Josias visits a construction site in Saint Gabriel, where William, Simeon, Milton, and Uélton are working. The walls of the house are still being erected.
Josias announces to Uélton and William, "Pamela's third child is born."
"My congratulations to the baby who came into the world, I do not congratulate the mother." Uélton comments.
"As seen, you didn't promise to discipline your tongue this year," Josias comments rolling his eyes.
Uélton smiles: "No way, you guys like my humor."
William asks sticking to the subject, "And Roberto Reis will take over?"
Josias takes a deep breath and shows concern. "Guys, I've been informed that Seu Teodoro is seeing a cardiologist. It seems that this whole mess is too much for him. I insist that these children of his have caused nothing but confusion and headaches.
"And we suspect that Seu Teodoro himself is in connivance with these confusions." Uélton reminds him.
Tuesday. Josias and Melissa have breakfast in the dining room, at the huge rectangular table made of mahogany. The chairs were also mahogany with white quilts. The previous set was old and Josias decided to buy the new set.Melissa happily watches Caio eating bread and butter. "Who would have thought, Josias? Three years have passed.""Is your mother still wanting to come here and take care of him?" Josias asks."Yeah, she's home alone. Dad's gone all day to work. Will managed to get back to our old house that no one wanted to buy." Melissa utters the last sentence in a mournful tone."Unfortunately, dear, no one in good financial condition wants to live at Happiness Slum." Josias tries to confort her."I want more, aunt!" Caio asks, in a voice so cute that Melissa doesn't refuse."Since your mother is coming, we don't need to hire a nanny." Josias is relieved. Being rich and popular comes at a price: the bills to pay.***************
Simeon watches William struggling to move blocks into the room that will be the kitchen.He speaks with disdain: "Yeah, son, it's hard to reconcile soccer with bricklaying. If your team would pay..."William leaves the blocks on the floor anyway, furious. "Dad, stop fussing! You look like a little woman whining!"Construction workers around are surprised by a son talking like that to his father.Simeon shakes his head: "Is it going to be like that now, son?""Yes. When I brought the cup to Happiness Slum, I will accept your apology." William withdraws.Uélton turns on the battery radio and the song "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News echoes throughout the construction site. William approaches him, frowning and with his arms crossed."Everyone is talking about this movie, Will. How about we see it in the movies?" Uélton asks nonchalantly."Could be, buddy. I'll talk to Stacy." He responds coldly.
Dora visits Penthouse Rocha with Stacy. The two are talking to Melissa while Caio plays around the room with a plane. He runs from one side to the other doing "Whoooooooo".Stacy smiles with the boy and expresses her wish: "Oh guys, will I have the same joy?""Of course, girl, don't be silly." Melissa encourages her, "Will is so hunk and manly; you'll have four more to make up for."Stacy is flushed with embarrassment. "I still find myself unworthy of making love to that man so perfect and wonderful.""And me, friend?" Melissa giggles, "I was completely lost on my wedding night, thank goodness Josias was very understanding. He had his moments too... he didn't even know how to open the champagne!"Women laugh. When Caio approaches, making the coffee table the landing strip, the ladies decide to change the subject."Now we have children here, let's watch our words." Dora says jokingly, "Anyway, Stacy, now it's time to schedule your wedding."
Josias and Melissa are having dinner. She cooked beef in the pressure cooker and made a sauce with mushrooms. Rice and vegetables complement the dish. Caio was in the living room watching a children's tv program.Melissa breaks the silence: "What's your mother's name?""Elza. Now she bears the surname Queiroz." Josias responds bitterly."You never got a chance to talk about what happened, right?" Melissa tries to understand the situation carefully."No. I was about ten years old when she got tired of my dad's idle life and left us. She was so mad she didn't want to fight for my custody. So I never heard from her again. If she heard about our marriage, it's because she wasn't that far away.""Does she intend to go back to town? What do you think she wants?"Josias has a grim expression. "If she thinks she's going to enjoy our wealth, she's sorely mistaken!"*******************************************************Now that he is l
Teodoro and Beto play cards in his son's apartment. The radio is playing "Slave of Love" by Bryan Ferry, which is totally ironic, as the song seems to describe Beto."Pamela's son was born," Beto announces.Teodoro plays the wrong card and gives the victory to Beto."Ha, I won!""Hey, that wasn't worth it!" Teodoro complains like a drunk, "You cheated by announcing this bad news.""Don't you want to meet your little granddaughter?" Beto teases him.Teodoro leans forward and slaps his son. "Shut your mouth! My grandson will be someone genuinely begotten by you in a god-approved marriage!"Beto just caresses the burning cheek. Did everyone decide to slap him? "I don't know if God will approve, but I'm going to have to marry Pamela."Again, Beto lowers his head to pick up the cards and doesn't see Teodoro making a horrible face as he puts his hand on his chest, on the side of his heart. When Beto lifts his head, Teodoro already ha
While Adrian gets dressed, Vera is thinking about how to let him down. After all, she just wanted him to have her first time so she could marry Wallace and keep her lie."You were quiet all of a sudden, dear." Adrian watches."Adrian, I hope you don't think we're getting married tomorrow." She turns to him, "Last night was wonderful, but now I need to get my ideas in order."Adrian stares at Vera without understanding anything. "Yesterday it wasn't just our bodies that got tangled up, but also your ideas?""That's right." She expresses through the body language that she is impatient for him to leave, "Like I told you, I'm not used to this."Adrian smiles slightly as he puts on his shirt. "You know where to find me. I'm leaving, see you later!"Adrian kisses her on the cheek, but he feels like he's kissing a corpse. He leaves and Vera wipes her cheek in disgust.********************************************************Ernesto en
At the Crystal Blue restaurant, Ernesto is at the table with Bruno. They still haven't ordered anything from the menu to keep the space free, so Ernesto manages to flip through the portfolio Bruno brought."The fact that you sold my boss's penthouse weighs in your favor." Ernesto says, "But the majority partner at Silva Constructions is concerned that you can provide excellent service. You know, we want to work with the best."Bruno is sweating but maintains his posture. "We can guarantee that we can do so. Mr. Gomes has just assembled a team of brokers to help them sell their properties.""Yes, it coincided that you called when Silva Constructions decided to invest in apartments." Ernesto smiles, "Very well, young Castelo, I'll take this information to Mr. Rocha and Mr. Silva. Shall we ask?"Bruno nods. Ernesto gestures and the nearest waiter answers them.*******************************************************Elisa and Stacy have lunch in
Melissa receives a visit from William. He's still wearing his work clothes and his helmet is under his arm. She leads him into the living room. William looks at the elegant, covered sofas and is reluctant to sit on them in his worn, cement-stained jeans."I'll stay standing." He smiles, "I came here to leave you a message from Raymond Chaves."Melissa purses her lips. That means Raymond will talk about Pamela. "How does that family still remember me?""They remembered when they saw me back in our old house." William jokes."What was the message?" Melissa sits like a diva."Mr. Chaves asks you to try to get closer to Pamela." William tells her, "He's sure that when the two of you were friends, you were the one who put sense into Pamela's head. He attests that since you girls fought, she's gone from bad to worse."Melissa feels praised, smiles slightly. "That's true. She came to you and you fathered Caio, you left soccer without telling us the
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