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
Rodrigo approaches Cláudio, takes him by the shoulder and pushes him away from his beloved girl.“What the heck is this?” He yells, “‘I love you’? Do you know what love is, you pervert?”With the bump, Cláudio falls to the ground, on top of the monitor’s wreckage, impaling him in the back.“OUCH!” He feels pain and gets up, trying to pat his back, “I hurt myself, you crazy person! And yes, I know what love is!”“Do you love Nadia the same way you loved Katherine Rocha?” Rodrigo exclaims furiously with his face red in anger, “Do you only know how to declare and flirt with committed women?”“Nadia is not engaged. She can choose me after listening to me—”“HEY, don’t say that!” Nadia gets up from her chair, more encouraged by her boyfriend’s presence. “Cláudio, I told you that I love Rodrigo. I’m sorry if you feel something for me, but I can’t love you back.”Thierry is the next to enter the room, “Hey, what’s going on here? The loaders are standing there listening to screams and the noi
The next day, the LCN newspaper said on the front page of the gossip columns: ROCHA COUPLE IS BACK!Great excitement and uproar spread throughout Lagoon City. Josias and Melissa’s eternal fans set off fireworks, missed work, had a barbecue, and went to the beach... in short, they did everything to celebrate as if it were a holiday.Josias and Melissa were sleeping when they were startled awake by fireworks that fans set off very close to Rocha Mansion.“YAU!” Melissa screams, putting her hand over her heart.Josias ended up rolling out of bed and onto the floor, “OUCH!”“Honey, are they...?” Melissa rubs her eyes sleepily.Josias gets up, “Fireworks? What’s that for, guys?”Josias was going to the balcony of the suite, but he remembered that he was dressed as Adam. He quickly grabs his navy blue robe and pulls it on just as they start pounding on the double doors.Melissa, who had slept in her nightgown, slipped into her pink bathrobe and opened the door for Hector and Alan.“Mr. and
Simeon, Dora, William, and Caio went to Rocha Mansion to see Melissa. They had to pass through the crowd of fans who were still in front of the gate.“Hey, you’re Melissa’s parents, our Diva!” They acknowledged them, “Can we come in?”“Better not, we don’t have clearance!” Simeon exclaims, “And watch out for my son, he is handicapped!”Fans avoided knocking William down with the commotion.Caio laughs, “Uncle Josias is quite a celebrity.”The Campos family passes through the gate and into the garden. More exploding fireworks startled them.Inside the mansion, they sighed in relief.“Phew! Looks like we won the World Cup again!” Dora exclaims.Hector appears in the foyer to welcome them, “Good morning, Campos family. Mrs. Rocha is in the living room.”“Thanks, Hector,” William speaks.Everyone heads there.Melissa is standing by the window, watching the action outside. She senses the presence of the family. The radio is playing “Sunrise” by Simply Red.“Hi, guys! I saw you through the
Cláudio notices that the desk has no computer installed, however, the printed sheets concerning his dismissal are ready to be stamped and signed.Jacques guesses Claudio’s thinking, “Yes, I printed those forms from my computer since you destroyed my daughter’s. I wonder if you would have dealt such a blow to Nadia’s face if my future son-in-law hadn’t shown up.”“Mr. Lafayette...” Claudio tries to apologize.“Too late, Mr. Guzman.” Jacques shakes his head, “My daughter hired you after you came here unemployed, after everything that happened between you and Kate Bezerra. Josias Rocha had suggested we fire you, but we decided to keep you. And that’s how you repay us, almost assaulting my daughter, the one who gave you the job.”“I fell madly in love with her, Mr. Lafayette.”“Oh sure, her computer is proof of how much you love her!” Jacques mocks and passes the first form, “Sign, Mr. Guzman, don’t waste my time!”Defeated, Claudio takes the form and reads it carefully before signing. He
At the entrance to the Rocha Mansion, Melissa is handing out autographs to the fans who continue to cheer and congratulate her on her return.“Mrs. Melissa Rocha is more beautiful in person than in the newspapers!” The men said in amazement.Melissa positioned herself in the middle of three teenage girls for their mother to take a picture.“Ready!”“Oh, Mrs. Rocha, thank you so much!” One of them effusively shook Melissa’s hand.“You are very kind.” Melissa thanks her with a charismatic smile.Not far away, Simeon and Dora watch their daughter with blatant pride.“Look at our daughter, darling.” Dora declares, “Would you say she would have been loved and followed by so many fans in 1980, when we were all in the misery of Happiness Slum?”“No, of course not. And we owe it all to Josias.” Simeon sighs, “I will never stop thanking God for helping me make the best decision.”“Which decision?”“Having encouraged Melissa to stay with Josias instead of Fabrício,” Simeon comments in a jocular
Josias and Octavio are shocked to find the Crystal Blue’s vandalized state. The windowpane is gone, needs to be replaced with another one. Waiters clean up tomato, rotten egg, and old paint stains. Patrick is on a ladder pulling out rolls of toilet paper and a sign that reads ‘DEATH TO MOUNTAINS!’“Good morning, Pat.” Josias greets him.“Mr. Rocha, are you not ashamed to encourage something of this magnitude?” Patrick asks without looking at Josias, concentrating on his work.Octavio is offended, “Looks like you didn’t listen to the radio. Josias just apologized and asked his fans to stop vandalizing the Mountain family.”“After they burned down the circus?” Patrick does not accept the apology.Josias rolls his eyes, “Pat, don’t be a bore. Is Daryl in there?”“Mr. Mountain is inside, counting the losses. As for Mrs. Mountain, she came out with a determined face, probably to throw truths in Melissa Mountain’s face.”Octavio held out his hands to swing the ladder and make Patrick fall a
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