Elza walks through the corridors of the General Hospital in search of Helen. She finds Dora and Simeon standing in the doorway to her room.“Elza, I’m glad you’re here.” Dora smiles, “Helen is sleeping. The nurses were forced to apply some tranquilizers into her veins. She was very desperate.”“She still thought she was pregnant. Poor thing.” Elza sighs.Simeon clears his throat, “Elza, I’m sorry for the rudeness. But we had no idea that she was pregnant. As far as we knew, she was Sandra’s nanny.”“My son and Helen were spending sleepless nights in intercourse without moral restrictions.” Elza responds somewhat awkwardly, “It was just a matter of time.”“Why doesn’t your son try to do things by the book?” Simeon crosses his arms, “My God, having Sandra born out of wedlock was already a drama in his life. I thought Josias—”“Josias already explained and tried to discipline his younger brother.” Elza states, “But at the end of the day, it’s João Paulo who has to decide whether or not h
William visits Café Montanha. He coincides with finding Flávia talking to Neilton.“Neil, I know you’re about to become an adult.” Flávia advises him, “But it’s important that you make the right decisions. Next time someone insults you because of your condition or skin color, tell Izzy or Francisco. Especially when it’s that witch, Shirley Mountain.”“I don’t think she’ll come here anymore.” Neilton smiles at her.William approaches with a frown, “What did you say, Flávia? Did Shirley Mountain mistreat this orphan?”Flávia turns to her cousin and smiles, “Hi, Will. This is Neil, the boy I told you about.”“Great pleasure.” William extends his hand with a charismatic smile.Neilton is in awe, “Wow, the legendary goalscorer Will Campos!”“This has been going on for a while now...” William is amused.“Even so, your history will never be erased!” Neil states adoringly, “There are guys at the orphanage who want to be just like you.”“May God bless your plans,” William heads to a table.Nei
At Ulysses’ apartment, Shirley casually says that she came to get her things, but Adelaide and Ulysses are appalled by this.Shirley is amused by their astonished faces, “What’s wrong, guys? Are you suspecting something?”She turns to Adelaide, “Sis, you don’t mind me staying here for a few days with my brother-in-law, do you? You know, I checked out of the Rocha Hotel because no one served me well.”Adelaide composes herself, “If I know you, sister, you must have been very rude to the maids.”“I just wanted them to do their job.” Shirley shrugs, “But that’s what happens when Josias hires family and friends instead of qualified people to be personnel manager.”Adelaide stares at Ulysses, “Thank you, dear, for hosting my sister. But I believe she’ll now go to the Mountain Penthouse, where her son lives, correct?”“Yes, I don’t want to disturb the couple!” Shirley smiles widely as if she’s in a Japanese anime.Ulysses leaves the living room hurriedly, “I’ll go get your things, sister-in
At Crystal Blue, Felipe and Diane scream as if they belong to a group of baboons.“AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!” Diane goes hoarse, “A MILLION TIMES NO! The witch Shirley will not stay in my home!”“DIANE!” Daryl stands up, indignant, “Respect my mother! She is your mother-in-law!”“And?” Diane feels her eyes boil with anger, “What does she intend to do in our lives? Where has she been all this time?”“I don’t know.” Daryl shakes his head, “Listen, she tried to stay at my uncle’s apartment, but my aunt Adelaide is here because of a convention their company is having.”Felipe smiles mischievously, “If there wasn’t a convention, would ‘grandma’ Shirley stay at Uncle Ulysses’ apartment?”“Son, don’t insinuate such disgusting things,” Daryl complains, far from the truth.“Father, you need to listen to us.” Felipe pleads, “If Josias Rocha finds out that you sheltered your mother, he will attack us. Our kitchen would probably be the next one to explode.”“The gas cylinders are in here.” Daryl smile
Olivia enters Café Montanha and is also surprised by Neilton in the service.“Good afternoon, ma’am? What will your request be?”“Are you new here? Congratulations on the opportunity.” Olivia chooses a table.Isabel, who was at the cash register, rolls her eyes.Why do people react as if it were something out of this world for a black person to get a job?“I’ll have a grilled sandwich and cappuccino, please. Don’t overdo the cheese, I need to lose weight.”“You don’t need it!”Neilton and Olivia are surprised by the voice.Cláudio approaches them and greets the new waiter, “How are you? Cláudio Guzman, I’m a regular here.”“Neilton, but everyone calls me Neil.” Neilton smiles, enjoying meeting new people.“Bring me what the lady asked for, and put it all on my bill,” Claudio asks gallantly as he sits down.Olivia stops herself from laughing at the coincidence. Wasn’t she just telling her husband that it was impossible to meet Cláudio to carry out Daryl’s order?“Mr. Guzman, what a ple
At Crystal Blue, Daryl gets up after spending hours sorting out the restaurant’s accounting.Just as he thinks about stretching his legs, the door opens and Ulysses walks in.“Did they let you in?” Daryl jokes.“Your son showed me the place.” Ulysses is not in the mood to joke, “Daryl, I need to know if it will be possible to shelter your mother in the penthouse.”Daryl has a slight suspicion about Ulysses’ haste, but shakes his head, “Don’t worry, uncle. If you see my mother, tell her she will stay at the penthouse.”“I thought you would say she was welcome.” Ulysses analyzes him, “Your wife and son don’t agree?”“They reacted negatively at first, but they understood that my mother cannot live under the bridge.” Daryl smiles bitterly.“OK, then everything is fine.” Ulysses reacts, obviously relieved.This makes Daryl ask, “Uncle, are you all right?”Ulysses catches himself. He decides to be cautious, “You know how your aunt doesn’t get along with your mother.”“I never knew. I always
The day came when Helen had to return home, or rather, to Vernon’s apartment. She is resting on the bed in the maid’s room, with Vernon, Elza, João Paulo, and Sandra around her. The maid’s room is not a spacious place, but everyone wants to know how Helen is recovering. “Guys, don’t worry about me.” Helen smiles weakly, “I’ll be fine. I just need to rest.” “Can we play with my dolls later, Helen?” Sandra asks with an angelic smile. “Yes, Sandra, later... Now I’m going to get some sleep.” Helen caresses Sandra’s hair as if she were her mother. Elza feels a lump in her throat, “Guys, let’s let Helen rest.” “Count on us for anything.” Vernon blinks and leaves. Elza and Sandra go out with him. João Paulo stays. After the door is closed, João Paulo kneels and comes face to face with Helen. “And then...” Helen swallows hard and her eyes get teary, “Are you going to look for an apartment for me? Or do you still need me to babysit your daughter?” “I need you as the mother of my daugh
In Vernon’s apartment, João Paulo gathers his parents to announce what he has decided. They are on the couch while the announcer is standing. “Son, we look forward to your statement,” Elza states. “Mom, Dad...” João Paulo smiles, “Contrary to what some might think, I intend to marry Helen as soon as she feels better.” “Ah, dear son!” Elza gets up and hugs her youngest son. “This is my boy!” Vernon smiles proudly. Elza breaks the hug and starts to speak hurriedly, “Do you already have a date? Have you contacted Green Park Church? Did you talk to Father Mathias? What about the cake, the dress, the music...?” “Keep calm, Mom,” João Paulo chuckles, “One step at a time. By now, we’ll have the ceremony location.” “Where?” “In the hotel.” Vernon and Elza break their smiles. They both scratch their ears, thinking they misunderstood. “I think I’m going deaf.” Vernon jokes, “I heard you say you want to get married where you lost your second baby.” João Paulo smiles confidently, “I’m n
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