“Someone tried to k!ll me. And only two people could be behind it – Hector Mangubat and Daniela Bartolome. They cannot scare me. I will make sure they are brought to justice. The next time they try to k!ll me, I’ll return the favor. It’s time for whoever’s responsible to pay.”
Romina took Alex to the hospital to be treated. Before leaving, the doctor told her that Alex’s wound wasn’t that serious and all he needed was rest. Mina told Alex that his family was on the way, adding that the police were waiting outside for his statement. Alex looked scared. “I won’t tell them anything,” he said.
“But you will tell me about what you know about Daniela.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re dragging me into your mess. Get out of here.”
Silently, Mina left with Bonita as Alex started making a scene. Romina went to the police station with Bonita. She made a statement, saying that she had been the target and someone had tried to k!ll her. The officer asked whether she could identity the güñmën and Bonita told him they couldn’t because everything had happened so fast and they had been wearing helmets as well. “Who do you suspect is behind this?” asked the officer.
Romina flashed back to the incident. “Hector Mangubat tried to k!ll me. And his accomplice is Daniela Bartolome.”
“Why do you think he’s behind this?”
“Because he knows I won’t stop until the truth about my husband’s mürdër is revealed.
“Alright ma’am. We’ll investigate the incident and keep you posted.”
Hector told his brother that he had finally gotten back at Romina, adding that they were probably making arrangements for her wake and all he had to do was get close to Cassie so he could be left in charge of her trust fund. “I think I could do that pretty easily,” Alvin said.
“Good.”
Some reporters crowded Romina at the station and asked for her statement due to her getting shot earlier. “Someone tried to k!ll me,” Mina stated. “And only two people could be behind it – Hector Mangubat and Daniela Bartolome.”
Cassie was waiting for Kristoff by the treehouse when Sir Wacky hurried over and told her that she needed to head home because someone had attempted to k!ll her mother. “They’re the only ones who would want to hurt my family,” Romina said back at the station. “But I am not planning to go anywhere. No matter what they do, I will never stop searching for the truth about my husband’s mürdër. They cannot scare me. I will make sure they are brought to justice.”
The Mangubat brothers were still rejoicing over Romina’s supposed demise when a goon came to show them the live statement Mina had just made. Daniela received a phone call from Savannah, telling her about the attempt on Romina’s life and how she was accusing her and Hector. Daniela watched the video on her laptop. “What the hell?”
“Are you involved in this?” Savvy asked.
“Of course not.”
“But that’s what she’s saying. You know how damaging this can be for you. You were just appointed CEO. They could use it against you.”
“I know.”
“You better do something. She just made you out as the devil.”
“And that’s exactly what she’s going to get.”
Hector was pretty upset that his goons had failed and Romina had reported him to the police. Alvin sent the goons off, telling them to lie low for some time. “Relax, Hector,” Alvin said. “Don’t get upset.”
“Relax? You saw what Romina did. She reported me to the cops. If anything happens to her, I’ll be the prime suspect. How are we gonna get Cassie’s money now?”
“Don’t worry. We can still use Daniela.”
“You can’t trust that woman. She’s crazy-manipulative.”
“I know a way we can force her to do what we want.” Alvin showed his brother the cufflinks. “We’re going to use this against Daniela.”
The Mangubat brothers exchanged a knowing, mischievous smile. Daniela sobbed to her husband about how Romina kept blaming her for anything bad that happened to her. Marga came in and Carlos assured them that he wouldn’t let her face her problems alone. In her room at the mansion, Cassie told her mother that she had been worried about her, adding that she and her uncle Jepoy had rushed home as soon as she had heard the news.
“What really happened?” Cassie asked. “Did Mr. Hector really shøøt you, mamma?”
“Don’t worry, dear. I’m doing fine. How did your trip out of town go?”
Cassie wore a long face. “It was alright.”
“It doesn’t look like that to me.”
“Because Marga was there. She’s going to be working at the diner too.”
Mina sighed. “Unbelievable. Like mother like daughter. You should avoid her. Tell Kristoff you guys should look for another job.”
“It’s alright, mamma. He’s pretty close to her too.”
“If you and Kristoff have a misunderstanding, you should talk about it. You guys are so young. You shouldn’t be holding grudges. Losing a true friend can hurt just as much as losing a family member.”
Cassie looked up at her mother. A tear fell from her eye and Mina wiped it away. Kristoff asked Sir Wacky about Cassie and he told him that he had sent her home early because something had happened to her mother. The Mangubat brothers hanged by the roadside. “Let’s go out and celebrate,” Hector said to his brother. “Your head isn’t empty after all.”
“You’re the only one who doesn’t have faith in me,” Alvin grumbled. “Now we’re sure Robert was the culprit.”
Some officers came over. “Hector Mangubat. Do you know Romina Mondragon?”
“You came here just in time, sir. We were on our way to the police station. I heard on the news that she’s blaming me. I want to file a complaint for defamation. I didn’t do that to her. I was at home when that happened.”
“Can anyone prove your statement?”
“Sure thing. You can ask my brother. My neighbors too. That woman can’t keep doing that to us.”
“Don’t go anywhere. We’ll come back if we have additional questions.”
Romina went to an ammunition store with Bernard. After she selected a güñ, the attendant went on to process it’s documents. “Are you sure about this?” Bernard asked. “Owning a güñ is no joke.”
“Neither is getting shot at. I need to protect myself. The next time they try to k!ll me, I won’t hide anymore. I’ll return the favor.”
“Okay. If that’s what you want.”
“But first, we need to file a case against Daniela, and we need to coordinate with the police.”
Romina went to see the chief with Bernard. She got upset when the chief told her that her statement wasn’t sufficient enough to have Daniela arrested. “Why did you arrest me before even though you only had circumstantial evidence?” Mina asked.
“The bomber filed a sworn statement where he incriminated you in the case.”
“So you’re saying if someone testified against Daniela, then the police would arrest her?”
“Yes, ma’am. But where did you get the information that Mrs. Bartolome is behind this?”
Bernard leaned towards Mina. “Don’t say anything,” he whispered. “If you tell them what you did to Alvin, you’ll be charged with illegal detention.”
“Once Daniela is behind bars, I’ll be able to clear my name,” Mina declared.
“Who gave you that information?” the chief repeated.
Romina glanced at Bernard. “Mr. Alvin Mangubat.”
Some officers went to Hector’s place and invited Alvin over for questioning. A moment later, Alvin and his lawyer sat at a table with Romina, Bernard and the chief as Hector stood nearby. “I want you to tell the police what you told me about Daniela,” Mina said to Alvin.
“Why are you always picking on us?” Hector complained. “You blamed me for the ambush on you and now you’re dragging my brother into this. Can’t you back off?”
Mina gave Hector a look. “You back off, Hector. This isn’t related to the attempt on my life but don’t worry, I will make you pay for that. Alvin, just say it already. If you’re scared, then don’t be. You can tell them everything I did to you.”
“Are you her lawyer?” Hector cut in, addressing Bernard. “Can you take her to a shrink?”
Romina turned to the chief. “Sir, everything I said is true. I caught and tørtüred him to make him tell me the truth about Daniela.”
“Is that true?” asked the chief.
“No,” Alvin replied. “I never told her anything about Daniela.”
Mina was in disbelief. “Alvin, stop lying. Show them the wounds I gave you on your hands and your body. Tell them I did that.”
Alvin glanced at his wound. “A friend did this. We got into a fight.”
“That’s right sir,” Hector added. “I even had to break it up.”
Mina asked Alvin why he was lying when he had ratted out Daniela before and Alvin told her that he couldn’t lie to the police. “I don’t know why you’re lying to me,” Mina said. “But remember this – the day will come when Daniela will betray you too. And you will regret having lied to me here today.”
Kristoff went to the mansion and Cassie asked what he was doing there, and he told her that he wanted to have a talk with her. He asked how her mother was doing and Cassie told him that she was fine now. “Cass, about last night,” Kristoff began. “I’m sorry. I was on the way but Marga, she…”
“You don’t need to explain, Tope.”
“I do, Cassie. Because I promised you’d never get hurt again. And I wanna keep that promise.”
“Tope, even if I did get hurt, it’s not your fault.”
“It is my fault, because I’m a coward. And I didn’t tell you the truth.”
“Tope…”
“That…I løvë you, Cassie. For a while now. I’ve tried so many times to tell you, but I just got scared because I didn’t wanna ruin our friendship. I just… I hope you feel the same way about me, Cass. Do you feel the same?”
Cassie was silent for a moment. She smiled and nodded. Kristoff’s eyes were wide with surprise. “Yes!” he gasped as if he’d just won the lottery.
The Mangubat brothers arrived home and Alvin asked whether he had done the right thing since he had had a chance to get back at Romina. Hector told him that Daniela could be incriminated if he told the police the truth about Romina capturing and tørtüriñg him.
“So what now?” Alvin asked. “It’s all messed up.”
“Well, sit back. Let them k!ll each other. We’ve got a tight grip on Daniela. She’ll do whatever we want.”
Daniela flashed back to how Hector had told her about Alvin’s breaking in into the mansion to steal the cufflinks. She went to her room and found the cufflinks missing. “Alvin,” she hissed.
Later that night at the mansion, Romina told Bernard that Alvin was lying because the bruises he had couldn’t have come from a simple fistfight. “I know,” Bernard said. “But what’s confusing is why Alvin retracted what he said after everything you did to him. He could have sent you to jail.”
Carlos listened in. “I’m sure he did it for Daniela,” Mina stated. “Daniela’s the one who will benefit from what Alvin did.”
Carlos came out to confront Mina. “Are you going to blame my wife for all your problems?”
Mina gave him a look. “Why, Carlos? Are you jealous? Do you want a part in it? You can join her in prison till dëäth do you part.”
“Are you doing this because of me? Are you getting revenge for what I did to you back then? You’re trying to ruin my family. Maybe you still have feelings for me.”
Romina laughed despite herself. “Get a grip, Carlos. Why would I waste my time on a guy like you?”
“Then there’s only one reason why you’re doing this – you’re shifting the blame because you were the one who had Mr. Robert k!lled.”
Romina glared at Carlos and släppëd him. “You don’t know how much I suffered in prison because of that accusation. You know how much I løvëd Robert.”
“Then why don’t you stop all this? Yeah, we feel sorry for you. Your husband died and you got locked up, but just because you got hurt doesn’t give you the right to make everyone else misëräble.”
“Carlos, you don’t know anything about the suffering I went through because you’re nothing but a coward. The only thing you’re good at is running away. We both know that when the boat starts sinking, you won’t attempt to save anyone but yourself.”
“I’m talking to you because I know I’m right. Insult me. But you can never stop me from protecting my family.”
Daniela met up with Hector and demanded to know where his brother was, thinking that Romina had called the cops on her because he had ratted her out. Hector told her that she would have been behind bars by now had they betrayed her. “Where’s the cufflink?” Danny girl asked. “I know you have it.”
“And why should I tell you?” Hector teased. “When you hid it, you didn’t tell us. Did you?”
“Give it back to me.”
“Forget it. Your secret’s safe with us.”
“What secret?”
“We both know why that cufflinks is so important to you. Your father is the one who räpëd Romina, and Cassie is his biological daughter.”
Daniela was speechless. “But don’t worry, I’ll keep your little secret as long as you do whatever I want.”
“Who else knows?” Daniela asked. “Did you tell anyone?”
“Only me and my brother know about it.”
“Make sure it stays that way. No one else must know about this.”
“Sure. I’ll do what you want. But you know? My silence has a price.” Hector began flirting with Daniela. “And that price just doubled.”
Daniela shoved off Hector’s hand. “You don’t need to threaten me. We are partners.”
“Partners. I like the sound of that.”
Cassie joined her mother in bed and asked about the moment she had realized that she løvêd her father. Romina told her that it had been the day she had given birth to her, the same day Robert had confessed his løvë for her. Mina noticed the funny look on her daughter’s face. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Cassie hesitated a moment. “It’s Tope, mamma. He confessed his feelings for me.”
Meanwhile, at the Tejada residence, Kristoff told his father that he had told Cassie that he løvëd her and he hoped he wasn’t mad about it. Back in the master bedroom at the mansion, Romina told Cassie that she was glad she had told her about it and not kept it a secret, adding that it was normal to feel that way.
Cassie thanked her and Mina asked her not to rush into a relationship. Back at the Tejada residence, Bernard asked his son whether he was sure about his feelings since Cassie was a good kid and had been through a lot with her mother.
“I’m sure,” Kristoff declared.
“Then I want you to take it slow,” Bernard admonished. “Until you get to know each other well to know how you have feelings for each other.”
“You have all the time in the world to spend together,” Mina said to Cassie back at the mansion. “To make good memories. If he really løvës you, he’ll wait.”
“Don’t worry, dad,” Kristoff assured his father. “I’m willing to wait. It’s enough to just be there for her.”
“I hope you won’t let this affect your grades,” Mina counseled. “Be inspired by how you feel for each other. Is that okay?”
Cassie smiled. “Yes, mamma. I promise to follow every advice you give me.”
Bernard wrapped up his talk with his son. “I can’t believe my son’s all grown up now.”
“Dad, can you help me out?”
“With what?”
“I want to personally talk to aunt Romina.”
The next morning, Cassie got all worked up and jittery with her lipstick as the Tejadas paid them an impromptu visit. Kristoff asked Romina’s permission to court her daughter, saying that he was serious and his intentions pure. Bernard assured Mina that she wouldn’t have any problems with his son. “Come on, Romina,” Neil urged. “Nanny Esther and I will serve as their chaperones.”
“Kristoff, you know what I’ve been through,” Mina began. “You know how protective I am of Cassie, so I hope you don’t break my trust. Please take care of my daughter.”
Neil let out a joyful shout as Kristoff thanked Mina and promised not to let her down. Cassie and Kristoff and everyone else were all smiles. Marga watched the show from up the stairs. Daniela met up with Savannah. She told Savvy that she still had the Mangubat brothers under control as long as she had the money.
“Everything you have now is temporary,” Savvy warned. “Your house, your fortune, even your husband if he finds out the truth. What if Romina discovers what you did? And that Cassie is a real Mondragon.”
Danny girl gave her a look. “Shut up, Savannah. You don’t need to remind me. No one can know the truth, especially not Romina.”
Daniela’s lawyer joined them at the table and announced that Romina would probably go after the messenger. “He saw how Romina hurt and threātened your father.”
“Then we have to make sure Romina doesn’t go near the messenger,” Daniela said.
“I can’t get hold of him.”
Daniela took out her phone to make a call after dismissing the lawyer.
“Who are you calling?” Savvy asked.
“My ättaçk dogs. I have the money and they have the criminal record. I’m letting them do the dirty work. We need to get to that messenger before Romina does.”
The Mangubat brothers got ready to change their hideout. Alvin worried about Romina watching their every move and Hector told him that Mina was probably busy with Daniela, and they could keep smuggling their contraband items while they were busy fighting. In the study room at the mansion, Bernard thanked Romina for giving his son a chance.
Mina told him Kristoff was his son and a good kid and she wanted her daughter to be happy as well. Mina then mentioned how she wanted Daniela to pay for Robert’s dëäth. Bernard told her that they needed to focus on her next hearing first.
“We need to focus on your next hearing,” Bernard admonished. “The messenger who saw you hitting Robert is scheduled to take the stand.”
“Patrick Tolop. And he already abandoned his apartment.”
“The prosecution could be hiding him. We need to disprove all of his claims.”
“I don’t think they have him. Bonita and I went to his apartment. According to his neighbor, he left the place in a hurry. He looked scared. I need to talk to him.”
“Romina, it’s too risky. What if the court finds out about it?”
“He’s the only one who can clear my name. And once he tells the truth, he can finally reveal that Daniela was the mastermind behind the plan to have me framed.”
Carlos stood by the door, and he had heard everything. At the diner, Sir Wacky asked Kristoff to train Marga since she didn’t know squat about service. As Kristoff showed her the ropes, how to wash dishes, Marga asked whether he was really courting Cassie. “Yes,” Kristoff replied.
“Why her? I’m just as pretty. Maybe better. I’m smart and classy. Why do you like her at all.”
Kristoff sighed. “It’s because she doesn’t pretend to be somebody she’s not.” He gave her the sponge to wash the dishes. “Now do it.”
Carlos was in a bad bad mood when he got to his car shop. His brothers asked whether he had any problem and he told them that Romina was planning to go after Daniela. “I want her to present the witness she mentioned. I’ll talk to that person myself and prove that my wife is innocent.”
“Who’s the witness?” Jude asked. “I’ll help you out. I bet there are records in the police station, so we’ll find that person easily.”
“So that settles it,” Gino stated. “Don’t bring your problems to work. It’s bad for business. Besides, I know Romina. She never does things without a good reason.”
Carlos took offense. “Are you taking her side now?”
“That is not what I mean. Do you have to fight everyone? Relax.”
“Where did dad go? He should be supervising the shop.”
“He left with Jessa. I heard that they’re going to deposit the money we earned yesterday.”
“What’s taking them so long?”
“I don’t know.”
At Camila, Romina and Bernard went through some documents and found that Patrick had been sent to a relative. “I can start looking there,” Mina stated.
Cassie arrived home and her uncle teased her with her løvë life. Cassie told him that Kristoff was courting her but it wasn’t official yet.
“Why?” Neil asked. “Do you plan to turn him down?”
“You like him, right?” Esther added.
“I do,” Cassie said. “But mamma said we’re both still very young, and we should take it slow.”
Marga came over. “You don’t deserve Kristoff.”
“Who are you to say that?” Cassie shot. “We only get the løvë that we deserve.”
“Don’t be so full of yourself. You’re not a couple yet. So anything. Can happen.”
“For once, you’re right, Marga. But one thing’s for sure – he’ll never like you.”
Alvin got ready to leave with a goon to track down the person Daniela had been talking about. Hector told him to get rid of the messenger if he didn’t want to keep his mouth shut because Romina couldn’t learn the truth. Meanwhile at the Cartolome shop, Jude gave Carlos the address of the messenger’s hideout in the province. During the drive to the province, Alvin asked Hector on phone whether he was sure about the address and Hector told him that he had received confirmation that the messenger was at his parents’ place. Meanwhile, Bernard and Romina were also on their way.
Bernard assured Mina that they would get to their destination on time. Carlos arrived at the province with Jude. They found the messenger and they asked to have a talk with him. He however tried running off, only to bump into Romina who had just arrived with Bernard.
“Patrick, why did you do that?” Mina asked. “You claimed I was guilty of a crime I didn’t commit.”
“Ma’am, please forgive me,” Patrick pleaded.
“You’re asking for forgiveness after everything? Why did you even do it?”
“I was in a bad situation. I was paid to testify against you.”
Carlos was in disbelief. “You were paid to testify against Romina?”
“Who paid you?” Bernard cut in.
“Was it Daniela Bartolome?” Mina added.
The messenger looked confused for a moment. “Mrs. Daniela? It wasn’t her.”
“Then who paid you, Patrick?”
“I don’t know who paid me, but I’d remember him if I saw his face.”
Alvin and a goon watched from their car parked nearby. “We’re screwed.”
Inside the messenger’s hideout, Romina tried talking Patrick into admitting the truth. He seemed reluctant so Bernard took him aside to have a one-on-one with him. Romina turned to Carlos. “You heard everything clear, Carlos.”
“But he also said it wasn’t my wife who paid him,” Carlos argued.
“That doesn’t mean she isn’t behind all of this. I am slowly proving that I am innocent. It’s time for whoever’s responsible to pay.” Romina walked out of the room, leaving Carlos and Jude behind.
