Josias was now drying off after cooling off in the pool. Hector approached him.“Good morning, Mr. Rocha. Mr. Motta wishes to speak to you.”“Octavio? Has he come in yet?” Josias smiles. “Let him come here, please, Hector. Oh, and as for the slide...”Hector gulped. “I’m sorry for it, Mr. Rocha. But Mr. Campos would be stuck all night if I didn’t take drastic measures.”Josias chuckles, “OK, it’s done. I understand. We weren’t going to let poor Will suffocate in there, right?”Hector calmed down and left to call Octavio.Octavio appeared next, in a mix of happiness and fear.“Good morning, Josias! I have good news and bad news.”“Oh, are you going to be able to ruin my Saturday?” Josias jokes.Octavio tenses, unsure whether or not he should say what he came to say.Josias laughs, “Come on, my friend, s
At the Cardozo’s store, Adelaide had no desire to discuss the lawsuit that Helen wanted to file against Karen.“Helen, it looks like Brigitte hasn’t told you yet. I thought better of the matter, and—”“Take it easy, Mrs. Cardoso.” Helen smiles and tries to explain herself. “I understand what you’re getting at. Yes, Brigitte told me hours ago that she prefers to hold or suspend the lawsuit for now.”Adelaide was relieved. “Phew, good. Helen, it’s not that we don’t want the bad guys to go unpunished. But let’s be honest: couldn’t we somehow defeat Karen? Who is selling in the scorching heat and who is selling in the air conditioning?”Helen smiles evilly. “The idiot had everything to work inside here, and I never cared about selling outdoors.”“So, Helen, consider this your prize.” Adelaide asserts. “We’re opening our st
João Paulo passed through Ibrahim Square and came across Karen sweating profusely but selling perfumes at the stand that belonged to Helen.Passers-by stopped and tried perfumes with interest.“This one is really good, my husband loves these woody types.” A lady commented.“Then take one!” Karen grinned, “R$60.00 and this perfume will be scenting your husband’s neck!”The lady was convinced and took her alligator leather wallet to withdraw R$60.00.While receiving payment, Karen saw João Pedro and part of the smile disappeared.“Thank you very much! When you want more options, we now have our store right after Crystal Blue!” Karen pointed in the direction.After the buyer walked away satisfied, João Paulo approached the stand.Karen’s comforting, engaging, and vibrant voice gave way to a trembling and frightened voice, “Ehr... Mr. Queiroz...
In the afternoon, Adelaide closed the store and popped champagne with her future family. Dylan had changed out of his police uniform and was now wearing something casual for the occasion.“CHEERS, guys!” Adelaide exclaims, “May this be the beginning of a long path of success for our Cardozo’s store!”“VIVA!” Everyone clinks their champagne glasses.Dylan looked around as he sipped. Then he began, “Addie, you’re going to need a store inspector or private security guard. There are many valuable products here, and this can attract undesirable people.”“It’s a shame you can’t help me.” Adelaide joked. “I know this will be necessary.”Amoreira nodded. “The fact that we have Crystal Blue just a few steps away makes it more ‘attractive’ for criminals. Only people with high purchasing power walk along this sidewalk.”Brigitte gestures. “Argh, guys, let’s not talk about that right now. Now is the time to celebrate.”Dylan smiles, “My little sister is right.”Caio wraps his free arm around Brig
2007Josias was walking calmly along the sidewalk of Getúlio Vargas Avenue. Behind them, two men in suits and sunglasses left no doubt to passersby that they were the bodyguards.With that, people just gestured or nodded ‘good morning’ to Josias. No one dared to approach him to ask for an autograph. Although Josias wasn’t the type of celebrity who hated interacting with his fans, sometimes not being bothered was essential.Especially today. Josias was looking for a store to check the information he received...When he stopped at a certain store, ten minutes after Ibrahim Square, he saw with amazement a team of workers renovating an empty place. A hanging sign announced: ‘COMING SOON, ANGEL STORE’.Yes, what was written on the website was true. Angela Souza decided to return to Espírito Santo to expand her company, which has grown absurdly in the last decade.To accompany the expansion, she announced new stores in Victoria, Vila Velha, and Cachoeiro do Itapemirim.But something inside
At Rocha Constructions, Josias was talking to his best friend Octavio about the projects for 2007.Josias leaned over the desk and signed a document. “Okay, here is the authorization for the renovation of Harold Freire Residential. I don’t know how Uélton hasn’t haunted me in the early hours of the morning.”“Maybe he haunted Alfred and he’s afraid to tell us.” Octavio jokes and the two gentlemen burst into laughter.Josias goes to the drinks table. “Speaking of which, we need to celebrate your second son. Has Jane already had tests?”“Yes. The baby is a girl.” Octavio’s eyes are shining. “I’ll have a little princess who will be just like her mother.”“Hopefully. You must start looking for a rifle for when she reaches adolescence.” Josias pours two shots of brandy.“Do you speak from experience?” Octavio cleverly included Caroline in the conversation.“Look, to be honest, I didn’t need a shotgun concerning Carol.” Josias admitted, “She always wanted Reuben, and he never gave me a hard
At Rocha Mansion, Alan is caught off guard by his mother’s question about his in-laws.But he decided that honesty is always the best path, “Mom, my future in-laws were curious about Angela Souza.”“It’s because they didn’t know her like we did.” Simeon shook his head.“How crazy. Don’t allow her to be part of your life, my son.” Melissa closed one of the suitcases. “It will only cause pain and suffering. Especially for you.”“Why, daughter?” Dora asked.“Her dream was always to have David as the heir.” Melissa has a fierce look. “And I feel like she would try anything to get my son out of the way, especially now that J.J. is no longer with us.”Alan hugs Melissa. “Don’t worry, Mom. Everaldo didn’t prophesy any of this.”“No, but he talked about you getting lost and finding your way home.” Melissa broke the hug. “Does this have anything to do with the honeymoon?”“Sofia and I plan to spend a few days on the yacht.”Simeon snaps his fingers. “So, is that it? You’ll get lost on the high
In Ibrahim Square, Helen passed by with Sandra and didn’t find the sales stand where she used to be.“Mommy, where is that ugly girl who sells perfumes?” Sandra asked innocently.Helen, however, giggled at the ‘ugly girl’. “Daughter, don’t talk like that when the girl is around.”“OK.” Sandra nodded. “Shall we go to the store?”Helen continued smiling, thinking that Karen had given up selling perfumes in the square with how hot it had been this summer.Upon entering the Cardozo’s store, she and Sandra are relieved by the cool air conditioning.Adelaide approaches them. “Do you ladies need anything?”“I want to buy lipstick!” Sandra exclaims.“Ha, ha, ha...” Helen strokes her adopted daughter’s hair. “Sandra, you’re still new to these things. And this elegant lady is not the saleswoman, she is the owner of the store.”“Cool!” Sandra smiled like little girls usually do.“Aunt Brigitte is in the back. She has cream biscuits waiting for you.” Adelaide points to the cashier.After Sandra 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