In Sunset Village, one of the beachgoers positioned a huge stereo, and the song “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, by Deep Blue Something, animated the bathers in general.Rosemary and Pedro were having fun in the sand while burying Beto. There was only Beto's head outside when Teresa started talking to him, sitting on the beach chair and sunbathing.“Beto, do you realize that your sister is scared and afraid of something?”Beto would shrug if his shoulders were free, but they were already under the sand, “Yes, but she doesn't explain what it is. So I even think that she is making up something to justify her moving into the building.”“That would be a dishonest move on her part.” Teresa complains, “We gave her the job, and she hopes to sneak into the building.”“Wallace will never show up there again.” Beto says, “And why would he go? Now he lives in Green Park, has a job at Rocha Constructions, and the family is on good terms with him.”Teresa muses with her hand on her chin, “Is she then ser
Daryl and Diane walk down the church steps in a rain of rice. They go laughing to the limousine that waits for them with the sign on the bumper that says ‘just married’.After they leave, Vernon gestures, and reporters and photographers proceed to interview all the guests before they move into the ceremonial space.Josias is the main target, “Well, Mr. Rocha, we can say that you are happy with the happiness of Mr. Mountain right now, huh?”“And why wouldn't I be?” Josias asks with mild sourness, “I wish Daryl and Diane the best.”“Even if it means the happiness of his brother and his ex-wife?” A journalist asks indiscreetly.Josias wraps his arm around Katherine's waist and pulls her closer to the cameras, “Right now, my main concern is with this girl here.”“Miss Bezerra, how does it feel to be the next Mrs. Rocha? Are you aware that you will be as powerful as the future mayor's wife?”“Yes, and like her, I am prepared to take on such a role,” Katherine responds in a charismatic way.
The next day, at Harold's house, Wallace turns on the radio and Alanis Morissette's song “Head Over Feet” wakes up his parents.That is, wakes Isabel up. Harold is still soundly asleep in bed with a serene smile.“Good morning, son! Still have some energy to spend? Wasn't the party enough?” Isabel greets him.Wallace replies with a smile, “I still have it, I'm regaining the vigor I had before I was arrested.”“Ah, son, if it were possible for us to mention this period as little as possible...” Isabel crosses her arms.“It would be very convenient for me to forget everything, mother.” Wallace hugs her, “But I want to remember the stupid things I've done so I don't do it again.”“You wouldn't be able to wrong twice.” Isabel reminds him.“No, but other blunders I can still commit.” Wallace kisses his mother on the forehead, “Is the radio too loud? I think I'll wake up dad.”“If your father is still sleeping, it's because the radio isn't playing loud.” Isabel jokes, “I'll check.”Isabel r
When Flavia managed to break the bad news to Josias, he promptly took care of everything else.Therefore, yet on Sunday afternoon, Harold Freire's wake and burial took place at Lagoon City Cemetery.It usually rains at funerals and burials, but Harold's death seems to have caught even the weather off guard, as the sun continued to shine, urging the citizens of Lagoon City to head to the beach.But today would be a sad day for the Freire family and their friends. In the hall where the wake takes place, Isabel is standing, staring at her dead husband. He was with the same serene smile.“You had that smile on, and I thought you were sleeping.” She says in a plaintive tone, “I should have sent you to the hospital. You had been slow to wake up, I had to scream and shake you! Why didn't I understand that you were saying goodbye when you said you loved me? Sorry, Harold, I was stupid and killed you!”The last sentence came out in a choked voice. Wallace approaches his mother, wearing a black
Wallace remembers the day he was arrested. The year was 1986 and he was on the run from the police. After arguing with Isabel, Harold entered the room where he was being registered.Harold fades his smile. Then he enters the room.Wallace looks up and is surprised to find his father. “Wow, did you come too? How did you know I came?”“How did we know you were captured as a fugitive criminal?” Harold slams the door and approaches his son exuding hatred, “You ask 'how did I come', like it's the most normal thing in the world for you to go to a police station to be booked!”“Father, please—“Harold doesn't listen and slaps his son. “You mean you're macho enough to make your mother cry in disgust? Is that what you are? You mean a handsome, attractive man like you needs to force a woman to have sex with you?”Wallace has mixed emotions. Could it be that Isabel was the 'good cop' and Harold is being the 'bad cop'? “Dad, don't talk like I'm proud. I didn't want things to end like this.”“Well
Shirley is the only character in this book to be happy today. Not knowing what's going on, she bakes her shortbread cookies for tomorrow while whistling Roxette's song “June Afternoon”.Suddenly, the radio interrupts the song to give the news, “We interrupt our programming to break urgent news: Harold Freire, the husband of writer Isabel Freire, has died at the age of 69. Mr. Freire was found dead in his sleep at his home this Sunday morning. Doctors say the death was of natural causes. The wake is being held—”Shirley turned off the radio, shocked by the information. She followed 'Love Just Happens' and admired Isabel's work.The door opens and Francisco comes in without knocking again.“Oh no, woman! For the second time, I find you unprepared to leave!”Shirley purses her lips, then defends herself, “If you're talking about Mr. Freire, I just heard the news on the radio.”“What a horror, Shirley!” Francisco is not convinced. He is also in black clothes, “Everyone has already gone to
Days later, Daryl and Diane returned from their honeymoon only to learn that there was a funeral while they were out having fun.“Oh my God!” Diane exclaims and turns purple with embarrassment. They're in their apartment, “Kelvin, tell me that's a lie!”“Why would I lie on such a subject?” Kelvin justifies himself.“OK, forgive me.” Diane puts the suitcases on the sofa, “It just seems shameful that while we were having fun, the Freire family was in mourning.”“We can visit them.” Daryl decides. He turns on the radio and The Offspring's song “Gonna Get Away” fills the living room.Melissa sits on the sofa and notices the suitcase, “You didn't go to Acapulco with that suitcase, correct?”Diane smiles, “No, I got back with her. She has gifts and souvenirs that I bought during the trip.”“Cool. I hope everything went as you had hoped.” Melissa smiles.“Everything went wonderfully.” Daryl comments, “The plane didn't crash, the cruise we were on didn't sink, I didn't get seasick and everyon
Beto looks like he won't get a straight answer from Vera as to what she's afraid of. Then he goes to the radio and turns it on. The song “Angel” by Simply Red feat Fugees has a group of teenagers playing dominoes to sway to the beat of the music.“Vera, I’m gonna have to fire you,” Beto announces in cold blood.“But WHY?” She shrieks, making the group of teenagers laugh.Beto takes a deep breath, “It's because I never know what's really going on with you. You came back from Victoria expecting us to take you in with no questions or answers.”Vera is visibly trying to hide something. Her voice shakes and her skin is as white as snow, “I... I can't say.”“Ah, then get out of here before you bring trouble to my children and my tenants!”“NO!” Vera covers her mouth with both hands, and then goes back to speaking more quietly, “I just want to have a little money to go back to the capital.”“Don't worry, I'll give it to you right now.” Beto opens the cash drawer and takes out some bills at r
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