“Robert’s investigator was right. Hector is dangerous. I won’t be able to get in easily. I think Daniela’s behind all of this. I saw the men guarding Hector’s house. They were armed, that’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also behind what happened to Robert.”
Bernard was at the police station with Kristoff and Alvin when Hector came in and asked what had happened. Bernard told him that his brother had hit his son, who was a minor. “If I were you, I’ll be looking for a good lawyer,” Bernard said. “Because I won’t let this slide.”
“I don’t wanna go back to jail,” Alvin said after the Tejadas had left.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
Castro was very upset that Carlos had taken his position from him. He started getting physical and Carlos called out for security. At the station, the lawyer Hector had gotten for his brother announced that Alvin would be facing charges of child abüse and it didn’t help matters that he had been jailed before for drüg trafficking. “I didn’t hire you to scold my brother,” Hector grumbled. “Find a way to keep him out of prison. I don’t care if you have to break the law. I’ll take care of you.”
“Alright,” said the lawyer. “I’ll do everything I can.”
After the lawyer left, Alvin exchanged some words with Hector and blamed him for the situation he was in. “Relax,” Hector said. “I’ll talk to your fake daughter. Let’s see if we can reason with her.”
At a hallway at the station, Cassie apologized to Kristoff for getting hurt because of her, and Kristoff told her not to worry about it because he just wanted to protect her. Hector came over and asked to talk to Cassie. Kristoff gave them some privacy and Hector tried to convince Cassie to have the charges against her ‘father’ dropped. “I’m begging you,” Hector said. “Tell me what you want. I’ll make it up to you.”
Cassie flashed back to the conversation she had overheard between Hector and Daniela at the mansion. “I’ll help you. But only if you tell me how you’re involved in my mother’s case.”
Hector looked shocked. “Your mother’s case?”
“And please don’t lie. I heard you talking to Daniela.”
“You might have misheard me.”
“In that case, I can’t help you. Not until you answer me. Come to me when you’re ready to tell the truth.”
Romina regrouped with Bonita and Jepoy. Jepoy asked Mina whether she was ready to go home since the owner of the car they had hired wanted it back. “Yes,” Mina said. “Thank you.”
“Why are you all wet?” Bonita asked. “And what are you holding?”
“It’s a long story,” Mina replied, handing over the document to Bonita.
Bonita went through the document. “This is Carlos and Daniela’s bank statements, and their phone records.”
“Daniela was hiding these?” Jepoy asked.
“No,” Mina replied. “I think those belong to Robert. I retrieved it from his safe.”
“If Mr. Robert was having Daniela investigated,” Bonita began. “That only means one thing – he was suspicious of her like you are right now.”
“That’s what we need to find out. We need to find the investigator he hired.”
Marga bitçhëd to Nanny Esther that she was to blame for her interview being messed up because she had let Romina into the house. “I didn’t want that to happen,” Esther said.
“So you’re admitting it?” Daniela asked in disbelief. “You let Romina in?”
“Yes, but I did that for your father so Romina can finally discover the truth.”
“She doesn’t want the truth. She wants to pin the blame on me. She believes I had dad mürdëred.”
“Romina will not do that, Daniela. And once the truth comes out, your name will be cleared. I just want your feud to end.”
“That will never happen as long as Romina’s alive… I will not allow you to betray my family again. Tell me the truth, where does your loyalty lie – with me, or with Romina?”
“Daniela…”
“Just answer me.”
Esther sobbed silently. “You’re fired,” Danny girl wailed. “And my decision is final. Please leave.”
At the Andrada house, Romina was having a talk with Neil and Cassie about how Kristoff had sent Alvin back to jail when Daniela barged in and demanded to know what she had stolen from her house. Romina grabbed a stick and slammed it on the table. “Either you leave now, or I will break your legs. You’re trespassing.”
“You broke into my house first,” Danny girl argued.
Mina smirked. “Since when did you have a house? As far as I know, you are a freeloader in the one I own.”
Daniela kept yapping about how Romina had messed up Marga’s interview and turned Nanny Esther against her. “Nanny Esther already confessed. You made her help you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s missing anyways? Some cash? Clothes? Jewelry? Or documents, that can ruin your credibility?”
“Whatever you took, you can’t use it against me.”
“I was just guessing, Daniela. Calm down.”
“I’ll call the cops. I’ll have you arrested.”
“What will you tell them? You might end up regretting it.”
“I’m not hiding anything because I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Is that a fact? Alright. If you say so.”
Daniela arrived back at the mansion, and broke down into tears. She called Hector and asked to meet up with him, saying that Romina was stirring up trouble. Carlos arrived home as Daniela was on her way out. He told her that they had to celebrate because he was now the manager of Primarosa. Back at the Andrada house, Romina admitted to Cassie that she had gone to the mansion to retrieve something that belonged to her father. Cassie was sad about how her interview had gone and Mina told her that it was too early to give up since a lot of things could happen. Neil came in with Nanny Esther and Cassie greeted her gladly and asked what she was doing there.
“She’s going to live with us from now on,” Mina announced.
Cassie was ecstatic. “She is? Thank you, Nanny Esther. I really missed you.”
“I did too,” Esther said.
Cassie went ahead to pack Esther’s stuff and Mina apologized to her for putting her into trouble and Esther told her that she wanted to help her anyways. In their bedroom at the mansion, Carlos tried making a pass at his wife but she resisted and told him that she wasn’t in the mood to go to bed with him. Carlos complained and Daniela then told him that Romina had broken into the house and she had made sure it didn’t happen again.
“Did you call the police?” Carlos asked.
“No need. I already kicked out her accomplice,” Daniela said.
“Who?” Carlos asked.
“Nanny Esther. I fired her. I should have done that a long time ago.”
Carlos consoled his wife with a hug and in the process, he noticed that Daniela (whose phone was on silent) had an incoming call from an unknown number. Romina met up with the partner of Robert’s investigator. She showed him the document she had retrieved and asked what it meant. “Mr. Mondragon wanted to know how Daniela and her husband were spending their money,” the private investigator said. “Because they were having problems.”
“What did you find out?” Mina asked. “What does the information on these bank statements mean?”
“We found out that Mrs. Bartolome was sending money to Alvin Mangubat and his brother.”
“Why would she be sending money to them?”
“Mr. Robert asked the same thing, so he asked me to investigate the brothers too. I learned about Alvin’s fake documents, but that’s where our investigation ended.”
“But why?”
“If Mr. Robert ended this sooner, then he might still be alive.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When Mr. Robert got into a car accident, he had a hunch that it was Alvin and Hector who were trying to k!ll him.”
“Are you saying that Daniela ordered Alvin and his brother to k!ll Robert?”
“We haven’t found anything that can prove that, Mrs. Mondragon.”
“But it’s possible.”
“We sent Mr. Robert the information we found about his daughter and the Mangubats when he was in Subic.”
Romina flashed back to the family vacation at Subic where Robert had called some officers over to report something. “A few days after that, Mr. Mondragon got into his first accident,” the PI said.
Romina then showed the PI the shredded pieces of the document she had taken from the trashcan at the mansion. “Is this related to what’s been going on?”
“No, Mrs. Mondragon,” the PI said.
“It’s from a DNA testing facility. I was wondering why it was in my house. I need you to find out exactly where this document came from.”
Romina paid Alvin a visit in jail and started mocking him. “I can ask Bernard to redraw the case he filed against you,” Mina stated. “But on one condition. Tell me everything you know about Robert’s dëäth, and if Daniela is involved at all.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alvin claimed.
“Stop playing dumb, Alvin. I know you and Daniela were working together. I have evidence to prove it. I can help you get out if you tell me everything I want to know.”
“How can I be sure you’ll keep your promise?”
“You know me, I always fulfill my promises.”
Just then, Hector walked in with Alvin’s lawyer and asked Mina what she was doing there. Mina told him that she had come to make a deal with Alvin. “We’ve already posted my brother’s bail,” Hector said. “Keep whatever offer you have to yourself. If I were you, I’d stay away from my brother.”
Romina eyed Alvin. “It’s your decision whether or not you’ll accept my offer.”
At the mansion, Daniela went over to the poolside and made a phone call, unknown to her that her husband was standing nearby. “Hector, we really need to talk.”
Carlos looked on. Roxy called Marga on phone and told her about how Cassie’s interview had been a disaster because Alvin had āssäulted her friend. Marga was excited with the news. Daniela met up with Hector and told him about how Romina had broken into the mansion. She told Hector that they had to do something to put Mina back in prison because she was starting to be a pest.
“She’s a handful,” Hector commented. “She even tried to bribe my brother into betraying us.”
Daniela noticed a police patrol car approaching and she suggested to Hector that they go inside before someone saw them together. They however ran into Carlos on their way. Carlos grabbed Daniela by the hand. “Why are you at a motel? Answer me. What are you and that man planning to do?”
“We’re just meeting because Hector wants me to help him find a job,” Danny girl said.
“I was hoping she’d be able to pull some strings,” Hector cut in.
Carlos gave Hector a look. “Stay out of this. I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Don’t you dare make a scene, Carlos,” Danny girl barked. “He’s just asking for a little help. That’s all.”
“A little help that made you change your clothes?”
Daniela släppëd her husband. “Don’t you dare insult me. You think I’d have an affair with a lowlife like him?” Daniela sent Hector off. “Do you think I’m that cheap that I’d sleep with a lowlife like him? He’s just using me to get into Camila. He’s nothing but a leech clinging to my name for a better opportunity.”
Carlos walked away as Daniela kept on yapping. Cassie told Esther that she knew it was hard for her to leave Daniela behind, adding that she had gotten fired because she had helped out her mother. Esther said that she didn’t regret what she had done. “I’m happy you’re living with us,” Cassie sang.
“I’m happy too,” Esther said.
Cassie looked downcast. “Why the long face?” Esther asked. “Is something bothering you?”
“I’m thinking about my interview for the Maxwell Prime. Winning it would have been a huge help to me and mamma.”
At Maxwell, Kristoff pleaded with the selection committee to reconsider their decision, saying that Cassie was the one who deserved the Maxwell Prime. He then showed them some videos of the kids Cassie had taught at Navotas. “This is noble of you,” a judge said. “But we’ve already made our decision.”
Kristoff sighed. “I understand. Thank you for your time.”
Back at the Andrada house, Cassie was telling Esther about how some of her expenses would have been cut short if she won the Maxwell Prime so her mother wouldn’t have to worry so much about her education. “But the results have not been released yet,” Esther pointed out.
“That’s what worries me. What if I’m not the one they choose?”
“Cassie, please don’t lose hope. If the judges got to know you, they wouldn’t think twice about choosing you. Don’t worry. It’s going to be alright.”
At the mansion, Marga stood by and watched gloomily as her father argued with her mother about how everyone thought he was leeching off her. “If you think I’m useless, then why did you marry me?” Carlos stormed up the stairs and Daniela followed as Marga cried.
Alvin was worried about the situation they were in. He asked his brother whether Daniela could help them and Hector told him that Daniela didn’t have a clue to what Romina had been saying earlier. “All your plans fail,” Hector grumbled. “You were even stüpïd enough to hurt the son of Romina’s lawyer. Keep that up, and we’ll both end up in jail. What we need is a better plan, so shape up. Got it?”
The private investigator went to the hospital and enquired whether Daniela had come there before. The attendant checked the database and told the PI that Daniela’s name wasn’t in the database. Daniela went to Esther’s room to look for her. She was sad to see that Esther had already left. A phone call came in just then. “I told you never to call me again.”
“Mrs. Daniela,” said the attendant at the hospital. “We have a problem.”
“What problem?”
“A man came here and asked about you.”
At Navotas, Cassie reunited with the kids and started teaching them. The selection committee watched secretly from a distance, impressed. One of the judges asked a neighbor about Cassie and the woman told him that Cassie had been teaching the kids ever since she was in third grade, adding that one of her kids had made it to high school with the help of Cassie’s lessons. Romina sneaked around Hector’s place. Hiding behind a car, she noticed some goons with güñs handling some money. “Robert’s investigator was right,” she thought to herself. “Hector is dangerous. I won’t be able to get in easily.”
Daniela met up with Savannah and told her that Romina could be the one asking around about her since she had broken into her house. “I still have time to stop her,” Danny girl said. “I won’t let her uncover the truth.”
“Ever since that Romina got out of jail, you can never predict her moves. You better act quick, Danny girl.”
“That’s why my lawyer is here.”
The lawyer joined them at their table. “I’m in a hurry. Why the sudden call?”
“I need you to do something for me. Find a way to nulify Cassie’s adoption.”
Back outside Hector’s place, Romina disguised herself as a duck egg seller. She went over to the goons stationed at the entrance and put on a show. After selling some duck eggs to them, she asked whether they had anymore friends inside so she could sell what was left of her goods. They gave her the go-ahead and Mina went in. Romina sold some more duck eggs to some other goons inside. They noticed Hector approaching and they scattered. Romina noticed a truck there with a Primarosa name sticker and she took a photo of it.
Myrna had a talk with Jessa and told her to stop asking Kulas to buy her jewelries. Jessa teased her with it, saying that she was jealous. Kulas came in as Jessa had her hands on Myrna’s cheek. Jessa quickly let Myrna go. Kulas asked what was going on and she told him that she was just showing Myrna the necklace he had given her. Myrna told Kulas that Jude would be coming home later than usual and Kulas started yapping about how Romina was dragging his family into her issues.
“I feel sorry for Romina,” Myrna said.
“Serves her right,” Kulas grumbled. “If she tries to cause trouble for Carlos and his family, I’ll make her pay.”
Alvin flashed back to the day the police had arrested him for Romina’s räpë. He then recalled the encounter he had had with Romina at the police station. Another flashback showed what had happened at the cabin and how he had found a cufflink at the scene the next morning. “I need to protect myself,” Alvin thought to himself. He then made a phone call. “Hello, Daniela. We need to talk.”
“Alvin, please. I don’t have time for you. I have enough problems already.”
“Great. Here’s another one – I’m going to tell Romina the truth. Every man for himself.”
Marga entered Kulas’ house just as they were getting ready for dinner. Kulas and Myrna asked whether she had come with someone and she said she had come alone. Marga asked her grandpa whether she could stay for a while and Kulas agreed. She then announced that her parents were fighting again after Romina had broken into the mansion. Kulas started ranting and got up.
“Where are you going?” Jessa asked.
“Where else? To where those troublemakers are.”
With the cufflink in his hand, Alvin tried calling Romina on phone but she didn’t pick up. Daniela came in just then and asked whether he had told Romina the truth. “No, she doesn’t know yet,” Alvin said. “I’ve been trying to call her but she’s not picking up. Did you pray for that?”
“What’s your problem? Why are you doing this?” Daniela asked.
“You act like we’re not in this together. You let me go to jail.”
“You’re not my responsibility, Alvin. It was your fault that you got arrested, so don’t blame it on me.”
“Fine. I’ll call Romina then. I’ll tell her the truth so she’ll get off my back.”
“No. Fine, I’ll help you out.” Daniela gestured to the cufflink. “Just don’t give Romina that, you understand?”
Alvin stared at the cufflink. “Why is this thing so important to you?”
“It’s none of your business. Now give me that cufflink.”
“No. I’m holding on to this.”
Kulas went to the Andrada house with Marga, Myrna and Jessa and started shouting for Romina to come out. Bonita and Jepoy came out and asked why he was there. Neil, Nanny Esther and Cassie followed, and Marga and Cassie started exchanging words. “Marga, respect your elders,” Neil admonished.
“And who are you to interfere?” Jessa asked.
“Excuse me. I am family, so I can say whatever I want. And who the hell are you?”
“Hey, watch your tongue,” Kulas barked.
“We aren’t being disrespectful, Mr. Kulas,” Cassie said. “You’re the ones who came here for no reason.”
“Your mom ruined my family,” Marga barked. “Isn’t that enough reason to come here?”
“If anyone’s ruining a family, Marga, it’s you and your mom. Because you have been going against daddy’s wishes ever since he died. You two are the real traitors.”
“And who are you to say that? You were just adopted. We are his real family.”
“That’s right. But even if you’re related to daddy, you don’t deserve to be called Mondragons because you’re only after daddy’s money.”
Marga took offense and started wrestling with Cassie, pulling at each other’s hair. Kulas broke them up and wrestled with Cassie. Romina walked in on the scene and ran over. “Let my daughter go!” Mina yelled, shoving away the misëräble one-eyed-old man. Mina subdued Kulas’ hand behind him as he tried to come after her.
“Let go of me,” Kulas groaned out in pain. Jessa started pulling Mina’s hair, and Bonita and Neil backed her up by pulling Jessa’s hair as well. The chaos settled down and Kulas threatened to make Mina pay for humiliating him and ruining his son’s family as well.
“Don’t worry Mr. Kulas,” Mina hissed. “If you ever hurt my daughter, I’ll return the favor too. And you won’t like what I’ll do to you. Now, leave. I said leave! Get out!!”
Kulas started leaving with Jessa and his family. “You heard her,” Bonita mocked. “Scram! Get out of here!”
Inside the Andrada house, Neil said he wouldn’t let Kulas hurt Cassie even if Robert was gone. He then asked about the woman who had pulled Romina’s hair and Bonita told him that she was Jessa and there was rumors going around that Kulas was courting her. “That’s why Mr. Kulas was trying to show off,” Neil commented. “An old man like him.” Neil turned to his sister. “But you are really something. I like how you stood up to Mr. Kulas.”
“Forget about that,” Mina said. “Cassie dear, are you okay?”
“Yes, mamma. I’m sorry I lost my temper earlier. They were saying awful things about you and nanny.”
“It’s okay, dear. What’s important is that you defended yourself. No one has the right to hurt you. Remember that.”
Esther went to prepare dinner and Cassie tagged along to help. “It’s a good thing you came home,” Neil said. “Where’d you go anyway?”
Romina showed Bonita and Neil the photo she had taken earlier. “Hector’s house. I confirmed that he had something to do with the attempt to sabotage Camila.”
“Why would he do that?” Bonita asked. “How would he benefit from that?”
“He isn’t directly involved. I think Daniela’s behind all of this. And that’s not all. I saw the men guarding Hector’s house. They were armed, that’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if they were also behind what happened to Robert.”
“Are you saying Daniela ordered Hector and Alvin to k!ll Mr. Robert?” Bonita asked.
“Seems likely, based on my discoveries. I’m sure there’s a reason Daniela did this and that’s what we need to find out. We need to find more evidence that will prove that she was behind Robert’s mürdër.”
Daniela met up with Savannah again. Savvi asked whether they could still trust Alvin after he had tried to call Romina. Daniela said she didn’t trust him and neither did she have any choice because Alvin would call Romina if she didn’t agree to what he wanted. “Why is this happening now?” Danny girl complained. “Romina’s just bringing me one problem after another.”
“Relax, Danny girl. You need to think of a plan.”
“I need to get that cufflink from Alvin, so he won’t have anything against me when the time comes.”
“How will you do that?”
“I’ll need your help, Savannah.”
