Angela was enjoying the evening alone in her apartment.The doorbell rang.Curious, Angela got up and went to the door, "Who is it?""Your wonderful neighbor!"Angela smiled widely as she recognized Kelvin's voice.Upon opening the door, Kelvin was surprised by the warm reception."Wow, what's with the big smile?""I needed someone." Angela made room for Kelvin to enter."Thanks. I'm glad to be of help as a helpful neighbor." Kelvin sits on the couch.Angela closes the door and approaches him, shaking her head. "Don't do that. You didn't come interested in being a helpful neighbor.""I didn't?" Kelvin asks, seemingly surprised."No." Angela sits in the armchair, "You came to start a relationship with me."Kelvin stifles a laugh."What's so funny?" Angela is in a good mood, sending flirtatious looks to him, "You're a handsome man and you've been giving me a lot of attention. Something Melissa would hate to know.""Why do we need to bring Melissa into this conversation?" Kelvin loses so
Josias was sitting at his office desk, reading the newspaper of the day, with a steaming cup of coffee resting on the saucer.The Economics section didn't bring good news, leaving him worried about how the country's financial situation could affect Rocha Constructions.After folding the newspaper, he turned on the computer. As the machine started up, Josias picked up his cell phone and dialed Alan's number.On the other end, Alan's cell phone rang on the bedside table, but the bed itself was shaking so vigorously that Alan didn't hear the ring immediately.He was busy reminding Sofia who was in charge...Luís walked through the hallway towards the dining room, wearing a tank top shirt and black sweatpants. As he passed by Alan and Sofia's suite door, he could distinctly hear sobs and teeth grinding.Entering the dining room and finding Erasmo, Luís commented, "My cousin woke up in a really good mood today, huh? Cousin Sofia will probably spend the whole day in bed!"Erasmo felt embarr
In Alan's suite, the bed finally stopped behaving as if there was an earthquake in Brazil.Alan emerged from under the covers, red and sweaty, but with a smile as if he had just taken a break to continue later...Sofia remained under the blankets."I think I heard the phone ring," Alan commented, but Sofia couldn't answer.Checking his phone, Alan saw 'missed call' on the screen and returned the call.On the other end, Josias was already up, heading out to work. He checked his phone and saw it was his eldest son returning the missed call."Finally, the dead are showing signs of life!""Which dead?" Alan chuckled, "Sofia and I are pretty much alive!""Is that so? Then I can't even imagine what was happening when I called you the first time." Josias joked, "I wanted to inform you of a decision before you find out through other means and make a scene.""I'm not David to make scenes," Alan responded sourly."Then you won't freak out when I tell you that David will be promoted to the front
Josias received Angela's message while he was in his office at Rocha Constructions.Alfred was updating Josias on the construction of the event hall that Josias had ordered earlier in the year. "The opening is approaching. Do we have a party planned to celebrate everything together, Josias? Josias...?"Josias seemed to snap out of a daze. "Huh? Oh, excuse me, Alfred. What were you saying...?""I'm saying we should discuss what's bothering you." Alfred sat down in front of Josias, concerned. "Any bad news?""I received a message from Angela saying she's moving on with her life... And she's in a romantic relationship with Kelvin Mountain," Josias said with regret.Alfred was shocked. "Doesn't that idiot know how toxic that woman is?""He knows. He was around when I divorced Melissa, reaping the benefits by marrying her." Josias shook his head, dissatisfied as he remembered the dark years of the 90s."Now he wants to 'reap the benefits' by getting involved with another woman who had a ro
Caroline is warmly welcomed at the Vasquez Mansion by a maid and escorted to the living room."I'll call Mr. Rocha, Miss Rocha." The maid bows.Luis approaches and is impressed by the visitor."Um... Let me take care of this!" He releases the maid from her duty.The maid nods and leaves for other chores.Luis is a bit embarrassed. It's evident that Caroline came to speak with Alan.But as he passed by the corridor, all he could hear was the bed creaking non-stop. Sofia must have passed out from..."Miss Rocha, nice to meet you. I don't know if we've been introduced before, but I'm Luis Vasquez." Luis extends his hand, charismatic."Ah, I think Alan mentioned you to me." Caroline smiles sweetly and shakes Luis's hand."Yes, I'm the new hotel supervisor and Sofia's cousin. Did you come to talk to her?" Luis internally hoped that was the answer."No, I came to talk to my brother," Caroline innocently replied.Luis couldn't conceal his embarrassment.Caroline was sweet and pure, but she w
In Kelvin's office, Maggie was determined to get to the bottom of things with her older brother."Look, Kelvin, I know I'm the younger sister and you can do whatever you want with your life..."Kelvin stands up from his desk, "It's not like that, Maggie! You can comment on whatever you want. I'm open to opinions.""OK..." Maggie didn't quite believe that, but she took a risk to speak up, "Are you in a serious relationship with Angela Souza?"Kelvin was surprised to hear this question.Maggie explained, "I visited the penthouse and Felipe told me.""And why did you visit the penthouse?" Kelvin raised an eyebrow."Because we noticed how interested you were in her." Maggie sat on the couch, "Kelvin, have you forgotten who the woman you're sleeping with is?""No. I know she was a witch to Josias and Melissa." Kelvin answered honestly, "But now, we both are eager to put the past behind us.""You too?" Maggie finds this strange."Yes, sis. I need..." Kelvin's voice trails off, "It still hur
At Marçal Publishing, Maggie comments on her discussion with Kelvin to Bernardo."It seems like a nightmare, darling." Maggie twists and crosses her fingers nervously, "Angela is definitely taking advantage of the situation to make Josias jealous. And she precisely chose Kelvin, who was married to Melissa! You know what that means?"Bernardo smiles slyly, "It means that Angela is hoping that either Josias or Melissa will show jealousy.""Will Melissa give in?" Maggie wonders worriedly.Bernardo is surprised by his wife's question. "Why do you think she will give in?""Well, I know that Josias has always loved Melissa. The marriage he had with Katherine was purely formal because of the late J.J." Maggie explains, "But Melissa and Kelvin truly loved each other and had twins. There is a connection in that relationship, darling."Bernardo stands up, intrigued. "Hmm... Do you think Angela is dating Kelvin hoping that Melissa will react as the jealous one, causing trouble in her marriage wi
Melissa feels sorry to hear Josias blame himself for David's misbehavior."Dear, you're not to blame for this." Melissa tried to be patient and understanding, "You did what you could.""I shouldn't have even fathered David." Josias takes another gulp of his drink, "I was drunk and slept with Angela without a hint of love. Later, she had to show up and almost ruined our marriage. Our lives have never been the same since then."Melissa takes the glass from Josias' hands. "You talk about being drunk back then, but you're always drinking inside the office. Do you really need this drink table?""Sometimes, it's useful for businessmen and visitors, dear," Josias explains, not insisting on having the glass."Yes, but I wonder how many bottles you go through in a year. This cognac, for example, is half empty." Melissa places the glass on the table and moves Josias towards the desk."Okay, dear. You may be right about David's upbringing. But I won't stop worrying about him. And taking him to A
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