'd better change the subject, I don't want to dwell on this unpleasant chatter.” Rodrigo assumes the posture of the owner of the shop, “Will you want cappuccino or espresso?”“I'll have a cappuccino.” Veronica chooses a table, “The less caffeine in my head, the better
Katherine returns to Rocha Constructions after having lunch at the mansion. Alfred appears at her desk.“Kate, you missed your fiancé's announcement. Shirley Mountain no longer works among us.”“He told me over breakfast.” Kate responds with a gentle smile, “It's too bad, I liked the cookies. But she never regretted her evil deeds against her daughter...”“Yeah, you can't defend her after it's been proven that she wasn't a prostitute. Why would a mother do that to the daughter she has mothered?”“Out of sheer jealousy. She was in love with Mr. Marçal, but I heard that she is dating her brother-in-law. Why did she do so much havoc for nothing?” Katherine scratches her head.“And how are the preparations for the big party doing?” Alfred asks excitedly.“Great. You will come?”Octavio returns from lunch and follows the conversation from here.“Yes, I will. Will we have interesting people to meet?” Alfred asks looking at Octavio.“Of course!” Katherine assures, “I just can't guarantee tha
Saturday arrived, and with it, the engagement party for Josias and Katherine, with the wedding already confirmed for 1997.Katherine wears a very elegant pink long dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline. The stylist was inspired by Julia Roberts and Lady Di for this, and everyone agreed that Katherine deserved to shine like the two aforementioned ladies.Josias and the other gentlemen wear suits and tuxedos of the most varied types and colors, although our hero opted for the classic black tux with a vest.The ballroom was well lit and Lilian led the servants as if she were the head of a buffet. Glasses of champagne were offered to guests.To show that he had no remorse, Josias invited William, but the former brother-in-law insisted on showing anger and dissatisfaction. While he lived in a simple working-class house, behold, his disaffection boasted this mansion.Caio nudged his father, “Happy that face, old man.”“What kind of mania is it to call your father ‘old’.” William grumbles,
Beto arrives with his family. Josias notices how elegant Teresa looks in a sleeveless dress with the hem almost touching the floor.“Hello, Beto! Thanks for coming.”“Before they start with the jokes, I'll tell you that Tess is my girlfriend,” Beto informs him.“Our new mother, Uncle Josias!” Pedro exclaims satisfied.Josias strokes Pedro's hair and then faces Rosemary, “And you, princess, how are you?”“I'm fine, just a little worried.”“Why?”“I don't know if my mother will come back since Aunt Vera has returned,” Rosemary responds innocently.Even so, Beto and Teresa almost had a nervous breakdown. They didn't think they would have to ask Rosemary to keep it a secret!Josias manages to disguise his surprise with mastery and even responds to his ‘niece’, “Rosemary, your aunt Carmen just told me that your mother is at your grandfather's house. Don't worry, she won't hurt you.”“In the letter, she said that she only wanted the best for me. I am confused, Uncle Josias.” She scratches h
Katherine is disgusted by the confusion brewing among the Mountain family. She stands by the fiancé's side and tries to remedy the situation, “Guys, what's going on here?”“This lady is making a fuss, Miss Bezerra,” Bernardo complains pointing at Shirley.Katherine looks haughtily at Shirley, “Ma'am, we don't want to kick anyone out like a bouncer. Would it be too much to ask of you to behave yourself, not to overindulge in wine, and not to invent slander about your daughter?”Shirley is going to insist she didn't slander Maggie, but she takes a deep breath, “I promise.”“OK, so let's blend in with the rest of the guests,” Katherine advises as if it were an order.Lisandro Torres is next to appear. He is dazzled by the luxury of the mansion and his eyes are comically wide.“Miss Bezerra and Mr. Rocha, what a wonderful place! Surely, you are the hottest couple in town.”“Thank you for coming, Mr. Torres.” Josias greets him more relieved.“Oops, what is this? In here I am Lisandro, I am
Hours later, the party was over, and all the guests left. Ernesto, Lilian, and other servants took care of the cleaning. Katherine took the opportunity to grab leftovers from the buffet.“No, I won’t throw away this delicious food!” She told Lilian as she took what was left of the cake.“You are the one who decides.” Lilian shrugs, “The party was wonderful. And if I may, ma'am, this is the first time I've seen Josias be so clear and open about his feelings.”Katherine agrees, nodding silently. Josias was never one to say every day that he loved Katherine, but today he did in front of all his family and friends.Josias put J.J. to sleep, “Good night, sonny.”“Good night, daddy!”Josias kisses his son's forehead. For a moment, he remembered Alan, but now the firstborn is eleven years old and sleeping alone.******However, Melissa is putting her son to sleep all the same.“Mother, do you still love my father?”Melissa feels punched by the firstborn's sudden question.“Son, don't offend
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