In the Teodoro building, Alan is not willing to give up the friendship (or something else) that he feels for Sofia. What is Vera talking about?“Vera, with all due respect, why don’t you trust Sofia Vasquez if this is the first time you’re hearing about her?” Alan questions her.Vera smiles calmly, “It turns out that, from what you’ve told me, I can already see that there’s something wrong with the story. Alan, could it be that Sofia was using you for information?”Alan narrows his eyes, “No, Vera, I don’t believe for a minute—”Vera cuts him off gently, “Please, Alan. You’ll be the heir to Rocha Constructions, the most famous civil construction company in Espírito Santo. You cannot afford to be deceived by women, or the company’s reputation will crumble.”“Well, I guess I learned that from watching my Dad.” Alan crosses his arms.“Therefore, I want you to watch if Sofia gets back in touch with you. If that does not happen...”“Then I’ll know she just came to me for the story,” Alan c
William is walking around the Sunset Village arena facility. He decided, on his own, to see if everything was happening according to his will, rather than according to Josias and Melissa’s will.And so, as he turns down the hall toward the dressing rooms, he is shocked and dumbfounded by what he sees. Not far away, one of the doors had a sticker with the name CLÁUDIO GUZMAN.“This is nonsense! Where is the person responsible for this here?” William cries out to no one in particular.The workers are embarrassed to respond to Mrs. Rocha’s younger brother since he seemed to be frothing with rage like a hydrophobic dog.Wallace, wearing a white helmet, approaches the workers, “Keep working, people. We still have a lot to do.”The workers go back to work, confident that Wallace will solve yet another crisis at the construction site.Wallace smiles as he approaches William, “My friend, you should beware of your lack of mobility.”“You ordered a lot of ramps to be built, which facilitates ac
At Saint Gabriel’s College, Caio waves goodbye to Alan as the heir’s cell phone rings.“Alan, my class is about to start.”“It’s her.” Alan smiles widely.“So pick it up, Romeo!” Caio laughs and enters the room. His teacher closes the door abruptly, as if Caio was the only one left to enter, scaring Alan.He noticed that his class was about to start too, but decided to answer it, “Hello?”On the other side, Sofia is outside the Vaztrans company, “Hello, Alan! Why did you take so long? Am I disturbing your class?”“Actually, I’m going to my classroom. But you can talk, Sofia.” Alan grins, in love.Sofia, though, is saying in a soft, sweet voice, but not with romantic intent, “OK. I just wanted to know if you managed to get any information about what your uncle is spying on my father’s company. You said you were going to help me, didn’t you?”Alan is slowly fading his smile, remembering Vera’s words...“Alan?”“Sofia, I’m already at the door of my classroom.” Lie. Alan still had to cros
Erasmo, giving in to pressure, accepts that Daryl pays his share of the donation to charity on Josias’s account.Josias listens to Erasmo over the phone, “Oh, have you deposited yet? Then I’ll check with Melissa. Please, take a copy of the deposit slip and send it to her email, do you know which one?”Erasmo can’t stop sweating. His shirt is soaked, “OK, Mr. Rocha, OK... bye...!” Erasmo ends the phone call, “What the Hell! Because of you, I said I made the deposit! You should have left, but you stayed here on purpose!”Daryl continues to smirk, “Mr. Vasquez, if there’s one thing you should learn from me, it’s that I never pass up an opportunity.”Erasmo rolls his eyes and grabs another handkerchief to wipe away the sweat. The first one is extremely wet and doesn’t dry anything else, it just smears, “Don’t bother me with your memorized phrases from self-help books. Are you really going to deposit me?”“I’ll transfer the money to your account and you will transfer it to Josias,” Daryl s
Josias returns home and finds Melissa walking from the hall into the kitchen in casual clothes.“Honey, good evening!” Josias reaches her.Upon hearing her beloved’s voice, Melissa freezes her steps, smiles, waits for Josias to reach her, and receives a kiss from him on her cheek.“Good evening, my love. How was work after I left the company?”“Great!” Josias chirps, “Mr. Vasquez made the deposit. We have all the money for the donation, and on top of that, all the tickets are sold out.”Melissa jumps up and down with joy, “Oh, how exciting! Now all that’s left is the day.”“Exactly. Will William continue to encounter snags and problems?” Josias blinks.He goes upstairs to the second floor and Melissa follows him, “I don’t remember assigning Will to be prefect or enforcer. His lack of modality is a problem.”“That is true. But Caio could be that person. That way, there would be no scandals with the dressing room doors.” Josias comments.“Are you sure you want to handle this your way, J
One day before the fashion show, Isabel is at her house, thinking about Raymond Chaves’s visit.Francisco finds her standing in the middle of the living room.“Are you going to turn on the TV, honey?”“Oh, Frank, good morning. I thought you were still sleeping.”“It’s time to wake up.” Francisco hugs her from behind and kisses her on the neck, “What are you thinking about?”“On Ray’s visit.” Isabel confesses, “He made me excited but worried.”“Oh, Izzy...” Francisco chuckles, “He was a man from your past...”“Not that kind of ‘man’.” Isabel responds good-naturedly, “He was always married to Cristina and had that Abigail as a lover. Afterward, they divorced, and Cristina married Moacyr. Ray never got married again... I think he still hopes that Cristina will come back to him, but it’s impossible!”“From what I’ve seen of Cristina and Moacyr in Victoria, they are very much in love and together.” Francisco says, “It’s a pity that Raymond didn’t want to try a new love. Life goes by...”“W
In the lobby of the Teodoro building, Raymond decides to explain what is happening to a curious Beto.He leans back against the counter, “I came to talk to Isabel about Flavia’s return. She is living with her parents, and Adolfo tells me that she is doing very well. I had the opportunity to see her a few times, and she even asked me about Reuben.”The news should have been cause for joy, but Beto received it with caution and a suspicious look, “Hmm... Flávia left the asylum. And she wants to come back here?”“She hasn’t come up with the idea yet, but I want to know how things are doing here in detail,” Raymond says.“Reuben is growing up, becoming the exact copy of his father.” Beto sums up Reuben’s life perfectly, “And that’s what worries me.”“Do you think Flávia will have memories of Uélton when looking at her son?” Raymond asks, analyzing how Beto reacted, “Do you think what motivated Flavia to get better was precisely being away from here and Reuben?”“Well, I’m not a psychologis
The day of the festival arrived.To calm the nerves of those who bought tickets, Josias had to appear on Lisandro’s Show and earnestly ask everyone to think of the little children who would be disappointed if everyone asked for their money back.And with Ivan (loving the publicity) stating that police security would be tightened, the citizens of Lagoon City grew calmer and decided to attend. There is no reason to panic.The audience was calm, but the police did not have the same luxury. When the public started to show up at the arena, they had to queue and were surprised by the same metal detector booth found in Airports and Banks. Women had to open their purses and show that they weren’t carrying weapons. Teenagers who showed up dressed in rock or hip hop style were vigorously searched by tough police officers.“Hey, cop, you’re rubbing my ass!” One of them complains.“STILL!” The policeman barked in the same tone as the nearby German shepherd.Other officers walked German Shepherds,
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