A few days passed. The book signing held in Victoria by Isabel was the biggest success. Isabel got a swollen hand from signing so much, but at the end of the queue with the last fan, she was smiling and satisfied.One of the sessions was broadcast live on the state network. In Lagoon City, Uélton and Reuben recorded the transmission on cassette tape for posterity.“Grandma Isabel will be proud when she finds out we recorded it, huh, dad?” Reuben suggests.Uélton takes the cassette tape out of the VCR, “Yes, and we’ll remember this moment forever, or at least until the tape dies.”“Why?” Reuben scratches his head.Uélton sighs, “Because if there's one thing I've learned in this life, my son, it's that nothing lasts forever. That's why we have to enjoy the life that God has given us.”“Like Grandpa Harold?” Reuben asks, a little sadly, “I wanted him at my wedding.”Uélton goes to his room and Reuben goes after him, “Don't worry, son. I’ll, of course, be applauding this glorious moment.
William and Uélton are about to fight at Campos Pizzeria. Some customers who were nearby are bothered by the scene. Parents who brought their children don’t want them to witness the aggression. That's why Caio is outraged to see that Reuben is the only child who actually WANTS to see fights and bloodshed.He and Simeon close in and separate the two troublemakers.“Hey, you two, let go!” Simeon orders, “You look like you're going to kiss!”“Yuck!” Reuben wipes his mouth as if it were him, “Don't say something like that, Grandpa Simeon. My father is a real man. Your son is the one who is a pussy.”Adults laugh at Reuben's tirade, though Flavia would scold him if she were present.William boils with wrath, “I can see how the boy is not polite when his mother is away. I see two children here.”“My father takes very good care of me!” Reuben screams.“Then what are you doing here? Go home and eat vegetables, kid!” William barks.Simeon puts his hand on his hysterical son's shoulder, “Will,
At Pizzeria Campos, William answers Flávia's call, “Pizzeria Campos, good night!”Flávia recognizes her cousin, “Cousin, this is Flávia. Are my son and husband around by any chance?”Furious, William simply hangs up on Flavia and walks away in a huff. He unplugs the phone cord to prevent Flavia from trying again.On the other hand, Flávia is appalled by what happened. Yes, she tries to dial again, but this time, the call doesn't even go through!“Hey, what happened? Hello? Hello?” Flávia slams the mouthpiece hard against the device.Raymond and Isabel are amazed.“What happened, Flavia?”“Izzy, Cousin Will hung up on me without even telling me if they were at the pizzeria!” Flavia exclaims, “Do you know what that means?”“Is William still a pain in the neck?” Raymond asks nonchalantly.“That too, but that means that Uélton went to the pizzeria the other day and made trouble. That's why Cousin Will didn't even want to answer me. Ah, we urgently need to get back to Lagoon City, Izzy!”“
At dawn, Josias and Katherine slept spooned in the master suite. Katherine wore a lavender silk nightgown while Josias... well, you know.But Josias was forced to at least put on some sweatpants because the butler who replaced Ernesto kept banging on the door, “BOSS! BOSS ROCHA, for the love of God, WAKE UP!”Josias and Katherine wake up in fright, thinking that J.J. was dying.“Not that, dear, MY SON!” Katherine exclaims as she pulls on the matching robe.When Josias is presentable, she opens the varnished double doors to find the butler, similarly robed and pale-faced.“What happened?”“Madam... Boss Rocha, you must go to the general hospital.”“What happened, Hector?” Josias exclaims in anguish.“I got a call... Mr. Freire’s house exploded... father and son are in the hospital.”“WHAT?” Josias exclaims, “But Mrs. Freire and her mother-in-law won’t be back until tomorrow!”“Let’s go to the hospital now.” Katherine states as the lady of the house, “You guys take care of J.J.”“Yes ma
Josias and Katherine enter the corridors of the General Hospital. Dr. Silvana was nearby and greeted them.“Mr. and Mrs. Rocha, we are very sorry for what happened.” She states, “Everyone heard about Mr. Freire and his son.”“A tragedy indeed,” Josias says, dryly, “Anything new?”“The doctor is talking to Eldest Mr. Freire.” She points to the left of the hall.Josias and Katherine turn left and find Wallace talking to the doctor. Wallace was wearing pajama pants and a tank top. His hair was messy.“Mr. Freire, your brother had a head injury and inhaled a lot of smoke. We're doing our best, but...” The doctor shakes his head in regret, “Your nephew ran to the garage and inhaled less smoke, he was still conscious when the firefighters found him.”“Poor Reuben...” Wallace holds back tears, “He got scared. It's understandable, he wasn't going to stay where it was burning everything.”“We'll keep an eye on your brother. Excuse me.” The doctor hurries away.Josias and Katherine approach car
Doctor Silvana is pleased to see that she managed to intimidate Ivan.“Well then, sir, you are warned.” She states, “Treat the child with sensitivity.”“I need to do my job.” Ivan huffs and hastily withdraws.Doctor Silvana enters the room and finds Reuben with an angelic smile. He asks, “Is the cop coming back?”She pats the child's head, “No, Reuben, your interview is over. You need to rest.”“Yes, I need to be in good shape to go home. Did you know that I am going to marry Caroline Rocha?”Doctor Silvana gives a hearty laugh. These kids today...Meanwhile, Ivan dashes the adult wing. As he approaches Uélton's room, he freezes his steps and breaks out cold sweat when he sees Josias standing at the door.Josias smiles slightly, “Sergeant Moraes, long time no see...”“Cut that one!” Ivan barks, “You weren't dying to see me!”“Not at all, but I imagine they assigned you to this case,” Josias responds derisively.“I came to see if your clumsy friend forgot to turn off the gas.” Ivan rep
Everyone is apprehensive about Uélton losing strength. They leave the room just as the doctor and two nurses bustle in.“We need space! Wait outside, please!” The doctor orders them.In the hallway, Isabel begins to have tears in her eyes. Wallace hugs her.“Mom, don't even think about it! We won’t lose another family member, no!”“Son...” Isabel sniffs, “I think it's time we must accept...”“No, mother, NO!” Wallace walks away, disgusted, “What's going on? Everything was wonderful when I was in prison. When I came back, only tragedies occur! Everyone will die because of me!”Josias grabs Wallace by the sleeve of his shirt and shakes him, “Wallace, STOP! This is not the time to panic!”“Josias, it’s my little brother!” Wallace starts to cry, “How would you react if you were João Paulo, huh?”“I would have to be strong for my mother and my children!” Josias asserts, “And cut the talk about it being your fault, that's not true!”Wallace takes a deep breath and calms down a bit, “Still,
Isabel enters Reuben's room and finds him with a nurse. When she realizes that her son looks exactly like his father, her heart sinks. Reuben doesn't have the large ears like his father, but he's just as chatty.“Nurse, did you know that I am going to marry Caroline Rocha?” He excitedly comments, “Of course, first I have to get out of here, heal my wounds, wait for my dad to wake up, and then I have to grow old enough to propose. I want to propose in the middle of Ibrahim Square with everyone watching. Do you think she will like it?”The nurse bursts out laughing, “Of course she’ll do, Reuben. Women love romantic guys.”“I hope your boyfriend does the same thing,” Reuben speaks with no sense of being rude.But the nurse points out that Reuben is a child, “He already proposed to me, and we were already married.”“But was it in the middle of Ibrahim Square?”“REUBEN.” Isabel decides to interrupt the conversation, “Don't bother the nurse with personal questions.”The nurse promptly gets