Josias was passing through the hallways of Rocha Constructions, waving and greeting employees along the way.“Good morning, people!”“Good morning, Mr. Rocha.”Upon passing through the door of the architects’ room, Josias decided to enter.Among several architects working feverishly on their projects, Caio moved from table to table, commenting and providing guidance wherever possible. No one would say he had graduated last year.“Caio, can I have a word with you?”“Yes, let’s go to my office.”Caio still wasn’t sure if he called Josias ‘uncle’ in front of the other employees.Upon entering, Caio took advantage of his privacy. “Is there a problem, Uncle Josias?”“Are you aware that Reuben has accepted Julian Pereira as his lawyer?” Josias responds with another question.Caius nods, “I’m happy for him. But will that be necessary?”“Let’s hope not.” Josias sighs, “I’m hoping that Dylan Amoreira will tell me that the bullet that hit Felipe didn’t come from Harold’s gun, may he rest in pea
Felipe was released from the hospital. Daryl wanted to make this a national celebration.The doctor was confused as he announced, “Mr. Mountain, you don’t need to be worried. Felipe is a strong man and will come out of this. It’s not like he’s been through a big ordeal.”“Ah, doctor, when your son manages to survive a gunshot, you’ll understand me.”“I think so. God bless your family.” The doctor smiled and waved goodbye.Felipe was standing, wearing civilian clothes, more flushed and cheerful. “Thank you, doctor!”Maggie was also emotional. “Well, the ordeal is over. We need a little party. How about the penthouse?”“Absolutely. There’s room for everyone there.” Kelvin rubs his hands.“Invite Caroline. She was here, worried about me.” Felipe promptly decided.Daryl lost some of his joy. “Son, I think we should celebrate in Victoria’s safety. Your mother is anxious.”“Call her here,” Felipe responded practically.“The restaurant can’t be left, son.” Daryl scratched the back of his hea
Reuben and Julian meet at Café Montanha to talk about the client’s situation. The radio fills the room with the song “Dangerous”, by Kardinal Offishall & Akon.“Reuben, I don’t know if you did the right thing with this interview.” Julian analyzes with a copy of the newspaper in hand, “It seems like you’re justifying yourself. At least, that’s what the Public Defender’s Office will think of you.”Reuben shrugs. “Who cares what they think? I know I didn’t try to kill anyone. I just wanted to make it clear that, as I can’t deny that I showed a gun to Caio Campos, at least there was a reason. That wouldn’t be the case of choosing Felipe out of nowhere.”Julian looks at João Paulo’s column again. “You claim he’s been stalking your fiancée since she returned from Victoria.”“That’s exactly what happened. And when my dear girlfriend visited him to make him understand once and for all that she would never give him a chance, he did everything in reverse, kissing her without permission. I dread
Erasmo and Olivia couldn’t resist their curiosity and went into Sofia’s office to find out how much money Alan transferred to their bank account through Internet Banking.But what they found was the couple chatting casually as they ate snacks and drank coffee, with the computer playing the song “Human” by The Killers, echoing through the speakers.“But, what’s going on here?” Erasmo asked, disturbed.Olivia tried to hide the unsettling question, “Ehr... The couple is taking advantage of the time to date, dear. Remember that I used to bring you lunch when we were newlyweds, and—”“Dad, Mom, Alan has given me a lot of tips on how to improve our administration,” Sofia reported to them with a smile that could be interpreted as mockery.“Too much information?” Erasmo swallowed hard, stopping himself from asking ‘What about the money’.“Yes. I talked to my father, and he told me that it wouldn’t be wrong to help. Remember what I said in your office, father-in-law.” Alan blinks.“Of course,
After celebrations in Victoria, Felipe returned to Lagoon City, ready to face the situation.As they entered the Mountain Penthouse, he and Kelvin were talking about the subject.“Do you promise you will act rationally, nephew?”Felipe smiles with suitcases in hand. “Since when did I lack rationality, uncle?”“Since you insisted on nurturing vain hopes with Carol,” Kelvin grumbles, sitting down in the armchair.“It’s necessary to know what resulted from the ballistics examination.” Felipe placed the bags on the sofa and pointed with his chin at the newspaper in Kelvin’s left hand.Kelvin put his bags aside and opened the newspaper, going straight to the police section.As he read it, he maintained a serious expression. “Felipe... Things have changed.”Felipe approached him. “What happened?”“According to the final report, the bullet that hit you didn’t come from Reuben’s grandfather’s revolver.”Felipe has a perplexed expression on his face. Kelvin closes the newspaper and stares at i
After resting, Felipe went to the Happiness Slum police station to have a chat with Dylan.The gentlemen greet each other and sit down.“It’s great that you have your own office, Amoreira.” Felipe smiles slightly, “Is your father enjoying his retirement?”“He continues to be a detective in Linhares, but without being linked to any police station.” Dylan explains, “He wants to spend a little more time with his married life.”“And you follow in his footsteps.” Felipe nodded.“That was something out of the ordinary.” Dylan explains, “Here, I’m assigned to the affairs of Happiness Slum. We don’t have a large investigative department, but still, Commissioner Tavares assigned me this investigation because of the connection that the Amoreira family has with the Rocha family.”“Well, I came back from Victoria after celebrating my recovery and I just found out that Reuben Freire couldn’t have been my attacker,” Felipe spoke in a neutral tone.“That’s right.” Dylan narrows his eyes. “You look l
In the General Hospital lounge, Melissa and Isabel enter to continue their conversation.“Izzy, explain yourself better. What do you mean, do you want to retire from LCN too?”Isabel nods, “I’m thinking hard, Melissa. Yes, I still have strength, but age has caught up with me to such an extent that I simply don’t want to let my viewers be left with a show without a conclusion because the writer passed away.”“I understood. That would be horrendous.” Melissa nodded.“So I need someone to take care of ‘Love Spins the World,’ and I remembered you.”“Izzy, I’m flattered by this, but I’m now busy with Josias’s annual fashion show and other charity events.” Melissa regrets it.“But now, everything is easier, Melissa.” Isabel tries to convince her, “You don’t need to write everything yourself. A team of writers below you will commit to detailing scenes and dialogues. You just need to provide the general outline of the storyline and guide them.”Melissa pondered with her hand on her chin. “Hmm
Josias returns from the nursery after drooling over his new nephew. He meets Melissa coming the other way, looking for him.“Josias, I’m glad I found you. I need to talk to you about something important.”“Do you need to go to the lounge, or can we talk right here in the hallway?” Josias asks worriedly.“We can talk in the hallway, it’s not so secret.” Melissa smiles slightly, “What do you think of that? Izzy wants to hand over the writing of ‘Love Spins the World’ to me.”Josias also smiles. “Honey, this is wonderful!”“You think? I always liked the soap opera, but I find it a challenge to follow the writing and maintain the same quality.” Melissa confesses, “And I’d also be busy with the charity events and the fashion show.”Josias puts both hands on her shoulders, “I believe you’ll be able to do well in this project, my love.”“Izzy said I can continue to rely on the writing team under her.” Melissa says, buying into the idea, “Maybe this will make things easier. All I have to do i
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