“No, you can’t fire me, because I resign. I don’t wanna work for a cheap company run by someone with a cheap fashion sense. I will not be intimidated by someone who’s worth less than the shoes I wear on my feet.”
Carlos dined together with his family in silence. Daniela broke the silence by asking Marga if she still had a headache. “A little,” Marga said. Carlos told Marga not to add to their problems and advised her against taking alcoholic drinks, saying that it wasn’t the best solution to any problem. “You’re smart, you can accomplish anything if you work hard,” he added. “So instead of getting drunk, find ways to improve yourself. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, daddy,” Marga said before apologizing again. Soon all Bartolomes were smiling. The tension had subsided. Daniela had a phone call and when she came off the phone, she told Carlos and Marga that she had just gotten a job. She left to get ready.
At Maxwell, Marga and her Mean Squad sat on a bench, engaged in a conversation. Some guys came up and asked when she would be throwing her next party. Marga promised to keep them posted. When the guys left, Marga told her friends that she would only be able to throw another party when her father was no longer upset with her.
Marga revealed that she had been grounded and asked her friends to tell their coach that she wouldn’t be able to make it to practice. Nadya then showed Marga and the others a video she had taken of Cassie all drunk and dancing, having fun. They laughed and mocked Cassie when she came along with Fatima. Cassie asked to talk to Marga in private and Marga’s Mean Squad left.
“What?” Marga sounded annoyed.
“I want to know if you planned all of this,” Cassie asked. “Were you trying to humiliate me?”
“Cassie, don’t blame me for what you did,” Marga replied. “And it’s not my fault that you were scolded. No one forced you to drink or join the game.” Marga added that they had just invited her to the party and anything else that she did was all her fault.
The school principal joined them. “Miss Bartolome, Miss Mondragon…in my office. Now.”
In the principal’s office, the principal told both girls that it was time for them to explain themselves. “I’m giving you both a chance to explain,” she said.
Marga said she didn’t know why she was there because she had done nothing wrong. “But I can’t say the same for other people,” she added, giving Cassie a look.
The principal turned to Cassie and Cassie apologized for trespassing last night.
“Well, at least one of you is honest,” the principal said, giving Marga a look. “But I am not angry about your trespassing.” The woman opened a file with a pained expression on her face and showed them a logo of the school. The Maxwell motto had been painted with red spray paint. Cassie and Marga both looked shocked.
“Now, what do you both have to say for yourselves?”
Marga said she had grown up at Maxwell, it was her home and she would never do something like that on their motto.
The principal didn’t believe it for a second. “Your denial… insults me,” she said. “Am really disappointed.” She opened up a laptop and showed them security footage of someone painting over the Maxwell logo on the wall. Marga was shocked, and so was Cassie. In the video, Cassie had walked in on the crime a second before the pepetrator had run away, and a security guard came running up to her.
Marga seemed genuinely worried. “Believe me ma’am, that wasn’t me. I had nothing to do with that. And I wasn’t even wearing that jacket last night.”
“The video clearly shows that it was you,” the principal stated. “You were even wearing the jacket while committing the crime.”
Marga said it had to be another person because her jacket had been missing for a while now and she had nothing to do with that.
The principal turned to Cassie. “What about you, Cassie. What’s your excuse?”
“Well, I do remember coming here last night,” Cassie said. “But I was really dizzy. Am not sure if it even was Marga I saw there.”
Still the principal didn’t believe them. She told them that the matter wouldn’t be such a big mess if they just confessed and took responsibility for their crime because she was willing to negotiate the punishment for what they had done. “…you leave me no choice. I have to talk to your parents,” she announced.
Cassie and Marga looked on uncomfortably. Daniela entered a room and met a guy there.
“Wow. Am truly honoured,” the man said. “The Daniela Mondragon is officially part of my team…hi.”
The man stretched out his hand. Daniela shrank back, refusing to shake his hand, as if the man’s hand was acidic poison. “Hi there, you’re an assistant, right? Am actually looking for your big boss. The CEO…Mr. Raymond Escalona. He told me to come here to meet him. He’s your boss…can you take me to his office?”
“I am Raymond Escalona,” the man said to her. Daniela then apologized for not recognizing him, saying that he looked younger in person.
Mr. Escalona is all business now. He told Daniela that his company needed more ideas to reach out to the market, but since she was new, she still needed to train so she could keep up with the others. He asked her to make some presentations and showed her her table. After he had left, Daniela had a phone call and before she left, she made one of the workers carry out the duties her new boss had assigned her.
At Camila, Neil walked into Mina’s office with a file and Mina asked him to leave the file on her table because she was busy with something. Neil apologized for helping Cassie sneak out and they eventually reconciled. Mina had a phone call concerning Cassie and left. Back at the principal’s office at Maxwell, Cassie and Marga had been joined by their parents.
“This is a major offense,” the principal said. “We don’t tolerate this kind of behavior. Am thinking of suspending Marga and Cassie.”
“Wait, you haven’t even proven that Marga did that. She’s loyal to this school,” Daniela countered. “Did you even give her a chance to explain? This suspension can affect her future.”
“Mrs. Bartolome, the CCTV footage clearly shows Marga vandalizing. The evidence speaks for itself.”
Daniela asked why she was only blaming her daughter and the principal said that they didn’t come to compare the two parties involved. Mina pointed out to the principal that based on what she had seen, Cassie hadn’t done anything wrong. Mina and Robert both spoke for Cassie and Marga but the principal said she had already made her decision; Marga and Cassie would face punishment and fix what they had done to the school wall.
Cassie and Marga were taken to the crime scene by the principal and instructed to paint the wall. After the principal had left, Cassie offered Marga a brush and asked that they start painting the wall. Marga didn’t want to. She told Cassie to start if she wanted to. Cassie mentioned that they were told to clean up together.
“Why would I help?” Marga asked. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe you’re so eager to do this because you feel guilty about it.”
“Marga, this isn’t my fault,” Cassie said.
“But you were seen in the video.”
“I was here that night, but I wasn’t the one who vandalized. The only mistake I made was trespass.”
Cassie told her that they had to do what they had been told to do before they gave them another punishment. Marga took the paint brush, dipped it in white paint and brushed it on the wall once before dropping it.
“There, I did something, satisfied?”
Silently, Cassie picked up the brush and began to work. Outside the school, Carlos came up to Mina and apologized for what had happened last night. Mina told him that she had already spoken to Cassie and she hoped that he had also had a talk with his daughter because she didn’t want things to get worse.
“Don’t worry about her,” Carlos said. “We’re doing our best to raise her.
Mina told Carlos that as parents, they had to set a good example for the girls. She asked that they keep their children out of their issues. Robert joined them and asked where Daniela was, and Carlos said that Daniela had to leave for work.
“Daniela’s working?” Robert sounded surprised.
“She just started today,” Carlos revealed. “You should talk to her if you want to know the details.” Carlos left while Robert stared at Mina in wonder.
Raymond Escalona had been waiting for Daniela to return. “You went out?” he asked, folding his arms the moment Daniela came back in.
“Yes, actually, sir I had a family emergency. But don’t worry, I am almost done with your request.”
“Do you even know what time it is?” Mr. Escalona asked. “I’ve been waiting for your presentation.”
“I can work overtime,” Daniela said.
“See, that’s the problem. I am very strict when it comes to my time. Time is money, so I don’t want anyone wasting it.”
Mr. Escalona asked Daniela to show him the work she had done so far and Daniela took a file from her desk and handed it to him. The man however caught her instantly, recognizing that it was the same thing the interns had submitted. He asked Daniela if she really did any work.
“Sir, like I said, I am fine with working overtime.”
“This is your first day, and this is the kind of performance you’ve shown me?” Mr. Escalona asked. “I expected so much from you since you’re a Mondragon, but this time…no, your name won’t save you.”
Daniela seemed annoyed now. “Are you firing me?
“Yes I am,” the man said.
“No, you can’t fire me, because I resign.” Daniela spat at him. Mr. Escalona looked like he had just been slapped with pickles. “I don’t wanna work for a cheap company run by someone with a cheap fashion sense.”
Mr. Escalona dared her to resign, threatening that he would make sure his colleagues knew about her work ethics.
“I’m not scared,” Daniela shot back. “I will not be intimidated by someone who’s worth less than the shoes I wear on my feet.” Daniela stormed off, leaving the man speechless and unresponsive.
At the Bartolome residence, Daniela complained to Carlos and Marga about Mr. Raymond Escalona.
“Who does he think he is? If you were there, you would see it. He was so cheap; his company was cheap, everything was cheap. I stooped down that low, and that’s how he treats me?”
Daniela went on and on, and Carlos and Marga just watched her in silence. Eventually, Carlos asked where she would work now and Daniela said she would find another work in an instant. She told her daughter to never back down whenever she knew that she was in the right.
“You shouldn’t be painting your school’s wall,” she added. “Cassie should be doing that. Then again, she took after a slum dweller.”
Marga swore that she had nothing to do with the incident at the school, adding that she hadn’t even been in the school premises that night. The doorbell sounded and Carlos went to open the door. A man walked in.
“I have the eviction notice for this property,” the man said. “You need to vacate the premises. You have until only tomorrow.”
After Carlos checked to see the notice, he told Daniela that they no choice but to leave. Daniela asked where they would go and Carlos told her that there was someone who could help them. A few moments later, Carlos arrived with his family at his father’s place. Mr. Kulas welcomed them and ki$$ed Marga.
Marga seemed disgusted with the place, and Kulas’ kiss. She wiped off her cheek with her hand. When they went inside, Mr. Kulas revealed to his younger sons that Carlos would be staying there for a while with his family.
Marga was appalled. She looked like she was about to have a heart ãttaçk. “Mommy…’.
“Don’t worry, Marga,” Daniela said. “This is just temporary.”
At the Mondragon mansion, Neil showed Cassie the video of herself dancing at Marga’s party, which had now gone viral. All her friends and schoolmates had seen it. Neil asked if it really was her and Cassie said it was.
“Didn’t your mother tell you to deactivate your account?” Neil asked.
“Uncle Neil, I just wanted to stay in touch with my friends from school, and I know it won’t affect my studies.” She pleaded with Neil not to tell her mother about her secret account since she had already seized all her gadgets.
“You know I can’t say no to you,” Neil said, and Cassie laughed. Neil told her to be responsible and not just add anyone to her social media account.
Cassie smiled at him. “Thank you, uncle. You’re still looking out for me even if I am the reason you fought with mama. Am really sorry.”
Cassie apologized for taking advantage of his trust. Neil told her that he had already patched things up with Mina. He asked Cassie to promise never to do that again and Cassie promised. Neil was suddenly excited. He asked Cassie to tell him about the excitement she had had at the party. Cassie said she remembered some parts but most of her memories were blurry.
“All I know is that I was really happy…there was music, there was laughter, and everyone around me was just having so much fun.”
Cassie added that it was the first she had experienced that and she hadn’t been afraid of anything. Neil asked Cassie how she had gotten into the school and Cassie told her that Marga had given her a dare to. Neil then asked if she was the one who had vandalized the school wall. Cassie said she wasn’t really the one, and she wasn’t sure if Marga had done it either.
“I remember when I went inside, but Marga was behind me. And that’s all I could remember.”
At the new Bartolome residence, Marga talked to Nadya on phone, saying that she was going to find out the real culprit (who had painted the school wall) and make them pay. Nadya asked why her place was so noisy (some people were playing outside) and Marga said it was just the TV. She hung up and turned to leave. And had the shock of her life.
“Aaaah! Aaaah! Mommy! Oh My gosh! Mommy! Mommy!” A cockroach had been creeping around on the floor, and Marga jumped onto her bed while she kept on yelling.
Daniela came in. “Marga?” She saw the poor cockroach. “Oh my gosh! Marga!” Daniela jumped on to the bed, joining her daughter in acting like spoiled rotten kids.
“Aaaaa, there’s a cockroach,” Marga was saying, as if her mother was blind and couldn’t see”. (Oh, please, chill out. It’s just a cockroach. Imagine what you’re gonna do when rats start paying you unwelcomed visits). Daniela shouted her husband’s name and Carlos came running in, asking what was going on.
“Carlos, get that thing away from us!” Daniela yelled.
“It’s a cockroach,” Marga added.
Carlos’ younger brothers, Gino and Jude, were laughing as Mr. Kulas said that it was just a cockroach
“You can even eat that,” Jude said.
“What?!” Daniela and Marga’s mouths were wide open now in wonder. Carlos was smiling now. “A cockroach is considered a natural occurrence in this house?” Daniela asked while Marga looked up at her like a lost puppy.
“Why are you so surprised?” Carlos asked, still smiling.
“We should call pest control!” Daniela suggested.
“Daniela, cockroaches are common around here everywhere,” Carlos mentioned.
“Oh my god!” Marga looked scared now. She glanced around to make sure that none of those disgusting creatures had gotten a feet close to her.
“Even if we call pest control, they would just keep coming back,” Carlos finished.
“What happens if they crawl all over us. What if we get sick?” Daniela asked and Marga nodded fearfully, her mouth wide open. (Oh, God. How I wish a cockroach would just fly right into Marga’s mouth!)
Eventually, Carlos agreed to buy a spray later. He told Marga to get down and get ready for school. Marga then asked about the apartment they had been planning to buy. Carlos looked at Daniela and for a second, Daniela seemed scared that Carlos might expose her. Carlos however told Marga that they didn’t even have money enough to buy an apartment because they were saving up the money for her schooling.
“The rest is only enough for our daily expenses…until we find a job.”
Marga asked if that meant that they had to stay at his family’s house. Again, Carlos gave Daniela a look before telling her daughter that it was only temporary. “Come down, I’ll k!ll the cockroach,” Carlos said. Later on, Carlos gave Marga some money for school. Marga complained that it was too small and Daniela added some to it. Carlos said Marga would now take public transport but Daniela insisted that she take a taxi, before sending her on her way.
Daniela entered the washroom carefully. “Ewwww. Yuck! This is disgusting!” Outside, Gino knocked at the door and asked if she was done yet since he needed to get ready for a gig. Daniela asked him to give her a minute. Gino mocked her a second before Jude, his brother joined him at the door.
“Daniela, do you need any help?” Jude asked.
“Your toilet doesn’t flush!” Daniela said, irritated. “And…clean up after yourselves after you’re done peeing.”
Carlos also joined his brothers at the door and asked Daniela to open the door so he could handle the situation. Daniela was actually crying when she opened up and Carlos came in. “Why isn’t there a toilet flush?” Daniela sobbed.
Carlos showed her how to flush the toilet the old fashioned way while his brothers stood at the door.
“Can’t you just buy a new toilet? I can’t take this! Am going to lose my mind.”
Daniela stormed out of the washroom and Gino said it was his turn to use the washroom. Later, Jude saw Marga outside and asked why she hadn’t gone to school yet. Marga told him that she was waiting for a taxi. Jude said taxis didn’t come to their place – she needed to ride a tricycle to the main road before she could get a taxi.
At Maxwell, Cassie spoke with LJ and Fatima about the vandalizing. Again, she mentioned that she wasn’t really sure if it was Marga who had committed the crime. She asked her friends if they had seen anything. Fatima said she didn’t, and so did LJ, whose facial expression suggested that she was hiding something.
Bernard dropped his son off at Maxwell. Before letting him go, Bernard asked his son if he knew anything about the incident at the school which had almost resulted in Cassie and Marga getting a suspension. “What do you know about the party? Are you there too?”
“No dad,” Krisroff answered. “I wasn’t even there.”
Bernard warned Krisroff that he better be telling the truth. He asked him not to cause any trouble because he had not enrolled him in Maxwell to mess around. “Concentrate only on your studies, understood?”
“Yes, dad.” Krisroff got out of the car and went inside after his father had driven away. The moment Krisroff entered the school premises, Fatima pointed him out to Cassie. Krisroff and Cassie stood staring at each other.
“Krisroff was at the party too,” Fatima said. “Have you tried asking him? He might have seen something.”
At the Bartolome residence, Carlos got ready for a job appointment. His father told him that he wasn’t sure anyone would hire him at his age. “Why don’t you ask for Mr. Robert’s help,” the old man suggested. “He could get you a job at his company. He could hire Gino too.”
Carlos told his father that he already knew Daniela didn’t want to ask her father for help and he didn’t want to rely on Robert either.
“You’re still putting your pride above your family’s welfare, aren’t you?” Mr. Kulas asked. “Carlos, use your head. Times like this, you should be practical. Pride won’t feed your family, son… you’re not asking for a handout. You’re going to work.”
Carlos said it didn’t matter because he didn’t want people to say he had gotten hired because Robert owned the company. “I’ll find a job soon,” he added. “I don’t want to feel indebted to anyone.”
Back at Maxwell, Krisroff asked Cassie if her mother was still mad at her. Cassie said her mother hadn’t been mad but disappointed at her. “Tope, I wanted to ask if you saw anything at the party,” Cassie said.
“Sorry, Cassie, I didn’t see anything,” Krisroff replied. “I went home before you and Marga, so…I don’t know what exactly happened.”
Krisroff apologized and Cassie said it was okay since it wasn’t really his fault. Krisroff then asked Cassie not to tell her family that he had been at the party because he would be in big trouble if his dad found out. Cassie wasn’t happy with lying but she eventually agreed.
Back at the Bartolome residence, Daniela asked Gino to clean up the house because it was all dirty. She then gave him some clothes to wash for her.
“It’s the woman’s duty to manage the house, Daniela,” Mr. Kulas said. Daniela turned back to face him. “If anyone should be doing those things, it should be you.”
Gino told his father that he could handle it, while Daniela walked up to Mr. Kulas told him that women and times had changed, and they were now more than house sitters.
“That’s true, but then…if a woman isn’t working… and she does nothing at home, then what is she good for?”
At Maxwell, Marga finally arrived while Cassie was talking to a security guard. Cassie called her and asked why she took a taxi and got down there. Marga lied through her teeth, saying that she was just trying to be independent since they were now in senior high. A teacher came by and told them that they had to finish their punishment before the end of the day.
Daniela approached an old greyed woman who was busy washing. “Excuse me, I am Daniela, Carlos’ wife. Since you’re already doing your laundry, could you do ours too? Name your price, but make sure you use different fabric and detergent because I have sensitive skin, and make sure that the clothes would be very clean.”
The woman was annoyed. “Lady, first of all, I do not do other people’s laundry,” she said. “If you want that done, go ask around. And ‘name your price’? Who died and made you queen?”
Daniela’s eyes almost popped open in shock. “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Why, who are you? A famous celebrity?”
Mr. Kulas came by and the old woman complained to him about Daniela’s attitude. Kulas scolded Daniela and gave her a list of things to buy at the market after she was done washing the clothes. Daniela stood there, defeated.
“Ooh, serves you right,” the old woman mocked.
At Camila, Mina made a presentation to the board members updating them on the sales of the new products they had launched recently. Mrs. Galvez (friend and servant of the late Camila) opposed Mina’s tactics saying that sales weren’t getting any better and Mina said they should just give her a month to turn things around.
Another board member said that one month was a very short time and Mina said that was all she needed to turn things around. Mrs. Galvez, who clearly wanted to see Mina fail, quickly accepted it. Back at Maxwell, Marga complained as they carried out their punishment of painting the walls.
Marga blamed Cassie for the mess they were in and Cassie told her she was the one who had dragged her into it. Marga insisted that she was innocent of the crime. Her Mean Squad came along and she asked if they had any idea of who had done it. Maureen told her that they had come to the school right after she had dared Cassie to trespass. Marga then had a flashback of how they had sneaked into the school.
Flashback : Marga dared Cassie to paint a smiley face on the wall with the Maxwell logo. Cassie said she wouldn’t do it. A security guard was approaching and Marga ran off with her Mean Squad, leaving Cassie behind. Cassie ran off too, leaving the pan (that contained the paint) behind.
Preeent : “We dropped the pan, didn’t we?” Marga asked. “So that means someone else was there…aside from us.”
“But who?” Maureen asked and Marga looked on.
