“I can’t believe you’d stoop down this low just to harass me. You can check my records – Mondragon is my surname. You can’t change that. You think your tantrums can change anything? Grow up.”
Robert had a talk with Marga at the waiting area of Maxwell, asking why she had vandalized the wall and broken Cassie’s glasses. He brought up the fact that he knew this wasn’t the first time she had bullied Cassie, and that he couldn’t understand why she would do that.
“I have every reason to be mad at Cassie,” Marga began with her trash talk. “She has everything I want. It’s so unfair. I am your granddaughter, grandpa. Everything she has is rightfully mine because she’s not a real Mondragon. She doesn’t deserve anything you’re giving her.”
Cassie told Kristoff about what Marga had done earlier in the washroom and how her father was having a talk with her. “I hope she listens to him,” Kristoff said.
“And I hope she changes,” Cassie added.
Back at the waiting area, Robert told Marga to understand because Cassie was his daughter and she deserved everything he gave her. “I’m trying to be fair between the two of you,” Robert said. “You also have everything she has.”
“It doesn’t feel that way to me,” Marga cried. “Why are you taking care of her instead of me?… Cassie has the perfect family even though she’s not related to you. Can’t you see grandpa? I’m so jealous of Cassie and it’s k!lling me.”
“You don’t have to be jealous,” Robert reasoned. “You’ll always be family to me. Whenever you need me, I’ll be here.” Robert consoled her as she cried some more crocodile tears. We all know she’ll be back to her rotten attitude in no time. Kristoff told Cassie to ignore Marga and pretend like her actions didn’t affect her.
“That’s easier said than done,” Cassie argued.
“Just take it as an advice. And don’t forget to smile. Besides, you look prettier when you smile.”
Cassie’s eyes were wide with surprise, and she forced a smile. Mark, the apprehended goon had a visit from his fellow partner in crime. He revealed to him that he had spoken to Romina and he threatened to tell them everything he knew if the boss didn’t bail him out. A moment later, the man Hector had sent relayed the information to Hector, worried that Mark could confess.
“What’s the plan, boss?”
“Finish him off,” Hector ordered.
“Are you sure?”
“If you don’t then he’ll snitch on all of us and then we’ll all be caught. Make it look like an accident, the usual. Make sure you don’t mess up.”
At Camila, Robert had a talk with Romina. He told her that even though what Marga had done was wrong, he felt for her because she was his granddaughter and he would teach her right from wrong if her parents weren’t up to the task. Mina then told him about the suspect she had interrogated earlier and how she was sure that she could convince him to tell the truth.
“Alright,” Robert agreed. “That’s what we’ll do.”
In the prison, two men deliberately put on a show near where Mark lay. One of them had a toothbrush in his hand, hidden under a handkerchief. The men began fighting, kicking and shoving each other and eventually, Mark was ‘accidentally’ stabbed in the neck with the toothbrush. He dropped to the floor and bled out in the midst of the chaos.
Romina had a phone call from inspector Riaz, the officer in charge of the kidñappiñg case. He told her that a riot had occured earlier at the station, leading to the dëäth of the suspect in the kidñappiñg. Mina was devastated. She relayed the information to Robert and Daniela who had just come in.
“Why is this happening?” Mina wailed. “He was going to tell us the truth. He was going to confess the identity of the mastermind.”
“Calm down,” Robert said.
“It’s like someone is keeping us from getting to the bottom of this,” Mina went on.
Danny girl had a look of resolve on her face. Cassie was playing volleyball with her friends and some other girls when Marga and the Mean Squad walked over. Maureen was excited and she suggested that they join them.
Marga didn’t want to at first but then she agreed to it when she noticed that Cassie was having fun. “Looks like someone’s having fun,” Marga began. “But you know what’s funnier? You, wearing that uniform as if you’re a true Mondragon, Cassie. You better take that off before you humiliate it.”
“Really, Marga? You’re that petty my t-shirt bothers you? I can’t believe you’d stoop down this low just to harass me. You can check my records – Mondragon is my surname. You can’t change that.”
“You’re a fake Mondragon,” Marga barked. “No matter what you do, you’ll never be a true Mondragon.”
“You think your tantrums can change anything? Grow up.”
“Stop saying that!”
Cassie gave her a look and walked away. Marga followed and pushed her to the floor. “You’re not a real Mondragon!” she yelled, wrestling with her. “You will never be a Mondragon!”
Cassie struggled with Marga and she accidentally scratched her hand with her nail. Both girls faced off again and the others girls tried to hold them back. The P.E teacher arrived on the scene, blowing his whistle for order. “What’s going on here?” he asked. “Miss Mondragon, Miss Bartolome, who started the fight? I need an answer now.”
“It was Cassie,” Marga accused. “I was just playing with my friends and she suddenly ättaçked me.”
“Is that true?” the teacher asked.
Cassie was appalled. “Marga, for once in your life, admit it when you do something wrong. Sir, that’s not true. She pushed me, then I fell.”
“You’re lying,” Marga argued.
“Marga, everyone here saw you start the fight. You also bully the rest of the girls here even if they haven’t done anything to you. They keep silent because they’re afraid of you, but I’ve had enough. I won’t let you bully any other girl here.” Cassie addressed the girls and told them that it was time for them to speak up. “Don’t let a bully like Marga stop us from having a safe learning environment.”
Fatima and LJ spoke up and told the teacher that Marga was the one who had ättaçked Cassie. “She bullied me before,” LJ added. “But I was afraid to speak up.” Some others girls also spoke up and revealed that Marga had also bullied them before, and the teacher eventually took her to the principal’s office.
Marga denied all the accusations levelled at her, but the principal didn’t believe her. She asked about the situation at home and told Marga that she needed to have a talk with her parents.
Daniela met up with Savannah, worried about the conclusion Romina had come to about the connection between the kidñäppers and the one who had räpëd her. She suspected that Alvin could be involved. Daniela then had a phone call from the principal of Maxwell.
At Kulas’ house, Gino asked his mother what his father was doing outside and Myrna told him that he was looking for something in the trash can. Kulas came in and asked whether anyone had seen a CD in the trash.
“What CD?” Jude asked. “What’s in it and why is it so important, dad?”
Kulas was upset. “What’s with all the questions? I’m the one who’s asking.” The misëräble old man started throwing a fit. In her office at Camila, Romina had a flashback of her conversation with the goon.
Meanwhile, Jessa paid a visit to Kulas at the house. She had brought along some gifts and the moment Kulas left the room, Myrna pulled her aside and asked where she had gotten the money. Jessa told her that she had taken some money from the savings they were making for their escape out of town.
“You weren’t supposed to spend it,” Myrna admonished.
“Relax Myrna. I wouldn’t spend it if I wasn’t sure that I could earn it back.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Just leave it to me.”
Bonita came into Romina’s office with some forms for her to sign. She noticed her dejected face and asked what was wrong. Mina told her about the developments of her case and the kidñappiñg. “When I asked the suspect about the woman who called me saying she had evidence regarding my case, he said he didn’t know her and they didn’t have a female accomplice. Then I get a call saying he’s been k!lled in a jail riot. Someone is trying to stop me from getting the justice I deserve.”
On his father’s orders, Gino went around the house searching for the CD. Meanwhile, Romina had a phone call from an unregistered number. “Hello.”
“I’m glad you finally decided to pick up the phone, Romina. I’ve been trying to call you.”
“So what I did isn’t enough for you to stop føøling me around?”
“Don’t act like you know everything. Do you want me to burn the evidence I have? I’m not asking for much, just cash, and I know you can give me that.”
“Stop wasting my time. How can I make sure you’re not lying? I need solid proof.”
“Do you want to throw away everything you’ve been fighting for?”
Romina hanged up. Her phone beeped a second later and she stared at it in shock – the anonymous caller had sent her a photo from the CCTV footage. The photo showed an unidentified man sneaking up on Mina. The anonymous caller is finally unveiled. It is none other than the gambler, the former mistress of Myrna. Jessa.
In an unidentified location, Jessa was staring at the disc and smiling triumphantly. “We’re so close at leaving the slums,” she thought to herself. “If this plan works, we’ll never be poor again.” She inserted the CD into a player and played the video.
Romina showed the photo she had just received to Robert, certain that the anonymous caller really had the evidence she had been looking for. Mina suggested that they call her but Robert was against the idea, saying that the photo could have been edited. “Let’s wait for it to be checked first,” Robert said.
“No, Robert, she might get impatient and refuse to give us the CD.”
“She wants our money. I’m sure she’ll wait.”
Romina then decided to give the photo to an IT specialist for analysis and Robert asked her to send him the photos instead so he would take care of it. Mina then had a phone call from the principal of Maxwell. Gino had a phone call from Neil, telling him about another audition that was going on today. When Myrna asked why he didn’t look happy, Gino told her that he didn’t really have the talent for commercials and neither did he want to go and embarrass himself and get insulted like the last time. Myrna encouraged him to go and give it another try.
“You’re even tougher than Pacquiao,” Gino joked. “You’re even beating cancer.”
Mryna looked on guilty. Robert and Romina arrived at Maxwell to find Carlos and Daniela already there. Robert told them about the girls’ fight and how Marga had been the one who had started it. Daniela said she couldn’t blame her daughter. Mina was surprised. She asked Daniela whether she was justifying her daughter’s actions and Danny girl said she was only stating a fact. Robert reminded them that they were there to fix their daughters’ problems and not add to them. The Mondragons and Bartolomes were then called into the principal’s office.
Gino thanked his mother for always being there for him and supporting his dreams since his father had always looked down on him. In the principal’s office, Daniela suggested that they discuss the matter as a family but Romina disagreed, saying that she wanted Marga to be disciplined since she and her husband had known for a while that Marga had been bullying Cassie. Robert told the principal that it was just a family matter and Daniela said Marga wasn’t a bully.
“There were students who came forward,” the principal began. “They told us that Marga’s been bullying them as well.”
“And you only just found out?” Carlos asked.
The principal nodded and said that not all students had the courage to report to the authorities for fear that the bullying would get worse. Mina ignored Daniela’s ranting and asked what they could do to prevent something like that from happening again. The principal announced that they were investigating and if Marga was found guilty then she would be dismissed from the school. In the school clinic, Maureen told Marga about her possible dismissal from Maxwell. Marga was upset that she was the only one getting expelled since the Mean Squad were also part of the bullying. Nica told her that they had already been punished for that.
“Besides you’ve always been claiming to be the queen,” Nadya added. “Now suffer the consequences.”
Back in the principal’s office, Daniela asked the principal to reconsider her decision since Marga was a great asset to the school. The principal argued that they also had to consider the wellfare of the other students and their parents. Eventually, the principal agreed to talk to the committee to give Marga another chance as long as she was willing to change. She advised Carlos and Daniela to undergo marriage counseling since their constant fights was also a cause of Marga acting out. Marga saw Cassie and her friends walking nearby. She stormed over to Cassie. “This is all your fault,” she hissed.
Fatima and LJ stood in front of Cassie protectively. “Stop,” Fatima said. “Don’t you dare.”
“What are you gonna do?” LJ asked.
“You can’t hurt Cassie anymore,” Fatima added.
Marga shoved them aside. “Get out of my way!”
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on my friends, Marga,” Cassie warned.
“This is all your fault. I’ve had enough of you.” Marga began to wrestle with Cassie , and LJ and Fatima tried to fend her off.
Alvin run in and pushed Marga away. “Stop it, now.”
Marga went after Cassie again, unknown to her that Robert was approaching.
“What’s going on here?” Robert asked.
Alvin turned to him. “Mr. Robert, your granddaughter’s bullying Cassie again.”
Robert was more disappointed than upset. “Marga, let’s talk.”
Daniela was upset with the principal’s suggestion that they undergo marriage counseling, but Carlos said the woman had a point since they had shortcomings as parents. “Maybe you,” Danny girl said. “Not me. I did everything to give her the life that she deserves.”
“Enough, Daniela. Do you want to know the truth? This is all your fault. You always made Marga feel like she’s superior to others, that she should always be feared and admired. And because of that, she’s been hurting others.”
“Don’t you question how I raised our daughter. I’m doing everything for Marga’s sake.”
“If that’s so, then let’s undergo marriage counseling, not just for us but for Marga too.”
Robert sat with Marga at a table and offered her a treat. Marga said she wasn’t hungry and she was just waiting for him to scold her. Robert asked whether that would make her feel better and Marga told him that she was sure her parents would probably scold her as well. “We had a conversation when you and Cassie fought,” Robert began. “You told me that you did that because you felt Cassie was taking what was yours but that’s not what I hear from others.”
“I am a Mondragon, grandpa,” Marga argued. “I need to be respected. I need to be on top.”
“No matter your surname, your good looks or how rich you are, it’s not a guarantee that people will treat you with respect or be nice to you. It’s all about attitude.”
Carlos went to the school clinic to ask about Marga and he was told that she had already left with Robert. Meanwhile, Robert was still having a talk with Marga, telling her that he hoped she became mature enough to know right from wrong. Carlos and Daniela arrived as Marga was saying that she felt lost.
Carlos then interrupted them and asked Marga to leave with her mother. Carlos then told Robert not to meddle in their affairs because he was the one responsible to fix their problems. Romina thanked Alvin for standing up for Cassie earlier. Alvin told her that it was all Daniela’s fault since she couldn’t discipline her child.
Mina said she didn’t want to point fingers and all she wanted to do was to protect Cassie. Alvin then promised to keep an eye on Cassie and assured Mina that no one would hurt her as long as he was there. The Bartolomes arrived home, and much to Marga’s surprise, her father apologized to her for making her feel worse with his arguments with Daniela.
Danny girl also apologized for neglecting her and Marga started rolling her eyes when her father told her not to direct her anger at other people. Robert was worried that he might have made matters worse by speaking to Marga. Mina told him that he had only done what he had thought was best and that he had the right to discipline her since he’s her grandfather.
“I know that,” Robert said. “That’s why I want to be close to her and give her everything she needs.”
Back at the Bartolome house, Marga was excited when Carlos told her that he and her mother had decided to spend more time with her from now on as long as she changed her behavior in school.
“Do I make myself clear?” Carlos asked.
Marga nodded, smiling. “Yes, dad. I promise.”
Back in their bedroom at the mansion, Romina told Robert that she knew how much he løvëd Daniela and Marga. She assured him that things would turn out well. Just then, Robert had a phone call. “Hello.”
“Hello Sir. I’m the IT specialist inspecting the photo you sent.”
“What’s the result? Is it real or fake?”
“Sir, it turns out the photo is real.”
The next morning, Daniela still didn’t want to go for the marriage counseling. Carlos said that they had to because he couldn’t remember the last time they had talked without fighting. Daniela took offense at that and Carlos said that they were both at fault. “I know you’re keeping secrets from me too,” Carlos said. “But I won’t force you to reveal them. Because I choose to trust you for Marga’s sake. We need to fix our relationship for our daughter.”
Marga came in and asked whether they were arguing again, and Carlos told her that they had just been talking. Daniela asked why she wasn’t dressed yet and Marga said she couldn’t find her uniform. “The maid probably forgot. Go on,” Danny girl said. “I’ll bring it to your room.”
Kulas was going out of his mind, metaphorically speaking. Myrna served him coffee and he saw Jessa’s face in hers. When he came to his senses, he mentioned that he hadn’t seen Jessa in a while and Myrna said that she was probably busy with something. Kulas was worried that something bad might have happened to her. “Don’t worry,” Mryna said. “When I see her later, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”
Kulas gave her a suspicious look. “You’ll meet her today?”
“No, I mean just in case I see her. She lives close to us so it’s possible that we might see each other.” Myrna eyed Kulas to see if he had bought her story. The Bartolomes enjoyed a peaceful breakfast together. Daniela was acting strange and being nice and courteous. She even served them. Marga and Carlos playfully made fun of her and Danny girl complained.
“Sorry mommy,” Marga said. “But you’re acting weird. Are you sick or something?”
Carlos laughed and asked Daniela to sit down and eat since she was making him dizzy with her walking around. Daniela sat down and gave them a look. “What’s wrong with taking care of you guys? We rarely have breakfast together and yet here you are, making fun of me. I won’t do this again.”
Marga laughed. “I hope we stay like this forever.”
“We’ll try. We’re sorry we’ve been busy lately. Your dad and I have decided to make more time for family bonding.”
Marga was excited. “Really?”
“Yes, Marga. Your mom and I have agreed to spend more time with you from now.”
Daniela then decided that they would all go out together after Marga came back from school. Kulas had a flashback of his meeting with Eric (former officer in charge of Romina’s case). He then recalled how he hadn’t been able to find the disc after dumping it in the burning trash. Carlos came in. “Dad, you look troubled.”
“I’m just trying to relax,” Kulas claimed. “You’re the one who looks troubled.
Carlos sat down. “We had a report from Marga’s school counselor,” he began. “She was reported for bullying several students. She was also given an ultimatum. Daniela and I were advised to do couple counseling but Daniela doesn’t want to. She thinks it’s embarrassing for other people to know.”
“You should convince her,” Kulas said. “This is for Marga. I’m sure she’ll agree to it.”
“I hope so.”
“I’ll bet on it. A parent would do anything for their child. When your mother left, I did everything for you and the welfare of your brothers even if I wasn’t a perfect father.”
“I know, dad. Even though we have our differences, you always think about what’s best for the three of us. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, son. I’m your father. I’ll do anything for the three of you, so you should also do the same for Marga.” As Kulas stared at his son, he had a flashback of the crucial evidence he had hijacked from Romina’s case.
