Later, at Simeon's house, Dora is walking in circles, unhappy with William announcing that he will not be returning to Stacy. Carlos is sitting in the armchair with Alan in his lap. The radio played the song "Strangelove" by Depeche Mode.
"Son, you can't be so insensitive!" Dora pleads with her son, "You now know it wasn't Stacy's fault, she was seduced by a maniac!"
William shakes his head, "Mother, yourself said that Stacy knew at first what she was doing. I've already told my father and Josias: I'm sorry she went through such humiliation and abuse, but if Marcelo wasn't the freaky one, she would be happy with him to this day."
Dora purses her lips, "Remember that Stacy only moaned Marcelo's name when YOU were taking her to bed. In other words, if it wasn't Marcelo, you would be the abuser!"
"Mother, don't talk that nonsense!" William gets scandalized and the voice comes out in falsetto, "What the hell is that? I didn't want to force myself on Stacy, an
On another day, Stacy appears with all the courage in Happiness Slum and knocks on William's door.She hears the noise of television and video game from a distance. William and Caio's laughs are also heard."Pause the game, son. Someone is knocking on the door." William asks his son.When William opens the door, part of his smile breaks, "Stacy?""William, we need to talk once and for all."William opens space and Stacy enters. When Caio sees her, he smiles but doesn't know what to call her anymore."Hello, Caio! Wow, how you've grown!" Stacy greets him without waiting for an answer."Son, go to the kitchen that has carrot cake made by Aunt Melissa." William admonishes him."Yay!" Caio runs to the kitchen, eager to get a piece."Sit down, Stacy." William gestures to the sofa. Indeed, the men were playing video games.Stacy notices that the sofa is clean, the floor is waxed, and everything is organized around it.
The municipal election was held on a sunny Sunday. Now on Monday, Melissa gives Josias the newspaper showing the result of the dispute in the cover story.Josias picks up the newspaper and smiles. Ibrahim will continue to be called Mayor Ibrahim."Very well, the mayor managed to be reelected." Josias congratulates him from a distance."Does this mean good things to us?" Melissa sits beside him. Alan is in his chair slowly chewing strawberry jam bread."I don't know what we can benefit from this, but Silva Constructions got rid of bankruptcy." Josias jokes, "The resumption of construction on the mayor's mansion was in the newspapers, in the Economy section.""I am so happy for them." Melissa nods as she pours herself black coffee.They hear the noise of a glass being taken from the cupboard. Josias gets up and goes to the kitchen where Ernesto is."Ernesto, join us at the dinner table. There's plenty of room." Josias invites the privat
Carmen is impatient and with her hands on hips, trying to understand the philosophy of the Bento family. Tiago and Igor react as if they were criminals caught in the act by the police."I'm waiting for the explanation." Carmen walks into the kitchen, taking care of the shards of the cup Igor dropped, "Why couldn't Marcelo date Stacy and now Igor can?"Tiago tries to be as didactic and affectionate as possible, "Darling, there are two completely different situations. When Marcelo was with Stacy, she was still engaged to William. Now the two decided to be just good friends. Nothing prevents Stacy from staying with Igor.""And not to mention I don't intend to be maniacal and disrespect Stacy." Igor defends himself.Tiago tries to put his arm around Carmen's waist, but she rejects the affectionate gesture, "No, that's absurd to me. If Marcelo finds out about this, he'll never want to talk to you again!""Marcelo committed a crime against the dignity of
The turbulent conversation between Carmen and Tiago continues. He's sweeping the china shards from the cup Igor dropped."Too bad, such a refined cup..." Tiago laments."Don't change the subject, bastard!" Carmen explodes in rage, "You still haven't answered me satisfactorily if the Bento family is from the mafia or not!"Tiago has his back to Carmen as he shakes the dustpan with the broken pieces in the trash can, "That's nonsense, honey. We've never done anything to make you think that.""Do I need to remind you of the way you resolved Marcelo's issue?" Carmen approaches Tiago, grabs him by the arm, and forces him to face her, "How did the police agree to lock him up in jail without a custody hearing?"Tiago just looks at the floor, "Honey, if you don't trust me, then we better call off the wedding.""NO!" Carmen despairs with the proposal. She hugs Tiago tightly, afraid he's gone, as if she's drowning and Tiago is the lifeline, "Please, h
Josias couldn't believe that Mayor Ibrahim wanted to have anything to do with him. What is happening that he has become a magnet for powerful and influential people?He shakes his head and thanks, "Ask your father's forgiveness, but I don't feel qualified to speak to him."Bruno realizes what's going on and widens his eyes, "Hey, isn't he the son of the...?""Himself, Bruno, but we're on our way out." Josias is pushing Bruno lightly for him to leave soon.Tobias insists, "Come on, Mr. Rocha! You are much more important than you think you are."What Tobias doesn't know is that Josias has an unusual modesty, "When I'm up to your father, I'll look for him myself. See you later, Mr. Ibrahim."Josias nods and walks away. Bruno goes after him without understanding. Tobias, however, nods satisfied with what he has seen."The more modest you are, the more we like you, dear Josias Rocha," Tobias answers for himself.***Carmen vi
Pamela is in the apartment sitting in the armchair, surrounded by her children and listening to the song "Make it Real" by The Jets. Caio and Rosemary are smoothing Pamela's belly, which is starting to grow."Our little brother is showing up, Mom!" Caio exclaims, "Is it a boy or a girl?""It's still too early to find out, my son," Pamela responds with emotion, even though in her heart of hearts, she hopes it's a boy.Someone knocks on the door. Caio approaches it, "May I answer, mommy?""Yes, you are the man of the house while your daddy Beto is away."Feeling like a grown man, Caio goes to answer it but forgets to ask who it is.Pamela tries to warn him, "Hey son, ask who—"Too late. William was outside and rushed in, especially after having seen his son, "Hey, sonny!""Daddy!" Caio exclaims very excitedly.Rosemary walks away from Pamela and goes to the door, but is disappointed, "No, it's not Daddy..."Pa
Flávia and Isabel talk while having coffee in the afternoon, listening to the song "Kissing a Fool" by George Michael on the radio. The slow music soothes the spirits of the two ladies."Harold is taking a while. Is the problem that serious?" Isabel asks herself again."Sometimes the harder something is, the better the reward when you get it." Flavia philosophizes.Harold finally appears at the house smiling and relieved, "Ladies, no fear! The solution is finally on its way!"Isabel instantly stands up with the vigor of a cheerleader, "Really? Oh dear, aren't you joking like your son?"Harold bursts out laughing, "No, but I'm in a good mood just like him!"Harold sits in the armchair feeling like a king. He takes off his shoes and doesn't continue with the good news, making women more anxious."Come on, darling, tell me what Igor Bento said!" Isabel begs.Harold speaks in a herald tone, "Igor Bento said, by the way, he p
William is being beaten by an angry father who complains that his daughter has lost her innocence to the famous former soccer player. The problem is that William has banged so many girls that he has no idea which one this wild gentleman is talking about!While William tries to guess, the wild father has punched him in the face so many times that blood starts to ooze from his lips and nose.Caio is huddled in a corner, screaming in terror. Such a dreadful scene cannot be witnessed by a child."Stop, you crazy! My son is over there!" William still manages to yell, "Run, Caio!"Caio drops the backpack he was carrying and runs to Raymond's house. Instinct tells him that his 'cousin's' father would be at home.When he knocks desperately on the door, it is opened by Raymond, who is shirtless and at ease with Junior. The two were watching a movie."Caio! What happened, my son?""Uncle Ray! A bad man is beating my father! He's innocent, he di
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