“That’s it! I won’t let you harass me or anyone else here in Maxwell! I’ll put an end to your bullying! What do you want from me?! To flash your face down the toilet?! Will that get you to stop acting like that?! Come here!”
The students of Maxwell were all staring and giving Marga looks as she walked around campus. The Mean Squad came up and Marga asked Maureen to tell the ‘losers’ to stop staring at her. “I can’t, Marga,” Maureen said. “What you did earlier was really foul.”
“And sick,” Nadya added. “We don’t make fun of räpë.”
“I already said I didn’t know aunt Romina was a räpë victim,” Marga wailed.
“I don’t believe you,” Nadya said. “I don’t want to get involved in this mess.” The Mean Squad walked away, leaving Marga by herself.
Daniela was surprised to see Alvin back at the school. Alvin told her that he had gotten his job back after saving her father, and that he was sure that he would give him anything he wanted now. “What are you up to?” Daniela asked. “Why did you come back to Maxwell?”
“It’s a secret. Are you alright?”
“Family problems. I think I need a drink. Do you want to join me? I need some company.”
Marga was crying by herself when Kristoff found her. She asked whether he was going to judge her too because of what she had done to Cassie. Kristoff said he just wanted to check on her since everyone was talking about her. “Everyone thinks I’m a bad person,” Marga cried. “I didn’t know aunt Romina was a räpë victim. I’m not that mean.”
“Marga, still what you did was wrong.”
“I just wanted to feel special. I’m the only Mondragon they know – the one they envy and admire. I want to gain back everything Cassie stole from me.”
Kristoff actually consoled her as she cried. Later that night, the misëräble one-eyed-old man went to the Bartolome house and met only his equally misëräble granddaughter there. Marga told him that something had happened earlier in school and Kulas actually promised to make the students pay if they were harassing her.
“I learned something in school about aunt Romina,” Marga began. “Is it true that she was räpëd before?”
“Who told you that?”
“Cassie did.”
“So she knows the truth.”
“So it’s true? Cassie’s the daughter of a räpïst?”
“That’s what they say.”
” Mommy told me before that aunty Romina used to be daddy’s girlfriend. Did it happen before or after their relationship?”
“Don’t tell your mom I told you this – your dad and Romina used to be engaged. But their wedding didn’t go through because she was räpëd.”
Romina met up with the manager of a store. She asked the woman whether she had a copy of the CCTV footage of an incident which happened sixteen years ago. “Is it about the räpë case?” the woman asked.
Mina was surprised. “You know about it?”
“Of course. The police kept coming back here to ask questions. They also asked for a copy of the CCTV footage for evidence.”
“So it means you gave a copy to the police?”
“Yes. I gave them the original copy.”
Mina excused herself to make a phone call. “Jude, I just want to ask, based on your station’s records, how many CCTV footage do you have regarding my case?”
“We’re reviewing it now,” Jude said. Kulas came in a second later. “We only have one which we showed you. Why?”
“Isn’t there another?”
“We only have one, based on the records.”
Mina glanced at the woman while Kulas had a flashback of the disc he had dumped in the fire earlier. After the call, Jude told his family about the new evidence in Mina’s case. “You better help her so she can get the justice she deserves,” Mryna said.
“That’s exactly what am doing, ma.”
“Why would Jude help her?” asked the misëräble one-eyed-old man. “It’s just an additional work for him.”
“You were a cop before,” Jessa pointed out. “It is your job to help people in need.”
“You’re right. But Romina’s rich. She can easily hire an investigator. She should stop bothering Jude.”
Daniela took Alvin to a bar and asked him to order whatever he wanted. She then began with her act, telling him that her father had taken her out of his will because she had told Marga the truth about Cassie. Daniela blamed Alvin and he told her that it wasn’t his fault that her daughter was a gossip.
“Did you invite me here to tell me that?” Alvin asked.
“It is your fault. If you were careful, you wouldn’t have gotten Romina pregnant and I wouldn’t be having any problems.” Danny girl then grabbed her phone. She started recording before placing it on the table.
“If you only knew.”
“If I knew what?”
“Forget it.”
“What really happened that night? Come on, tell me the details.”
“What do you want me to tell you?”
“Everything.”
Meanwhile, Carlos arrived home to find that his wife wasn’t there and neither had she picked up their daughter from school. “You wanna know what happened?” Alvin asked back at the club. “Alright.”
Daniela’s phone rang just then and Alvin asked her to answer it first. When she refused, Alvin picked up the phone. “Should I answer it?”
“Don’t you dare.”
“I know you’re planning to screw me over. What if I tell on you first?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You think I didn’t see you? You were recording our conversation.” Alvin showed her the phone.
“I pressed that by accident,” Daniela claimed.
“I’m not as dumb as you think, Daniela. If you betray me, I’ll bring your entire family down. And I’ll start with your husband.”
Romina came into Cassie’s room and found her painting something very dark. “That’s amazing,” Mina said. “But it’s not something you usually paint.”
“Oh, really?”
“Cassie dear, tell me what’s bothering you. It’s even reflecting in your artwork.”
“I’m sorry, mamma. I just can’t get over what happened to you.”
“It’s all in the past now.”
“But it’s part of who I am, mamma. That’s why I’ve got new questions in my head.”
“What do you want to know, dear?”
“Did the police catch the räpïst? Where is he imprisoned? Does he know about me?”
Mina sighed. “He was never caught. And I couldn’t even remember what happened to me. I don’t know who räpëd me.”
“I’m sorry, mamma.”
“Cassie, why are you apologizing?”
“I’m sorry that it happened to you. That I was the product of your pain. I’m sorry for ruining your life – the life you could have had with Carlos. Mamma, am so sorry I was a mistake to you.”
“Cassie, don’t ever say that,” Mina admonished. “You were never a mistake. The truth is, you were the one who saved me.”
Cassie looked baffled. “After that incident, your grandmother died,” Mina went on. “And I felt like I did too. But when you came, I had the courage to go on with my life despite what happened to me. Sweetheart, you were my savior, so don’t ever apologize for that.”
Kulas went through the trash and he started throwing a tantrum when he noticed that they weren’t burnt. Myrna told him that she knew nothing about it and maybe the wind had put out the fire. “You shouldn’t even burn that since the garbage truck will be here tomorrow.”
“You don’t understand. I put something in it.”
“What? What did you put in it?”
“Nothing.”
“You said you were burning garbage and now you’re looking for something? What’s going on? What are you worried about?”
At the mansion, Romina had a phone call from an unregistered number. “Hello? Who is this?”
“You don’t have to know,” said the person on the other line.
“I’m not in the mood to play games. Who are you?”
“Don’t hang up. I have evidence that can help you with your räpë case.”
“What did you say?”
“I have some footage, showing you being abducted by the man who räpëd you. If you wanna see this, give me 5 million pesos.”
Robert came down a moment later and found Mina in a daze. He asked what was wrong and Mina excitedly told him that someone had called her, claiming to have in their possession the video footage of when she was being abducted by the one who had räpëd her, and that the caller was asking for 5 million. Robert argued that it could be a trap set by the kidñäpper but Mina was convinced that the anonymous caller was telling the truth. Carlos asked Daniela where she had gone last night and she claimed that she had been working on something.
“Inside a bar?” Carlos asked. “You came home drunk, Daniela. Stop denying it.”
“I’ve been stressed out lately and I was only blowing off some steam, that’s why I got drunk.”
Carlos gave her a look. “Who were you with?”
“Savannah, obviously.”
Back at the mansion, Robert asked Mina to give him the number of the anonymous caller so he would have the person investigated and find out whether they were telling the truth. In one of the stalls of a washroom at Maxwell, Cassie found the wall vandalized with foul remarks about her mother. She broke down in tears, her efforts to wipe the words clean futile. Marga and the Mean Squad then entered the washroom.
“You’re so wicked, Marga,” Nadya said.
“Or you’re just being stüpïd,” Nica added. “What if they found out what you did?”
Cassie looked vengeful. She wiped off her tears and stormed out of the stall. “Really, Marga? This is how you want to play? Even when I told you the truth, you still want to drag mamma into this?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marga said.
“I just heard that you vandalized the wall to ruin my mother’s reputation.”
“I already told you – know your place.”
“Just because I’m not a real Mondragon doesn’t mean you can step all over me. Or ruin my mother’s good name.”
Marga smiled mockingly. “Then prove it. You can’t, right? Just like how you can’t prove that your mother was really räpëd.”
“Think, Marga. Think. Am I not enough proof of what happened to her?”
“Maybe she wanted it to happen. Or maybe she planned it from the start so she can win over my grandfather.”
“That’s it!” Cassie dropped her bag angrily and stormed over. She grabbed Marga by the arm. “I won’t let you harass me or anyone else here in Maxwell! I’ll put an end to your bullying!”
Marga tried to break free but it was no use. “Let me go!”
“I’ve put up with you for so long! Leave me alone! What do you want from me?! To flash your face down the toilet?! Will that get you to stop acting like that?!” Cassie started wrestling and dragging her to the WC. “Come here! You won’t leave me alone?! This is what you want, Marga?!”
A few more inches and Marga’s face would ki$$ the toilet water. “Please don’t do this, Cassie,” Marga cried out. While Cassie started flashing the toilet, Maureen suggested that they help Marga. Nadya was strongly against it. The Mean Squad just stood there and watched the show.
“Let me go!” Marga yelled as Cassie still held her by the hair tightly and tried to push her head in. Cassie was distracted by Nadya for a second and Marga managed to push her away. Her glasses fell and Marga stepped on them before leaving with the Mean Squad.
“I know I’m not a Mondragon,” Cassie thought to herself. “It hurts me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you walk all over me.”
Romina came down the stairs and found the table set. Robert came in with two plates of food and Mina was surprised since she had thought that he had already left for work. Robert told her that he had decided not to go so he could prepare something for her since she had been stressed out all week. Mina thanked him for always being there for her and Cassie. Robert still planned on moving with his family to Australia once Mina’s case was resolved. Back in the washroom, Cassie tried again to wipe off the words on the wall. LJ and Fatima offered to help but she insisted on doing it by herself.
“This is too much, Cassie,” Fatima commented. “What do you plan on doing now?”
“I’ve been putting up with everything she’s been doing to me because it’s true – I’m not a real Mondragon. But now, I’ve realized that no matter what I do, she’ll never leave me alone. She’s even using what happened to mamma just to hurt me.”
“Cassie…” LJ began.
“I’ve had enough!” Cassie cried out. “She said so herself – I’m not a real Mondragon. We’re not family so we’re not related. And that means there’s no more reason for me to hold back.”
Robert had a phone call from the police, telling him that they had arrested the kidñäpper the girls had seen. Mina insisted on going with him to the station. Daniela met up with Savannah and told her that Alvin had caught her recording him and she couldn’t get rid of him unless she found some concrete evidence against him. Danny girl worried that Carlos was now suspicious of her and Savannah told her to relax and wait for the perfect opportunity to get rid of Alvin.
“No, Savannah, if I want this to be over, I’ll have to make my own opportunity.”
“Now that’s the Danny girl I know.”
Daniela then had a phone call from her father concerning the kidñäpper who had been caught. Robert and Romina stormed into the police station as the kidñäpper was being interrogated. Romina started pounding the scoundrel with her bag. “How dare you?! Who are you to hurt my daughter?! You’ll pay for this!”
Robert held back his wife and tried to calm her down. Daniela stormed in a second later. “Is that him?” She walked over to the guy and started giving him a frenzy of släps. “You think you’re so tough, huh?”
Jude held Daniela back and asked her to calm down, assuring her that the goon would be imprisoned. Daniela gave him a look. “He would go to jail? That’s not enough. He needs to die because he hurt my daughter just to get what he wanted.”
“I’m innocent,” the goon claimed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Robert pointed a finger at him and gave him a dëäth glare. The scoundrel was fortunate when some officers took him away just then. “Do everything you can to make him confess,” Robert said to the chief. “It’s important for us to know who ordered him to kidñäp my daughter and granddaughter. They need to pay for it.”
Cassie was staring at her broken glasses when Esther came in and asked whether she wanted her favorite snacks. “Maybe later, nanny,” Cassie said. Esther then notice the glasses and she asked what had happened to them. Cassie told her that Marga had stepped on them. Esther then went through a drawer and gave her an old pair of glasses. She asked her to use them for the mean time.
“No need to call the doctor, nanny,” Cassie said.
“But you’ll have a hard time seeing.”
“I’ll just use the contact lenses Fatima and LJ gave me.”
“Are you sure?”
Cassie nodded. “This way, Marga wouldn’t have anything to destroy.”
After talking to Robert on phone, Esther told Cassie that one of the kidñäppers had been caught and their driver was on his way to take her to the police station. Meanwhile, Hector was very upset that the goon had been caught. He told one of his men to make sure the apprehended goon didn’t say anything. Cassie and Marga had joined their families at the police station. They stared through the glass window as the goon was being interrogated. The chief came out and asked the girls whether the guy was one of those who had kidñäpped them. Both girls confirmed it and the chief said they would need a written statement from them to make it official. At home, Jude told his father about one of the kidñäppers being caught.
Kulas then asked about Romina’s case and Jude said they hadn’t found any new evidence yet. He added that the chief had talked to the former investigator who had been in charge of the case back then and it was possible that they had overlooked something. Back at the police station, the chief made another empty promise to Robert about making the goon confess. Robert praised the girls for being brave enough to identify the goon. He also noticed Cassie giving Marga an angry look as she left with her mother. The Mondragons arrived home and Esther gave Cassie’s broken glasses to Robert. Cassie came in and Robert asked what the problem was since he had noticed her glaring at Marga earlier at the station.
“And Esther told me that Marga broke your glasses,” Robert added. “What is going on?”
“Nothing’s changed,” Cassie admitted. “She hasn’t stopped bullying me at school.”
“Cassie…”
“I know you don’t like it when I fight with Marga, dad, but she vandalized the girls’ washroom. She wrote that mamma wasn’t really räpëd. That mamma is a dirty woman. Dad, I can’t let that slide. She’s gone too far.”
Robert looked surprised. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked. “I could have talked to her.”
“Dad, I don’t want to cause problems for our family. That’s why I’ve been putting up with her. Especially after I learned that… I’m not really your daughter. She’s even insulting mamma now just to hurt me.”
“Cassie, you shouldn’t think like that. If Marga or anyone does something to you, tell me immediately.”
“But daddy…”
“Cassie, you’re my daughter. And I won’t allow anyone to walk over you or hurt you. Not even Marga. Now promise me that you’ll tell me if anyone tries something like this again.”
Cassie nodded. Kulas met up with Eric (former investigator of Romina’s case) and asked him to lie low for a while since another investigation had started. Eric was upset since he was retired now and wanted to enjoy life. Flashback : Kulas told Eric that the only reason why he was still in the service was because he had covered for him when he had screwed up. Kulas blackmailed him by saying that the parents of the kid he had shot were still looking for justice.
“One word from me, and you’ll be discharged,” Kulas threatened.
“It was an accident,” Eric argued. “I was drunk and you know that. It was a stray büllët that hit the kid. They can’t blame that on me.”
Kulas then went on to threaten to expose him if he didn’t get rid of the new evidence. Present : Eric asked Kulas where the disc was. Kulas told him that he had already gotten rid of it. The man Hector had sent paid a visit to the apprehended goon in prison. He told his fellow partner in crime not to say a single word to the police so that the boss would take care of him and his family in return. Robert and Romina were surprised and disgusted with the act Marga had pulled off in school. Robert apologized and Mina said there was no need because he wasn’t at fault, and that she was just worried about how it was affecting Cassie.
Robert decided to have a talk with both girls so they could settle their differences. Romina then had a phone call from an unregistered number and Robert told her not to pick up. The next morning at the Bartolome house, Carlos came out of the bathroom and Daniela started pestering him with a shirt she had ironed, insisting that he use that instead of the others. Carlos asked what she was doing and Danny girl told him that she wanted to serve him by preparing the things he needed. She tried to seduce him with a ki$$ but Carlos dodged it and took the clothes he had prepared himself earlier.
Romina interrogated the goon at the police station and asked about the woman who had called her, claiming to know something about her case. The scoundrel claimed that he was innocent and Mina told him to stop pretending since the girls had already identified him as one of the kidñäppers. She noticed the ring on his finger. “You’re married?” Mina began. “Does your wife know what you’re doing?”
“Don’t drag her into this.”
“So she doesn’t have a clue? I wonder how she’ll react when she learns the truth.”
The goon got hostile. “I told you not to drag her into this!” he yelled, springing up to his feet. An officer made him sit.
“Then answer my question!” Mina hissed. “What do you know about what happened to me? Tell me!”
“I told you I’m innocent. I was just following orders.”
“Who?! Who is your mastermind?! Why won’t you answer me? Are you afraid of that person?”
“You don’t know what they’re capable of.”
“A woman called me. She said that she has the evidence for my case. Is she your accomplice?”
“What evidence? We didn’t have a female accomplice.”
“Are you sure? If you tell us who your accomplices are, there’s a possibility that your punishment would be lowered.”
The chief told the goon that he would be taken back to his cell if he had nothing else to say. The goon then got up to leave with the officers. “Please, cooperate with us,” Mina pleaded. “I will help you.”
