In the next issue of Maggiezine, the fashion show sponsored by Josias Rocha was the cover story.As always, Cláudio and Rodrigo were stunning as they walked the catwalk, drawing applause from the men and sighs from the women.Josias was very pleased with the result. That’s all he ever wanted: to help talented people stand out and those most in need.With the money raised, Josias can take the local police station for the residents of Happiness Slum from project to reality. He was talking to Beto about it.The lobby of the Teodoro building welcomes Josias with the song “No Fear”, by The Rasmus. Pedro was nearby, bobbing his head to the rock rhythm.“That’s right, we shouldn’t be afraid because now you will be safer than before,” Josias states.“Is the police station going to get off the ground?” Beto asks excitedly.“Yes, I got the money and sponsorship for it. Melissa will be responsible for managing the donations. It looks like someone will get a raise at a certain orphanage...”Flávi
At Ulysses’ apartment, Daryl wants to see how far his uncle’s pretense goes.“Are you sure we can be at peace?” Daryl asks casually, “You know, we assumed my mom was to blame for her own death, but sometimes it crosses my mind that Aunt Addie—”Ulysses is quick to defend Adelaide, “I don’t think that was it. Stop scheming, Daryl. Be thankful no one paid attention to the finger marks on Adelaide’s neck. Your mother was to blame. The two of them fought, and your aunt had no choice but to defend herself.”Daryl smiles mischievously. “OK, if you say so...”“So we can rest assured that your aunt won’t say anything when she wakes up. After all, what would she say?”“I don’t know. Maybe she’ll say what really happened.” Daryl shrugs.Ulysses becomes suspicious. “The police have already closed the case; announcing a verdict of suicide.”“But did you know that Kelvin and Maggie keep uneasy about the case?”Ulysses feels a lump in his throat. “I didn’t know that! What do they think?”“The same
At Rocha Constructions, Josias and Ulysses meet for the first time. Both gentlemen, dressed in Italian-cut suits, approach and shake hands.“Hello, Mr. Rocha. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My nephew talks a lot about you.”“Kelvin?” Josias smiles, trying to be friendly.“Him too. But I’ve been talking to Daryl these past few weeks.” Ulysses responds with confidence and a firm voice.Josias gestures to the drinks table. “Do you want anything?”“No, it’s still too early for me to drink anything, but thanks.” Ulysses goes to the couch, “Mr. Rocha, what do you want to talk to me about?”“Before my wife spoke about you, I didn’t know that you and your wife were spending time in the city.” Josias admits, “And with the tragedy of Shirley’s death, Melissa became interested.”“I saw her at the funeral.” Ulysses lowers his head, “I hope I don’t offend you, Mr. Rocha. But I found your wife’s presence in bad taste. And now she’s encouraging Kelvin the idea that my sister-in-law didn’t comm
In the Teodoro building, Teresa enters the apartment. Beto is serving dinner. Their radio is playing “Luxurious” by Gwen Stefani.“Hey, my dear.” Beto puts a pot of pasta in ground meat sauce for Maycon and Pedro. “How was the conversation with Diane?”“Was Diane Mountain here?” Pedro frowns.“Be patient, Pete.” Teresa approaches, still digesting the information, “The conversation was good. I’m going to take a shower before dinner.”“Eat properly,” Beto advises his children and goes after Teresa, feeling that she wants to say something else.In their room, Teresa is in front of the wardrobe choosing clean clothes. Beto enters and worries about her.“Honey, you can tell me. What truly happened? Is the Mountain family in trouble again?”“They always have been, haven’t they?” Teresa smiles yellow. “Honey, I promised to keep it a secret, so I ask for your discretion. Maybe Diane will need our help if she decides to confess.”“Confess what?” Beto prepares for the bomb.“She knows who blew
João Paulo and Helen’s wedding has arrived... at the Rocha Hotel ballroom.The guests were apprehensive about the ceremony taking place in the same place where the bride was injured and had a miscarriage. But the bride and groom were convinced that it was the perfect place.Therefore, after the priest’s speech and the exchange of vows, João Paulo and Helen become husband and wife.“You may kiss the bride!”João Paulo and Helen smile and kiss to the applause of the guests.Josias is the most emotional of all. Finally, the youngest brother learned that the best thing in a man’s life is to have a wife who loves and respects him.Now everyone was having fun with the DJ playing “City of Blinding Lights” by U2. Waiters in suits and ties served cocktails, champagne, and soft drinks to the children. Small plates of snacks and delicacies were also available. Some guests couldn’t wait for the three-tiered, white-iced wedding cake to be served.But at the moment, João Paulo and Helen were taking
The next day, João Paulo and Helen traveled by plane to their honeymoon in Paris. Josias and Melissa continued with their tasks.In the dining room, he looked at his wristwatch. “By now, little brother and Helen should be leaving the airport. I hope they have fun.”Caroline feigns interest to Alan, “Bro, will you want the same destination when it’s your turn?”Alan smiles, “Thanks for asking, sis. We’re discussing whether we want Europe or some Caribbean island.”Josias snaps his fingers, “If you guys want something more beachy and tropical, Alan, you can travel on the yacht I plan to buy.”Everyone is amazed at the increasingly tangible possibility of Josias purchasing a yacht.Melissa grins, “Honey, do you really want to buy a yacht?”“Yes, my dear.” Josias straightens up, “A lot of successful businessmen have one. Tobias opened the marina here in Sunset Village. We can hire someone to always take care of it. What do you think?”Caroline is excited. “When I think we already have eve
Diane gets up, feeling dizzy and sick. She looks like she’s going to vomit or pass out...“No, I don’t believe they’re both keeping any more secrets from me... What kind of marriage can resist that?”Kelvin is startled, “Sister-in-law, I hope this isn’t a threat of divorce. I’ve had enough of being divorced!”Diane turns to him, “Your situation was completely different than mine. I’m married to a husband who has done horrible things and who doesn’t trust me enough to do so.”Bernardo opines, “Maybe Daryl kept his mouth shut because he knows you would disagree with him and tell someone.”Diane swallows hard. She remembered the conversation she had with Teresa.But she decides to focus on Adelaide, “Aunt Addie said she got into a fight with Shirley and Shirley started strangling her. Someone said something about finger marks on Aunt Addie’s neck, but it wasn’t mentioned in the coroner’s final report. How strange...”“When Daryl and Ulysses stepped in to say categorically that it was sui
At the Teodoro building, Beto shocks Teresa and Diane by suggesting that the latter divorce her cheating and dishonest husband.To the tune of “Smile Like You Mean It”, the three adults discuss Diane’s marital destiny.“Roberto, why would I want to divorce Daryl? I love him!”“But it’s clear as water to me that HE doesn’t love you, Diane.” Beto goes behind the counter, turning on the computer, “What else has he been hiding from you?”“Did you tell Josias anything of what we discussed?” Teresa asks first.Diane shakes her head in distress, “No, and now I’m more scared about the fact that there’s more to this web of intrigue. Josias is going to get in trouble if I spill it all at once.”“If we are worthy of your trust...” Beto suggests.Diane looks around and takes advantage of the fact that no one is passing by. “OK. I found out that Shirley didn’t die by suicide. She was accidentally pushed by her little sister because she was being strangled and wanted to break free.”“Oh my God!” Te
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