Melissa and Josias, along with Alfred, left for Rio de Janeiro to check their ventures more closely, just to make sure everything was okay. Good thing they now have an office there, as well as in Belo Horizonte!Ironically, two things happened after the Rocha couple left. First, it started to rain heavily. Second, Angela tried a new approach.At Rocha Mansion, Dora and Simeon stared at the windy rain, shaking the palm trees as if they were going to break.“Beloved Jesus!” Dora exclaimed, “If this continues, the mansions that are closest to the sea will be affected! Will they suffer a flood?”“If they suffer, they have money to pay for renovations, or everything is insured.” Simeon hugs her from behind, chuckling.“Well, I also started thinking about another hypothesis.” Dora was scared by some lightning. “I hope Alan and Sofia docked at a marina in Blue Cove or Guarapari.”“Ah, is this how they’ll be lost, as Everaldo prophesied?” Simeon joked, “Don’t worry, honey. You heard the man o
Octavio turned to his wife and informed her in a lower tone, “Honey, the idiot is at the hotel dying to ‘represent’ you. What will we do?”“Well, let him dream. Josias already knows I’m pregnant, right? He’s not going to fire me because I didn’t want to face a storm and risk the safety of our baby.” Jane replied confidently.Seeing his wife’s firm stance, Octavio smiled and spoke to Lauro again, “Look, Mr. Medeiros, unfortunately, my wife isn’t going to work just for today. If you’re willing to represent her for today...”Lauro smiled devilishly, “It certainly won’t be any problem for me! Tell your wife to stay calm and recover perfectly by tomorrow. Bye-bye!”“Bye...” Octavio realized that Lauro had already hung up his cell phone.“Rash and obvious little guy, huh?” Jane giggles.“For sure. His next task will be to call Josias who is in Rio de Janeiro, busy with other things, to gossip about you.” Octavio shook his head.“And are you going to Rocha Constructions headquarters today?”
At Rocha Constructions, Reuben led David into Josias’s office while the president was away.David looked around as if he were visiting a candy and chocolate fair. “Wow... this is where my office will be...”“HA, HA, HA!” Reuben laughed dismissively. “Don’t fool yourself, man.”“Then why did you bring me in here?” David turned to him.“I brought you in here just to rub in your face what you’ll never have.” Reuben smiled mischievously.“You idiot...” David gritted his teeth.“Heed your words, my comrade!” Reuben turned serious, “I’m older than you and I demand respect. Furthermore, this office will be occupied by your eldest brother while Uncle Josias is away.”“It can’t be!” David roars.“Man, you must still be fifteen or sixteen!” Reuben commented between laughs, “You didn’t even finish high school! How do you intend to take over a company when you’re underage and don’t have the minimum level of business skill?”“I’ll catch my brother and dethrone him. I’m Josias Rocha’s son and I des
David felt calmer when he saw how Caroline treated him. The blood running down his nose was finally stopped.“Aren’t you going to attack me and hate me, Carol?”“Why would I do that? You’re my half-brother.” Caroline smiles gently.“You really are the Princess of Lagoon City, showing mercy to us mere mortals.” David smiled.“But remember, David: if your mother plans to break up the marriage between my parents, I won’t support her in such a thing,” Caroline warns him.“My mother couldn’t even contact our father.” David smiles awkwardly. “Your boyfriend deleted the email she sent him. I visited Rocha Constructions trying to find him.”Caroline takes the cup of cappuccino she ordered from Felipe. “Thanks. My parents are in Rio de Janeiro, checking out the projects there.”David frowned. Did they go to Rio on purpose, running away from Angela?Felipe decided to intervene in the conversation. “You still haven’t said how you managed to get punched.”David looked suspiciously at Felipe. “I f
At Crystal Blue, Caroline and Reuben meet for lunch. Patrick smiled when he saw the couple.“Now you’ll be the next ones to get married, huh?”“There are people ahead of us,” Caroline responded graciously.“I booked a table,” Reuben spoke pompously.“I know, clown.” Patrick laughed and checked the computer. Afterward, he gestured to another waiter, “Table 10... AH! I need to warn you.”“What?”“Mrs. Vasquez is here. She is having lunch with another lady named Angela Souza. Does it have anything to do with the Angel store that will be opened?”Caroline and Reuben break their smiles.“She’s the mother of Carol’s damn half-brother,” Reuben responded aggressively.“SHHH!” Caroline alerts her boyfriend. “We’ll probably pass them. Let’s ignore them.”“Your wish is my command.” Reuben smiles mischievously.Patrick chuckles as the couple walks away, led by the waiter.As they sit down, Angela sees the couple from a distance and comments as they wait for the famous grilled salmon, “Aren’t thos
In the Teodoro Building, Rosemary delivered the good news to her parents. In the lobby, the radio followed tradition by playing the song “What I’ve Done”, by Linkin Park.“Daughter, congratulations!” Beto hugged Rosemary, “You’re going to achieve bigger flights now!”“Can’t I get bigger flights with Cardozo Perfumes?” Rosemary asked good-naturedly.“Yes, you can,” Teresa answered with a laugh, “But other companies might hire you.”“I understand that Mrs. Cardozo no longer wants an exclusive contract with me.” Rosemary broke the hug. “That way, I’m free to choose the company I want.”“Hmm, be careful with that, honey.” Teresa advises her, “Some businesspeople aren’t trustworthy or nice like Adelaide Cardozo. You need to be careful. Don’t you think you should have a representative?”Rosemary thinks about it for a bit, but then laughs at herself, “He, he... calm down, guys. Anyone who hears you like that would think I was a professional top model!”“And you’re not?” Beto tried to flatter
In Ibrahim Square, Caroline and Olivia sat on a bench to continue talking.“Mrs. Vasquez, you didn’t form any business ties with Angela Souza?” Caroline was dumbstruck, “Well, I have to congratulate you on that.”“Thank you, Carol. I realized we can’t get in trouble.” Olivia smiles, pleased that she made the right choice.Caroline seized the opportunity, “Tell me, Mrs. Vasquez: did that unworthy woman mention anything?”“I think she mentioned wanting you to date someone else.” Olivia narrowed her gaze, trying hard to remember. She didn’t want to remember Angela’s madness.Caroline felt offended. “Another one who wants to give an opinion on my love life? What is with these people? Why doesn’t anyone take care of their lives?”“Calm down, Carol. I know this is ridiculous.” Olivia calms her down. Anyone who saw her would say that she and Caroline were great friends. “I don’t even know how I managed not to throw the wine in her face.”“Angela Souza won’t be able to establish commercial co
Karen slept peacefully and soundly on her plush bed in the master suite of the Mountain Penthouse. She’s supposed to wake up early to work at the aforementioned sales stand, but hey! She’ll be the next Mrs. Mountain, correct?Wrong. Kelvin approached an alarm clock that sounded outrageously in Karen’s ears, scaring her to no end.“AAARRRGHHH!!!” Karen screamed so desperately that she rolled over in bed and fell to the floor, with blankets and everything. The bedside table also fell, knocking over and breaking her cell phone.Kelvin was dying laughing, “HA, HA, HA, HA! Good morning, sleepyhead! Your lazy days are over!”“Ugh... Kelvin, have you lost your mind?” Karen tried to ignore what Kelvin said about not being lazy anymore. “Why did you do that with me?”“Huh... Did you happen to forget that you’re a contract employee of Cardozo Perfumes?” Kelvin stopped laughing.Karen smiled mischievously. “No. But it turns out that I got tired of working under the scorching sun. Kelvin, if I wo
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