David talks to Angela at the Angel store."Mom, it's been a while, and I still don't know what you're doing with your life."Angela, typing on the computer, looks up at her son with bewilderment."What are you talking about, son? You know what I'm doing.""I'll tell you what you're NOT doing!" David leans forward, "Winning back my father to finally make us a family. How am I supposed to build mine if I have no reference?"Angela furrows her brow. "Don't be ridiculous. You lived in Rocha Mansion last year and saw what a family dynamic is like. There couldn't be a better fatherly example than your father.""Yes, I watched how he handles that bunch of crazies with skill and power." David proudly smiles at the memory of his father."So, what you need to do is find a girl and do the same." Angela shrugs."But I can't just think about myself. What's going on between you and Kelvin isn't the ideal."Angela mischievously smiles. "It's not ideal, but it's working for now.""How so?" David beco
Kelvin gets up from the desk with an expression of disbelief.Even if Angela had told him that, he would definitely refuse!Josias smiles scornfully. "I can see she didn't pass the message on to you.""Josias..." Kelvin could hardly speak properly. He trembled with gradually rising wrath."Take it easy, Kelvin. I better explain what's going on. I don't know if you noticed, but Angela is using you to make me jealous and provoke Melissa," Josias responded calmly.Josias' calmness was a stark contrast to Kelvin's anger."What nonsense is this?" Kelvin finally managed to shout."It's not nonsense. It's reality." Josias replied with a slight smile."You like coming here and rubbing it in my face that Melissa is with you, huh?""Kelvin, don't get me wrong. But Melissa and I have a beautiful love story that dates back to the 80s. You only showed up in town ten years later, and if it weren't for Angela and Katherine, Melissa would've never set eyes on you."Kelvin is forced to agree. "Yes, yo
At the Rocha Mansion, Pedro discovers that Caroline has no qualms about wanting to meddle in his love life."Carol... what nonsense is this?""Is it nonsense to want to help a friend get rid of a harlot?""How much does Daniela charge for her services?" Pedro retorts."I don't know!" Caroline gestures impatiently, "I just know that she doesn't deserve your love!"Pedro closes Caroline's bedroom door. At least, that's what he thought, as a crack was left open."Friend, I appreciate your concern, but it's not that big of a deal." Pedro smiles gently."Pete, aren't you angry that her father almost killed yours?" Caroline asks with sad eyes."You really like my Dad, huh?" Pedro embraces her."Of course! Beto is a good guy and part of my past, my childhood, just like Claudio.""Have you noticed that you only have good-looking and muscular friends?" Pedro jokes."It must be because of my Dad." Caroline shrugs."And your fiancé, Reuben? Equally well-built and attractive. Tell him to take it
At the Rocha Hotel, Benjamin finds David smiling like never before.He approaches the kitchen counter. Behind Benjamin, the chefs are preparing their stations for the lunch service."Hello, David! You're more cheerful than when you woke up.""Sorry for my terrible morning mood, buddy." David rejoiced, "I need your team to make an effort with the menu. Here's what the Army Commander ordered for lunch.""Who would've thought, the commander is on vacation here and chose our hotel!" Benjamin takes the paper."His wish will be our command, and I'm not speaking symbolically!"Benjamin studies David, "Can I know what happened for you to be so radiant?"David suddenly remembered that Benjamin belonged to the enemy side. He wipes the smile off his face."I can't tell you, man.""Why not? Share your joy with me!" Benjamin insists."If I tell you, will you promise not to lecture me in front of your chefs?" David looks over Benjamin's shoulder.Sybil was suspicious, looking sideways as she choppe
Kelvin goes to Karen's apartment to discuss the bombshell news he received.As he knocked on the door, he could hear the song "We Are Golden" by Mika blaring through the speakers.Karen opened the door wearing somewhat sloppy clothes."Isn't that music too loud for the baby?" Kelvin asked ironically as he entered."Don't be a clown!" Karen slammed the door shut, "You still don't believe it?""My dear, nausea can mean anything. If I feel nauseous, does that mean I'm pregnant too?" Kelvin sits on the sofa, observing the mess around him.Karen turns off the radio and glares at Kelvin."I already feel like you're going to tell me to have an abortion.""Karen, don't even think about it!" Kelvin yells, "You're not going to trick me or tie me down with a baby that obviously isn't mine."In a fit of rage, Karen grabs the pregnancy test stick she bought at the pharmacy and throws it at Kelvin's face. "There's your damn proof!"Kelvin was startled by the stick suddenly landing in his face. Upon
The meeting is over. In Josias' office, he serves drinks from the drinks table to those nearby.Alan exclaims, "Caio, you outdid yourself! Congratulations!""A shopping mall in Lagoon City," Alfred nodded, "We have shopping centers, but not one of that size.""I'm glad I could contribute something." Caio is smiling.Josias raises his brandy glass and everyone imitates the toast."Mom will love the surprise, Dad," Alan assures."It's just another proof of my love for her." Josias drinks.Alfred chuckles. "Why do you need to prove anything to her after so many years of marriage and companionship?""It turns out there are still people who dare to doubt our love," Josias responds enigmatically.The others want to decipher the phrase.Caio asks worriedly, "What do you mean by that, Uncle Josias? Kelvin...?""Wow, you guys thought of him right away!" Josias nervously laughs.Alan becomes serious. "Although I am eternally grateful for Kelvin raising me, I know he still has a soft spot for my
In the Teodoro Building, Theodore paid a visit to see how things were going.He stared at the portrait of the building owner, who would have been his grandfather.Pedro appeared with some papers in hand. "Hey, man! What are you doing here?""I'm looking at your grandfather's portrait." Theodore replied, "Don't you think I should change my name?"Pedro chuckled, positioning himself behind the counter. "Is it even possible to do this?""My father said it's possible." Theodore leaned on the counter, "If my name is an embarrassment to you, you can tell me."Pedro shook his head. "I can’t understand why.""I was named 'Theodore' because of your grandfather. My damn mother wanted everyone to believe that Mr. Reis was my father. In reality, my father was her boss. It was an insult, some disrespect to your grandfather's memory, that I received that name."Pedro waved off the idea. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Little Theo. It wasn't your fault. Yes, our mother was disrespectful. It shows
At Vaztrans, Erasmo is reading emails from unhappy passengers sent by the customer service department."The buses are back out of line, outdated, old, rusty..." Erasmo scratches his head with both hands, messing up his hair, "We need an urgent loan!"Ironically, Olivia showed up in the office with five shopping bags from expensive stores."Hi, dear! I bought that pair of shoes I've been coveting for weeks! I finally got it—""Hide those bags IMMEDIATELY, you careless woman!" Erasmo shouted horrified, "We don't know if Alan or Josias may show up here!""Relax, they're not here." Olivia shrugged.Sofia is the next to enter. "Mom, I can't believe you had the nerve to spend the amount of a new bus on clothes and shoes!""Helen Queiroz was walking with those high heels and I NEEDED to be up to her level!" Olivia justified herself, "No one insults me like that."Sofia frowns. "And who said Helen was insulting you? She probably didn't even think of you when she bought the shoes for herself."
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