Josias goes to General Hospital and meets with Dr. Braggart.“Dr. Braggart. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”Dr. Braggart chuckles and holds out his hand, “I wish you were the one to bother. I just kicked out a horde of interview-hungry reporters. If your father or brother wants to come here, they are welcome.”Josias laughs, “Thanks for the exclusivity, but if someone from Maggiezine comes, let them in too.”“OK, noted. Do you want to see the patient?”“Yes, if possible.” Josias looks through the bedroom windowpane.Claudio is awake, looking at the ceiling. He notices someone entering and turns to see who it is.Dr. Braggart announces, “Cláudio, you have visitors. I hope everything is alright.”Claudio nods slowly. Josias faces the doctor and he withdraws.When closing the door, Josias faces Claudio, “Hello, Claudio. Glad to see you more willing. I hope you can help me.”Claudio still doesn’t say anything, maybe because he’s weak, maybe because he doesn’t want to talk to Josias.Josia
At the hospital, Josias and Ivan decide not to discuss the matter with Cláudio. But Cláudio has already heard a lot.He shifts on the bed, “Daryl Mountain... Daryl shot me...”“Calm down, Mr. Guzman, we are still investigating this!” Ivan despairs, “This is your entire fault, Josias Rocha! Let’s get out of here, we can’t let the patient get excited!”“Just now you worry about it?” Josias turns to Claudio, “We’re very sorry, Claudio. Recover, and try not to think about it.”Claudio takes a deep breath. It will be almost impossible not to think after they say that well-known people tried to kill him!Josias and Ivan leave the convalescent’s room and pass by Dr. Braggart.“And then?”“Doctor, we decided to let the patient rest.” Ivan says in an apologetic tone, “We’ll come back another day.”“Thanks, I’ll take a look at him.” Dr. Braggart walks away.Ivan was about to neigh some more, but Josias’s cell phone rang and he answers it, ignoring the sergeant, “Hello?”On the other side, Melis
At the hospital, Rodrigo and Nadia visit Cláudio to find out how he is doing, without any hard feelings.Cláudio smiles when he sees the two of them, especially Nadia.“Claudio, don’t try hard.” Nadia asks, worried, “We came to visit you because we heard that you’re better.”Claudio nods. Speaking is still difficult for him.“Cláudio, I’m very sorry for what happened.” Rodrigo states, “I know you have every reason to think that I was the one who shot you. We got into a fight over the dressing room and I got really upset.”Claudio starts to shake his head.“I know, it was stupid.” Rodrigo continues, “But I want to tell you that I had nothing to do with that, man. I wouldn’t want to kill you over a dressing room!”Nadia nudges Rodrigo, “Honey, I think Claudio is trying to say something.”“Yes, buddy?” Rodrigo pays attention.“It was... It was...” Claudio forces his throat and vocal cords, “Daryl Mountain... Daryl...”Rodrigo widens his eyes, “Daryl? But it was Daryl who told me about th
The next day, Josias is walking towards Crystal Blue to confront his enemy Daryl.He crosses Ibrahim Square, looking out over the cityscape. The city is growing bigger and bigger, passing 300,000 residents and reaching the 400,000 population milestone. They say that a rural district called Vale do Cajá will be integrated into the city and receive urban improvements.Josias smiles as he is part of the city’s growth. He has grown along with it.As he entered the sidewalk, Josias was tempted to go around the back and turn off the restaurant’s electrical supply just to frighten them. But he resisted the prank and decided to enter through the front door.Upon opening the door, Felipe is the first to see him, “Mr. Rocha! Good morning. How can I help you?”Josias smiles gently, “It’s funny. You like me, Felipe, but your father tried to kill me.”Felipe keeps his smile, “Well, I respect you as a
Josias and Daryl are face to face, staring at each other with distrust and resentment.Daryl decides to break the awkward silence, “How did you hear about that?”“Does that really matter? I fear you’ll want to kill the person responsible.” Josias crosses his arms.“I can only conclude that it was Rodrigo.” Daryl shakes his head, “I didn’t know he would gossip.”“He didn’t tell me to cause gossip!” Josias vehemently asserts, “He was feeling guilty because he thought that Claudio would blame him for the shot when he recovered his health.”“Oh, I see.” Daryl smiles devilishly.“But Rodrigo wasn’t the one who fired the shot, right?” Josias leans forward, “We know that he and Claudio disagreed about the dressing room.”“Yes, I don’t know why Mrs. Vasquez did it.” Daryl winks evilly, “Or
Josias enters the company making an effort to greet his employees in the same way. But they felt something was wrong and didn’t insist on chatting or bothering the boss.“Good morning, Mr. Rocha.”“Good morning, guys. Sorry for the frown, I started the morning on the wrong foot.”“Everything will be fine, sir.” The entrance staff responds respectfully.Josias meets with Pollyanna, “Hello, Pollyanna. Is it true that you’re gonna get engaged to Ritchie?”Pollyanna nods proudly, “Yes, Mr. Rocha. You’re invited to the betrothal and marriage.”“Oh, I feel privileged.” Josias smiles slightly, “Any messages?”“The young Reuben Freire is coming here. Mrs. Freire telephoned just now to let me know.” Pollyanna informs him.Josias feels happy again, “I know why. Let him in as soon as he arrives, Pollyanna, no matter what
Vera and Teresa are worried about Flávia panting and finding it difficult to stay on her feet.“Flavia, please tell us what’s going on!” Teresa is distressed.Flávia tries to control herself, “I... I tried...”Beto shows up and finds the women in this predicament, “Oh God, can I help you with anything?”“Honey, make some chamomile or passion fruit tea for Flávia,” Teresa asks hurriedly.“Is she scared of something?” Beto squints his eyes, worried.Vera takes a chair and makes Flávia sit on it.“Thank you...” Flávia starts to get the color back on her face, “I tried to do something, but I couldn’t...”“Take it easy, dear, take your time.” Vera comforts her.“No, I need to say... So you don’t get too stressed.” Flávia is embarrassed to draw attention.
Cláudio’s interview is published in the LCN newspaper. Countless readers rushed to buy an issue, forcing the printer plant to double the print run because newsstand owners were complaining.Dr. Braggart took a copy to Cláudio, who recovered his health in record time. It seemed that he decided to fight against the odds and come back to rub his victory in the faces of his enemies.“Look, Doctor, how handsome I look in this picture!” Claudio laughs and points to the open page.“It was a really good story, Mr. Guzman. Congratulations. Keep it up, and you’ll be discharged.”Claudio’s eyes sparkle with this perspective. Getting discharged and getting back to his life at the agency... that’s all he wants.******On the Mountain Penthouse, Diane is walking around like a dizzy cockroach around her residence, looking for the newspaper.“Honey, where is the newspaper?”Daryl is sipping his coffee with a grimace, “I told you I was going to cancel the newspaper subscription.”Diane rolls her eyes,