In the Mountain Penthouse, Melissa is melancholy in the living room, listening to Dido's song “Thank You” on the radio. She slowly sips a cup of chamomile tea. So slowly that the tea went cold.
Simeon and Dora approach her.
“Daughter, let's take advantage of Kelvin being at the restaurant.” Simeon sits in the armchair, “It's time we had that revealing talk.”
Melissa tenses, “What do you want to talk about?”
Dora notices her, “Wow, why did you get a stiff back? Am I witnessing guilt?”
“I don't know what you two are talking about,” Melissa responds nonchalantly.
“You do know, young lady.” Simeon frowns, “I know you love Kelvin and want to remain his wife. But did you need to cut any ties with Josias? We weren't invited to the end-of-year festivities and we weren't even invited to the opening of the Uélton Freire building. Our grandchildren, however
At Crystal Blue, Diane finds it extremely unfair that Jane got pregnant before her.“That's not fair!” Diane exclaims, “Do you know how long I've been trying to have an heir to this restaurant?”Octavio and Jane are stunned.“My friend,” Jane responds after seconds of shock, “I thought you were going to say ‘trying for a baby’.”“It's all the same!” Diane whinnies.“No, it's not the same thing.” Octavio corrects her, “You can have the baby and sell the restaurant.”Diane cackles like she's the witch of Salem, “Ha, ha, ha, ha! Daryl will NEVER sell out the fanciest, hippest restaurant in town. Crystal Blue is our livelihood!”“Well then, you are trying to experience the miracle of life with the wrong perspective.” Octavio teaches her, “Once you get that thing out of your mind, the baby will come naturally. Now,
At the hotel where Josias and his troupe are staying, he finds his children having a snack in the pool area. The venue is set to the song “I'm Like a Bird”, by Nelly Furtado.“Children, I'm glad I found you!” Josias approaches excitedly, “I need to communicate some good news.”Alan finishes drinking his sugarcane juice, “Speak up, Dad!”Josias sits down on one of the stools, “I've decided to rekindle my friendship with your mother. In fact,” Josias smiles like a boy, “I'm seriously considering asking her to marry me again.”Alan and Caroline don't know whether to applaud or complain. They are in shock for a few seconds.Caroline is the first to chime in, “Dad... we know you've always loved our mother, and it would be awesome if you two called off the divorce, but...”“But there's the fact that you like Kelvin.” Josias completes.“It's
In the Mountain penthouse, the mood is suffocating. Kelvin and Melissa need to have a conversation they've both been avoiding at all costs."Kelvin, you have every reason to hate me.""Melissa, why did you do that?" Kelvin is scowling, "I didn't ask you to make such a monstrous sacrifice. I don't think it ever crossed my mind to subject you to such humiliation.""That's why it was easier for me to make that decision: it came from me. You don't have to worry about anything else, Kelvin.""How not?" Kelvin despairs and approaches her, "You think I should be insensitive to the fact that you lied to Josias to stop him from confessing to you?""Kelvin...""And as for the fact that you considered for a few seconds the possibility of abandoning me and your children for yet another fleeting adventure—"Melissa gets offended, "Wait a minute: what a fleeting adventure would that be? Kelvin, be aware that if I agreed to return to Josias, o
Daryl crashes Jane's pregnancy mini-party to complain about his marital problems."You are very happy and satisfied that you ruined my wife's life, huh?" Daryl walks into Octavio's office, "Now she's obsessed with wanting to get pregnant just to spite you two!"Octavio and Jane look at each other and understand what Daryl meant.Jane begins, "Daryl, when we showed up at the restaurant yesterday, we didn't want to upset Diane. We didn't even know you two were having issues—"Lorraine interrupts the conversation, "Excuse me, I don't think we deserve to be here to witness this intimate conversation between couples."Daryl turns to her, glaring at her, "Then turn on your heels and get out of here!"Jane takes offense, "Daryl, watch out! She's the wife of Sergeant Moraes, of the Lagoon City P.D.!""Just because she's a cop's wife, does she have to boss everyone around here?" Daryl exclaims.Octavio shakes his head in contempt,
At Rocha Constructions, William enters the room and scolds everyone."I didn't expect the best civil construction company in Espírito Santo to have rowdy employees!""Take it easy, partner!" Octavio is indignant, "There was only one incident. Mr. Mountain is not even part of the staff."William turns to Daryl with disdain, "So what is he doing here?""I came to defend my wife's honor." Daryl angrily states.Lorraine insists, "I'll have to tell Mr. Rocha if he doesn't leave."Daryl glares at her with contempt, "Cops' wives tend to be snitches, huh? OK, I'm leaving, but the warning's been given."Jane bursts out laughing, "What warning? Daryl, don't think more highly of yourself than necessary. You don't have the same power and influence as Josias, forget it!"Feeling insulted, Daryl decides to withdraw.William shakes his head, "And where is the president of this company?""Probably, he's in his office," Oct
Josias was anxiously waiting for Melissa to try to confess his love one more time, but William went ahead."Is this brandy for me?" William walks over to the drinks table, "Looks like your efficient secretary let you know I was here.""No, she didn't warn me." Josias responds, "Will, I'm expecting someone else.""OK, I just came to let you know that I caught a nasty fight in Octavio Motta's office." William doesn't think to withdraw, "Did you know he and Jane are expecting a child?""No, I didn't know, but I'm glad for them." Josias smiles eagerly."It was Daryl Mountain who was doing the ruckus. Lorraine Moraes sent him away before she could call her husband."Pollyanna reappears, "Mr. Rocha— oh, Mr. Campos...""Hello, Pollyanna! Thank you so much for letting me in. Did the other person arrive too?"Josias shoots her a warning look and Pollyanna gets the message, "Yes, but I'll keep her waiting in the lounge.""No
At Crystal Blue, Daryl is working sourly, going around the salon and taking it out on everyone."Don't leave those breadcrumbs, the customers will complain. Sweep up properly, we don't want the health authorities to fine us. Where's Taddy? Everyone decided to be late today? Does anyone know if we got the sea bass or I'll have to buy it at the new supermarket?"Kelvin enters the restaurant."KELVIN! Is this time to arrive?"Kelvin frowns, "I was going to drop you a bombshell, but your emotional state is already wrecked."Daryl approaches his brother, "I'm never too broken for the bad news. I can take one more."Kelvin gives him a doubtful look, but decides to answer, "I was a little late because the people who traveled to Vila Velha came back. However, Alan and Caroline refused to comment on Josias."Daryl smiles, "Kids these days are smart."Kelvin remains serious, "Daryl, we have a problem. I found out why Josias and Melissa f
Daryl and Kelvin go to Crystal Blue's owner's office. He closes the door and faces his younger brother with serious concern."What's up, Daryl? Do you think it all fell apart?""I think something else was ruined, Kelvin. Have a seat.""The service is about to begin.""The only thing served was your wife on a silver platter for Josias Rocha," Daryl states grimly.Kelvin sits up, startled.Daryl sits face-to-face, "Kelvin, do you realize what's going on? Josias still loves Melissa. And Melissa decided to talk about our plan so he doesn't confess. Assuming Melissa doesn't open her mouth, what do you think would happen?"Kelvin grows somber and admits against his will, "She answered that. If she didn't intervene, she might give in."Daryl takes a deep breath, "I see. That's why you must get out of town."Kelvin's eyes widen, "What did you say, Daryl? This can't happen! What about the kids? What about Melissa's soap opera? 'S
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