At the Rocha Hotel, Alan was in Jane’s office. Josias left him a bomb to detonate...The door opened, and Lauro entered as if he were a child about to get his first PlayStation. Alan felt sorry for him for a few seconds.“Did you call me, Mr. Rocha? What happened? Did your father decide something?”Alan frowned. “How did you know I was talking to my father?”Lauro cleared his throat unnecessarily. “Ahem... Well, I assumed you were with your father for not showing up so early.”“You’re such a...” Alan refrained from swearing. He stood up from the management chair, “Well, here’s the thing: yes, I was with my father, but he made a decision contrary to what you always dreamed of.”Lauro doesn’t even waste time. “So, Mr. Rocha... it was a pleasure working here, but—”“Was it REALLY a pleasure, Mr. Medeiros?” Alan replied, “From what I heard from Jane Motta, you almost led her into a nervous breakdown! She was afraid to tell all of us that she was pregnant for fear you would pull some ruse
A few days passed. Josias received a call from João Paulo while he was still in the master suite getting dressed for work.“Hello, little brother? Any problems for me to solve?”“Is that all you think about, man?” João Paulo jokes, “Are we that problematic? That way, you’ll have a heart attack before you’re fifty, huh?”Josias laughs too. “OK, sorry. I always want to protect you, little brother.”“It’s fine. If you’re really interested, could you stop by my house?” João Paulo takes advantage of the opportunity.“Do you have any news for me?” Josias was curious.“Yes, come and bring Melissa. I think she will like it.” João Paulo leaves the suspense in the air.“We’re going there after breakfast.” Josias ends the call after saying goodbye, narrowing his eyes. What could it be?Melissa finds her husband with his cell phone in his hand and still shirtless.“Can’t you decide which shirt to wear?” She asked.Josias chooses a white striped shirt. “Here. In fact, I was pondering João Paulo’s
At João Paulo’s house, Helen welcomes the visitors with a hospitable smile.“Good morning, guys! It’s been a while since I’ve received such illustrious visitors!”“Thanks!” Olivia enters without waiting for the others.Erasmo is embarrassed and enters with his head down. Sofia doesn’t know what to say.Helen tries to break the awkwardness, “Does she want to check out my furniture? I didn’t change much.”“She wants to change it again, according to new decoration trends,” Erasmo muttered.Alan narrowed his eyes. Should he participate in this joke?“Nephew, come in.” Helen gestured for Alan to pass. He was still on the threshold.“How are you, Aunt Helen?” Alan hugged her lightly.“I’m wonderfully well. João Paulo is waiting for you in the living room.”Alan heads there. João Paulo sat majestically in the armchair while Sandra wore a sky-blue dress.“How beautiful this girl is looking.” Olivia taps her head, “She looks like—”Erasmo pokes her before Olivia completes ‘looks like her mothe
At the Teodoro Building, Reuben visited Pedro to talk about the crazy request he wanted. Both young people are in the canteen eating apple pie.“The tenants here are gaining pounds, it’s a joy.” Reuben still speaks with his mouth full.“Careful, man.” Pedro jokes, “Carol can’t be disappointed that you’re losing your flat stomach.”Reuben swallowed and lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a perfect six-pack. “Never. If I fail, she will run into the arms of the idiot Felipe.”Pedro worries, “Is there still this risk?”Reuben lets go of his shirt because tenants have started to notice the boy’s bare torso, “He’s now running the Crystal Blue, and he’s sure to use that as bait to seduce my Caroline.”Pedro shrugs, “But what’s the big news? The restaurant has always been in the Mountain family! Uncle Josias just returned the restaurant to the original owners.”“When I was a toddler, the restaurant belonged to the Bento family.” Reuben added, “Anyway, Carol, as the angel she is, will visit
In the canteen, Daniela eats apple pie and makes friends.Pedro points to Rosemary, “Rose, this is our new neighbor Daniela Lombardi. You’ve heard of it, but now you’re being formally introduced.”“Nice to meet you, Daniela. We can be great friends.” Rosemary held out her hand.“Are you Benjamin’s sister?” Daniela stops eating and shakes the famous model’s hand.“No, but if you look closely, we’re almost from the same family.” Rosemary sits at the table and explains patiently, “I am the sister of Caio Campos, son of Will Campos, and Benjamin Teixeira is Melissa Rocha’s cousin.”Daniele felt a little dizzy but nodded. “It’s indeed a big family.”“We mingle ourselves by marriage over the years.” Reuben proudly declares, “The Rochas, Reis, Campos, and Freires will always be interconnected. Ben needs to find a girlfriend to join us.”Everyone laughs.Pedro comments, “Don’t forget the Mountain family. Melissa had Mary and Ignacio.”“Oh, sometimes I forget about the twins, but they’ll be my
Alan, Caio, and Brigitte’s graduation has arrived.The ceremony took place in the large auditorium of Saint Gabriel College. Because of Josias’s presence and the fact that the heir was one of the graduates, there was a press presence.An eager journalist from Lisandro’s Show spoke with admiration, “And now, ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be listening to the moving speech from the heir of Rocha Constructions, Alan Campos Rocha!”Alan, wearing a typical graduation gown and cap, positioned himself on the stage and began to give his speech.In the seats, Melissa was barely holding back her pride. The third generation of the Campos family was graduating from Higher Education!Simeon and Dora were grateful to God for being able to witness this sublime moment.Caroline took photos while Reuben joked about the formality of the ceremony with Pedro and Neilton.“The next generation of graduates is committed to elevating the status of Lagoon City with seriousness and professionalism.” Alan said fir
At Rocha Mansion, Josias’s private celebration continued.A sound system was installed in the party room and the song “Teenagers”, by My Chemical Romance, echoed throughout the venue.Employees served food and drink. Children secretly took delicacies without need because adults didn’t prohibit them.Theodore was enchanted by the mansion because it was the first time he had visited the residence. “Wow... your house is really beautiful, Mr. Rocha.”Alan laughed again. “You’re not going to call me Alan, are you?”“I don’t dare.” Theodore lowered his head humbly.Henry approached him, “Relax, Little Theo. The Rocha family is always inviting, but we know our place.” Henrique stares at Alan, “The speech was very motivating, Mr. Rocha.”“Thank you, Henry. I look forward to hearing from you one day.”“And you’ll hear.” Henrique smiles decisively.Bernardo takes the third glass of champagne. Maggie nudges him.“Don’t overdo it, man!”“Huh? It’s only my third glass, darling.” Bernardo pretends,
The next day, the Reis family had breakfast in Beto’s apartment.“Yesterday’s party was pretty good, huh?” Teresa brought up the subject.“Yes, it was really fun.” Maycon nodded like a toy dog.“It’s exciting.” Beto smiles, “I still haven’t gotten over Alan’s speech. How eloquent!”“He’s prepared.” Pedro solemnly commented, “Does anyone understand David picking up a glass of champagne and drinking it at sixteen?”“He coughed violently afterwards, the idiot.” Rosemary laughed heartily.Beto turned to her and smiled, “Daughter, you were very close to Thierry. Any news you want to share?”Rosemary smiled mysteriously. The others kept their eyes on her.“Thierry and I decided to live in the Lafayette mansion,” Rosemary announced.There were a few seconds of silence, with a delayed reaction.“I thought you guys were going to live here,” Pedro commented.“I know, guys, but thinking about it...” Rosemary explained, “Thierry is very famous with his photographs and I’m becoming famous with mod