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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
“What does he want, Pollyanna?” Josias asks, very curious.“Want to talk about some vandalism at Crystal Blue.” Pollyanna grimaces as if she doesn’t understand, “Was there another power outage at the restaurant?”“Not that I know of, but let the sergeant pass.” Josias gestures.Pollyanna makes room and Ivan enters.“Good morning, Sergeant! How is the son?”Ivan smiles fatherly, “He’s already saying ‘daddy’, ‘mommy’, and ‘freeze’.”Josias’s smile freezes. Was Ivan trolling him?“Can I seat?” Ivan doesn’t wait and sits down on the sofa, “I need to have a chat with you, Josias.”“It’s not ‘Mr. Rocha’?” Josias quips, “We’re getting intimate here.”“It seems that we’re going to strengthen camaraderie and coexistence as soon as you are present at the police station,” Ivan speaks with a cocky smile.Josias knits his brow, “I beg your pardon?”“What is this talk that you, in addition to building, decided to dedicate yourself to destroying? I received a visit from Daryl Mountain wanting to inv
Josias talks to Tiago while having lunch at Crystal Blue.“Can you believe that Sergeant Moraes showed up in my office wanting to talk about the vandalism of this restaurant?” Josias asks with a puzzled face as he cuts the grilled salmon.Tiago shakes his head, “Master, the sergeant has always been against you. He will most likely support the Mountain family in this war and only investigate our side.”“This cannot happen.” Josias shakes his head, “The commissioner will notice the predilection and will scold him. And he doesn’t want anyone to bother us.”“We’re not doing too much, right?” Tiago wryly asks, “We just want Melissa back as the Lady of Lagoon City. Why can’t Daryl understand that Melissa is yours?”Josias sighs, “I can imagine how she’s feeling. Daryl has probably already told Kelvin, and the imbecile might be freaking out, emotionally blackmailing Melissa, using the twins as a guilt trap, or even marital rape...”Josias grips the wine glass so tightly that Tiago holds him,
Josias takes out his electronic organizer and starts checking his appointments for the afternoon.Cláudio doesn’t give up, “You mean Gabriela Alves moved out of town by ‘coincidence’, huh? Now a blond gorilla lives in her place.”“If you were interested in the gorilla—”“GET OUT!” Claudio gets outraged, “People are saying I’m sleeping with Miss Lafayette. Don’t let the rumor die, idiot!”Josias frowns, staring at the electronic organizer, “Don’t you have a job to look for, Claudio?”“I already have a job!” Cláudio asserts, “I’m a warehouse supervisor at Lafayette Supermarket. What, did your informants make you out of date?”Josias finally raises his head, “They didn’t inform me as I asked Jacques Lafayette for your resignation.”“And will you hire me as a mason?” Claudio laughs bitterly, “Josias, you don’t have the power to demand such a thing. Who do you think you are? Is that what you want to leave as an example for your children?”“Leave my children out of this meaningless conversa
07:00 p.m., Crystal Blue.Cláudio was wearing a gray suit and matching tie, waiting at one of the tables for the partner of the night that will never come.He rushed to make the reservation as soon as he had ‘confirmation’ from Nadia. Daryl chose the best available table and even discounted the price of the grilled salmon.Now he was at the reception desk acting as maître d’. But to his surprise, Claudio’s lady still hasn’t shown up...Jacques and Ingrid walk in, talking excitedly.“Good evening, Mr. Mountain!” Jacques greets him, “Please arrange a table for two.”“We know you have free tables,” Ingrid says.Daryl is uncomfortable. Was Ingrid mocking the fact that the number of patrons had dropped because of the rumors? “Yes, we have vacant tables. Ehr...” Daryl lowers his voice, “I was waiting for Nadia Lafayette.”“Our