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is reading emails from unhappy passengers sent by the customer service department."The buses are back out of line, outdated, old, rusty..."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."
At Vaztrans, Olivia and Sofia are bothered by the latest news regarding Caroline."Dear, you need to teach Carol to mind her own business," Sofia complains, unable to hold back any longer."Calm down, Sofia. Carol is studying for the college entrance exam. She promised to become a journalist to work at Maggiezine." Alan tries to console his wife.However, Sofia becomes more exasperated, "NO! How dangerous it would be for Carol to be a journalist! She would gossip countless barbarities about me, you can count on that!""I don't think Bernie Marçal would dare to create a copy of that journalist who gave them a hard time... what's her name again?""Gabriela Alves, Sandra's legitimate mother," Alan replied, "No, Maggie won't allow Carol to use her magazine for personal vendettas.""Let's hope not. But why does she have a grudge against Miss Lombardi?" Olivia complained about gossip but now wants to know about one."Carol, for some reason, wants Pete to end his relationship with Daniela bec
Erasmo passes by Reuben, panting and with sweat stains under his arms, marking his cotton dress shirt."You're sweating," Reuben said, distracted."Young man, focus!" Erasmo banged on his desk, "Announce me to your boss.""You're going to talk to Uncle Josias all sweaty?" Reuben asked indignantly."ARGH!" Erasmo almost had a fit, "How did you manage to be the secretary and representative of the most powerful man in Lagoon City?""Not sweating like a pig," Reuben replied as he picked up the phone, "Uncle Josias, Erasmo Vasquez wants to speak to you... Oh, you were expecting him. Did you also expect him to come all sweaty under the armpits?"Erasmo restrained himself from punching Reuben."OK, bye now." Reuben ended the call, "You can come in. But don't get too close to Uncle Josias. You're sweaty."Unable to control himself, Erasmo told Reuben to go to hell and hurried into Josias's office."Your secretary urgently needs a refresher on how to greet visitors!" Erasmo slammed the door shu
The next day, Erasmo was fearfully discussing with his family what Josias had decided.Olivia and Sofia had wide eyes."Is he going to kill my grandson if we don't comply with his wishes?" Olivia exclaimed horrified.Sofia instinctively placed her hands on her belly. "That's impossible! Father, you must be exaggerating.""No, daughter!" Erasmo insisted, "Either we put Alan as a partner, dividing some shares, or the loan will be denied!"Sofia clenched her fists. "This means that what Caroline has been braying about for years has been engraved in her father's mind and heart. She succeeded. We are now labeled as untrustworthy, and this is the treatment we receive when we're genuinely in trouble!"Alan approached wearing formal attire, missing his tie and suit."Good morning, family! Is breakfast ready?""Yes, Alan. But we are discussing a very serious matter," Olivia replied.Alan noticed the somber tone in her voice and the palpable oppressive tension in the dining room."What happened?
When Josias entered the mansion, he found Melissa dressed up to go out."Dear, I didn't want to ask you yesterday, but I saw that you were a little upset." Josias approached and kissed her cheek."Oh, you're referring to the mission you entrusted me with?" Melissa huffed and rolled her eyes at the same time, "Unfortunately, I couldn't be as efficient.""What does Kelvin claim?""He denied it the whole time, making me believe exactly what you said," Melissa replied disappointed with her ex-husband, "How am I going to tell the twins?""Don't tell them. They don't need to have their childhood traumatized," Josias advises her."Actually, they're pre-teens." Melissa jokes."How time flies, huh? Little Theo is going to be just as big as his father, and Pete is kicking out problematic tenants by brute force."Melissa laughs. Yes, she's getting old, but to her, it's interesting to watch the next generation grow.They walk towards the hallway."Darling, about you ordering the boys from the Bent
Daniela claps as if she were part of an audience watching Pedro's energetic action."Wow... fantastic. What a manly and strong boyfriend I have!""Am I still your boyfriend?" Pedro jokes, wiping his hands as if trying to clean the dirt off the evicted tenant.Beto laughs and comes out from behind the counter. "I'll pack his things."Beto goes up the stairs to 202."Pete, while I applaud your courage, I wonder if this could backfire on you one day." Daniela expresses her concern."How so?""For example, I always had a suspicion that guy from 202 was up to something shady." Daniela drops her smile, "Could he not try to seek revenge on you?""With the electronic gate and the fact that we're protected by Josias, nothing bad will happen to us, my dear.""But wasn't there a time when Caio suffered retaliation?" Daniela remembers the incident."Indeed, some drug dealers tried to harm Caio. But they paid dearly for it. The one who tried to kill my brother was found with his mouth full of ants
In the cafeteria of the Teodoro building, Teresa talks to Daniela. The two watch the tenants having their meals."Daniela, how did things go with Caroline? Have you made up yet?"Daniela purses her lips. "No. She hasn't been here since, neither her nor Felipe.""I'm really sorry. As a friend of Melissa, I think I should talk to her.""Don't bother." Daniela smiles to reassure her, "I appreciate your dedication, Tess, but Caroline is my business. And honestly, I'm not in the mood to talk about it.""Do you think the anger will pass?" Teresa raises her eyebrows, "Caroline has an issue with Sofia that hasn't completely resolved yet.""Sofia Vasquez, her sister-in-law? Alan seems to be a happy husband. Why can't Caroline be happy for her brother?""Midnight Mysteries." Teresa shakes her head."Maybe I can understand what's going on. Sofia is pregnant, right?" Daniela's eyes sparkle, thinking of some plan of action."Yes, go visit her. She needs it." Teresa encourages her.Daniela starts c
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