In the Teodoro Building, Rosemary was reading the latest issue of Maggiezine. She smiles when she sees the article covering Alan’s engagement. The lobby radio complies with tradition by playing “Mas Que Nada”, by Sérgio Mendes and The Black Eyed Peas.Patrick went downstairs and found Rosemary thoughtful.“Good morning, Rose.”Rosemary notices the tenant’s presence, “Good morning, Pat. Are you going to work?”“Yes.” Patrick points to the magazine, “Must have been a good party, huh?”“Yes. Caroline was a little upset because she didn’t trust her sister-in-law, but everything went well.”Patrick smiles mischievously, “Is it true what Cláudio Guzman said? That the party was going to be at the Vasquez Mansion, but because of the bizarre decorations, they moved the party at the last minute to Josias Rocha’s house?”Rosemary looks like she doesn’t want to gossip but let it go anyway, “Look, I’m not one to create intrigue... but knowing Uncle Josias, I’d say he was already ready to suggest h
Simeon and Dora were chatting casually in their room. The bed was already made, but Dora, as always, was looking for things to do.Hector entered the room with a maid. “Mr. and Mrs. Campos, we came to tidy—”The butler stops by with everything clean and tidy.Simeon chuckles, “No need to worry, Hector. Madam Campos is clean and wants to give her employees less work.”The maid blushes, “Mrs. Campos, we’re here, especially for this. If Boss Rocha finds out about this...”“Leave Josias to us,” Dora comments happily as she organizes papers and documents on one of the dressers, “I like to keep busy. I’ll go to the kitchen later.”“As you wish, Mrs. Campos.” The maid smiled, curtsied, and left. Hector followed her.“Mrs. Campos meant that she’ll guide the cooks with today’s menu?” Hector asked.“No,” the maid still responds with a smile, “she’s going to the kitchen to peel potatoes, pound garlic, and choose beans TOGETHER with the cooks. Of course, we make her feel like she’s in charge of e
Josias and Octavio are stunned by Caio’s question. Should he call the police to report drug dealers?“What did William do?” Josias asks after a few seconds of bewilderment.“He didn’t do anything.” Caio responds, “Maybe that was the mistake, huh?”“Well, nephew, if you really want my opinion...” Josias takes a deep breath and answers seriously, “I’d tell you to report it to the police. The Happiness Slum police station wasn’t built so people wouldn’t use it. What’s the point of having police if we don’t open our mouths to report crimes? The police won’t know when to act.”Caio nods, “I understand. I confess that I was a little scared, even though my father resolved it calmly. As they now know that that land belongs to the family of the wife of the legendary Josias Rocha, if something goes wrong, they can blame us.”Josias and Octavio laugh respectfully.Octavio states, “Caio, it’s exactly the opposite. Now that they know that the land belongs to you, no miscreants will dare to bother
Rosemary and Thierry go to Cardozo Perfumes to talk to Kelvin about the next campaign.They find a beautiful secretary leading them to the representative’s office.“Wow, Mr. Mountain!” Thierry whistles, “How chic! Are the photos making that much profit to invest in staff?”“Yes, and we’ll double our earnings with a new campaign.” Kelvin invites them both to sit down.Then, he moves to the other side of the desk and sits down, “And then, Thierry, I want to hear your ideas.”“Well, Rose became famous with cute and simple photos, reaching the young adult audience.” Thierry begins, “We can continue in this vein. The first photos were of her dancing and vibrating as if she were at a party. I think we can repeat the dose with a little more realism.”“A real party scene?” Kelvin asks interested.“Exactly. That’s what people like nowadays, right? Here in Downtown, there is a nightclub that has been operating since the 80s, called Night Lagoon. Can we contact them?”“Noted,” Kelvin takes out a
At the Night Lagoon nightclub, Kelvin, Maggie, Thierry, and Rosemary look around the place to decide where the best spot for Rosemary to be photographed will be. The nightclub has all the lights on and is empty, which is strange for older people.“Guys, who knew I could go into a nightclub without the deafening music and drunken people bumping into me?” Rosemary asks, making the others laugh.“Don’t say something like that.” Kelvin says good-naturedly, “The owner of this place wants you to always be the party girl, shouldering all the burdens.”Kelvin scratches his ear and Maggie notices it. “What’s up, bro?”“This morning, I took the twins to the beach and they wanted to bury me in the sand.” Kelvin speaks with a smile, showing no resentment towards his children, “They buried me completely, and by the time Melissa realized this, the tidal waves had already advanced past where I was. The people not only had to dig me up but also prevent me from drowning!”“What about the twins?” Thier
Early in the morning, Kelvin and Felipe had breakfast. Kelvin realized that Felipe still hadn’t gotten over Alan’s visit.“Felipe, I need you to understand something.” Kelvin speaks, wanting to break the hateful silence, “Alan was raised by me while Josias and Melissa were divorced. Now they are back, but the bond that was formed between the two of us won’t be broken. So don’t feel offended when he comes around to chat.”“I heard you interacted with the twins... and Melissa.” Felipe takes everything to the evil side.“We went to the beach, and the twins buried me in the sand. But when it was time to dig me out, the tide quickly came in, covering me back up. It was a rush to get me out of the sand before I drowned.” Kelvin laughs, remembering the dangerous but fun occasion.“Uncle Kelvin, I see the sparkle in your eyes.” Felipe insists, “You still miss family life. You still love Melissa Campos.”“Her name is Melissa Rocha, and I hope you don’t forget that when you’re in front of her.”
“Caio? CAIO!” William was desperate. He heard gunshots being fired. Caio hadn’t ended the call and was talking to someone, probably at the gate...“Hello, son?” William, desperate, tried to run, but his left leg always let him down. He returned to his seat and took a deep breath.“Something happened...” With his cell phone still in hand, William ended the call and dialed Josias’ number.Josias was in his mansion, in the master suite, dressing formally for another day of work.“Daddy was calmer today, darling,” Melissa comments as she combed her hair. Now she has adopted a shorter, nape-length hairstyle that is easy to maintain.“Yes, fortunately,” Josias thoughtfully comments, “When we get things off our chest, we feel emotional relief. Your father was hiding something important.”“By God, I hope this doesn’t happen again.” Melissa shakes her head, “At his age, we need to be prepared for the worst, but without knowing what’s happening, it’s impossible. If this skin problem was a case
Josias finds the living room of Caio’s house in a normal state. The only thing different is that the sofas were pushed out so the paramedics could attend to Caio.Brigitte couldn’t bear to see the blood and snuggled into her brother’s strong chest.But, to Caio’s relief, such despair was not necessary.“Officer Amoreira, don’t worry. The victim is alive but will need to be taken to the hospital. He was shot in the shoulder.”Josias looked at the open living room window. “Wasn’t that an accurate shot?”“Before we applied a sedative, Mr. Campos said that the shooter was at the gate.” The officer who first responded to the call informs the others of this.“We’re ready to go.” Another paramedic arrived with the stretcher.“Brigitte, go with them.” Dylan comforts her, “I need to stay and investigate here.”“OK, little brother... get these bastards, please!” Brigitte asks through tears and walks away, following the paramedics and her unconscious boyfriend.Josias takes a deep breath, mainta