Josias is in his office still thinking about what Felipe said. His cell phone rings.Upon realizing that it’s an unknown number, Josias decides to look at the calendar on the desk. December.It’s probably Everaldo!“Hello?”“Hello, my great friend Josias!” Everaldo’s voice softened our hero’s heart.“Everaldo, you need to appear and assume your human form!” Josias exclaims, “I really need your help, man!”“What are you talking about, Josias?” Everaldo laughs, “I’m human.”Josias shakes his head. He will never believe that, ever!“OK, what does 2005 hold for me? Will my son be happy in his marriage? Can I trust the Vasquez family?”“Your son will have a happy marriage like yours, after all, he takes after you.” Everaldo responds, “As for the Vasquez family, they’re not the ones I would worry about.”Josias grips his cell phone tighter, “Do you know something I don’t know?”“What do you mean?” Everaldo chuckles, “You’re the one who’s on top of things. You know who deserves and doesn’t d
2005“Nadia Lafayette, I don’t even know where to start. When I met you, I never dreamed that I would be here now, at the altar of Green Park Church, declaring my love in front of our friends and family. But the time came when I started to dream, and then, to believe that the dream would come true. Thank you, thank you very much for believing in me and accepting me as your companion, for the rest of our lives.”“Rodrigo Mountain, they say that women can’t resist the charm of a Mountain man, and it seems that the saying is true. I tried, but my heart spoke louder. You won me over with your charismatic way of being. I wrapped myself body and mind in your love and affection. I’m very honored that you chose me among countless who would envy my place. So I promise I’ll make up for your decision.”Father Matias smiles in front of the bride and groom, “Now, time to recite the classic vows.”Rodrigo, dressed in his tuxedo, and Nadia, dressed in a stunning bridal outfit, smile at each other.I
At Crystal Blue, Cláudio looks pleased at the activity of customers who come to eat the dishes of the most refined and trendy restaurant in the city. He goes towards the bar and finds Diane concentrating on drinks, serving different drinks to different patrons.“A beautifully crafted ‘Bloody Mary’!” She hands the glass to one of them.“Thanks!” The customer smiles and drinks, approving with his eyes.Cláudio leans against the counter, “What’s up, Diane? What was your New Year’s resolution?”“Telling everyone that I don’t know Shirley, how shameful!” Diane drops her smile.“Yes, it was shameful to see your mother-in-law crashing the wedding. Why would she care?”“She thinks she still has rights in the family.” Diane shrugs, “Good thing Daryl is away from her. It’s bad enough that people attribute the worst things to the Mountain family. Can you imagine what they would say with Shirley around us? That old woman is a source of confusion.”“It’s a pity,” Cláudio speaks genuinely, he is no
At Rocha Constructions, Reuben grimaces, thinking that Josias will entrust him with another embarrassing mission.Josias, however, doesn’t seem to want to demand any of this from him, “I want to confirm something, Reuben. You’re willing to do anything to marry my daughter, right?”“Yes, Uncle Josias! I love her like crazy!” Reuben declares passionately.“Then why didn’t you make things easier?” Josias laughs lightly.“I hope that, with Carol and Sofia living together, your daughter will eventually come to truly accept Sofia as a friend.” Reuben finally reveals what he really means.Josias was more amazed at Reuben’s wisdom. He understood: if Reuben just told Caroline to be friends with Sofia because her father told her to, she would never have accepted it.“Reuben, I take my hat off to you!” Josias extends his hand.Reuben shakes it, “Now can we eat? I’m still hungry.”“Yes, let’s go to Crystal Blue for lunch together!” Josias puts the glass on the drinks table.Reuben grins, victorio
At Rocha Constructions, Octavio was talking to Caio about the news.“Son, Josias is going to open a new office in Rio de Janeiro. At the moment, he’ll want to hire professionals from there, but have you thought about a promotion when the opportunity arises?”Caio’s eyes are shining, but he responds modestly, “I need to graduate first, Octavio.”“But your first drawings are good.” Octavio holds out a floor plan, “This model you created for practice could very well be used for a client.”Caio laughs embarrassedly, “You’re trying to cheer me up.”“I’m trying to make you aware of your talent and potential.” Octavio puts his hand on his shoulder, “In the future, if Augusto so wishes, I’ll pass on everything I know to him.”“You have been in the profession for twenty-two years, correct?” Caio is surprised.“Yes, I’ve been here since the company operated in a decrepit building that has since been demolished.” Octavio laughs as he remembers the 80s, “And to think that the second building was
The next day, Erasmo is the most embarrassed person in the world at the breakfast table. He looks at Olivia calmly enjoying papaya yogurt, and can only imagine her getting romantically involved with Cláudio at a candlelit dinner... And then... Paparazzi caught the two of them and the extramarital affair was exposed by all the media, causing Josias and Melissa to cancel Sofia and Alan’s wedding! No!There has to be someone else!When Erasmo was about to speak, Sofia appeared smiling and jumping with happiness, “Good morning, people! How happy I am!”“Yes, you could fool me.” Olivia jokes, “Did everything go well with your mother-in-law yesterday?”“Yes, I am closer and closer to them.” Sofia looks at her father, “Yesterday, Mr. Campos asked if I was pregnant.”Erasmo does ‘PFFF’ and spits out the sip of coffee he was drinking, “Cough, cough! Are you pregnant, my princess?”“Of course not, Dad. Respect me, and respect your future son-in-law.” Sofia pretends to be offended, but she wants
Sofia leaves after eating breakfast.“Guys, I’m going to stop by Happiness Slum to get to know my boyfriend’s friends better and see how they’re doing with the minibus.”“Take advantage and let them know that they will have another one running on line 118. The interval between trips will be reduced from an hour and a half to an hour, at least from Monday to Friday.”“Thanks, Dad. They’ll love hearing that.” Sofia leaves satisfied.Olivia takes advantage of the fact that she is alone with her husband to talk, “Now you can tell me, husband.”Erasmo choked on the last sip of coffee, “Cough, cough, cough! Tell you what, woman?”“What’s been bothering you since we started breakfast?” Olivia leans forward.Erasmo swallows hard, clears his throat, and takes a deep breath.After making sure Sofia isn’t spying, he reveals, “Daryl asked me for a favor. He wants you to seduce Cláudio Guzman so that he is demoralized and thus loses the restaurant’s prestige.”Olivia vibrates with passion on the i
Sofia enters the Teodoro Building and is welcomed by Pedro at the counter.“Good morning, Miss Vasquez. Did you come to see my father?”Sofia jolts, “What? No, I didn’t come to see anyone in particular. I came to talk about the minibus.”Pedro smiles, pleased to see that Sofia didn’t come with immoral intentions like her mother, “Then I can assist you. You know, I’ll be managing the building soon.”“I hope you can. And is that radio still on?”Sofia points to the stereo playing “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day.“Yes, this radio is part of the tradition. If we turn it off, my grandfather’s ghost pulls our feet at night.”Sofia bursts into laughter. She didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but the story is funny.Pedro laughs with her, “You still haven’t told me the reason for your visit, Miss Vasquez.”“I wanted to get to know my boyfriend’s friends better.” Sofia stops laughing, “And I also wanted to announce that my father is going to add another minibus on line 118.”“Oh, t