“We asked Marga if she had feelings for Kristoff and she admitted it. Let’s just settle this now. Kristoff, do you like Marga? Because she likes you. Why don’t you just admit it, Marga? You basically want everything Cassie has. And that includes Kristoff, right?”
Daniela complained to the prosecution lawyer of Romina’s case for Romina’s sudden change of lawyers. The man told him that they had a valid reason to change their lawyer. He however assured her that it wouldn’t affect the case at all. Daniela told him that it better be so because she had no intentions of letting Romina out of jail. “As long as she’s behind bars, I’m fine with it,” Danny girl said. “Who’s her new attorney?”
“Attorney Tejada.”
“Just keep me updated.”
Savannah came into the office a moment later and Daniela told her to be her eyes in the office. “What do you want me to keep an eye on?’ Savvi asked.
“First on the list, daddy’s old lapdog, Bernard Tejada.”
In prison, Cindy’s gäñg subdued Romina while Cindy cut off a part of Mina’s hair. She then threatened to cut her face as well and Mina dared her to. Pilar arrived on the scene and Cindy left with her gäñg. “I swear it,” Mina stated. “This is the last time I will ever let anyone hurt me again.”
As Romina kept a critical eye on Cindy’s fighting skills and techniques in jail, Daniela made considerable progress with Camila, coming close to being in the good graces of the board. As Romina was getting sharper and faster in jail, Marga beat Cassie and the rest of the class in a class test. Carlos’ co-workers at Primarosa were fawning over him for his coming into money.
Daniela kept making progress in Camila. At home, she went to Romina’s room and ordered the servants to throw out everything that belonged to her. As Cassie looked on, Danny girl redecorated her mother’s place with her own personal things. Daniela accused Cassie of breaking things, just like her mother. Cassie told her that she had already agreed to pay for what she had destroyed so she should leave her mother out of it.
“You better,” Danny girl barked. “No mistakes go unpunished. You should learn that while you’re still young.”
Cassie stared silently at her half-sister. Daniela turned to some servants who were carrying the shopping bags she had brought earlier. “Take them to my room. And make sure you keep them away from this brat. I have my eyes on you, Cassie. This mansion is part of daddy’s legacy, and I will protect it from people who ruin everything. Just so you know, I don’t like it when things don’t go my way.”
At Maxwell, Marga was basking in the praises and the attention of being the 1st student on the Maxwell Prime leaderboard. Meanwhile, Cindy and her extra-large muscle cornered Romina in jail but Mina fought back and rewarded Cindy with a bloody nose. “You know how to fight now, huh?” Cindy said.
“I won’t back down,” Mina declared.
Cindy came at Mina again with a wëäpon but Mina disarmed her and gave her a k!ller headbutt. She brandished the weapon in her hand. “I dare you to come closer. Come on. What are you afraid of, huh?”
A whistle sounded for order and Mina quickly threw away the wëäpon. Pilar and some guards arrived. “This isn’t over, Romina,” Cindy said as she and her muscles were being subdued by guards.
“I know, but I’ll put an end to this. I’m not going down because of someone like you.”
Pilar gave Mina a smile as another guard took her with Cindy to see the warden. At Maxwell, Marga was still enjoying the attention of being top student. Nearby, Mrs. Alfonso counselled Cassie, telling her that she was getting worried because her grades had dropped drastically. “I’m sorry,” Cassie said. “I’m going through a lot at home.”
“I know. That’s why I’m giving you a heads-up. With grades like these, you won’t get the top ranking in Maxwell Prime. I know how much you want to achieve it.”
“Please tell me, what do I have to do to catch up?”
“You need to focus on your final exams. Your performance there would have a huge impact on your grades.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I promise I’ll do my best to catch up.”
“If you need any help, just approach me. I’m expecting you to work harder, Miss Mondragon.”
As soon as Mrs. Alfonso left, Marga came over and started with her usual nøñsënse. “Were you talking to our class advisor and begging her to increase your grades?” she began. “You can do whatever you want, but you’ll never be on top,” she gloated.
Daniela was mocking Bernard for not being able to do anything for Romina even now that he was her new lawyer. Bernard told her that he had no time for her insults. “You’re protecting the bästärd child of the woman who k!lled him,” Daniela grumbled.
“Robert would have wanted me to protect Cassie from your mistreatment,” Bernard countered. “As for Romina’s case, she hasn’t been proven guilty yet, has she?”
“Come on, Bernard. We both know what side you’re on.”
“Everything I’m doing now is for the sake of your father. If I have to protect both this company and Romina from you, then so be it.”
“Are you declaring war, Bernard?”
“No. I’m just showing you all of my cards.”
“And you think you can intimidate me with your bravado?”
“You know me, Daniela. As a lawyer and your father’s best friend, I don’t intimidate people. But I do know how to fight. I’ll do everything to save Romina and protect Cassie from you.”
At the city jail, Pilar praised Romina for putting everything she had learned into good use. She noticed Mina was unusually quiet and she asked her what was wrong since she had finally gotten even with Cindy. “I waited here for a long time,” Mina began. “I put up with everything Cindy put me through. I did everything I could to survive in this place. Little did I know that I was waiting for nothing. Somebody paid my lawyer off so I’d Iose my case.”
“Romina, calm down. Don’t blame your lawyer. Think of a good reason why she did that.”
“She said she had no choice. Someone was threatening her.”
“Then whoever these people are, they’re hellbent on keeping you here forever.”
Romina recalled an encounter she had had with Cindy before, a look of knowing on her face now. Alvin went to Attorney Sanchez’s place, upset that she had sabotaged their plan of keeping Romina in jail. “Do you know who her new lawyer is?” he asked.
“I don’t. But it’s probably Attorney Tejada since he’s close to Romina’s family.”
Alvin grabbed Sanchez by the chin. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about our deal. Until the case is finished, you’re on the hook.”
At the mansion, Daniela and Marga came down the stairs to find that the house had been partitioned into two with red tape. Daniela asked what was going on and Cassie told her that she had divided the mansion into two halves to keep their things away from each other. “We’re taking the right side,” Cassie said. “You can take the left, Daniela.”
“You divided the pool too?” Marga asked.
“So we can all have access to it,” Neil confirmed.
“I divided it equally, Daniela,” Cassie added. “I’m a fair person. Don’t worry.”
Manang Esther came in with Robert and Romina’s wedding portrait. “Cassie, where do I put it?”
“Hang it on its old spot,” Cassie replied.
“No,” Danny girl objected, taking a step forward.
“Daniela, if you take another step, that will be trespassing. I’ve always respected your decisions in the mansion, so I hope you can do the same for me. Mamma and daddy’s photo will stay in the living room. In my side.”
Daniela recalled the day Cassie had reported her to the police and had told her that she would be arrested if she ever violated any of the terms concerning the incident report. She also recalled how Bernard had told her that she couldn’t approach or harass Cassie for 30 days lest she be arrested.
A moment later, Marga complained about what Cassie had just done. As she tried to get rid of the red tape that had been used to partition the mansion, her mother told her to leave it alone if she didn’t want to see her in jail.
“I can’t live like this,” Marga whined. “How am I supposed to vlog now? My followers will see this eyesore around the mansion. It’s embarrassing. Please, mom, do something.”
“I have a plan. Cassie must have forgotten that I also grew up in this mansion. I know every corner of this house better than she does. If she wants to divide it, I might as well use it against her.”
Cassie and Neil went to the kitchen to find that all the foodstuffs from their side had been moved, and Neil asked a servant about it. Marga came over. “Are you guys hungry? Too bad. All the food are on our side, so you better leave. I’m just playing your game, Cassie. Let’s see who’ll win in the end.” Marga turned to the servant. “Please bring the food to the dining area. I’m hungry.”
Neil left to go and check on Nanny Esther and Marga asked Cassie whether she was mad since this was what she wanted. “Yes, Marga,” Cassie replied. “But this is completely unfair. We all need to eat. You can’t hoard all the food in the kitchen.”
“Rules are rules. We’re just doing what you want.” Marga then snatched Cassie’s bag and took out her credit card. “I’m taking this as payment for the painting you ruined. And I won’t give it back to you unless it is paid in full.”
“You know that I can get money directly from the bank, right?”
“I know. But if you do that, then it’ll be like you basically broke your own promise. After all, you insisted on paying for the painting. Then again, what can I expect from the daughter of a mürdërer?”
“085258. That’s the pin. So you can shut up now.”
Esther came over and told Cassie that she had already prepared her favorite dish by the poolside. “It’s delicious. Let’s go. Marga, do you want to join us for breakfast?”
“No way,” Marga said, walking away.
Cassie turned to Esther and smiled. “Thank you for preparing breakfast for us.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s not like I’d let you starve. Let’s go and eat.”
At Maxwell, Cassie stared at the Maxwell Prime leaderboard with Fatima and LJ. She told them that the list hadn’t been finalized and she could still improve her ranking. “We’re here for you if you need our help,” Fatima said.
Marga came over and spouted her usual nøñsënse. “Hi there, Cassie. I didn’t see you. You’re way down below for me to see you.”
“Number three is still a good rank, Marga.”
“Yeah. That’s what losers say. They justify their failures.”
“With that kind of attitude, you have nowhere else to go but down. So enjoy it while it lasts.”
“Bite me. Even if you can crawl your way up, second best is all you’ll ever get.”
Kristoff joined the girls and glanced at the leaderboard. “Top three. Good job, Cassie. But I know you can do better.”
Cassie smiled. “And I’m sure you’ll get to the top again,” Kristoff added.
Marga took offense. “Really, Kristoff? I’m standing right here.”
“I thought you changed,” Kristoff said. “But it’s true what they say – old habits die hard. You’re still the same old Marga I know.”
At the city jail, Romina confronted Cindy in her cell and subdued her. “You better tell me now. Who’s paying you to torment me in here? Tell me the truth.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cindy claimed.
Romina grabbed Cindy by the chin and applied pressure. “Liar! Tell me the truth!”
“Let go of me,” Cindy pleaded. “Alright. It’s the woman who visited you before. The one you släppëd. She paid me to let you suffer.”
“Daniela?”
“Let me go.”
Mina shoved Cindy away forcefully, fuming. A senior at Primarosa praised Carlos for his shiny new ride and invited him over for lunch. Carlos apologized for not being able to come to work for some time and the man told him that it wasn’t a big deal and that he would be beneficial to the company since his wife’s surname was Mondragon.
“Drop by my office later,” the man said. “I’ll give you your new assignment.”
“What is it, sir?” Carlos asked.
“I’ll give you back the Camila account. I know you have no problems negotiating with them. I’ll tell the president about this. I’m sure he’d love to see your new ride.”
Daniela had a meeting with some potential business partners and tried to con them into investing into the company. She reluctantly agreed to take them on a tour of the factory. On the way, Daniela ran into Savannah and she asked them to go ahead. “Where are you going?” Savvi asked.
“I’m taking them on a tour of the factory. Let’s go.”
“Wait. Are you sure? It’s stinky there. The smell will rub off on us.”
“I have no choice, Savannah. So that means you also don’t have a choice.” Danny girl started dragging her friend along even as she kept on protesting. A moment later after everyone had suited up, Daniela explained the processes of the factory. Without warning, a can got stuck inside one of the machines and Daniela whispered to a worker to salvage the situation and not to embarrass her. One of the men asked if something was wrong and Daniela assured them that it was just a minor problem that would be fixed soon. She then suggested that they go back to the office to talk more about the plans and they agreed and left.
“Savannah,” Daniela whispered. “Go and check which of the workers were involved in what happened earlier.”
“What?”
“Go. Find them all. I’ll be back.”
Hector was upset that his secret wëäpon (Attorney Sanchez) against Romina had been exposed. Alvin offered to get rid of her but Hector told her to focus his attention on Romina’s new lawyer. “Do you know who he is?” Hector asked.
“He used to work with Romina and Robert,” Alvin replied. “He was Robert’s best friend. It’ll be tough convincing him.”
“Damn Romina. She’s stuck in jail, but she’s still outsmarting us.”
“What should we do?”
“Talk to everyone who testified against Romina. Her new lawyer will definitely have a talk with them. Make sure that they don’t confess to receiving money from us. If you fail, we’ll have to appear in court.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of it.”
Back at Camila, Daniela lined up the workers who had been involved in the screw up earlier. “Who among you is responsible for what happened earlier?”
Silence.
“Oh, you won’t respond to it,” Danny girl said. “Alright. You’re all fired. All of you. Find a company that will tolerate your incompetence.”
“Ma’am, with all due respect,” an employee began. “Are you still mad about what happened earlier? We already solved the situation.”
“I was with big time potential investors. Of all days, you chose to screw up today.”
The workers told Daniela that her decision would affect a lot of families and neither Robert nor Romina would have ever done that to them. Daniela got more upset and fired them anyways. Neil took Cassie to visit her mother in jail and she told her about her 3rd ranking in the Maxwell Prime and assured her that she would take first place again. Mina told her not to pressure herself because it was fine with her as long as she did her best.
“Keep up the good work you’re doing,” Mina said. “Don’t worry about me. Take care of yourself. We have to be strong for each other, okay?”
“Okay, mamma. I want to be there when you appear in court.”
“I already told you. Bernard is doing everything to defend me. When I get out of here, we’re going to celebrate.”
“I can’t wait for that, ma. I’m already planning lots of things for us to do together.”
Mina laughed. “Really?”
“Yeah. We’ll visit our favorite places and eat our favorite food until we can’t eat anymore. I miss spending time with you, mamma.”
“Me too, Cassie. We’ll be together again. I promise. Just wait a little bit longer.”
Daniela complained to the prosecutor and told him to do something so that the judge wouldn’t approve of Romina’s petition for bail. Later that night, Carlos paid a visit to his family and gave his father some cash. Kulas wasn’t content with it though. Carlos eyed his mother as he gave some money to Jude.
Kulas then advised him to take advantage of his wife’s good fortune so he can finally be on the same level with her. Carlos tried giving Myrna some money as well but she told him that there was no need because she was satisfied with everything he was doing for them.
“You should thank your wife for us,” Kulas said.
“No, dad,” Carlos objected. “That’s my money. From my income. I’m not dependent on Daniela.”
A guy told Hector that he wasn’t making as much money. Hector asked whether he was questioning how he ran his gambling house and he told him that he was just giving him some advice since his gambling house had helped him in the past. “Just get to the point,” Hector said.
“We’re both businessmen. I know how to make more money and I can show you how to do that.”
“My gambling house is giving me enough money. I don’t need that.”
“That’s nothing compared to what I can give to you.”
“Fine. Tell me.”
“Smuggling goods. Just let me know when you’ve made a decision about it.”
Bonita, Neil and Jepoy assembled some former workers of Camila and told them that they needed to report Daniela to the labour department and file a case against her for unlawful termination just like how Romina had suggested. In class at Maxwell, Kristoff assured Cassie that his father would do everything to defend her mother. Cassie thanked him and told him that she was hoping that the judge would be fair since her mother was innocent. Marga sat by, frowning in annoyance.
“We all know it,” Kristoff said. “That’s why dad will defend her. We’re here to help you, Cassie.”
“Once mamma goes free, I promise I’ll make it up to you. You’ve done so much for us.”
“Excuse me,” Marga cut in, addressing Cassie. “Your mom is a criminal, and people like her shouldn’t be set free.”
Cassie glared at Marga. “My mom is not a criminal.”
“Then why is she in prison? She needs to pay for what she did to my grandpa.”
“That’s not for you to decide, Marga. Let’s just wait for the court’s decision.”
“Really? Let’s see who has the last laugh. I’m sure your mother will rot in jail so I’d say my last goodbye if I were you.”
“Enough, Marga,” Kristoff interrupted.
“Her knight in shining armor,” Marga mocked. “Shame on you and your father. He’s siding with the person who k!lled my grandpa. You’re just like him. You both chose to protect the wrong person.”
Cassie looked on defiantly as Marga walked away. Daniela had a meeting with the board and tried to convince them into selecting her as new CEO. Mrs. Galvez quickly supported her and so did another board member. Another however told Daniela that she needed to prove to them how she would manage the company as well as the employees.
Daniela accepted the challenge to prove that she deserved to be the head of the company. Bonita and Neil met up with Bernard and told him that Romina had counseled them to report Daniela to the labor department for what she had done to them. Bernard told them that he wouldn’t stop them if that was what they had decided since what Daniela had done was wrong.
“As the company’s lawyer,” Bernard began. “It is my duty to protect the company. If this gets out, it would damage the company. Daniela’s out of control. You did the right thing by fighting for your right. Maybe this will tell the board that Daniela’s methods in managing the company are all wrong.”
Back at Camila, Mrs. Galvez told Daniela that she would soon have the position she wanted and that all the board needed was a little push. “I know,” Danny girl said with a mischievous smile. “I’m already one step ahead of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“First, I have to make sure that nobody will take this position from me. Not even Romina. I want to witness her crumbling in court.”
At Maxwell, Kristoff reminded Marga that everyone was innocent until proven guilty, and thus, her aunt Romina wasn’t guilty of anything. “You and Cassie are family. You should be helping each other out to find who really k!lled your grandpa.”
“You’re just saying that because of Cassie. And because you like her. You’ll believe everything she says.”
“This has nothing to do with that. Just like dad, I believe that aunt Romina is innocent.”
Marga nagged on about how Kristoff always sided with Cassie. “You always protect her. It’s always been her.”
“What are you talking about?” Kristoff asked, confused.
“You never get it. You don’t realize how painful this is for me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Just leave me alone.”
Romina was ushered into the court room and Daniela started mocking her. “Hello stepmother,” Danny girl said. “It’s good to finally see you again. How is hell?”
“You should know, Daniela,” Mina countered. “It’s where you live, right?”
“You should check your facts. As well as I know, I live in my father’s mansion.”
“You’re living, or are you freeloading? Because from what I remember, Robert didn’t leave the house to you. And before I forget, Daniela. Cindy sends her warmest regards. If you think about it, you should be thanking me. You don’t have to pay her anymore because she can no longer hurt me.”
“We’ll deal with that another time,” Bernard cut in, addressing Mina. “For now, let’s focus on your case.”
The judge came in a moment later. After being introduced, judged Maria asked everyone to be seated and prompted the bailiff to call the case. “For the bail hearing,” the bailiff began. “Criminal case number 041298. People of the Philippines vs Romina Andrada-Mondragon.”
Back at Maxwell, Cassie was staring silently at the Maxwell Prime leaderboard when the Mean Squad saw and approached her. “Looking at it isn’t going to change anything,” Nadya said.
“Marga’s starting to get everything she wants,” Nica added. “Except for…well, you know who.”
“Yeah. Kristoff,” Maureen revealed. Nadya and Nica both gave her a look. “What? That’s the truth, right?”
“What?” Cassie said, a look of confusion on her face. “What about Marga and Kristoff?”
“You were too busy studying, Cassie,” Nica said. “You forgot that there’s life after school.”
“Marga and Kristoff are a thing now,” Nadya added. “We asked Marga if she had feelings for Kristoff and she admitted it.”
Marga walked in on the scene. “Really, Nadya? Are you talking about me behind my back?”
“No. We were just telling Cassie about what we learned. About you and Kristoff.”
Kristoff joined the girls. “Is there a problem, Cassie?”
As Cassie stared at Kristoff in shock, Marga looked like she was going to have a heart ättaçk. “No,” Cassie said. “Everything’s fine.”
“Since everyone’s here, let’s talk about it,” Nadya decided. “That way you won’t think we’re backstabbing you, Marga.”
“Stop it, Nadya,” Marga hissed.
“Stop what? Let’s just settle this now. Kristoff, do you like Marga? Because she likes you.”
Kristoff was dumbfounded. “What? She…”
“What are you doing, Nadya? I already told you to stop it. When I said I liked him, I didn’t mean it in a special way. I like him as a friend. That’s all.”
“Why don’t you just admit it, Marga? You basically want everything Cassie has. And that includes Kristoff, right?” Marga stared at Kristoff for a while before storming off. After the Mean Squad left, Cassie and Kristoff stared at each other in shock and confusion.
