Josias was at Rocha Constructions, imposing in his pinstripe suit, huddled in the conference room with Tiago, Alfred, and Octavio.“Guys, I called you and left Lorraine out because we need to touch on something that doesn’t concern the company.”“We’re listening, master.” Tiago sharpens his ear.“Since yesterday, Melissa showed up at my mansion, desperate, disheveled, and with the clothes on her back. No suitcases, and most interestingly, without the twins.”The gentlemen who hear such a bombshell gape in shock.Alfred is the first to break the silence, “But... But what happened?”Josias has a gloomy face as he answers, “Melissa overheard a conversation behind Kelvin where her husband complains to Daryl about everything that has gone wrong since 1999. It was evident to Melissa that everything they’d done, especially the opening of the franchise of Crystal Blue in Victoria, was just to get her away from me because she attempted to confess the truth to me about Gabriela and that whole f
Maggie returns to Marçal Publishing. Bernardo and Diane are waiting for her in her office.“What’s up, dear?” Bernardo asks anxiously.“I’ll pass the message to Daryl.” Diane asserts.Maggie glares at Diane, “Sister-in-law, my brother has ruined everything. It’s entirely his fault, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”“OK, tell us what happened,” Bernardo asks.“Kelvin became stressed with managing the Crystal Blue franchise and took his frustrations out on Melissa.” Maggie summarizes the story, “There was one day Melissa overheard Kelvin complaining to Daryl about everything that happened. Melissa realized that opening up the franchise wasn’t about expanding Crystal Blue, but was solely about taking her away from Josias.”“And what did Kelvin say in his defense?” Diane asks.Maggie shakes her head, “There was no defense. Melissa left and took refuge at Rocha Mansion with the clothes on her back and without the twins.”Bernardo and Diane are stunned.“WHAT?” Diane barks, “So she r
Melissa was walking around the garden, admiring the peonies and azaleas. Alan was beside her, talking about the property.They stop by the spot where Josias and Katherine’s wedding was held.“I miss J.J., Mom.” Alan suddenly has a shaky voice, “He wasn’t supposed to die.”“No, son, it was never the case that he died, not even Kate, however much we hated her.” Melissa apologizes.Alan shakes his head, “You didn’t hate Kate, Mom. Those are things that Daryl and Kelvin put in your head. Before 1999, you never had any clashes with her. And if it were true that Kate was having an affair with Mr. Guzman, you wouldn’t have participated in this far-fetched plan.”“Yes, you’re right, I failed that part.” Melissa feels guilty, “That’s why I don’t understand why your father still wants me.”“I think deep down, the love he feels for you hasn’t died yet.” Alan smiles slightly, “And I feel like I can tell the same for you.”“Yes, you can say.” Melissa nods.She turns away and is amazed at what she
Nadia enters Café Montanha with the sole objective of dating Rodrigo. But he is very preoccupied at the counter as he takes care of the establishment. The clientele is enjoying the coffee and snack options. The radio plays The Darkness’ song “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”.“Hello, my dear!” Nadia tries to hug and kiss Rodrigo.“Honey, today I ain’t in the mood.” Rodrigo dodges.Nadia smirks, “Manly men like you are always in the mood. Don’t you remember how we spent New Year’s Eve in your apartment?”Rodrigo blushes to the roots of his hair, afraid that the customers have heard, “Schi! Calm down, dear. I am going through a serious moment.”“And can you tell me what matter it is?” Nadia sits on the stool, “I’m your girlfriend. I’m here to help.”“Well, since you insist...” Rodrigo prepares a cappuccino for her, “Melissa is in town. But don’t tell everyone!”Nadia lowers her voice, “Rod, is Melissa your cousin, married to Kelvin, the ex-wife of Josias Rocha?”“It’s her. Apparently,
At Rocha Mansion, Daryl is waiting in the main living room, sitting on the couch because of his foot. He has a mysterious smile, thinking that he will convince Melissa to return to her husband.Daryl can barely hide his surprise when he sees Simeon enter the living room instead of Melissa.He’s torn between sitting still or getting up and running, “Ehr... Mr. Campos? I was hoping to speak with Melissa.”“What the hell, what right do you have to talk to my daughter?” Simeon blusters, “GET OUT of here, before Josias returns and starts the ethical cleanup here!”“What are you talking about?” Daryl is startled.“Do you want to bring about the extinction of the Mountain family here?” Simeon asks with his arms crossed.“No, and I doubt he could pull off such a feat without drawing the attention of the authorities,” Daryl responds confidently.“No one will miss you if Josias buries you alive in the beach sand.” Simeon asserts, “Now get out of here because you won’t talk to my daughter. How d
Days later, Francisco and Isabel returned to Lagoon City.At Café Montanha, Rodrigo and Nadia were making out on the counter when he received a call on his cell phone.“Wait, honey, I need to get it.” Rodrigo walks away.While Nadia waits, Cláudio enters the cafeteria and smiles maliciously when he sees her back.“I would recognize you from anywhere.” Claudio jokes.Nadia is startled and turns to him, “How would you recognize me from the back? Have you been memorizing the details of my butt?”Cláudio was about to confirm it rudely, but Rodrigo approached them again.“Nadia, I... Argh, what are you doing here?”“Aren’t you going to sell me a cappuccino?” Claudio asks ironically.“I don’t feel like it, but who am I to suppress the free trade law?” Rodrigo turns to Nadia, “My father and Isabel have arrived and need a ride.”Reuben appears in the cafeteria, “Rod, Grandma said to me hold the fort while you get her.”“Yes, Imma going there.” He smiles at Nadia, “The twins came.”Nadia isn’t
In the Teodoro Building, Tiago appeared to say goodbye to the Reis family. Beto reacted with surprise when he discovered that another dear friend was leaving.“God, everyone is leaving Lagoon City!” He jokes, “Why doesn’t anyone else want to stay here?”“The city got boring.” Pedro jokes, causing the others to laugh.Tiago explains, “James was run over and Carmen is desperate, alone in the capital. I need to be there with them. I need to be with my family.”Wallace narrows his eyes, “Tiago, Carmen moved to Victoria because of the war between Josias and Daryl that ended up not happening. From what’s been rumored around, it looks like things are going to heat up between them again. Is this when you intend to leave?”Tiago nods, “Josias assured me he would be fine. But to be on the safe side, I’ll keep a few ‘boys’ to keep an eye on my master. And you won’t be helpless either.”Teresa and Vera look at each other, always feeling something creepy when Tiago talks about these ‘boys’.“Okay,
In Daryl’s office at Crystal Blue, Daryl is taken aback by Josias’s proposal.“Are you serious, Josias? First, you symbolically kidnap my sister-in-law, and after my brother has suffered hell, you decide to ‘give her back’, but not without demanding something first?”Josias stares at Daryl seriously, “I didn’t kidnap Melissa. She showed up at my mansion of her own free will. And another thing, Daryl: you know this Victoria franchise was a mistake. I don’t know all the details, but I do know that Kelvin and Melissa’s marriage has been affected. Kelvin wasn’t prepared to take over a restaurant all to himself. He neglected Caroline, and would likely neglect the twins when they need a father figure at the time. So if Kelvin goes back to Lagoon City, goes back to his old job, and goes back to being the kind guy I knew... Then I would be willing to let Melissa go back to him if she wants to.”Daryl faces Josias with the precision of a surgeon. He is surprised, “You are quite serious...”“Ye
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