At night, the Lafayette Mansion was lit up more than usual.Jacques Lafayette threw a party to bring Lagoon City society closer to him and his family.At the entrance and in the foyer, guests were in awe of the renovated mansion. The white and immaculate floor and the staircase divided in two that gave access to the second floor left some with their jaws dropping. Just above the stairs, the chandelier was so huge that Reuben wondered how anyone managed to hang it from the ceiling.Alan jokes, “Probably Mr. Lafayette asked some Nephilim.”Reuben is dumbfounded. Would it be possible?Maggie and Bernardo brought a team from Maggiezine to record the moment. Videographers and photographers spread out in strategic positions to work professionally.Jacques appeared in his black tuxedo with a bow tie, “Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Marçal... What a pleasure to welcome you. Oh, I see you brought your team...”“As per our arrangement.” Bernardo winks at him.“Oh, what a beautiful son of yours.” Jacqu
Alan was stunned by the beauty of Sofia Vasquez.The girl, the same age as the heir to Rocha Constructions, had an Iberian appearance, but one could tell that she could still develop her beauty when she reached the age of majority.The party dress was rosy and graceful. Mr. Vasquez smiled and wrapped her in his protective arm.“Are you enjoying the party, my little girl?”“A lot, Dad. Thank you for inviting me.”“This is Alan Campos Rocha, the future heir to Rocha Constructions.”Sofia looks at Alan with respect and admiration. Her voice is kind and polite, “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Rocha.”“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Vasquez.” Alan shakes her mimosa hand.Reuben and Pedro look at the scene from afar and are amazed.“Wow, our friend Alan is talking to Lagoon City bigwigs!” Reuben lifts a glass of guarana, passing it as champagne, “Let’s toast!”Pedro takes another glass and toasts, “To our friend and partner Alan Campos Rocha!”Henrique arrives late, “Hey, wait for me, I want to t
The next day, Josias is having breakfast with his family in the dining room. Mary asks, “Mummy, when are we going home?” Melissa smiles patiently, “We’re not going back to Victoria. We’re going to live here now with Josias and Alan.” “What about Daddy?” “Dad will stay in Victoria, taking care of the restaurant.” “OK.” Mary smiles as she chooses pancakes with lots of caramel. “I like this house, Mr. Rocha,” Ignacio speaks respectfully. “You can call me Josias, Ignacio.” Josias comments kindly. “Ignacio’s nickname is ‘Nacho’, right?” Alan asks between giggles. Ignacio shrugs, not knowing how to respond. It’s a fact that many are calling him that. Josias turns to Alan, “Son, how was the party yesterday? Did you have fun?” Alan smiles wryly, “I think the question you want to ask is, have I behaved decently? Yes, Father, I managed to hold Reuben and Pedro.” Melissa winks, “The question was if YOU behaved, son. We aren’t talking about Pedro or Reuben.” Alan sighs, “Well... I met
At Lafayette Mansion, Ingrid has just left Nadia’s bedroom, wondering why she wasn’t there with Rodrigo. Did they go elsewhere?Ingrid then remembered that there were some guest rooms over to the corner of her residence. She smiles, thinking that Nadia is in one of them so far being loved and possessed by her boyfriend without mercy.Calm, she goes down to the dining room and finds her husband and son talking about the party.“We did it, son!” Jacques exclaims excitedly, “We managed to get close to the elite of Lagoon City. Now, our prestige in the city will increase. I want to thank you for that.”“What did I have to do with it?” A confused Thierry asks.Ingrid replies, sitting down at the table, “You appeared before everyone as a decent young man, without a beggar’s beard, without disheveled hair, and your tuxedo was clean. Your mother was proud. And I still want to see how the photographs turned out.”Thierry blushes to the roots of his hair, “You don’t need to see my pictures. The
At Rocha Mansion, Melissa is being guided by a female lawyer sent by Damascene Lawyers to handle the divorce proceedings between her and Kelvin.“Read all the documentation, Mrs. Rocha.” The lawyer advises her, “If you want to change any clause, I will be willing to comply with it.”Melissa reads carefully. According to the document, Melissa says she does not want a penny of child support for herself or the twins and agrees to collaborate so that Kelvin and the twins have a normal life together.“It’s all I need.” Melissa nods, “You represented me pretty well.”“OK. We’ll send the documentation by express mail to Mr. Mountain to sign. Thus, you carry out the process without much headache.”“Yes, I don’t want to demand anything or make things difficult. In fact, I recognize that I was the one who left home.” Melissa nods.Hector appears in the living room, “Mrs. Rocha, you have visitors. Mrs. Queiroz and Mrs. Motta.”“Oh, send them in, Hector.”The lawyer rises from the sofa, “I must g
At Café Montanha, Francisco decided to call his son at Isabel’s request. She was worried, but he knew where Rodrigo was...To the sound of Madonna’s song “American Life”, Francisco takes his cell phone and dials his son’s number.On the other side, in Rodrigo’s apartment, he was sprawled out on the bed, with only a sheet covering him from the waist down, and he could have slept until the next year if it weren’t for the cell phone ringing at the head of the bed.“Argh...” He mutters. After spending a sleepless night in amorous activity with Nadia, shouldn’t he rest now?But seeing that it was his father, Rodrigo decided to answer, “Hello?”“Son, I know you won’t be able to work today.” Francisco cuts to the chase, “I’m just calling to calm your stepmother’s heart.”“Tell Isabel I survived. And it’s good to set the wedding date before you become grandparents too soon.” Rodrigo speaks with a malicious smile.“She’s already been phoning the Green Park Church checking vacant dates.” Franci
A few days passed. Daryl continued to plot the best strategy to defeat William. In the Mountain Penthouse, Diane and Felipe noticed the thoughtful and mysterious owner of the home.“Father, why are you so distant?” Felipe asks suddenly, patting his adoptive father’s hand.Daryl definitely doesn’t want to involve his son in the intrigues, “Ehr... it’s no big deal, Felipe. Keep calm.”“I’m very involved in the activities of the restaurant.” Felipe says, “But I remain attentive to what happens in my family.”“I would rather you focus on the restaurant, son.” Daryl smiles.“OK. I need to go.” Felipe finishes eating his toast with honey and stands up, looking meaningfully at his adoptive mother.Diane catches his eye and takes advantage of being alone in the dining room, “Man, now you can tell your wife.”“I was thinking of asking Felipe to get his driver’s license.” Daryl smiles, “And get him a car for his 18th birthday.”“Oh, Daryl, this is awesome!” Diane exults, “So you want to surpris
Ivan drives Lorraine to work in his police car, to intimidate everyone against provoking his wife. Lorraine is very elegant in her beige suit and thanks his husband for the ride.“Honey, how did end that thing about Will Campos burying Daryl Mountain alive in the beach sand? I imagine the restaurant owner got a little tan in his head...” Lorraine holds back a laugh.Ivan frets, “Don’t laugh at such a thing, darling. The man could have died of sunstroke. What if Will Campos walked away, leaving the poor man behind, to be drowned by the tide as it came in?”“Wow, how much morbidity!” Lorraine smiles and kisses her husband on the cheek, “I don’t think my boss would be capable of that much. I think he really just wanted to scare Daryl Mountain.”“Because of Melissa Mountain’s nightmares. What a preposterous reason, folks!” Ivan punches the steering wheel of the car.“OK honey, I have work to do. Shall we talk more at dinner... or can we meet at Crystal Blue?”“We’re going to lunch at Crys