After moments of crying, Alan pulled away from Sofia. Her tears had stained his blue suit. “Dear, what is happening here? Can you speak now?” “I just wanted to hide in a hole and never come out!” Sofia whined, head down. Alan gently lifted Sofia’s chin. Upon seeing the bruises from the slaps, Alan’s expression turned gloomy and dangerous. “Who did this?” “Dear, it’s better if I explain first—” “WHO DID THIS?” Alan’s fierce tone made Sofia tremble a bit. “Helen Queiroz.” Her voice came out in a whisper. Alan instantly left his office. Sofia was left behind, wide-eyed, wondering what Alan would do. Tony and Caio noticed Alan rushing past them like a whirlwind. “Alan, wait!” Caio tried to call him, but Alan had already turned down the hallway. Tony felt indignant and turned back into the office where Sofia was still standing. “Are you happy now, you hysteric? God forbid the title ‘Princess of Lagoon City’ ever falls on you! You are not worthy of that title, only Caroline Ro
Alan returns to General Hospital, looking for his family. As he passes through the door of the famous lounge, a nurse approaches him from the front table. “Mr. Rocha, your family is waiting in the lounge. Olivia Vasquez has been taken for further tests.” “Oh, thank you very much.” Alan smiled faintly and stepped inside. Inside, Erasmo was trying to calm a hysterical Sofia. “They just sat there, cursing and humiliating me, unafraid of being fired, those bastards!” “That’s ABSURD!” Erasmo turns to Alan. “Son-in-law, I’m glad you came. Did you hear how Sofia was treated at Rocha Constructions and LCN?” “I still don’t know all the details.” Alan replied coldly. “I went to LCN, but João Paulo wasn’t there. I went to the Rocha Mansion, but my grandparents told me not to call my parents, as they wouldn’t defend Sofia.” Sofia has glassy eyes and trembles with outrage. Erasmo frowned. “Josias and Melissa wouldn’t defend my daughter? Why?” “Well, first, we would have to discuss what So
At Pizzeria Campos, the flow of customers began to increase as the night progressed. Caio and Brigitte arrived at the place after having dinner with chicken parmesan. The incident they witnessed earlier wouldn’t leave their minds. “There’s my dad, at the playground.” “How nice to have this play area for the kids while the adults wait for their pizza,” Brigitte commented with a smile. “Yes, it’s just not cool when an adult decides to crawl into the lycra tunnel. He always ends up getting stuck in there and can’t get out.” Caio smiled as he remembered countless times he and his father discovered a grown man completely stuck in the lycra tunnel the following day. And indeed, when they approached the playground, William was looking uncertainly at the mentioned tunnel, which was shaking violently. You could tell by the outline of the fabric that it wasn’t a child struggling inside. “Again, dad?” “It’s an 18-year-old who swore he could do it. Okay, let’s let him be. I can’t stay here
Rodrigo and Thierry are talking in the office that used to belong to Jacques at the Lafayette Mansion.“Rod, we need to figure out some details that people keep pestering me about,” Thierry comments.“What’s bothering you?” Rodrigo sits in one of the upholstered armchairs.“They want to know if my son will inherit the photography studio or the supermarket.” Thierry sighs.Rodrigo rests his chin on his hand. “What have you decided?”“Well, I would prefer if my son took over the supermarket,” Thierry replies cautiously. “The photography studio is something personal to me, my hobby. I’m not sure if I intend to keep it in the family when I get really old and pass away.”“Have you talked to your wife about this?” Rodrigo asks.“Not yet, we’re discussing it among ourselves, gentlemen and heads of family,” Thierry chuckles.“Well, maybe you and Rosemary will have more children, and then the second one can take over the studio,” Rodrigo suggests. “It would be a shame for you to get rid of all
Rodrigo visits Daryl at Crystal Blue to discuss their earlier conversation. He finds his cousin in the office that used to belong to Daniela. “Daryl, I need to chat with you. But please, don’t get your hopes up too much.” “What do you mean? I’m a controlled guy!” Daryl replied in a joking tone. Rodrigo hesitated, unsure whether to continue. He knew how emotional Daryl could be. “Okay, but as I said, don’t get your hopes up. Thierry is commenting that his son is going to inherit the supermarket.” Daryl, as expected, couldn’t contain his emotions. “But why doesn’t THIERRY just take over that damn supermarket already, huh?” Rodrigo jumped slightly. “Huh? You promised you would stay calm.” Daryl took a deep breath and counted to five before continuing. “Sorry, cousin. But I’m just stating the truth. Thierry should have taken over the supermarket from the start. It’s his last name. Or does he plan to keep playing photographer until he dies?” “That was basically what he said,” Rodri
At General Hospital, Reynaldo hurried in after the meeting with J.J. Leonardo was at the door of the private room. “So, bro? How was the meeting?” “The meeting went well. J.J. still doesn’t know whether to leave the farm in the hands of the representative. He claims that even if that’s the case, he would still have to check with the representative about the most interesting news from the farm.” Reynaldo scratched the back of his neck. “Take it easy, don’t rush him.” Leonardo advised in a lawyerly tone. “In time, J.J. will realize he can’t do two things at once.” They heard someone mumbling in the room – it was their father. “Go to your appointment; I’ll take over from here.” Reynaldo patted Leonardo’s shoulder. As Leonardo was stepping away, he startled when J.J. turned the corner to find him. “J.J.?” “Hey, what’s with that face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” J.J. laughed at Leonardo's startled expression. Leonardo shook his head. “It’s nothing like that; I was just sur
At Lafayette Mansion, Rosemary and Nadia were chatting about the current topic after Rosemary had put Jean Luc to sleep – again.“He’s gonna wake us up in the middle of the night soon,” Rosemary commented, not in a complaining tone.Nadia laughed. “Frank used to pull that on us.”The two sat down on the sofa.Rosemary cleared her throat somewhat unnecessarily, “Ahem... so, dear, our husbands are discussing which business Jean Luc will inherit.”Nadia nodded. “Does that mean my brother is, even if late, showing interest in the supermarket?”“He still wants to stay in the studio,” Rosemary replied. “We had our little private chat there. But it’s clear he wants Jean Luc in the supermarket.”Nadia smiled slightly. “Photography is a very specific profession. It’s not something that can be passed from parent to child like the supermarket. In photography, a person needs to have desire, passion, talent... Thierry is predicting that there’s a good chance Jean Luc wants to do something else whe
Helen was talking to Karen about family dramas at Cardozo’s store. There weren’t many customers at this hour.“And then, my husband, who has never been violent, as gentle as my brother-in-law... slapped Alan!”Karen smiled with pleasure. “Wow! That’s what you expect from a real man, the protector of the household!”“Karen, you’re not getting it...”Karen shook her finger. “No, dear, you didn’t think Josias Rocha would be someone ‘gentle.’ From everything I’ve heard about him and the things Tony tells me, Josias is someone with power and authority; not gentle at all!”Helen pondered over that and remembered several moments when Josias had been uncompromising when necessary.Suddenly, João Paulo rushed into the store, panting.“Helen, MY DEAR! Something terrible has happened!”“What is it, my love?” Helen was horrified.“Josias called...” João Paulo felt a lump in his throat. “My dad... he is sick! Josias thinks he won’t make it... he’s calling for me!”“Oh no!” Helen, even more horrifi
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