2021-05-21 19:20:04Josias gets tense, expectant. Here is the moment for him to know if she will like what she sees or if she will reject him because he is working on a construction site.
Melissa, however, does not seem to disapprove or belittle him. Instead, she is nodding, looking around. Of course, she couldn't help noticing the fact that Josias was still shirtless and wearing the same sweatpants. “Josias, what are you doing here? Did you get a job as a helper?”
“Yes, Melissa, I did it today. I was needing.” Josias speaks, still looking forward to her approval.
“Congratulations.” She smiles, “If we were going to date, you would have already earned points with my dad.”
Uélton looks at Josias with surprise. Josias smiles satisfied with what he hears. “Thank you very much, Melissa. It is not being easy, but it is what we have.”
“You go a long way, Josias, and you look like a smart boy. Well, let me go to school before I'm late. See you later!”
Melissa waves goodbye and goes on her way. Josias watches her for a moment and then goes back to work. He tries to go back because Uélton won't let him.
“Hey!” Uélton slaps Josias on the shoulder, who complains of pain because of the sun. “How come you don't even introduce me to her? How do you know her? She didn't even look at me!”
Josias looks at Uélton. His ears are bigger than conceived and he has a habit of narrowing his eyes as if he needs glasses, but he doesn't use them to look more “handsome”. Josias smiles, “I don't think she's interested in your beauty.”
“Ah, okay, soap opera heartthrob!” Uélton chuckles, “You have an easier time conquering girls because of your physique, you don't come with a shirt on purpose.”
Josias takes a deep breath. If everyone knew that he ran away from home with only the clothes on his back, they would not be bothered about his clothes (or lack thereof).
And there is also the fact that Uélton and Romualdo will have to get used to sweatpants because he will not wear new clothes to work in the construction.
Meanwhile, Melissa is approaching the school that is in the next neighborhood, as the favela only has a small school that works only as a nursery and classes from the first to the fourth year of elementary school. She smiles when she meets two friends in her class.
“Hello, girls!” The three embrace.
One of them notices the hair. “Hey, did you happen to buy that shampoo we recommend?”
Melissa, remembering the shampoo, also remembers Josias and smiles, looking distant for a few seconds. Then she comes back to them and replies, “Yes, I bought it at the pharmacy over there. And you don’t know the biggest: I thought I took all the money, but no, it was R$ 2.00 missing. Then a guy behind me offered to pay for what was missing. Girls...”
“Was he a kitten?” One of the friends risked asking.
Melissa's eyes widen. “Kitten? Big cat, hunky! The guy lives without a shirt, he's 18 years old and he's not lazy, I just saw him working in a house under construction near where we live.”
Incredibly, the girls' admiration diminished when Melissa informed the last part. The second friend says, “Oh, dear, mason? Worse still, he must be a bricklayer assistant. Not worth it.”
Melissa frowns at her friends. “What do you mean, are you crazy? If you only knew him...”
“We already know enough,” The first friend interrupts her, “handsome, but poor. Girl, if you want to leave Happiness Slum, like us, you need to meet someone worthwhile. Someone who is not accommodating and wants to give you a future you deserve.”
Melissa continues to surprise her friends by saying that kind of thing. “You are judging Josias without even knowing him. Something tells me that he will not stay long as a bricklayer. Not that there is anything wrong with the profession, but he will climb the steps to success.”
The first, more incisive friend interrupts her by pulling her by the uniform blouse. “Okay, Melissa, but you better not wait for him to climb the stairs of success and look for someone who is already at the top, to take you along.”
“You talk as if you know that someone.” Melissa lets go of the tug.
“Not yet.” The first friend has a twinkle in her eye as she continues, “But, I know something that can help us. My older sister is going to do a party, and she said that there will be a lot of handsome guys.” She makes the gesture of “a lot of” with her hand, “And of course you will go to my house.”
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Building My Life Chapter 20 Let's Go to the Party
Melissa has a jolt. “Aren't you inviting me to a party like this that we see in the movies? Where will be drinks, drugs, and sex?”The two friends look at Melissa for a few seconds, as if they don't know what to do, or what to lie to her.Finally, the two smile and assure her, “No! None of that, dear friend, what is it! It’s a safe party. There will be residents of Rainbow Garden and Saint Gabriel, it's a good start.”Melissa smiles in excitement. They're not guys from Europe Garden, but it's worth it. The school bell is sounded and the three enter the rest of the students with the class.Meanwhile, Uélton approaches Josias; the two have already finished the job and are being released by Romualdo."Rest for tomorrow, young people," He says this and walks away to join the adult masons.Uélton is washing his hands with water coming out of a hose. "Anyway, the job is over. Are you up for a party today
Building My Life Chapter 21 Meeting at the Party
Uélton says goodbye to his parents and leaves the house with Josias, somewhat embarrassed to know that his friend is leaving for a public place without underwear. But, Josias is not at all embarrassed. He would even wear the same brief, but Uélton said it would not be appropriate... if Uélton kept his mouth shut...Uélton and Josias go to a part of the Happiness Slum where Josias has not yet met. They passed in the direction pointed by Melissa where her house is. So, the chances of meeting her at the party are big, which encourages Josias.They arrive at a two-story house and a terrace. From a distance, you can already see the crowd on the terrace and the sound of loud music = “Off the Wall”, by Michael Jackson. Uélton goes in and greets everyone his age, the boy looks like the son of a politician, he is so well known. And for each friend greeted, Josias is introduced.What Uélton did not realize was that, wi
Building My Life Chapter 22 Let My Friend Alone
Melissa decides to praise Jonas for eating barbecue with a fork while everyone grabs the meat with their hands. “You know what, good thing Josias prefers the fork; it's a lot more hygienic.” Josias smiles in thanks. “That's what I thought. And by the way, I see the owner of the house slicing a steak. Shall we, Melissa?” “Only if it's now,” Melissa smiles at Josias, and the two move away from the others. Pamela sits down again, pursing her lips in annoyance. She calls Uélton. “Hey, you...” “Uélton, miss.” Uélton tries to be as kind as his friend. “Uélton, what do you know about this guy?” Pamela tilts her chin towards Josias. “He showed up at the construction site where I am, demonstrating excellent skill with the hoe, while I was failing, and Seu Romualdo hired him.” “He is the bricklayer assistant,” The second friend comments, “But, Pamela, let's be fair and acknowledge that he is cute.” “It doesn't matter if he's cute
Building My Life Chapter 23 Waking Up From the Enchantment
Josias does not understand how a person who barely knows him can afford to express such a negative opinion about him. "Excuse me, miss, but you don't know me well enough for such a heavy and cruel judgment.""And is there anything more interesting for me to know?" The question comes out of Pamela's mouth laden with disdain.Josias, faced with the situation, decides to shut up. He looks over Pamela's shoulder and sees Uélton talking to Melissa and Pamela's other friend. Uélton "cleans" his hands in the shorts he's wearing and then with the same "clean" hand takes more slices of meat to eat.Josias narrows his view, considering that if Pamela knows about the few clothes he has, it was thanks to Uélton. Why did Uélton tell this despicable girl that he had nothing to wear to come here? Would it have been unintentionally, or on purpose?Upset, and unable to say goodbye to Melissa (she is well involved in the conversation, and the bo
Building My Life Chapter 24 Josias Is Upset
The next day, Josias wakes up, stretching in bed, covered by the thin sheet from the waist down. He looks at Uélton's brother's jeans and T-shirt and gives a smile that says “I'm smiling so I don't cry”. Josias hopes that Uélton has not thrown his clothes away; otherwise he will have to work on the construction site with his brother's clothes!After putting on his clothes and going down to brush his teeth, Josias goes to breakfast in Teodoro's kitchen. He's just finished straining the coffee. Teodoro gets distracted by Josias's clothes and misses the strainer, leaving coffee spilling on the table.“Oops!” Teodoro realizes the error and returns to concentrate. “Good morning, son! How was the party? They let you borrow their clothes.”“I was the one who left mine at Uélton's. I hope he didn't throw it out of anger.”Teodoro finishes straining the coffee and closes the thermos. He takes it
Building My Life Chapter 25 A Action of Gentleness
Uélton puts both hands on Josias's wrist, wanting to get away from him. Josias still presses his friend's body against the wall without plastering it, with a force he thought he didn't have.“Let go of me, man, this wall is scratching my back,” Uélton asks.“Answer my question, man.” Josias is tough and domineering.“No, I didn't want to make you look bad.” Uélton is practically whining, “I spoke without thinking. If Pamela was making a conspiracy to get you away from Melissa, I'm not part of this. Let me go, man; I thought we were friends.”Josias lets go of Uélton's shoulder and he relieves himself. He was already thinking he was going to get punched by Josias.“Thanks, buddy. And I'm sorry for the fail.”Romualdo appears after listening to the last lines. “Guys, good morning. Is everything okay here?”“It's okay, Seu Romualdo.&
Building My Life Chapter 26 More Purchases and Visions
Josias returns to Teodoro's building very satisfied with the first payment. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a few purchases that he intended to do today.When he told Teodoro, the landlord was thrilled with the younger man. “Now, set sail for the Downtown and buy some clothes, my boy. I don't know how you haven't caught the flu yet.”Josias believed that the fact that he was shirtless only strengthened his resistance to the cold. It was all a matter of habit, even the fact that he slept naked.So, when he was in Downtown, he thought twice about whether he bought or not some underwear. He decided to buy it because you never know. Better not to scandalize people unnecessarily.Josias bought a simpler T-shirt and shorts to stay at home (or in the bedroom) so he wouldn't have to wear sweatpants; this was “promoted” to the status of “just to work”. The black shirt and jeans donated by Uélton's mother will be use
Building My Life Chapter 27 Clarifying Misunderstood
Josias gets into Teodoro's building smiling. The landlord is at the counter listening to news of the afternoon, but when he sees the happy boy he decides to ask, “Is this happiness because of shopping?”“No.” Josias places the bags on the counter. While Teodoro checks out the purchases, he replies, “Happiness for getting it right with Melissa.”“I said she chose you. Stop worrying.” Teodoro takes the underwear package out of one of the plastic bags, “Ah, now yes!”Josias chuckles shaking his head, “Yeah; and now I'm going to have to wash them constantly so they don't get dirty.”“I will teach you how to use one of the washing machines.” Teodoro puts the package in the bag and gives it back to Josias.“Do you believe that I almost met Everaldo again?” Josias changes the subject, “Apparently he is a human being; he missed the bus like anybody else.&r
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Chapter 3237 Mary’s Quinceañera (1)
That evening, the Rocha Events Hall was elegantly lit, and the soft sound of a waltz floated through the air.It was a joint celebration for Ignacio and Mary Campos Mountain. But more than just a birthday party, it marked Mary’s fifteenth birthday — her quinceañera.Because of that, the entire hall had been reserved for this important and unforgettable occasion.At the center of it all, Mary danced gracefully in a flowing, elegant pink gown that made her look like a miniature bride. Her dance partner, a close friend of sixteen, guided her with surprising poise.Around them, seven other couples glided across the floor, including Ignacio, who partnered with a girl from a well-known family. Henrique, as the cousin of the twins, also had his partner following the waltz.From the sidelines, Kelvin and Karen watched the scene with quiet pride, while Melissa and Josias — especially Melissa, mother of the birthday twins — took in the moment with emotion.“Look at your daughter,” Josias whispe
Chapter 3236 Support Your Wife
In the Mountain Penthouse living room, the atmosphere was far from serene. The heated discussion between Suzy and her boyfriend’s family showed no sign of calming down.“I can’t believe this!” Suzy exclaimed, her voice tight with indignation. “You all actually think I’m in love with Luís Vasquez!”Karen raised an eyebrow, her tone biting. “You’re not?”“OF COURSE NOT!” Suzy barked back. “I’m in love with Felipe — I love him!”Kelvin, unmoved, folded his arms. “Just not as much as you love your money and your... ‘investments.’”Diane lifted a hand, hoping to bring reason to the conversation. “Suzy, I’ve turned a deaf ear to all the gossip about you. I want to believe the best. Please don’t disappoint me.”Suzy’s voice wavered slightly as she responded, “I swear, Mrs. Mountain... Diane... I don’t know why Felipe insists on believing the lies João Paulo QUEIRÓS keeps spinning!”Daryl’s expression darkened. “So the problem lies with the journalist, then. Looks like I’ll have to deal with
Chapter 3235 I Don’t Want Cursed Money
The Mountain Penthouse living room was filled with tension that morning. Everyone was taken aback as the truth behind the fight that had sent Felipe to the hospital came to light.“Well, if that’s how it is...” Daryl began, clearly processing the news.Diane, urgent to defend her son, jumped in. “But wait, why exactly did Felipe and Luís decide to fight?”Suzy’s lips curled into a sly smile. It was time to drop the bomb.“According to my uncle Eugenio,” she began, “Felipe barged into his office and announced that he wanted to break up with me — because my uncle was happy about me being featured on the cover of Maggiezine.”Everyone looked even more stunned.“Wait, what does that have to do with anything?” Kelvin asked, frowning.Suzy explained, “Felipe saw my uncle thanking Luís for sort of encouraging me to accept the interview with Maggie.”Daryl exhaled sharply. “So my son just had a jealous outburst. That’s all it was.”Diane shrugged. “He wasn’t serious about breaking up with you
Chapter 3234 The Girlfriend Showed Up
At the Mountain Penthouse, Kelvin and Daryl were relieved that everything had turned out okay. Diane and Karen were nearby, on the sofas, chatting cheerfully. “God was merciful and allowed our son to live a few more years,” Diane declared. “Now, you both need to rest,” Karen patted Kelvin’s chest. “We slept beautifully while you two were in that sterile lounge.” Kelvin yawned once more. “I think I’ll take my dear wife’s advice; what do you think, Daryl?” “Who said we own the place?” Daryl yawned as well. The ladies laughed at their funny husbands. The doorbell rang. Tony passed through the living room, offering, “I’ll get it.” When Tony opened the door, he was surprised by the visitor. “Miss Cogo?” “How funny, you don’t call me by my first name. Did Felipe manage to talk to you before the coma?” Suzy asked bitterly, without smiling. Tony reacted perplexed by this torrent of unfriendly words. “Uh... Come in, please.” Suzy entered, ready for the storm. “Who is it, big brothe
Chapter 3233 A Surprising Report
The next day, Matthew Hogan entered the General Hospital lounge and found Daryl and Kelvin incredibly exhausted but hopeful. “Doctor, how did it go?” Daryl nearly jumped on Matthew. “Calm down, the patient survived the surgery. It’s just a matter of time before he’s back in his room.” “Oh, thank God!” Kelvin cheered. Daryl couldn’t resist and hugged Matthew. “Thank you so much, doctor!” Matthew smiled, somewhat awkwardly, but aware that it was a common reaction. “You’re welcome, we did everything we could.” “Yeah, I understand.” Daryl released the hug, rubbing his eyes — whether from sleep or wiping away a tear. “It’s going to take a little while. I suggest you both go home and rest a bit,” Matthew said. “I think we’ll do just that,” Kelvin yawned. “Now that the danger has passed, I think I deserve it. Doctor, let us know if anything happens,” Daryl requested, patting the doctor’s shoulder. “I’ll do. And congratulations to you both.” Matthew left the lounge. Kelvin yawned a
Chapter 3232 The Detective I Trust
At the Rocha Hotel, Eugenio and Jake are talking to Suzy about what is happening. Jake was upset. “Suzy, haven’t you gone to visit your boyfriend yet?” “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to show up there right now.” Suzy lowered her head. “The fight happened... here?” Eugenio responded indignantly, “Yes, in my beloved living room. Luís lost his temper when Felipe called him ‘Spanish Stallion.’“ Suzy lifted her head, completely changing her posture. “WHAT? Well, then, the beating didn’t come out of nowhere!” “Come on, sis, don’t go along with this,” Jake advised her. “They’re saying Felipe’s condition is serious.” “Serious is Luís getting teased every single day by the nickname he despises the most!” Suzy exclaimed. Eugenio decided to tell the whole story, “Suzy, there’s a lot more you don’t know.” “Tell me, uncle!” “Felipe, before being assaulted, said he wouldn’t continue dating you, claiming that the Cogo family would always prefer Luís.” Suzy reacted, paralyzed by this inf
Chapter 3231 The Viper of Lagoon City
Rodrigo and Nadia entered the General Hospital lounge, finding Karen and Diane. “We’re here! Where’s Daryl?” Nadia approached the couch. “He went to check with Kelvin for more information,” Diane sniffed. “Thanks for coming.” “We wouldn’t be family if we didn’t show up,” Nadia sat down near them. “And I’m a mother too.” Rodrigo poured himself some coffee. “Any news?” Diane took a deep breath. “Felipe is still awake. Dr. Hogan said the tests revealed a concussion, and they’re now deciding if surgery will be necessary.” “How horrible.” Nadia shuddered. “Well, whether surgery is necessary or not, I hope everything goes well for Felipe.” “Now, I find it strange that Suzy still hasn’t shown up!” Karen frowned. “Did you see her outside?” “No. We thought she was inside or with Daryl,” Nadia replied honestly. Diane shook her head. “No, guys, I can’t believe Suzy would choose to work or handle investments instead of checking on her boyfriend!” Rodrigo took a sip – the coffee wasn’t a
Chapter 3230 The Lady of Lagoon City Makes a Powerful Speech
At Vaztrans, William swallowed hard before answering Sofia’s question.“Sofia, your cousin really went too far this time,” he began cautiously.“What do you mean?” Sofia narrowed her eyes. “I know Luís can be a bit difficult, but—”“Yes, the hot Spanish blood speaks louder sometimes, right?” William took a deep breath. “Luís assaulted Felipe. Daryl rushed to the hospital.”Sofia reacted with her mouth open, holding her breath.Then she composed herself. “How could he do such a thing?”“Do you want to hear my guess?” William asked with a sly smile.“No! It can’t be because of Suzy Cogo!” Sofia ran her hands through her hair as if to pull it out.“It seems we were wrong to have accepted her partnership, huh?” William shook his head.“If she starts to tarnish Vaztrans’ reputation...” Sofia paced around the office. “First, her statement: her reluctance to raise the salary of the employees here. Now, this love triangle that I thought was over...”“Everaldo warned us to be careful with her,”
Chapter 3229 Despair at the General Hospital
At Vaztrans, William and Daryl were discussing the repercussions of Suzy’s article in Maggiezine.“People are accepting Suzy’s apologies and explanations,” William broke the silence, holding a copy.Daryl pursed his lips. “Whatever. Sometimes I think João Paulo is lurking, ready to pounce on anything to throw us into confusion.”“But the salary bonus we promised will be paid, right?” William smirked.“Of course, what choice do we have?” Daryl pointed to the magazine. “She made it clear in the interview. We’re not going to contradict her, are we?”William laughed ironically. “It seems Suzy is going to be the kind of person who does anything to get out of trouble, even if it means contradicting herself.”Daryl’s cell phone rang, and he answered, seeing it was Diane. “My dear is calling. Hello, Di?”Diane was at the hospital entrance, trying to be strong. “Hello, Daryl. We need you at the hospital.”“What happened?” Daryl’s eyes widened.“Luís Vasquez beat our son to a pulp, as they say,
