Moments later, Octavio finds the aforementioned wasteland. He goes looking for a young man who is probably hiding because of the shame of being naked and beaten.
“Hello! If there's a guy here, I came to help you!”
Octavio rummages through cardboard boxes and garbage cans. The stench is not comforting.
As he turns toward a pile of abandoned bricks, he appears to have seen someone's foot.
“I found you. Mr. Lafayette, I came on a mission of peace.”
Upon hearing the name, Thierry allows himself to be seen. The aloof expression on his face scares Octavio.
“Don't be like that. Come, wrap yourself in this blanket.”
“Who are you and how did you know I was here?”
“I’m Octavio Motta, best friend of Josias Rocha.” Octavio smiles gently.
“How can you be best friends with that monster?” Thierry barks.
“Josias Rocha is not a monster. He told me
At the Lafayette Mansion, the mood worsens with the discovery that Thierry won’t return home.“Stop your nonsense, you maniac kidnapper!” Jacques yells, “I want my son back home now!”“Mr. Lafayette, you must understand that Josias Rocha does everything – I mean EVERYTHING – to protect his people.”“I don't want to hear about it! I want my son safe and sound or I'll have to go back to the police! Josias Rocha prevented us from filing a complaint because he assured us that our son would come back! Why are you doing this, WHY?”Ingrid starts to cry when she understands that Thierry will not return.Octavio takes a deep breath, “Your son committed a crime and will pay, on my friend’s terms.”“Is he a businessman or does he work for the criminal underworld?” Jacques counters.“Think what you will, Mr. Lafayette, here's the thing: you fail
Jane is making breakfast as she pumps up to Mariah Carey's song “Never Too Far”. She deposits today's options: black coffee, skim milk, toast, honey, plum jam, potato bread, and rye bread.When the part of the whistle register comes, Jane tries to imitate the singer, but as she is not trained for this, she chokes and reacts as if she had an avocado pit stuck in her throat.Thierry only appears in boxer shorts that Octavio bought for him, terrified by the infernal noise, “MRS. MOTTA, what's going on?”Jane pulls herself together and laughs, “Ha, ha, ha! What is it, Thierry? I didn't know I sang so badly!”Jane takes advantage and smiles at Thierry's slender but toned body, “Now I understand why Rosemary fell in love with you.”Thierry is embarrassed and remembers his condition, “Ehr, sorry, I thought there was some robbery going on. And Rosemary fell in love with the beggar, not me.”“All of this will be resolved when you speak the truth.” Jane states, “Breakfast is ready.”“Then I’ll
At the Lafayette mansion, Jacques walks in with his arm still sore. Ingrid and Nadia are waiting anxiously in the foyer.But the head of the family is irritated precisely because of the two ladies waiting for him, “Why are you standing there? I'm not Batman, Jeez!”Ingrid rages, “So you couldn't rescue our son? What kind of father are you?”“Dad, what happened to your arm?” Nadia asks.“Thanks, at least someone cares, right?” Jacques goes to the kitchen, “Mr. Bento appeared, I tried to punch him, but he attacked me instead.”Nadia and Ingrid follow him.“This is outrageous!” Ingrid neighs, “We need to sue this Bento family or investigate what they're hiding under the rug!”“Despite Sergeant Moraes's best efforts, I feel he is no match for the big shots.” Jacques comments as he searches the fridge for something, “He doesn't have the slightest bit of power. The Rocha and Bento clans rule this town, and we made the biggest mistake of our lives in moving here.”Nadia senses where the conv
At the advertising agency, Nadia and Rodrigo meet to check out the recorded commercial. Both are seated at a round table, in a conference room, in front of a screen where the image of the commercial will be projected.As Nadia had requested, a family consisting of a husband, wife, and two children was shopping at the supermarket. The wife chose vegetables, the husband chose barbecue meat, and the children chose treats.Then Rodrigo appears smiling, in a navy blue polo shirt and freshly dyed jeans, with the aforementioned family in the background, “Lafayette Supermarket: ready to serve your whole family. Come check!”That simple sentence and Rodrigo's few seconds of acting were enough for Nadia to feel pregnant with triplets.The commercial ended, and the person responsible for the project turned on the lights. He was a docile, adorable, bespectacled boy with a good heart. It was probably his first job after graduating from UFES.“What then, Miss Lafayette? Is the commercial to your li
Days passed. Cláudio is in his apartment, lying on the sofa wrapped in a blanket from the waist down, reading the LCN newspaper.A piece of news that read more like a footnote from Vernon reported that Thierry Lafayette has been found and is safe.Cláudio frowns, “Such an important story that ran for days, suddenly disappeared from TV and newspapers, and now that the case has been resolved, they just write this tiny note? What does that mean? Could it be... could it be that the matter was truly resolved?”A malicious smile springs from Claudio's lips.He settles back into the pillows and continues to scan the headlines, but nothing else is said.“Why do I have the feeling that this has the hand of Josias Rocha?”******In Gabriela's apartment, the subject is the same.Gabriela is trying to feed baby food to a reluctant Sandra, “Darling, isn't there anything else in the papers about Th
Claudio visits the Lafayette Supermarket. He is enchanted by the place full of customers, filling the shopping carts, driven by the commercial that always runs in the intervals of ‘Sweet Love’, ‘Love Spins the World’, and on the TV news.Ronan Keating's song “Life Is A Rollercoaster” sets the mood for the supermarket.Claudio looks at the promotional prices, smiles assent, looking for someone from the Lafayette family. Nobody.So he sneaks through the direct access to the warehouse and finds Nadia walking into her office (which should be Thierry’s).Nadia is in awe of the effect the commercial has had. It was a necessary and wise investment.When she is smiling, remembering Rodrigo gesticulating when saying ‘Come check it out’, with his arm muscles flexing, with his chest marked in the polo collar shirt, behold, another attractive man clears his throat.“Caham, caham... Excuse me, M
At Lafayette Supermarket, the conversation between Nadia and Cláudio continues. Now they were both sitting opposite each other with their cup of coffee.“So, Miss Lafayette?”Nadia shakes the hand holding the cup, “Mr. Guzman...”“Call me Cláudio,” He said with an irresistible smile.“Cláudio… as I said, I don't think we should take any chances with the city's big shots. We’re only one year here, I don't know if I do well to face Josias Rocha.”“So, he has something to do with your brother's disappearance.” Cláudio concludes, still grinning, “I'm glad he reappeared. Can I talk to him?”“He didn't reappear!” Nadia blurts out, then widens her eyes.“Perfect!” Cláudio puts his cup on the saucer and applauds, “I was suspicious of that footnote left by Vernon Queiroz.”“Wha
“How great, my comrade!” Josias applauds, “One less thing for me to worry about.”Octavio closes the door and tsks with his tongue, “You are the one who voluntarily meddles in people’s problems, unable to let us suffer a little in this life.”Josias shrugs, “Why do my friends and family have to suffer when I am here to help?”“OK, thanks for that.” Octavio chuckles, “Anyway, did you see the floor plan for one of my collaborators?”Josias smiles in approval, “Perfect. Ironically, it's for a client of ours from Europe Garden.”“Mr. Lafayette telephoned me demanding the return of his son.”Josias fades his smile, “The imbecile Ivan Moraes must have given him the phone number. And his wife read my bio, she knows who you are. Oh! She showed up here announcing that she is expecting his child.”Octavio laughs, “He better ge