At the police station, Adelaide visits Amoreira’s office.“Hilton...”“Hello, Adelaide!” Amoreira stands up and greets her with chivalry, “It’s good to see you. Can I help you?”“I want to know how your children reacted to our meeting last night.” Adelaide is serious.“Ah...” Amoreira closes the door, “Do you want to know if my children were jealous of their evil stepmother? Don’t worry, Adelaide! On the contrary... They asked if we ended the night like in romantic films...”Adelaide blushes as if she were a chaste teenager. “By God, no... It’s still early for these things. I was educated by the Old School.”“Me too, but nowadays, young people first make love and then ask each other’s names...” Amoreira clears his throat, “If I can call it love. Every day, a poor teenage girl in tears comes here, informing us that she was raped.”Adelaide sits down, “And you have a daughter.”“Well, I told you that she is meeting and seeing Caio Campos. I hope they fall in love and start dating for re
In the Mountain Penthouse, Erasmo appeared to debate.“I want to talk about something your older brother tried to do against my marriage, Kelvin.” Erasmo crosses his arms.Kelvin narrows his eyes, “What are you talking about?”“I’m talking about the fact that your brother sent a photo of my wife entering Cláudio Guzman’s dressing room as if they were engaged in adulterous activity.” Erasmo gets serious.Felipe holds back a laugh, “PFFF...”“Hey, young man, keep your respect or get out of here!” Erasmo shouts, “Don’t interfere with the adults’ conversation!”“Felipe, please...” Kelvin gestures for Felipe to leave.“I’ll explain later, Uncle Kelvin.” Felipe leaves after turning off the radio.Kelvin waits for Felipe’s footsteps to die down the corridor before continuing. “OK, Mr. Vasquez. You have my attention. What bizarre talk is this?”“Your brother thought my wife was cheating on me.” Erasmo informs him, “But that was far from the truth. My wife vehemently denies it, and I believe h
Josias receives a visit from Thierry on the same day to ask permission to try a relationship with Rosemary when she returns in 2006. If Josias doesn’t allow it, Thierry wouldn’t have the courage.After all, Thierry remembers how furious Josias was when the mess occurred in 2001...“Sit down, Thierry.” Josias now smiles kindly and holds no ill will towards the young photographer.“Mr. Rocha, are you aware that Rosemary is returning to Lagoon City?”“Yes, and that makes me very happy.” Josias grins, gesturing to the drinks table.“A shot of brandy, please.” Thierry accepts, “Patrick Nogueira doesn’t even want to see her painted gold. That’s why I wanted to know...”“Do you want to know if you can try one more time with her?” Josias guesses while preparing the doses.Thierry choked on his words. Josias wouldn’t be the powerful man he is today if he didn’t use his brain and always be ahead of others.Josias holds out one of the glasses to him, still smiling, “If Pat isn’t interested, you
At Crystal Blue, Cláudio doesn’t simply accept a kid challenging him.“Listen here, Felipe, I won’t allow you to tarnish my reputation!” Cláudio points his index finger.“Put that finger down. You don’t scare me.” Felipe smiles confidently, “Daryl Mountain is no longer here, but he left his son to continue the job.”“HA, HA, HA, HA!” Claudio laughs, tilting his head back, “I wonder what Josias would say if he heard you! He’d send you off to Victoria right away, you freak!”“Leave Mr. Rocha out of this.” Felipe drops his smile.“And what’s this about ‘continuing the job’? Do you want to continue to get involved in bad things like sabotage and murder? Do you want to blow up the hotel kitchen again?”“No, that was Uncle Ulysses’ idea.”“And thank God the idiot was run over and killed!” Claudio exclaims, “Felipe, for Christ’s sake, do not follow in your father’s footsteps. Continue working as a waiter and be an honest, God-fearing man.”“Who said I’ll continue to work as a waiter? You owe
At the Mountain Penthouse, Kelvin watched the sunset from the balcony, sitting on one of the loungers, shirtless, letting the light breeze caress his skin. He thought about his life...Talking to Caroline and the twins, he couldn’t help but think about their mother... Melissa...“Argh, I’m going crazy! Melissa loves Josias and she will never return to me. Game over, Kelvin.”Kelvin shakes his head and continues to admire the cityscape.Hearing the door open and close, he remains silent, not willing to vent his confused feelings to a rebellious Felipe.Felipe approaches his uncle with a criminal smile. “Hi, Uncle Kelvin! What a beautiful horizon, don’t you think?”“What did you do now, Felipe?”“Jeez, what a lack of trust!” Felipe sits on the other lounge chair, “I had a little chat with Cláudio Guzman.”“For Christ’s sake, Felipe!” Kelvin scolds him, “Don’t meddle in what’s none of your business! If I hear you’re acting like this, you’ll move closer to your parents, huh!”“I’m an adul
Josias is surprised by Ignacio reminding him of Everaldo.“That’s right, we’re already wrapping up 2005!” Alan applauds, “Dad, check if Everaldo hasn’t sent you a text message!”Suddenly, as if on cue, Josias’s cell phone rings.“Ah, it’s not possible!” Erasmo speaks with contempt.However, Sofia and Olivia are inclined to believe Everaldo’s supernatural story with this undeniable evidence.Josias grins, “Number unknown.” He answers, “Hello, Everaldo!”On the other side, Everaldo is surprised, “Josias? How did you know it was me? I changed my number.”“Oh yes!” Josias laughs, “Just like every year. And I guess you’re also living in another city, am I right?”“Ehr... I moved to Linhares.” Everaldo is embarrassed.“Ha, ha, ha! Gotcha!” Josias has fun.“See, Josias?” Everaldo relaxes, “I’m not an angelic being as you think. You also knew how to guess that I was calling you. Shall I ask you if you also have celestial powers?”“Don’t joke.” Josias retorts, “It’s you who always pronounces b
2006“Five, four, three, two, one... HAPPY NEW YEAR!”Fireworks began to explode on the night horizon.Countless citizens of Lagoon City showed up at Sunset Village to celebrate the New Year.Josias and Melissa inaugurated the yacht toasting with glasses of champagne.“That’s cool, honey.” Josias comments, “I never imagined I could enjoy life like this. And Everaldo said that there are still more things for me to achieve! What will it be?”“Well, I don’t need anything else.” Melissa comments with a smile, “I have a husband that I love, I have children that I care about, my parents are still alive, and it looks like I’ll have grandchildren next year.”“Yes, our family is growing.” Josias states pleasantly, sipping champagne, “And as for material goods, we’re well served.”“I agree. Mansion, yacht, luxury cars, a company that never stops growing... employees who are our faithful and loyal friends, and a fancy restaurant.”“Well then, let’s celebrate what we already have and thank God fo
In the Teodoro Building, a party was taking place among the Reis family.Rosemary enters the building after a few years away from her home. She is surprised that she has to ring the intercom.“My God, I didn’t know the situation was so serious.”When she entered the lobby, she felt strange with the radio turned off. Where’s the tradition?“Dad? Tess? Pete? Anybody home?”She decides to go straight to the apartment. When she opens the door...“SURPRISE!”Rosemary is so scared that she drops her bags. Everyone gets up from behind the sofa applauding and cheering at her return.Beto is the first to hug her, “Welcome back, daughter! How wonderful to have you here!”“Likewise, Daddy! I missed you so much!”Teresa is the next to hug her, “I hope you don’t leave anymore, Rose.”“I feel like my home is here, with my family and true friends.”Pedro is the next to appear. Rosemary is amazed.“PETE! You’re becoming a big man like our daddy! Do you want to be a bodybuilder?”The hug Pedro gives R
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