At the Vasquez mansion, the atmosphere was calm and pleasant. The doorbell, chiming like celestial bells, prompted Engrácia to answer it.She was surprised to find Josias waiting with a smile on his face.“Good morning, Mr. Rocha. Is anyone from the family expecting you?”“No, I came as a surprise. But I believe no one in the family will mind, right?” Josias winked mischievously.Engrácia took two steps back and allowed Josias to enter.As she led him to the living room, he found Luís sitting on one of the sofas, reading a newspaper.“Good morning, young man. I don’t think we’ve properly met yet.” Josias greeted Luís, approaching him and extending his hand.Luís was caught off guard by Josias's unexpected visit. He shook Josias’s hand firmly. “Pleased to meet you. Luís Vasquez, Sofia’s cousin.”“That’s good. My brother gave you a rather infamous nickname, didn’t he?” Josias teased, sitting on another sofa.Engrácia quickly excused herself to call Sofia or Alan, or both.Luís frowned an
At the Vasquez Mansion, Josias continued pressing Sofia and Luís for an explanation about what happened with João Paulo. Luís cleared his throat and spoke up. “Ahem... Mr. Rocha, did you know that because of this nonsense, I lost the chance to date a beautiful girl?” “Really? Do I know her?” Josias smiled in that peculiar way, leaving it unclear to Luís whether he was being understanding or mocking. “Yes. Her name is Suzy Cogo, and she’s Eugenio Cogo’s niece.” Luís crossed his arms, deciding to believe that Josias wasn’t taking him seriously. “Eugenio Cogo is the hotel manager. You’re the supervisor.” Josias spoke without much emphasis, dragging out the conversation and confusing the listeners. “And your son, David, works at the reception, courting her behind my back,” Luís grumbled. “They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Sofia felt her heart racing, the atmosphere becoming tense. “Uh... Luís, there’s no need to insult anyone. David probably didn’t even realize he w
At Rocha Hotel, Luís bumps into Eugenio in the corridors.“Luís, good morning.”“What’s so good about today?” Luís snaps back, his tone sharp and rude.Guests and hotel staff are shocked by Luís' behavior, shaking their heads and moving away from the grumpy man.Eugenio clicks his tongue. “I see you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Want to talk about it in my office?”“If I talk to you, you’ll just send me to HR!” Luís retorts, scowling and bitter.“Nothing is so bad that it can’t get worse.” Eugenio opens the director's office door and ushers the supervisor inside, insisting on helping him.Inside, Luís sighs, his demeanor shifting from tough to tearful. “I can’t take it anymore, Eugenio. It feels like being a Vasquez in this city has become a life sentence!”“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?” Eugenio sits down at his desk.“I can’t convince a half-baked journalist to remove my title of ‘Spanish Stallion.’” Luís grumbles, punching the air as if João Paulo were there, “I punch
At Rocha Constructions, Alfred and Caio enter the presidential office and find J.J. reading the files that Alan had given him about Vasconcelos Fabrics.“Hey, buddy! How’s it going getting acquainted with one of your father’s companies?” Alfred smiles as he approaches him.“Great.” J.J. keeps his eyes on the file. “I’m learning a lot and coming up with some ideas.”“Will you have a managerial role there?” Caio asks excitedly. “All of Uncle Josias’s children do.”“Except Carol. She’ll continue studying Journalism.” J.J. looks up and faces them. “Maybe I should do the same.”“Study Journalism?” Alfred asks, astonished.“No, study Business Administration or something like that. Alan has a degree. David has experience with his mother’s store. And I?”Alfred reassures him, “You have experience in the countryside, at your grandfather’s farm. By the way, what’s going to happen with it?”“It’s mine, but it will be managed by the overseers there.” J.J. smiles, “And I also have some ideas for it
A few days had passed with Karen recovering in the hospital. Now she was waking up and had enough strength to hold and interact with the baby.“We still don’t know his name,” she commented in a fragile voice, smiling as she held her little angel.Kelvin, more excited, suggested, “What’s your father’s name?”“It was Antônio…”“Then we can name him Antony Britton Mountain. What do you think?”Karen nodded, smiling. “If my brother had a son, he would be Antônio Britton Jr.”“Oh, his name is also Antônio?” Kelvin became more interested in Karen’s family. After all, he was about to propose...“Yes, but we affectionately call him Tony.” Karen gently stroked the baby’s fine hair as he slept peacefully.“Wait, wasn’t Tony the name of Josias’s late father?” Kelvin felt awkward. The comparison would be inevitable...“Come on…” Karen frowned. “No one’s to blame for something like that. It was just a coincidence. The Britton family didn’t live here in the 80s. I came here looking for opportunitie
At General Hospital, Karen shakes her head.Kelvin is surprised. "What’s wrong, dear?"“I must be dreaming. What did you say?” Karen’s eyes widen as the paleness in her face gradually fades with each passing minute of the conversation.“Yes, you’re wide awake.” Kelvin begins to laugh. “You’ll be Mrs. Mountain, Mrs. Kelvin Mountain. Isn’t that what you wanted?”“But… What happened? Why did you change your mind?” Karen asks, fearing this might be temporary, just a spur-of-the-moment decision.“I almost lost you. I didn’t want to raise a child without a mother. You would’ve been the second woman I lost if it weren’t for God’s mercy,” Kelvin replies tenderly. “That’s why I decided to stop being foolish and do the right thing.”Karen is touched, feeling her heart race. But this time, it doesn’t make her feel sick.Maggie enters the room cautiously. “Good morning! May I visit?”Kelvin straightens up, smiling more than ever. “Maggie, meet the next Mrs. Mountain in the family!”Maggie, still
At Café Montanha, Kelvin updates his family about Karen and the baby."My son will be named Antony Britton Mountain. What do you think?" Kelvin asks with indescribable paternal pride."I'm very happy for you, nephew." Francisco gives a thumbs up. "We were talking, and we decided not to hassle you about your marriage.""That’s the right thing to do," Isabel echoes the sentiment."Thank you, everyone." Kelvin sighs with relief. "Finally, Melissa can rest easy, and we can lay to rest the rumors that I want to win her back."Isabel grins mischievously. "Well, Kelvin, it’s not like you’ve never thought about it. We know Melissa isn’t an easy woman to forget.""You were married to her for many years. It’s natural that you miss her," Francisco comforts him with an empathetic smile."Yes, but today, all I’m allowed to have from Melissa are memories. The past will be cherished in my mind and heart." Kelvin sighs melancholically."Do you want a coffee, nephew?" Francisco gestures toward the cof
Josias notices Rodrigo entering the presidential office at Rocha Constructions. He gives a slight smile."Hello, Rod! How can I help you?""Um... It seems like I'm interrupting something." Rodrigo becomes nervous, "I can wait in the adjacent room—""Don’t waste your time. We’re short on assistants, as Reuben will be staying permanently in Rio de Janeiro." Josias stands up again."I wanted to let you know that my cousin Kelvin is going to marry Karen Britton," Rodrigo announces, noticing the perplexed looks from Josias and Caio.Caio shakes his head. "Didn’t I tell you all the Mountain family is bold and forward?""Come on, stop being so critical, buddy!" Felipe becomes annoyed, growing bored.Josias nods seriously. "I wouldn’t have wanted this to happen, but it seems that Karen’s near-death experience has moved Kelvin. If he can handle the consequences, I won’t object."Rodrigo smiles with relief. "Thank you, Josias. We wanted to inform you so you wouldn’t feel deceived. And as for yo