The next day, Tuesday.The police station was once again in a pink-cloud atmosphere with the definitive capture of the lord drug Lampião. The journalists who had camped out applauded Sergeant Carvalho effusively for his swift action. Unfortunately, during the operation, one officer lost his life in the shootout. Because of this, Carvalho was neither smiling nor boasting in front of the cameras.“Officer Limeira fought crime with honor and bravery. We extend our condolences to his family and friends. But he would certainly be proud to know that we captured a terrible criminal. We hope to continue until we free Lion’s Den from the yoke of the drug trade. The residents of that community deserve to live without fear!”The journalists fired sharp questions while the photographers clicked away with their cameras.Among them, Matthew stood discreetly in a corner, but with a small satisfied smile on his face.He had slept well, and just as he had expected, good news had appeared on his tablet

“You want to help Ismael Lancaster’s campaign?” Augusto’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.He wasn’t stupid; he had done basic research on Vaztrans. Lancaster couldn’t afford to be careless. However, Sofia Vasquez was the wife of Alan Campos Rocha, the heir to the Rocha commercial empire. Since Lancaster’s ultimate goal was Josias...With that in mind, Augusto produced the most fake and opportunistic smile imaginable. “Oh, yes, Mr. Vasquez, it would be an honor!”“Put those verbs in the present indicative, please, because we are talking about concrete facts.” Erasmo raised his index finger, mimicking a big shot — though only mimicking.“Excellent! I didn’t know you followed my candidate’s trajectory,” Augusto continued smiling.As Engrácia served two cups of tea, Erasmo wondered if he should confirm that he was only supporting Lancaster because Josias would certainly bar him from supporting Tobias. Erasmo didn’t want to clash with Josias — not now, with his little daughter living a

João Paulo was checking in with Josias regarding the gossip about William’s potential firing from Vaztrans. Josias closed the door to his study.“Believe it or not, little brother, Sofia guaranteed that Will wouldn’t be fired.”“That’s hard to swallow, big bro,” João Paulo chuckled in disbelief. “We know Sofia is a total shrew, practically trying to outdo Suzy Cogo in the villainy department.”Josias sat at his desk. “But here, she has been behaving exemplarily.”“Couldn’t it be a strategy?” João Paulo raised an eyebrow.“If it is, it’s working,” Josias smiled faintly. “All I want is peace.”“How has Carol been reacting?” João Paulo grabbed his tablet to take notes.“For now, Carol has refrained from calling the boys from the Bento family.” Josias looked at the picture frame showing Caroline and Reuben in Copacabana. “No conflicts have happened yet.”“So, she really is trying to behave. Do you think Alan will forgive her?” João Paulo typed away.“Alan has always forgiven her. My son h

Erasmo showed up at Vaztrans, once again receiving the same almost reverential greeting from the employees. He was completely oblivious to how ridiculous and fake those greetings were. The truth was, no one knew who they should actually respect: the parents or their daughter?Feeling like he was on top of the world, Erasmo went straight to William’s office, slamming the door with a loud bang in an attempt to intimidate him, but he failed miserably.William simply looked up with total composure. “I thought a herd of cattle was passing through, but it was just you.”“HOW DARE YOU?!” Erasmo bellowed at the top of his lungs, his right fist raised. “Why are you still working at this company when nobody wants you here?”“Your daughter wants me here.” William smiled victoriously.“Forget it; she’s not going to cheat on Alan with you.” Erasmo wagged his index finger. “You’ve had your glory days, and now you’re just pot-bellied.”“What does one have to do with the other?” William’s smile vanis

At Pedro’s apartment, he was changing a lightbulb in nothing but shorts, using an iron ladder perfectly suited for the task. Daniela walked in, coming face-to-face with her hubby.“Honey, we have a new tenant. Nathalie Fonseca, plus her daughter, Tiffany. She’s a total sweetheart.”“And is the mother a sweetheart too?” Pedro joked.Daniela nudged the ladder, shaking it slightly. Pedro almost lost his balance but burst out laughing.“WHOA, watch it down there, gorgeous!” he laughed.“And you watch that sharp tongue of yours up there,” Daniela laughed back, feigning jealousy.“Alright, alright.” He finished the job and climbed down. “But Rose was only going to hang the notice today. That was fast, huh?”“It was a total coincidence. But listen to this: she seems to be running from something.” Daniela turned serious. “She only brought two small suitcases and then asked me where the pharmacy was. Obviously, she left personal belongings behind.”Pedro grew serious as well. “Yikes, I hope th