“Inconsiderate stupid räts! Look at the time. Are you honestly singing? You sound like cats being skinned alive.”
Fatima mocked Marga for denying being the vandal. Marga confronted her and asked if she was calling her a liar. Fatima told her that she had dared Cassie to sneak into the school even though she had known Cassie would eventually be caught. “So I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the vandal,” she added.
Cassie, who stood by, had a flashback of being in the school last night. She told Marga that the vandal had been wearing her jacket and again, a frustrated Marga insisted that she had lost that jacket. “And do you think I’d be stüpïd enough to wear that jacket when it would be so easy to trace that back to me?” Maureen suggested that they find Marga’s jacket.
At a grocery store, Romina browsed through her facegram account and found photos of Cassie the night she had been partying at Marga’s house. She had a flashback of the bachelorette party that had gone on before her intended marriage to Carlos, and how she had been drũggêd and taken advantage of. Noticing the expression on her face, Bonita asked what was wrong, and whether she was still worried about Cassie. Mina told her that she was not comfortable with the people Cassie hung around with, which had almost ended in her suspension from school.
“I’m thinking of transferring her back to her old school,” Mina said.
Bonita advised Mina against it. She told Mina that she had to make Cassie stay away from Marga. Mina said she also had Daniela to deal with, and she wondered why Daniela had allowed the kids to drink alcohol in her house. Mina added that she was just protecting her daughter because of what had happened to her.
“But try to understand Cassie too,” Bonita said. “It’s normal for kids her age to explore. She has to make some mistakes, so she can learn from them. And you know your daughter. She wouldn’t have approached Marga if she wasn’t her niece.”
Carlos went out again to look for a job. The recruiter said they didn’t have any managerial positions available, considering his work background. Carlos was disappointed. “I understand, sir. Thank you for your consideration.”
“Well…we have an available supervisory position,” the man said, and Carlos’ face brightened up. “But the salary is lower than the position you’re applying for.” He gave Carlos a document detailing the job description, saying that he would set up a meeting for him with the manager today if he was interested. Carlos was excited, and he agreed to it.
Daniela was shopping at a grocery store, complaining to Savannah on the phone about her job. Savannah told her she still needed a job, then asked where she was. Daniela said she was at the grocery store.
“What?”
“Imagine, me doing the grocery. Carlos’ father sent me here,” Daniela complained. “Ever since our situation changed, he thinks he’s found himself another housemaid. I am nobody’s maid.”
“But you’re staying with them,” Savannah pointed out. “So, then again…his house, his rules.”
Daniela said she knew that, and she had to get along with her father-in-law for Carlos’ sake. After the call, Daniela gave the shopping list to a worker and asked him to get everything on the list for her while she waited. The guy told her that it wasn’t really his job to shop for their customers and Daniela asked what he was there for then. Before either party could say more, Mina arrived on the scene with Bonita and some other workers and Daniela mocked Mina.
“Ma’am, is there a problem?” the store manager, who was with Romina asked.
“Are you the manager here?” Daniela asked. “Talk to your lazy employee here.” She rolled her eyes at the guy. “He refuses to look for the things that I need.”
“Daniela, it’s not their job to do your shopping for you,” Mina pointed out. “And by the way, fresh and frozen produce are the last buys of the day, unless you want them spoiled.”
Daniela was left speechless as the manager asked Mina if she knew Daniela. Mina said Daniela was her husband’s daughter. The manager then hurriedly told her employee to get all the things on the list for Daniela, but Mina stopped her, saying that it wasn’t part of her job. The manager insisted on doing it and eventually, Daniela snatched back the shopping list from the employee and stormed off. Mina looked on while Bonita stared at Mina with a disgusted face.
At Maxwell, Nadya suggested that they have a sleepover at her house to identify the real culprit of the school vandal. Maureen supported Nadya, saying that it was a good idea.
Marga was horrified, her eyes wide with fear and a bit of nervousness. “No!” she shouted.
“No?” Maureen seemed hurt.
Marga said her family had already made arrangements for dinner. She added that her mother was on her way to pick her up and her Mean Squad agreed while Krisroff stood nearby. A security guard came to call Nadya, Nica, and Maureen, saying that their drivers had arrived. They bid goodbye to Marga and left. Marga was frustrated that she couldn’t book a taxi on her phone. Krisroff came up to her and asked if she hadn’t said that her mother was coming to pick her up.
“Why do you have to book a cab?” Krisroff asked.
Marga said it had only been an excuse, and she wanted to go home because she was tired. Krisroff asked if she was okay, and Marga told him to mind his own business.
At Mr. Kulas’ house, Daniela arrived with the grocery and Kulas told her to fold up some clothes he had just brought. Daniela said that could wait because she had to rest first. Kulas picked up a white shirt. “Daniela, what happened to this, huh? You washed the white and colored clothes together?”
“Yes, dad,” Daniela replied “I put them in the container together with detergent… like with washing machines.”
“You’re not supposed to mix the colors,” Mr. Kulas complained. “…now there’s a stain on the white dress.”
“Well, I am still proud of myself because this is my first time,” Daniela said. “I still did pretty well, right?”
“Daniela, you still have a lot to learn,” Kulas said. “Remember, in washing clothes, never mix white and colored clothes together.”
Daniela said she would do better, if only there was a next time. “You’re nothing compared to my wife,” Kulas said and Daniela gave him a look. “She was good at house chores. She was very tidy and meticulous.”
Daniela smiled at him. ” It’s a shame she’s not here anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?” Kulas asked.
“Oh, you know, it would have been great if I had personally met her. I mean, I bet she gave it to her since she had a dedicated husband like you.”
At the dining table at the Mondragons, Mina recounted running into Daniela at the grocery shop and how she (Daniela) had bought frozen goods first when she should have bought it last with the fruits and vegetables.
“Daniela, doing the grocery?” Robert was pleasantly surprised while Naana Esther was smiling. “Well, that’s a first,” Robert added. “She’s very good at cooking, but if she needs anything, Esther buys it for her. She never set foot in the grocery.”
“Have you talked to her?” Mina asked.
“Not yet. Why?”
“I think that you have too, again, Robert,” Mina said. “I think something serious is happening.”
Naana Esther also said that she was starting to worry about Daniela too.
“Daddy?” Cassie jumped in. “Is there something going on with their family? This morning, she didn’t drive Marga to school,” Cassie added. “I saw Marga riding a taxi to school alone.”
Mina was shocked. “Do they let her commute on her own? But it’s not safe out there, especially for a young girl.”
Back at Mr. Kulas’ house, Marga arrived from school. Kulas asked what had happened and Marga said nothing had gone right for her since this morning, and the worst thing was that Cassie had seen her riding a taxi and the school counselor was still making them paint the vandalized wall. “Plus at the end of the day, when it was time to get home, I couldn’t find a single cab so I had to commute and take the Jeepney.
Kulas laughed. “It’s so funny you know?…those things you’re complaining about are a normal part of people’s everyday life. Do you hear them complaining?”
“It just sucked,” Marga replied.
Kulas told Marga that he knew she wasn’t used to this kind of life, but it would be good for her. “Struggling is part of life,” Kulas said to her. “When you experience hardship, you learn to strive harder.”
Later that night, the Bartolomes had dinner. Marga refused to eat because she didn’t like the food. Mr. Kulas stared as Marga asked if they could have something else. Daniela agreed to order a takeout much to Carlos’ displeasure. Carlos told Marga that she knew the situation they were in, and she couldn’t be picky with her food. He added that he would start working soon, and things would get better.
“You found a job?” Kulas asked.
“Yes, dad,” Carlos replied. “The salary isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing at all.”
“Just ask for your father-in-law’s help,” Kulas suggested. “You can get a job in an instant, with a higher salary.”
Carlos told his father that they had already talked about it. Jepoy came in then and declined Kulas’ offer to join them, saying that he had already eaten.
“Mr. Robert called me,” Jepoy revealed to Kulas. “And he wants to talk to you.” Everyone looked surprised and Daniela stared up at Jepoy in suspicion.
The next morning, Daniela was kept awake by some flies and the shouts of her neighbors. “Aaaah, just let me sleep,” she complained. She covered her ears with a pillow but that didn’t help. “That’s it, I’ve had enough.” She stormed outside. The neighbors had gathered outside around the TV, talking and singing loudly as they watched the TV. Daniela went and disconnected the TV’s power.
“What?”
“Why did you do that?”
“Mrs. Daniela…”
Daniela stared at them in contempt. “Inconsiderate stüpïd räts!” she yelled.
“It’s Wally’s birthday, join us, we have drinks,” Jepoy said.
“No!” Daniela sounded disgusted. “Look at the time. Are you honestly singing? You sound like cats being skinned alive.”
The old woman Daniela had tried to make her wash her clothes earlier. “Hey, listen up, ‘Lady Laundry’,” she said. “I’ve had enough of you. Who gave you the right to stop us? You’re new here, but you’re already looking for trouble. I’m telling Kulas about this.”
“Be my guest,” Daniela said. “I’ll even come with you. You’re denying me comfortable sleep. That’s unacceptable.”
“The nerve! Did you hear that? She’s so rude,” the old woman said.
The old woman told Daniela that she was living on their turf, so she had to tolerate them. On her orders, Jepoy tried to take the power cable from Daniela but she refused to give it back. Jude came in and Daniela told him to stay out of it. “You should know not to disturb sleeping Mondragon,” she said.
Kulas had heard the commotion, and he came out. “Daniela, stop it. That’s enough.” Daniela stared up at him before dropping the power cable and going back in. “Alright, play the music!” Kulas said before following Daniela back inside.
Kulas told Daniela not to start fights with the neighbors because it was humiliating, and he had a reputation to keep as a noble policeman. Daniela said she had just been trying to teach them how to be respectful. Kulas told her to be careful of her words because they were a community, and she was now part of them. Daniela rolled her eyes at that. Kulas told her to try and adjust to her situation since they didn’t know how long she would be staying there.
“Dad, you knew how I was before Carlos and I got married,” Daniela began. “I’m Daniela Mondragon. I don’t adjust to people, people adjust to me.” She asked Kulas to understand her because the situation was hard for her too.
At Maxwell, Cassie and Marga came to meet the wall they had just painted vandalized again. Someone had used the same red spray paint to write : ‘NOT WELL’ on the wall and drew a non-smiley face as well. Marga accused Cassie of doing it.
“Marga, why would I spray the wall?” Cassie asked.
“To get closer to me,” Marga replied. “Do you really think that’ll ever happen?”
“Marga, listen to yourself. Do you actually think I’m obsessed with you?”
“Why, aren’t you?” Marga asked. “You keep trying to get close to me.” A teacher came and asked them to stop fighting.
Back at Mr. Kulas’ house, Kulas told his younger sons that he wanted Carlos to talk to his wife because she was very stubborn and wouldn’t listen to anything. “I don’t know how Mr. Robert raised her,” he said. “My own sons don’t even talk back to me.” He told his sons that he had to let Robert take care of Daniela before the tension there got worse.
At the Mondragon Mansion, Kulas came to see Robert and Robert thanked him for accepting his invitation.
“Who am I to decline?” Kulas said. “I’m just hoping that there’s a good reason why you wanted to see me.”
“This is about my daughter and granddaughter,” Robert said.
Kulas said that even though his house wasn’t a palace, he wanted to help his son, but he couldn’t really do much. He added that he was worried about Daniela and Marga since they were not used to their new lifestyle. “You can give them whatever they need in a snap,” he finished.
“That’s why I wanted to ask you for a favor,” Robert said. “Like you, I also want to help my daughter. I have a townhouse unit, and no one lives there. It’s near Maxwell. If you don’t mind, please give it to them.” Robert pushed the key towards Kulas. Kulas picked up the key and they both nodded in agreement.
Kulas came back home to meet Daniela busy on her phone, ordering someone to clean up the hall and the bathroom. Kulas was annoyed. He gave Daniela the key Robert had given him.
“What’s this?” Daniela asked.
“It’s a key to a townhouse your father bought for you,” Kulas explained. “He said you can move in there immediately.”
Daniela was upset. She asked why he had accepted it and Kulas said it was evident that she and her daughter didn’t want to live at his house anymore and he couldn’t refuse because her father had asked him personally to give it to her. At Maxwell, Marga had lunch with her Mean Squad. Marga had a lot more food than usual and the girls asked if she could eat everything.
Nadya was envious of Marga who gained no weight no matter how much food she ate, because she herself had to follow a diet so she didn’t gain much weight. It was time to pay for their order and Marga was nervous, going through her purse which didn’t contain much.
Nadya asked if there was anything wrong and Marga said she couldn’t find her wallet. Nadya decided to pay for Marga’s lunch and Marga thanked her for it. At Camila, Mina told Robert that they could hit their target in a month if their sales kept on increasing. Daniela stormed in.
“How cozy,” Daniela began. “If I knew I’d walk in on this scene, I’d have brought a bag for my vomit.” Mina tried to leave but Robert told her to stay. “What’s the rush, Romina?” Daniela asked. “Aren’t you glad to see me, my evil stepmother?”
Robert asked that they talk in his office but Daniela said she was just fine outside, and she didn’t plan to stay. “I just came here to return this,” she said, offering back the key to her father.
“I just wanted to help you,” Robert said. “If you don’t want it, just think of it as aid for your daughter.”
Daniela asked if he was using Marga as leverage and Mina told her to stop. “Stay out of this,” Daniela warned Mina. “This is none of your business.” She turned to her father. “What right does she have to stop me from causing a scandal here? Is there anything more scandalous than you marrying her? Not to mention…”
“That’s enough,” Robert said. Clearly, he had heard enough. “Okay, gimme the key.” He snatched the key from her hand.
“I don’t need your pity,” Daniela said to him. “After all, you already have a charity case for a wife.” She stormed off while Robert shook his head in disbelief and apologized to Mina.
Back at Maxwell, Marga went through her purse in the washroom. She only had a few notes and coins left. “Oh no, this isn’t enough for a taxi,” she wailed. “How will I get home?” She tried calling her father on the phone but he didn’t pick up. “How will I get home?” She sobbed. “I don’t have anymore money.” Unknown to her, Cassie was in the next stall and she had heard everything.
Nadya went through Marga’s bag and found the purse Marga had claimed had gone missing earlier. The girls were shocked to see the little change left in the purse. Marga came in a few seconds before Cassie followed and stood close by. Nadya handed her her purse, saying that she should have just asked her since she didn’t have much money left. Nadya mentioned that Marga’s credit card had also suddenly disappeared.
“Marga am sorry,” Cassie jumped in. “You dropped this in the restroom. I couldn’t hand it to you because you were in a rush.” Cassie stretched out her hand, some money in her hand and Marga stared at it in disbelief. The Mean Squad seemed annoyed with Cassie’s intrusion.
Marga seemed confused since she hadn’t left any money at the restroom. Cassie smiled and gave her a signal and Marga finally understood. “Aaahh,” she said, taking the money. “So that’s where I dropped it.”
“Yeah, I’m glad I found it,” Cassie said before excusing herself.
Back at Camila in Robert’s office, Robert apologized for her daughter’s rude behavior earlier and Mina said it wasn’t his fault.
“I’m the one who’s begging her to help her, Robert said. “But whenever I approach her, she ãttaçks you…I think I should stop; I’ve tried to help her so many times, but she doesn’t want to accept my help. I won’t force it on her. You don’t deserve this kind of treatment from her.”
“Robert, nothing’s going to change if the both of you remain stubborn,” Mina said. “Are you going to give up on her now that she needs you?”
Robert told Mina that he wouldn’t give up on Daniela, but he wouldn’t be the one chasing her around this time. He added that Daniela had to come and ask for help from him if she needed it. “She needs to learn how to accept failure, be humble and respect me,” he said. “I should have done this a long time ago.”
Back at Maxwell, Marga offered Cassie her necklace. Cassie asked why and she said that Cassie had to accept it as her payment, adding that it was pure gold and more than enough to cover the money she had given her.
“I’m not asking for anything in return, Marga,” Cassie said.
“I know…but I don’t care,” Marga told her. “My mom always told me that I should never be indebted to anyone. Ever. And you’re not an exception, so just take it.”
“Then say ‘thank you’,” Cassie said. “That’s enough for me.”
Marga stared at her for a while. “Thank you,” she said reluctantly. “But Cassie, I am warning you. Never do that again. I don’t need your help.”
“That’s not what you said back at the restroom,” Cassie revealed.
“You were there?” Marga was horrified.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Cassie said. “And you don’t need to hide the situation you’re in from your friends,” she added. “If they are real friends, it wouldn’t matter to them.”
“Tell them I’m broke now? Cassie, you’re so clueless. I would never give them the chance to bully me. I’m a Mondragon, and Mondragons should be respected, not looked down upon… didn’t your mother ever tell you that?”
Cassie seemed confused. “No.”
“That makes sense. I mean, she isn’t a real Mondragon.”
“That’s what you go by?”
“Yes, in everything I do, I always have to remember that I am a Mondragon…I can’t just do what I want because there’s always a certain way to be. Don’t you feel it too?” Cassie just stared back at her. “I guess not,” Marga said. “You’re lucky, but I am not.”
Mina went to the grocery store with Bonita, voicing out her worries about Robert and Daniela’s relationship. Bonita said it was better Daniela didn’t live in the same house with them. They had gone there to market their new product (Camila sardines) but since it was a little bit expensive, the people had rather gone in for the cheaper ones.
Mina suddenly came up with an idea to attract the people to their side. Back at Maxwell, Cassie and Marga painted the vandalized wall. Cassie was done with her part, and so she asked Marga if she wanted her to help her. Marga said she didn’t need her help but Cassie went on to help anyway.
“Consider me as a volunteer,” Cassie said. “That way, you won’t have to thank me.”
Marga stared at her. “Cassie…tell me…are you really a Mondragon?”
“What do you mean, Marga?” Cassie asked.
“Well, I noticed that you’re used to doing work like you’re not from a wealthy family. I mean, it’s impossible if you don’t have any servants at home.”
“We don’t have servants,” Cassie said in her sing-songy voice. “Instead, we have angels… they help us clean, cook, wash the dishes, and do other chores,” Cassie added with her usual smile. “They’re part of our family.”
Marga stared at her in disbelief. “Wait, you do the chores at home? That’s cruel.”
“Mama told me we shouldn’t rely on others even if we’re well off, because, what if one day they aren’t there to help. How can I live my life then?” Cassie added that her mother was just teaching her to become responsible. She then took a selfie of them painting and sent it to her mother, explaining that she had to update her occasionally on what she was doing.
“Oh my gosh, Cassie… we’re so alike. We’re both controlled by our parents.”
Cassie said it wasn’t like that and Marga asked if she really liked everything her mother made her do. “Do you really like doing household chores? Do you really like your fashion sense? No Cassie… you’re fifteen. You’re not a five year old.” Cassie seemed worried by Marga’s words and Marga told her to admit it since they were both Mondragons. “And being a Mondragon means you’re bound with gold chains,” she added. “Well, that’s before we lost everything.”
The Mean Squad stood at a distance, watching as Marga and Cassie talked while they worked. “Hmmm, I smell something fishy with these two,” Nadya commented.
“Fishy?” Maureen seemed confused and Nadya gave her a look, certain that the girl was about to say something stupid again. “You’re right. It’s kind of stinky.” Nadya and Nica were staring at her unimpressed, as if to say, ‘there you go again with your foolishness’.
A few moments later, Cassie and Marga were glad that they had finally finished painting the wall. Cassie was smiling, and so was Marga.
“Thank you,” Marga said, surprised that those words had just come out of her mouth. Cassie was surprised as well. “…For volunteering,” Marga added quickly, before saying that she needed to start getting home before she struggled to get a taxi.
Cassie offered to give her a ride but Marga refused. “One ‘thank you’ a day is my limit,” she said and Cassie smiled at her. “Bye. See you tomorrow. Take care.”
Bernard went to see Robert in his office at Camila and told him that he would talk to the owner of the townhouse and process the transfer titles. Robert thanked him for his help and wondered why Daniela chose to lose everything over asking him, her own father for help. Bernard said that he didn’t think Daniela needed his money or material things.
“…she needs you to be a father to her,” Bernard said. “That’s it.”
Robert said he had been trying to reach out to her all these years but she kept pushing him away. “But you know what Daniela really wants?” he asked. “She wants me to choose between her and Romina. I don’t know. Why?”
Bernard said he was a good man and he would eventually figure out a way to solve the issue. Back at Maxwell, Cassie stretched out her tired limbs at a corner. After drinking some water, she was wiping her mouth with her hand when she saw someone going over to the wall she had just painted with Marga, a spray paint ready in hand. Again, the person wore Marga’s jacket.
“Marga?” The person ran and Cassie gave chase, shouting Marga’s name. Eventually, she caught up with the person and pulled down the hood of the jacket. “LJ?” Cassie was shocked to the bone. LJ stared back at her. “LJ, be honest with me. Were you the one who vandalized the school wall?” Cassie asked. No response. “LJ don’t be afraid, we’re friends. I just want to know the truth. Was it you the whole time?”
Without saying a word, LJ nodded and Cassie confused, and asked why she would do that.
“For rëveñge on Marga,” LJ finally said. “You know she really terrorized me, and she ruined my life because of her insecurities. I just wanted to get even, Cassie.”
Cassie’s mouth dropped open shock. “What happened?”
“They were planning something against you, Cassie,” LJ explained. “Since the beginning.”
Flashback : Outside Daniela’s house, during the house party a few nights a go, Marga and her Mean Squad talked about a plan to humiliate Cassie. “We’ll go our separate ways after executing the plan…” Marga said. “I’ll make sure the whole school finds out who she really is.”
LJ walked nearby and heard as Maureen said excitedly that they would take Cassie to Maxwell. After everyone had left, LJ called her driver to come and pick her up. She found Marga’s jacket and picked it up. At Maxwell, Marga dragged a drunk Cassie along, while Maureen worried that they might get caught. “We’ll get caught if you don’t shut up,” Marga warned.
“Marga, can we go now?” Cassie asked. “I feel really dizzy. Are we done?”
Marga said they couldn’t leave until they finished what they came there to do. Nadya said they didn’t need to be there since it was cassie’s dare. Marga collected the bag which held the spray paint in it and dared Cassie to draw a smiley face on the school wall. Eyeing the security camera above, Cassie said that she couldn’t do it.
“I knew it. What a waste. Let’s go girls.” Marga said. They noticed a security guard approaching and fled the scene. Cassie followed shortly, leaving the spray paint behind. LJ stood in the shadows, wearing Marga’s jacket. She grabbed the spray paint, ran straight to the wall and started painting it. Meanwhile, Cassie stood behind another wall. She came out, surprised at what was going on, recognizing Marga’s jacket instantly.
“Hey,” Cassie said. “What are you doing?”
LJ ran off and a guard found Cassie a second later as she stood staring at the wall.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” the guard asked, shining his flashlight in her face.
Present : LJ told Cassie that she had wanted to help her, and she had had the opportunity to get back at Marga. Cassie said she understood, yet what she had done was wrong, and things had needed up worse because of what she had done.
“I didn’t know you’d get punished too,” LJ said. “I’m sorry.”
Cassie said she had to tell the truth if she really was sorry. LJ feared that her parents would get mad at her, and Cassie said they had to accept that because her parents had also been mad at her for sneaking out to the party and breaking into the school. “They even think I vandalized the wall,” Cassie added. “But you know what I realized? No matter how many mistakes we make, they’re willing to forgive us, as long as we regret what we did and apologize.”
