Josias takes out his electronic organizer and starts checking his appointments for the afternoon.Cláudio doesn’t give up, “You mean Gabriela Alves moved out of town by ‘coincidence’, huh? Now a blond gorilla lives in her place.”“If you were interested in the gorilla—”“GET OUT!” Claudio gets outraged, “People are saying I’m sleeping with Miss Lafayette. Don’t let the rumor die, idiot!”Josias frowns, staring at the electronic organizer, “Don’t you have a job to look for, Claudio?”“I already have a job!” Cláudio asserts, “I’m a warehouse supervisor at Lafayette Supermarket. What, did your informants make you out of date?”Josias finally raises his head, “They didn’t inform me as I asked Jacques Lafayette for your resignation.”“And will you hire me as a mason?” Claudio laughs bitterly, “Josias, you don’t have the power to demand such a thing. Who do you think you are? Is that what you want to leave as an example for your children?”“Leave my children out of this meaningless conversa
07:00 p.m., Crystal Blue.Cláudio was wearing a gray suit and matching tie, waiting at one of the tables for the partner of the night that will never come.He rushed to make the reservation as soon as he had ‘confirmation’ from Nadia. Daryl chose the best available table and even discounted the price of the grilled salmon.Now he was at the reception desk acting as maître d’. But to his surprise, Claudio’s lady still hasn’t shown up...Jacques and Ingrid walk in, talking excitedly.“Good evening, Mr. Mountain!” Jacques greets him, “Please arrange a table for two.”“We know you have free tables,” Ingrid says.Daryl is uncomfortable. Was Ingrid mocking the fact that the number of patrons had dropped because of the rumors? “Yes, we have vacant tables. Ehr...” Daryl lowers his voice, “I was waiting for Nadia Lafayette.”“Our
In Rodrigo’s apartment, he and Nadia are having the time of their lives, having a romantic dinner.Rodrigo wasn’t 100% sure that Nadia would accept the invitation, so he had to speed up certain preparations. For example, the song he picked up on the radio, “If Tomorrow Never Comes” by Ronan Keating, while beautiful, was not necessarily a message of love. He had also asked Isabel to help cook something Italian while she prepared her clothes.When Nadia arrived at the apartment wearing a beautiful dark green dress with an accentuated waist, she knocked on the door and was answered by an elegant Rodrigo in a black suit and gelled hair. He held out one hand, handing her a red rose with no thorns.“Awn, thanks.”“Welcome.” Rodrigo smiles at her and invites her inside.Now, dinner was winding down and the couple got to know each other better.“I would love to meet your sister.” Nadia says
The next day, Josias is having breakfast with Alan.“Dad, I was elected the valedictorian of my high school graduation. Would I be able to deliver a good speech? I’m gonna ask Hector to write something nice for me.”Josias chokes on the latte he was drinking, “Cough, cough! What is it, son? No, don’t order any of that! Sit down at my desk and put your gray matter to work!”Alan is fearful, “I wouldn’t know how to tell my colleagues. Obviously, Principal Fernandez expects me to give a speech like the President of the Republic because I’m your son.”Josias smiles and strokes his head, “First you write, and then you pass the outline to me. I’ll help you with the details, but the central idea has to come from your head. Say what you hope for the future and motivate your colleagues to succeed in life.”“Would it be the same thing?” Alan wonders, “I’ll g
Daryl Mountain and Josias Rocha meet face-to-face after several weeks of avoiding confrontation. But something inside Daryl said it was better to settle this peacefully.“Daryl, thanks for coming.” Josias smiles and extends his hand to him, “I thought you weren’t serious.”“I’ve been speaking frankly.” Daryl shakes Josias’s hand, “We need to speak urgently, Josias.”“Sit down.” Josias points to an upholstered armchair for him.Daryl sits down. Josias sits facing each other. The armchairs were moved by him precisely for this meaningful conversation.Josias admired Daryl’s English-cut suit. He was also in a navy blue suit, thinking of leaving for work after talking to the owner of Crystal Blue.“Josias, I think you know why I came here.” Daryl starts.“I suggest you speak.” Josias smiles slightly.Daryl sighs. He will force
At Rocha Mansion, the controversial chat between Daryl and Josias continues.Daryl was surprised by Josias mentioning some secret of his.“Josias... what secret are you talking about? And even if there was a secret, how did you find out about it?”Josias smirks, “His second question cancels out the first. You just confirmed that you do have a secret.”Daryl breaks into a sweat, “OK, what do you know about me?”Josias leans forward, “I know why you had to adopt Felipe.”Daryl starts to get puzzled, “Josias, have you been researching my heir?”“No, that’s not it.” Josias nods, “I managed to get in touch with Dr. Antenor, a former lab colleague of Dr. Silvana.”“OK!” Daryl gestures, “I got it! You figured it out, huh? And now you’re going to use that to keep me on a leash while you snatch Melissa away from my little br
Josias gave permission and encouragement for Daryl to fire the pistol at him.“Come on, Daryl! You couldn’t get anyone to side with you in the war, that’s why you smartly came to ask for forgiveness. It wasn’t because you repented of your sins. You still think Melissa deserves to be with Kelvin. You still think you did the right thing by shoving Gabriela into my life. You still think Octavio is the enemy when the truth is the opposite. You just came thinking about getting rid of the blame. For that, I don’t forgive you and we’ll continue to be enemies. Satisfied? So, FIRE!”Daryl remains standing still, aiming, aiming......Until he decided to put the gun back in his pocket.“I better withdraw. We got nothing. But at least I tried.” Daryl gets up.Josias is disgusted, “What have you tried? Daryl, if you have nothing else to say, GET OUT OF HERE!”“Not before telling you
At Café Montanha, Daryl is irritated by the unusual result of the conversation he had with Josias. He approached the counter.“Can I get you some chamomile tea, Daryl?” Isabel asks gently.“Please, Isabel.” Daryl sits on the barstool, “I’m ruined.”Francisco is worried, “What happened?”“I visited Josias in an attempt to make amends.” Daryl responds, frowning.“Oh, what good news!” Francisco vibrates.“You assume that Josias accepted, eh, Uncle?” Daryl retorts bitterly.Rodrigo swallows hard, “He didn’t accept?”“No.” Daryl huffs, “He insists on getting Melissa back, no matter how much it hurts Kelvin and the twins.”Wallace chimes in, “Daryl, remember that Josias always loved Melissa, and she—”“And she loves my little brother!” Daryl punches the
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