“I’m used to doing household chores. There’s nothing wrong with being a maid. It’s a decent job, Marga. There are people who work hard for the things they have, understand? They don’t suddenly appear and take what isn’t theirs.”
Carlos asked some co-workers at Primarosa for some documents he needed to review. They told him that they had already reviewed and submitted it to the manager. Carlos took offense when they teased him saying that they now had to follow his orders because he was now ‘King Carlos’, a wealthy man. Kristoff told his father that he was worried about Cassie since her mother was in jail and her father had just died. Bernard told him that Cassie wasn’t alone, that she had her uncle, her mother’s friends as well as them.
“That’s why I need you to look after Cassie for the mean time,” Bernard said. “Until we figure out a way to get Romina out of jail for good.”
At the station, Romina was upset with Daniela’s arrival at the mansion. Neil told her that no one could stop her and Mina said she had already anticipated that something like that would happen. “I’m here to warn you,” Neil said. “Cassie might be her next target.”
“If she touches a hair on my daughter’s head, I will give her the reason she needs to put me in jail,” Mina hissed.
“Just calm down, Romina. Your anger will take you nowhere. We need to come up with a plan. I’m not in a position to challenge her.”
“I promise that I will get out of here. But for now, I need you to watch over Cassie.”
“I’ll do everything I can. I’m going to protect our family as much as I can.”
“Thank you.”
Daniela went to the kitchen and treated Esther’s wound, saying that she was sure Marga hadn’t meant to hurt her. Esther told her that Marga needed to apologize to Cassie. “Do you really have to kick her out?” Esther asked. “She’s your sister, Daniela.”
“No. She’s not my sister,” Daniela objected.
“Have pity on the girl. She has nowhere to go.”
“I have to do this.”
Esther asked why she wanted to do so and Daniela told her that Cassie had enjoyed and lived on her father’s hard work while she had been like a dog begging for scraps. “Your father wouldn’t approve of this if he was alive,” Esther said.
“He would understand,” Daniela countered. “It wouldn’t k!ll Cassie to experience some hardship.”
“She’s just a you kid, Daniela. What if Marga had to go through the same thing.”
“She’ll survive. But if she doesn’t, that’s no longer my problem.”
At the maids quarters, Cassie asked Esther if she was okay. Esther told her that it was just a scratch and she wouldn’t die from it. She left to go and buy some groceries. Bernard told Romina that since she was the main suspect in Robert’s dëäth, all her assets had been frozen, including the mansion, and that was why Daniela had the right to live there. “For how long?” Mina asked. “She can’t stay forever. Who knows what she’ll do to my daughter?”
“I’ll talk to her, but you know Daniela doesn’t back down.”
“Let’s focus on your case first, Romina,” her lawyer cut in. “Everything else would follow. You’ll get your house back once it’s proven that you’re innocent.”
“Then it’s crucial that we act now,” Mina said. “I have a daughter waiting for me. Bernard, if she attempts to hurt my daughter, I will not hesitate to break out of this prison cell.”
Cassie was by herself at the maids quarters when Marga came in and started spouting her nøñsënse. “It’s your fault that she (Esther) got hurt,” Marga barked. “If you don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of you, then just leave because we’re only just getting started.”
Cassie gave her a look. “If you hurt my løvëd ones again, you’ll regret it.”
Gino was getting ready to go and look for a job when Myrna came in. Jude joined them and announced that he was going to buy some food, asking his father whether he wanted anything. Myrna mentioned that she had brought food for everyone and Jude got upset and left. Myrna asked about Romina and her family and Gino told her that he felt worried for Cassie because Daniela was giving her a hard time. Jessa came in unannounced, much to Mryna’s surprise.
“Serve the food, son,” Kulas said gladly. “We’ve got a guest.”
Bernard went to the mansion to talk some sense into Daniela but she was determined not to leave the mansion. “Okay. Fine,” Bernard said. “Do what you want. But I have to warn you. Romina will fight for her right and for Cassie’s.”
“She can try,” Daniela mocked. “That’s if she gets out of jail.
“If Romina files a complaint, you’ll not only lose this mansion but absolutely everything else you inherited from Robert.”
“Stop bluffing. I am staying in this house and you can’t do anything about that.”
Jessa caught up with Mryna later that night, and asked whether she was avoiding her. Myrna told her that she didn’t want to see her again, upset that she kept getting involved with her family. “Please don’t do this,” Jessa pleaded. “Don’t leave me behind. I’m begging you.”
“This can’t go on any longer,” Mryna said. “So stop bothering me. Do you think you can use my family to win me over? I’ve had enough. Stay away from all of us.”
Daniela told Cassie that they would have to tolerate her existence since she didn’t have any plans of leaving. “I’m willing to let you stay here on my terms.”
“What do you mean?” Cassie asked.
“If you think we’ll ever leave this house, you’re wrong. So if you want to live here peacefully, you’ll have to follow my rules. After all, I am your legally older sister.”
“I understand.”
“Good.”
“You’re letting her stay here?” Marga cut in in disbelief.
“Drop it,” Daniela warned.
“Fine. As long as she doesn’t take my room.”
“I’m not planning to,” Cassie said. “I just want to stay here. I don’t mind using the guest room.”
“Who told you you would be staying there?” Daniela asked. “You said you would follow my rules. You can’t stay in the guest room because it would be my office. You’ll have to sleep in the maids room.”
Romina was crying in the prison cell when an inmate told her to stop annoying her. Mina took offense and told her that she had a daughter to protect. “You’re not the only one with a child,” the inmate said. “If you want to protect her, do something to get out of this place. Being misëräble won’t do you any good.”
“Robert, wherever you are, please protect Cassie,” Mina thought to herself, sobbing silently. “Keep her safe from Daniela. Wait for me, Cassie. I’ll get out of here soon.”
Daniela told her bratty daughter to deal with the situation because she couldn’t kick Cassie out of the mansion since she had rights to it. Marga was upset that Cassie was still cheerful despite being asked to stay in the maids quarters and Daniela told her that they would have to make her regret her decision and leave the mansion on her own so they don’t have any problems with Bernard.
“I will make her wish she chose to leave the mansion,” Marga said.
Cassie got settled in the maids quarters with Nana Esther and Neil. She apologized for squeezing herself in and bringing her parents’ wedding picture along. “I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Esther said. “I tried to reason with Daniela but she wouldn’t listen.”
“You’re the only one hoping she has an ounce of kindness left in her,” Neil said. “No matter what you say to her, I don’t think her attitude will ever change.”
“I’m not siding with her. Daniela is a good person. Maybe Mr. Robert’s dëäth made her hardened.”
“Wasn’t she already?”
“Neil…”
“I’m sorry nanny Esther. But all my life, Daniela has done nothing but be a thorn in my sister’s side.”
“I believe no one is born cruel. I’ll talk to Daniela. Let’s help her change her ways.”
“Good luck, nanny. I think we’ll have a better chance at winning the lottery.”
Cassie silently stared at her parents’ wedding picture. Meanwhile, Marga was vlogging and bragging about the room she had stolen from Cassie. She kept vlogging, even at the salon while she and her dêspiçable mother were being worked on. Hector asked his daughter where she was going.
Roxy told him to relax because she felt like a criminal since he kept on acting like a watch dog. Hector told her to join him so she didn’t sneak out like always. Roxy noticed the papers her father was going through and she started teasing him when he refused to tell her what it was about.
“Alright,” Hector finally said. “It’s a list of the people owing us. We borrow them some cash when they have nothing to gamble with so that they can keep on gambling and have much bigger debts. Don’t you know how this works? Use that brain of yours for school.”
“I already got delayed in second grade,” Roxy argued. “My classmates are older than me. I need time for myself.”
Hector laughed. “I told you to use your brains for the right things that will benefit you. Not for dumb stuff.”
“I promise.”
Cassie was cleaning the living room when Marga came in with her mother and started mocking her. Marga told her mother to let Cassie do all the chores since she was enjoying the show. Daniela went to try on the clothes they had bought and Cassie took a rest for a while. “Why did you stop?” Marga asked. “Feeling embarrassed?”
“Why would I?” Cassie said. “I’m used to doing household chores. And mamma taught me not to order people around if I can’t just do it myself.”
Marga snapped a photo of Cassie as she went back to work. “Being a maid suits you.”
“That’s fine with me. There’s nothing wrong with being a maid. It’s a decent job, Marga. There are people who work hard for the things they have, understand? They don’t suddenly appear and take what isn’t theirs.”
Face filled with shameful embarrassment, Marga dropped some pillows on the floor like the little brat that she was, telling Cassie to clean that up as well. Romina met with her lawyer and told her that she needed to get out of prison because she had to return to the mansion and protect her daughter. “What’s the matter? I thought you were working on getting me released.”
“We’re doing our best,” the lawyer said. “The prosecution brought the case up to the court.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll be transferred to the city jail. You’ll be detained there while the case is ongoing.”
“City jail?” Mina said in disbelief. “That can’t happen. I don’t want to be away from my daughter.”
“I’m sorry, Romina. We have to follow them for now.”
At the mansion, a maid accidentally spilled some juice on Marga’s shoes. As soon as Cassie asked her to go and get some rags to clean them, Marga came in and started bïtçhiñg like always. The maid arrived and told her that it had been her fault. Cassie gave Marga a look. “What did I tell you? I didn’t do anything. But you løvë making accusations.”
“You’ll be sorry,” Marga warned. “Mommy will know about this,” she added before storming off like the spoilt brat she was. Cassie was all dressed up for school the next day. She asked Esther where the others were and Esther said that they had already left.
“What’s going on?” Neil asked, glancing at the man stationed at the entrance with a dog. “Why is there a dog.”
“Our servants,” Daniela announced, walking in with her bratty daughter. “They’ll be replacing the useless maids.”
“You fired them?” Cassie asked in disbelief.
“I told you I’d tell mommy,” bratty Marga cut in.
“Don’t you feel sorry for them?”
“Why would I? They were defending you.”
Carlos had already left early for work and Daniela refused to allow Cassie and Neil have any breakfast at the dining table. She asked Esther to join them but she turned down the offer and went with Cassie and Neil to the kitchen. Romina’s lawyer told her that her hearing had been scheduled for next month. She gave her a file containing the testimonies the police had on her. Mina went through them and told the lawyer that none of it was true. “And we’re going to prove it,” the lawyer said. “But we need to find a way to discredit those testimonies. We need evidence to prove your innocence.”
“Do what you have to do. I just want to get out of here and be with my daughter again.”
“You should focus on your case. I’m sure Bernard wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
“But I will never be at peace until I reunite with my little girl. I need assurance that nothing bad will happen to her.”
“Why? What exactly do you want to do?”
Esther set a table for Cassie at the kitchen. Marga came in and started with her nøñsënse, threatening Esther to tell her mother since she hadn’t thrown away the leftovers like they had told her to. Cassie asked Esther to ignore Marga, saying that she had already bought for herself her favorite sardines. Cassie showed Marga a can of Camila Sardines. “Want some, Marga?”
“Yuck.”
Carlos was working at Primarosa when some co-workers came up to him and asked him to treat them to some drinks since his just deceased father-in-law was the owner of Camila. “We all know your wife is rich,” one said. “You don’t have to work.”
“Whatever my wife inherited is hers,” Carlos said. “I don’t look to benefit from things that aren’t mine.”
“Dude, where do you live? One way or another, you’re benefiting from it. Just accept your good fortune.”
Back at the mansion, Cassie and Neil came out to find that a new driver had been hired as well. Daniela came over with Marga and told Cassie to find her own ride to school. “After school at 9pm, if you haven’t made it home by that time, we would not open the gate for you,” Daniela announced.
After Marga and Daniela left in separate cars, Neil offered to get a taxi and drop Cassie off at school but Cassie declined the offer, saying that she had already anticipated what had just happened. “You’ll be late for work so let’s get separate taxis,” Cassie said before going through her purse.
“Where did you get that?” Neil asked.
“It’s my savings, uncle. If there’s something I learned from my parents, it’s that I always have to be prepared.”
Daniela arrived at Camila and started bossing everyone around. She assembled all the employees and as Neil joined them, she told them that she was now the boss since Romina had been arrested for her father’s dëäth. “My company, my rules. Anyone who remains loyal to that bït*h will be fired so if I were you, I’d start packing.”
Neil gave her a look. Carlos told his father that he shouldn’t have agreed to his family going to stay at the mansion since Marga had fought with Cassie on their first day there. The misëräble one-eyed-old man told him that Romina and her daughter were just greedy because whatever belonged to Daniela was his as well.
Carlos then had a phone call from Romina’s lawyer, telling him that Romina wanted to talk to him. Cassie arrived at Maxwell by taxi and found Fatima and LJ waiting outside. Cassie told them that she had to come on her own because Daniela’s family were now living in her mansion and they had fired the driver.
“What’s going on with your mother’s case?” Fatima asked.
“She and her lawyer are already preparing her defense,” Cassie replied.
“What if you come with us to school everyday?” Fatima suggested.
“Yes, you can come with me,” LJ added excitedly. “Fatima and I can take turns going with you.”
A moment later, Marga arrived at Maxwell, flaunting her stolen wealth and privileges and basking in the attention she was getting. Meanwhile, Fatima asked Cassie why they had let her come by taxi when she could have used a car like Marga had. Romina asked Carlos to look after Cassie because he knew what his wife was capable of and she wouldn’t be able to protect herself while she was still in prison.
“Think of this as a way to atone for what your family did to me,” Mina said. “I never filed any charges against your mother. You and I both know what your father did to me.”
“Are you serious about this?” Carlos asked.
“Yes. This is what I have to do to protect my daughter. I’m begging you. I don’t know what I would do if Cassie gets hurt.”
“Alright. Leave Cassie to me.”
“Thank you.”
Daniela instructed some employees to get rid of everything in Romina’s office. “I’ll fire you all if you leave anything behind. I don’t want to see a single trace of that mürdërer inside this company.”
Danny girl stared and gloated at a photo of Romina. “I’ve tolerated you for a long time,” she thought to herself. “I can’t even explain how happy I am now that you’re gone. It’s payback time, and it would cost you everything.” On her way out, she dropped Mina’s photo into the dustbin.
Romina asked Bonita and Jepoy to protect Cassie since she couldn’t watch over her while she was still in jail. Bonita assured her that they would take care of Cassie. “Thank you,” Mina said. “You must let me know if anything happens.”
“Romina, if you need anything, just tell us, okay?”
“What I need is to know my rights.”
Back at Maxwell, Marga was still flaunting her stolen wealth and happy with all the attention. “I hope it lasts,” Nadya commented.
“I’m top of everything now,” Marga said.
“What about Cassie?”
“Yes. Including her. She’s no longer a princess. She’s sleeping in the maids quarters.”
“So she’s your maid now?”
“I guess you could say that. I’m having a pool party at the mansion. You’re all invited.”
The Mean Squad were excited. Daniela ran into Bonita as she arrived late for work. Bonita apologized and told her that she had to attend to something important. Daniela asked what had been so important that I couldn’t have waited until after work. “I went to visit Mrs. Romina,” Bonita said reluctantly.
“You consider that important?” Daniela asked. “Are you seriously testing me on the same day I announced I’m the boss of this company? You can only be late for work if you’re dying. Consider this a warning.”
Fatima noticed that Cassie was losing weight. She offered to ask her mother to pack some food for her but Cassie said it wasn’t necessary. “You don’t have to suffer like this,” LJ said. “Isn’t the maids quarters crammed up?”
“I have plenty of space to move comfortably.”
“You can stay in our house. We can share my room if you want.”
“Me too,” Fatima added. “It would be like having a sleepover every night.”
“Thank you so much,” Cassie said. “But I have to stay in the mansion for mamma. When she gets out of jail, uncle Neil, nanny Esther and I would be there waiting for her.”
“Are you sure?” Fatima asked. “What about Marga? You know she’s a bully. You saw how happy she was earlier being called the ‘queen dragon'”.
“I won’t let that happen, Fatima. Mamma isn’t giving up, so I shouldn’t either. I have to be strong for both of us.”
