William visits the Housing Department to check the old land of the house where he lived.After being served, the civil servant checked his computer, typing feverishly. On the other side, William was amazed at so much to type and research.“That’s a lot of land, Mr. Campos.” The man smiles gently as he types, “Especially in the case of Happiness Slum. Unfortunately, as it was an irregular occupation, it’s more difficult to determine exactly the legality of the claimed lands.”“It’s a shame. My parents were very poor and couldn’t afford a house in a regular neighborhood. But my sister met Josias Rocha, and everything changed.”“Thank God.” The civil servant nods, knowing the story, “Here it is... Well, the land, as expected, has no documentation. The city hall can, at any time, claim that location and do whatever it wants with it. Of course, just three families have decision-making power in the entire favela.”William scratches his chin, thoughtfully. Three families? Could it be the Ben
The next day, several new things happened.First, Adelaide took her entire family on a tour of the new Cardozo Perfumes office.People were so amazed that they commented that this should be the headquarters, not the branch.“Honey, you should move the headquarters here.” Amoreira says in amazement, “It seems to be bigger here than there!”“You’ve never seen my headquarters up close, darling.” Adelaide laughs.“Well, but from the photos you showed me...” Amoreira laughs heartily.Maggie and Kelvin, however, are dazzled for another reason. They recognize the place.“Aunt Addie... This was the headquarters of Rocha Constructions during the 80’s and 90’s!” Maggie exclaims.Adelaide is startled. It appears that the real estate agent forgot to inform you of this important piece of information. Is that why the rent wasn’t cheap?“Rocha Constructions was here?” Adelaide exclaims in amazement.Kelvin responds, “Yes... between 1984 and 1997, if I’m not mistaken. The person who found this place
At Rocha Hotel, Jane is called to talk to Elza. The two friends are together in the manager’s office, feeling an oppressive and strange atmosphere.Does Elza want to talk about the new manager?“Elza, here I am.” Jane can’t handle the suspense, “I believe you want to talk about the hotel management. Have you really decided to retire?”“Yes, friend. I think I deserve it, right?” Elza smiles mischievously.“Yes, you’re very old—” Jane corrects herself, “You have worked for many years to manage this hotel. And have you chosen a successor yet?”“Yes, I chose my replacement. Do you know Lauro Medeiros?”Jane feels chills down her spine. “I think I saw him around, talking to you weeks ago...”“Yes. He was interviewed by me.” Elza stands up, “I’m giving him your old position.”Jane feels impacted by the news. Huh? This means that...“That means, dear Jane, that I have decided to name you my replacement!” Elza finally closes the mystery.“AH!” Jane vibrates and jumps with happiness when she s
At the new headquarters of Cardozo Perfumes, Adelaide was choosing the same office as Josias. She didn’t even know that. Maggie came in and smiled.“Did you know this was Josias’s office?”“I imagined it. It seems to be the largest room that evokes power. Josias Rocha left his mark on this place.” Adelaide nods in approval.“That’s why, aunt, you don’t need to fear for the ghost of my damned mother.” Maggie winks at her, “Though I hope I can count on you ma’am for another family matter.”“Which?” Adelaide turns to her niece.“Kelvin doesn’t have a job. He doesn’t dare return to Crystal Blue for obvious reasons.” Maggie asks, “Couldn’t you hire him to help you in here? Maybe as a supervisor or representative...”Adelaide puts her hand on her chin. “Look, I was truly in need of someone to take care of some of my affairs. For example, I didn’t think it was safe to go to Happiness Slum to do business with Rosemary Reis. Since Kelvin is better known in town, the next time I need it...”“Ye
At the beach, Caroline and Reuben were having fun just as Alan had said. In the sand, Reuben had dug a hole and was now voluntarily inside it, while Caroline threw the sand back, covering her boyfriend.As the sand covered more and more of Reuben’s body, he said, “Honey, did you hear the big one? Felipe Mountain showed up at Rocha Constructions for work!”“Working in construction?” Caroline is stunned, and without realizing it, she throws more sand than before, getting in Reuben’s face.“Cough, cough... slow down, baby.” Reuben laughs, “That’s right, the pompous son of your father’s most annoying enemy has decided to put on the shirt of humility and go work as a bricklayer’s assistant.”Caroline shakes her head as she throws more sand, now reaching for Reuben’s neck. “That’s incredible. Is Felipe feeling like punishing or flagellating himself?”“I don’t know. He just doesn’t want to work as a waiter at Crystal Blue anymore. That’s weird, he didn’t want to stick around to get the resta
At Café Montanha, Isabel and Francisco are questioning Rodrigo about what he wants for his future and that of his growing family.“Son, be frank.” Francisco encourages him, “We have our opinion, but at the end of the story, it’s you who will make the final decision.”Rodrigo, feeling convinced, takes a deep breath and responds, “Dad, I want to continue modeling the way I was before.”Francisco and Isabel face each other.Rodrigo continues, “I know I can get photos like Alan. At least I don’t want to risk something as obvious as Cláudio Guzman.”“What’s wrong with Cláudio Guzman?” Isabel asks, still unaware of the commercial.Francisco wrinkles his nose, “Don’t even know, dear. A little more and that guy will enter the adult cinema. Was that a perfume commercial?”Isabel shakes her head, “I got it. It’s not o
At Cardozo Perfumes, Kelvin welcomes Rodrigo into his office. It was the room that Tiago Bento used to use.“That’s cool, you managed to be at Josias’s old place. Your mother worked here serving the famous buttery cookies.” Rodrigo sits down.Kelvin sits down opposite each other, “Yeah, but you can forget it. We won’t have that cursed recipe here, or my mother’s ghost will haunt this place. Anyway, cousin, you can tell me what you need.”Rodrigo takes a deep breath and expresses his desire, “Kelvin, I posed for the first Cardozo Perfumes campaign in a more reserved and formal way because I was thinking about my future as a father. I think my son or daughter would be embarrassed if they found out what I looked like ‘coveted’ by my fans. However, with the brief repercussion of the photos... I believe if you need me for more daring photos next time, you can count on me.”Kelvin puts his hand on his chin, “Are you envy of Alan Rocha?”“I wouldn’t say envy.” Rodrigo explains, “I’m happy th
Now, Alan and Sofia are at Café Montanha planning their engagement. They meet at a crucial moment: the guest list. “Whoever is invited to the engagement will automatically be invited to the wedding, correct?” Alan asks with a charming smile. Sofia melts with her boyfriend’s smile. “For sure.” “So let’s start.” Alan begins writing in a notebook, “We have our families, that’s for sure.” Sofia feels a lump in her throat. “Ehr... my dear, what does your family really consist of?” “What do you mean?” Alan asks, staring at the notebook, writing it down hurriedly. “Sometimes I get the impression that you’re related to the whole town,” Sofia remarks. Alan chuckles. “Not so much. The Rocha family is inevitably interconnected with the Queiroz and Campos families.” “Just then we have practically half of your social circle,” Sofia mumbles without Alan realizing it’s a mumble. “You can suggest some names for the bride’s side of the Church.” Dora enters the cafeteria and goes straight to t
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