A few days passed. Josias organized a farewell party for Carmen and James at his mansion.
Thus, all friends and acquaintances were able to say goodbye properly to them.
However, only Isabel, Francisco, and Rodrigo were invited among the Mountain family.
“Carmen, we’ll miss you.” Isabel hugs her.
“It’s only for a while.” Carmen responds, “You know why, right?”
Isabel gets a somber face, “There’s a conversation going on between them. Daryl is not happy with the way things are going.”
“But what right does he have to like or dislike?” Carmen asks, crossing her arms, “Guys, so much have happened since 1999 that I can’t tell the story from the beginning.”
“Anyway, protect yourself and protect your greatest asset, James.” Isabel winks, “One of these days, I’ll visit Victoria to chat with Cristina.”
“I&rsq
The result of the DNA test has arrived.At General Hospital, Gabriela was pacing the lounge, anxious to the extreme, looking like intoxicated on energy drinks.“It’s today, it’s today, IT’S TODAY! Today, finally, we’ll have the result. Sandra will be declared Josias’s daughter, and he won’t deny himself a complete family for her sake! I know Josias said no, but I hold fast to that hope!”The lounge door opens and Vernon and Elza enter. They feel disgusted in front of Gabriela as if they were facing a putrid corpse full of worms and larvae.“Good morning to you too!” Gabriela greets them ironically.“We have no manners for harlots.” Elza retorts.Gabriela raises her hand to slap Elza, but Vernon’s voice stops her.“Put that hand down!”With Gabriela’s hand still in the air, it’s Elza who slaps her as hard as she can.&ldq
At General Hospital, it’s time for Josias to find out if Sandra’s father is him or João Paulo.Josias darkened his face when he read the result, making the others more apprehensive.“Come on, Josias, tell us the result!” Elsa exclaims.Josias stares at everyone present, and when his gaze meets Gabriela’s, he squints.“Sandra’s father... IS JOÃO PAULO!”João Paulo and Vernon are flabbergasted. WHAT? NO!Vernon can’t help himself, “You mean we paid money for that doctor to falsify an exam that was already real?”“That’s why he ran away to Serra!” João Paulo exclaims.“YOU DAMNED ONES!” Gabriela screams, already getting hoarse, “So it was really true? Did you bribe the doctor to stamp on the DNA test result that Sandra’s father was João Paulo?” She starts walking in circles and laughi
Josias now visits Marçal Publishing. All the employees don’t dare look Josias in the eye, and some even back away when he’s passing by. No one rode the elevator with Josias, fearing his murderous aura. When Josias arrives on the floor of Bernardo’s office, Maggie was returning from the bathroom and finds him. “Josias, good morning!” She greets him excitedly, “How are you? João Paulo said—” “Yes, João Paulo.” Josias cuts her off with a not-so-gentle smile, “You guys really like his contribution to the magazine, right?” Maggie responds satisfied, “We have to admit your little brother is a gem. Readers like him a lot.” “Well, that’s a shame. I expected there to be complaints.” Josias states wryly, shaking his head in regret, “I’ll have to remove my little brother from here while he’s still in his prime.” Maggie is stunned. What did Josias say? Josias doesn’t give her a chance to ask and continues to walk directly to the editor’s o
João Paulo and Gabriela go down the stairs of the Family Court, each one beside their lawyer, after the conciliatory hearing. Behind them, Gabriela ventures to ask, “João Paulo, wait! Is it true that you are leaving Maggiezine?” João Paulo stops going down and waits for Gabriela to catch up with him, “Who told you?” “I still keep in touch with some friends from Marçal Publishing,” Gabriela responds with a slight smile. “I’ll probably leave the company, not just the magazine.” João Paulo responds neutrally, “Josias wants me to go to LCN to take your place.” “Oh, how interesting,” Gabriela just says that, and walks past him, down the stairs with her lawyer. Not far away, a famous limousine was waiting for Gabriela to appear on the sidewalk. The vehicle’s radio was playing “En el Muelle de Sán Blás”, by Maná. When Gabriela said goodbye to her lawyer, Josias said to Hector, “Go closer to her.” Hector started the engine and approached Gabriela in first gear. She noticed the limousin
João Paulo enters the apartment. Elza and Vernon watch television with Sandra between them on the sofa. She is having fun with her grandparents. When they see their son arrive, their interest is immediate. “Son! Tell us how it did?” Vernon asks him anxiously. João Paulo sits in the armchair, “Gabriela accepted my conditions.” Elza applauds, “So she will agree to give you full custody of Sandra? We need to celebrate this fact!” “At Campos Pizzeria?” João Paulo asks playfully. “It could be.” Vernon accepts, “We have nothing to hide.” Vernon had alluded to the photographs taken of Gabriela and Josias. “It was very kind of Josias not to be upset about the faked DNA test.” Elza reminds the men, “But for God’s sake, people, let’s not repeat this shamelessness. I’m not married to any forger. And I didn’t raise a son to go around bribing people.” “Mother, Dr. Antenor was mired in debt.” John Paul tries to justify himself, “It wasn’t like he was forced to do it.” “But he tricked you.
At Simeon’s house, the conversation continued to be interesting, but controversial. Dora was genuinely worried about the divorce. If Melissa returns to Lagoon City, Mary and Ignacio would suffer for it. Either they would stay with their father in the capital, or they would return with their mother. She asks Josias, “Josias, would you be willing to take care of Mary and Ignacio if they came with their mother?” “Yes, I would take care of them.” Josias responds with some irony, “After all, Kelvin always took care of Alan and Caroline in my place.” Simeon purses his lips, “Mary and Ignacio shouldn’t be a hindrance.” “Remember, dear. They’re also our grandchildren, William’s nephews, and Caio’s cousins.” Dora insists, “Guys, I really wish Melissa had never divorced Josias. But, she didn’t want to wait and concentrated on getting to know Kelvin in depth, until she fell in love with him. We cannot simply ignore these details.” “I can, and I will, Dora,” Josias states categorically. Wi
At the Lagoon City Police Station, Ivan is surprised by Daryl wanting to file a late report. “Mr. Mountain... It’s been months since there was a power outage in your restaurant. Why do you want to deal with this right now? The municipal electric company has certainly already made the necessary repairs.” Daryl smirks, “Am I then to conclude that this was the work of anonymous vandals?” Ivan scratches his head, “You know, there are a lot of individuals with nothing to do, disturbing other people’s peace. Now and then, we bring one of the hoodlums over here.” “OK, but I suggest the police—” “You wouldn’t come here if you didn’t suspect someone in particular.” Ivan smiles, crossing his fingers. Daryl feels cornered, thinks for a few seconds, and decides to bet big, “I think it was Octavio Motta. We have a feud that has been going on for years. He is always sabotaging me when I most need Josias Rocha’s attention or one of his protégés.” Ivan narrows his eyes, “I thought the Mountain
Daryl, concerned about the situation ahead, has called his family to discuss what is happening. Everyone gathered in the penthouse.In the living room, he starts the conversation, sitting in the armchair, “Guys, I tried to ask Sergeant Moraes for a thorough investigation, but as expected, his hands are tied and he didn’t want to investigate the vandalism of our restaurant.”Isabel frowns, “Daryl, don’t you think it’s a bit late to ask for something like that?”“It is never too late to ask for justice.” Daryl says, “But the sergeant—”Francisco takes the floor, “Izzy and I visited Josias, nephew. He suggested that the Bento family was responsible for the restaurant’s power outage.”Everyone is quiet for a few seconds.Bernardo and Maggie look at each other meaningfully.Daryl is more annoyed, “If we’re being bullied, it’s because we can’t delay the inevitable any longer.”Rodrigo is impatient, “Daryl, we lost Josias’s favor and protection, and you want to fight instead of acknowledging