Deise Vacation is officially over! I hear my alarm go off, but all I want to do is stay in bed. Mom opens my bedroom door and says: - Time to wake up, Deise! It's your first day of school - you don't want to be late. - Good morning, Mom, just five more minutes! - Deise, you're supposed to be at school in thirty minutes! I jump right out of bed: - Mom, I set my alarm for five-thirty! - You fell back asleep again! I get ready and practically fly down the stairs. Mom calls out: - Come have breakfast! - No time, Mom! I'll eat at school! And I run out the door. As I'm crossing the avenue, a car comes speeding by! I hear tires screeching on the pavement. Then I hear some stuck-up rich guy yelling: - You stupid girl! I could've killed you! I look at the traffic light - it's red - and say: - You're the one who's out of control! I was in the crosswalk! Pay attention to the road! And I forgot my phone! - You have some nerve! You're lucky I'm running late, or I'd teach you a lesson! The light changes and he speeds off! I stand there watching him drive away - what a crazy guy, he almost ran me over! I keep running, I'm already late! When I reach the school gate, Dona Marlene, the supervisor, gives me a look and says: - First day of school and you're already late, young lady! I apologize and rush inside! When I reach the classroom door, I hear Teacher Carol's voice. Oh no, I can't believe it! She hates me - how am I supposed to get through this whole year with her? I snap out of my thoughts and knock on the door. - May I come in, Teacher? She gives me a cold look and replies: - You should've arrived sooner. Now you'll have to wait until the next period! - All right, I'm sorry to have interrupted your class! I head to the courtyard and wait. When I finally walk in, she's still there - wait, does she have two classes in a row? That's so unfair, she could've just let me in. But I stay quiet and listen to everything she says without saying a word. Class ends and Teacher Andreia walks in - the art teacher! Thank goodness, she's wonderful and she's teaching our class again! We head out for recess and I tell my friends: - This is our last year of high school and we're all in the same class! Nic, Carlos, Lucas, Pedro, Paulo, Débora, Larissa, and Bárbara - we've been together since fifth grade, inseparable. Recess ends and we go back for our last two classes - math with Teacher Regina, my favorite subject. I always get great grades and I get along so well with her! School ends and I head straight home. I'm thinking about everything we're going through. My name is Deise Alencar, I'm seventeen, and I'm in my senior year. I'm the only daughter of Eliana Munhoz and Arthur Alencar. Mom is a nutritionist, but she stopped working when I was born. Dad owned an accounting firm with his business partner, Tiago Souza. Sadly, Dad had a heart attack when I was thirteen. That's when everything changed - Mom had to go back to work. She couldn't find work in nutrition, so she started cleaning houses once a week and seeing patients online. It's how we get by, though it's been hard. After Dad passed away, his partner changed completely. He said Dad had no money and the business was bankrupt. I was so young then, and Mom didn't understand anything about finances - things got really difficult. Dad was always traditional - he believed a wife shouldn't have to work, that the man should provide for the family. Mom tried to ask questions, but Dad always insisted everything was fine and she didn't need to worry. Dad handled everything. She never needed to know passwords or anything about the business.

Fernando I'm living a nightmare! I just graduated and took over one of the family businesses. My father is the powerful Hugo Freitas, owner of the largest pharmacy chain in the country. As his only son, he also runs Freitas Nic Transport - Medicine and Cosmetics - and Nic Cosmetics, named after my grandmother and my sister, Nic. My grandfather is very ill; he handed the business over to Dad, who became overwhelmed and hired an executive to manage the transport division. Within five years, that man nearly drove the company into bankruptcy. Dad decided to put me in charge as president, and now he holds me to high standards every single day. This morning, I woke up late! I have a crucial meeting at 7:30 a.m. with suppliers. On my way to the office, I call Andrey, my assistant - once, twice, three times - and he doesn't answer. Before I know it, I'm swerving to avoid hitting some reckless student who didn't look both ways! Worse yet, she had a sharp tongue and talked right back at me, making me even angrier than I already was. I was furious! She's lucky I'm in a rush! I speed off; I can't be late for this meeting. I walk into the building, greet my secretary Aline at the front desk, and head straight to my office. She follows right behind me carrying a stack of documents for me to review and sign. Aline says: - Andrey's already in the conference room. He got in early - there's been an issue with the disposable supplies vendor! I head to the meeting. Andrey is so nervous he won't even look at me. I think to myself: why did I have to inherit this mess? As if I didn't have enough problems of my own! The suppliers arrive and the meeting begins - we can't come to any agreement! They want an 80% profit margin. Have they lost their minds? I also had to listen to them say the previous manager had agreed to it. No wonder the company was nearly bankrupt! I end the meeting and dismiss them. Andrey says: - What do we do now? The disposable goods suppliers won't accept our percentage either! I go into my office, Andrey right behind me, letting me know I have two more meetings scheduled for the afternoon. Before I can reply, my phone rings - it's Vitória, my girlfriend. We had a terrible fight last night; she wants to get married. I answer, already remembering our argument. Before I can even say "hello," she bombards me with questions, asking if I've decided about marriage, saying I have one week to make up my mind! I'm furious - how dare she pressure me? I'm only twenty-three. I don't even know if I love her, and I know I'm not getting married. I ask her to be patient, that I'm swamped with work, and tell her I'll call her back later. She gets so angry she hangs up on me! Good grief, what an impossible woman! I snap out of my thoughts when Dad storms into my office: - Fernando, what are you doing? If you keep this up, the company will go under! We need suppliers to distribute across the pharmacy chain. - Dad, you're trying to do too much at once! You own the biggest pharmacy chain and distribution network in the country - how are we still afloat? Your previous manager was only bringing in 20% profit for the company. There wasn't enough capital to keep operations running. Volume sales help, but the costs are enormous! Even with our own fleet, there's payroll, fuel, rent, and more. Dad stares at me in shock: - That idiot was out of his mind - running a business on 20% margins? I look back at him, frustrated: - What's your strategy? - Find new suppliers with fair terms! We serve people from every walk of life! - All right, find other vendors and let me know once you have a solid plan. - I'm traveling this week to inspect warehouse stock personally and oversee the transport division - we ship internationally! He looks stunned, realizing how far things have slipped. He apologizes: - I'm sorry, son. I neglected things when I trusted an outsider with our business. - It's all right. We'll fix this. How's Grandfather's company doing? - Thank goodness, that one's thriving! Inventory is steady and cash flow is strong. I realize the pharmacies struggled because we relied too heavily on our own transport fleet - it looked like business was moving, but there was no real profit. I tell him: - Exactly. Freitas Nic Transport can't be what carries the pharmacies. We'd just be keeping people busy without making money! - You're right. This is too much for me to handle alone. Thank goodness you've stepped in. You'll help me run the transport division too. Once Nic graduates, she'll take over Nic Cosmetics, and I'll focus solely on logistics. We'll get everything back on track! He leaves without saying goodbye - always so controlling! At lunch, I go out with Andrey. He's still on edge, so I ask: - What's bothering you? You didn't answer my calls this morning and you've been in a terrible mood all day. - I can't stop thinking about this girl! She lives in my building. She's beautiful... and I'm starting to feel scared. She's so young, but wonderful. Perfect figure, the sweetest smile, so polite. I look at him: - So what's the problem? - She's still in school. I'm twenty-three and she's probably seventeen. I don't want to distract her from her studies! - Andrey, listen to yourself - you sound ancient! You're young too. Talk to her. See if she feels the same way. - God, Fernando... how do I wait? You don't understand - she drives me crazy. I want to be with her right now! I laugh: - Calm down. Take it slow. And be careful not to scare her off!

Fernando I laugh at Andrey. He's such a handsome young man - tall, light brown skin, brown eyes, and so polite! He comes from an upper-middle-class family, the Ferraz's. Andrey Ferraz is a lawyer and became my assistant when I took over the company. We've become great friends. Poor guy - there are so many amazing women out there, and he falls for someone so young. This could get complicated. She's old enough to date, but she needs so much more care and attention than someone who's already grown and established. Plus, that age is tricky - everything is brand new, she's just starting out in life. He's my friend... I wish him luck. I snap out of it and we head back to the office. Two more meetings ahead. Then Vitória calls again! Good grief, this woman is driving me crazy! Vitória Santos - we're the same age. She has a degree in digital marketing, but she's a spoiled little rich girl. And honestly? I'm the one to blame. I've always done everything for her. In my family, the man has always been the provider. So when we started dating, I took care of every expense. I've never said no to her - money has never been an issue for the Freitas family. I don't understand the rush to get married. I'm pretty sure I don't love her, and I'm not convinced she loves me either. We've been together for two years. I met Vitória in college. We became friends right away. I never wanted to play the field - I've always wanted just one woman. But I didn't want a relationship either. Since we were close, I told her exactly that. She laughed and said: - I don't plan on dating anyone either. What if we just... see each other casually? We could take care of what we need without getting attached or tied down to anyone! I loved the idea - friends with benefits. But things changed that same week. Our families found out and arranged a dinner to "officially" introduce us. Damn it! That was the last thing we needed. And just like that, what was supposed to stay casual turned into this high‑maintenance relationship. I give Vitória everything - we have a joint account, I gave her an unlimited card, she can buy whatever she wants. So why the rush to get married? I answer: - Hello? - Fernando, I want to get married. Please, I need you with me every single day! - Vitória, the company is falling apart right now. The absolute last thing I need is stress over marriage. You already have everything. Just wait a few more months! Once again, she hangs up on me. I'm furious. I need to figure out why she's so desperate to marry me. From day one, we had an arrangement that worked perfectly for both of us - she gave me what I needed, and I did the same for her. Like I said, I'm the kind of man who wants one woman only. I'm loyal to my own values and character. I've never been the type to run around with multiple women - but that doesn't mean I'm ready to get married. I need a drink to wash this day off. I call my best friend, Paulo. - What's up, Fernando? Miss me already, calling in the middle of the workday? - Very funny. I've got nothing but problems. Let's go out tonight - grab a drink? I can hear the shock in his voice: - You? Drinking? Fernando, things really must be bad! You don't even touch a beer. I'll meet you downtown at 9 p.m. - All right, see you then. I hang up and go back to reviewing the contracts Aline left on my desk this morning.