“Your husband doesn’t even care enough to buy you gifts. Why’d you throw it out? So you don’t like it now cause it’s from me? Daniela, you’re hurting my feelings. I spent a lot of money to buy that. I guess it’s true. The smarter you are, the dumber in løvë. I’m trying to court you. I like you. You aren’t even on good terms with your husband. Don’t worry. You’ll break up. I’ll wait for you.”
Carlos called Gino on the phone and asked him to accompany Marga and be her chaperone at the music fest. The next morning, he arrived with Daniela for her conference at a hotel. Daniela was all over her husband. As she went in for a ki$$, a phone call came in and ruined the moment. Carlos asked her to answer the call, and Daniela took it outside. “You better make sure this is important,” Danny girl grumbled. “You just interrupted my moment with my husband.”
Savannah was amused. “The conference will start in thirty minutes, so you guys better finish up whatever it is you’re doing.”
“What’s going on there? Anything unusual?”
“Nothing new. But, I just find it really odd that one other employee went on leave as well. Romina’s not here.”
“Why did she go on leave?”
“I heard she went to visit someone in the province. But I’m not sure who.”
“Well, you better find out because I’m sure she wouldn’t miss work just to go on a leisure trip.”
A moment later, Savannah sneaked into Romina’s office and started rifling through her stuff. Bonita walked in and caught her in the act. She turned on the lights and confronted her, and Savvy claimed she had just been checking something. “You’re Daniela’s lapdog, right?”
“Who are you to call me a lapdog?” Savvy shot. “You’re Romina’s little pusy cat. My face looks a lot more expensive than your entire outfit.”
“Oh, well, I really think you should switch brands, because they don’t seem to be working. Now get out of here.” Bonita started shoving her toward the door.
Savannah managed to break free. “I’m pretty sure you know where Romina is. What do you know?”
Bonita glanced around for something to use as a wëäpon. “I don’t think I can throw you a phone to keep you busy. How about you tell your master to stop snooping in Romina’s office?! You keep coming in here like it’s a grocery store.”
Savannah släppëd Bonita, and Bonita returned the favor. A catfight ensued as both women called each other names. Romina’s laptop fell in the process and Savannah spotted the note attached to it. She eventually left after exchanging a few more unfriendly words with Bonita.
Savvy made a phone call as soon as she came out of Romina’s office. “I know exactly where Romina is headed. Laiya, Batangas.”
Bernard told Romina not to worry so much if the kids forgot to update her since Neil was watching over them. Mina said she knew Kristoff would take good care of her daughter. “I’m glad you allowed her to attend the event even though the venue is far away,” Bernard commented.
“I want Cassie to have a normal childhood,” Mina stated. “It’s the least I can do since I don’t have the information to tell her about her true identity.”
A phone call came in as Bernard was telling Romina about how trustworthy his son was. “Hello, Bonita?”
“Romina, I just saw Savannah in your office. I caught her snooping around your desk.”
“What? What did she do?”
“She was trying to find out where you are. I didn’t tell her anything, but I’m sure she has already reported to her evil boss by now.”
Hector received a phone call from Daniela, telling her to find a way to stop Romina. “Where is she going?”
“Somewhere in the Batangas,” Danny girl replied. “I think that brat is trying to dig up dirt again.”
“Alright. I’ll take care of it.”
Alvin came out of the room just then, all dressed up, and Hector asked him where he was going since he seemed so excited.
“Batangas,” Alvin revealed.
Hector stared at his brother for a moment. “You are?” Hector delivered a hard left hook that struck Alvin squarely in the face. “You bästärd. How dare you. You thought you could fool me?” He then beat him up some more, seized his phone and found a missed call from Romina, which only infuriated him all the more.
“Please, let me explain,” Alvin pleaded as his brother beat him silly.
“After everything I’ve done for you. I didn’t let you rot in jail, and this is how you repay me? Tell me. What’s your deal with Romina?”
“Batangas. She’s going to Batangas with a nurse. A nurse who saw Robert take her to the hospital when she was unconscious after she got räpëd.”
A moment later, Hector called Daniela and relayed the information to her. “Romina is headed to Batangas, because she’s looking for a particular witness there. And it’s connected to Robert. That brat isn’t digging up trash, but gold.”
“So why are you still on the phone? You need to go after Romina and stop her.”
“Why am I acting alone? I thought we were partners. Aren’t you going to help?”
“Yes, because I’m going to pay you. Stop complaining. We’re ruining out of time.”
“If you really don’t want Romina to know the truth, then come with me.”
Daniela was exasperated. “I already told you I can’t. I’m with my husband. I can’t leave him here.”
“If you don’t show up, I won’t make a single move. Say hi to your father for me, because if Romina finds out the truth, she will never stop until you’re six feet under too.”
Carlos came over to Daniela at the hotel. “Who are you talking to?”
“From the conference. I’m sorry hun, but…”
“It’s fine. Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
“Okay.”
Marga stalked Kristoff at the diner and tried to coax him into riding with her so they didn’t get bored during the trip to the music fest. “We both know Cassie can’t go. So why don’t you come along with me?”
“Um…”
Cassie walked in just then, and Kristoff was excited. Mini-Daniela went on with her nonsense. “Say your goodbyes now, because we’re leaving for the music fest. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Kristoff.”
Cassie seemed amused. “Why would I say goodbye to Tope?”
“Cause you weren’t allowed to go.”
“Too bad, Marga. Your wish wasn’t granted. Mamma gave me permission to go to the music fest.”
Gino and Neil came in. “I’m so happy you’re here, Cassie,” Kristoff said.
“Break a leg, okay?”
“Yes, coach.”
At the autoshop, Kulas was telling Jude excitedly about Carlos and Daniela’s ‘second honeymoon’ and how Marga would be getting a sibling soon. The guy who had chased Mikoy the other night came over and showed them a photo. “Have any of you seen this boy?”
“That’s Mikoy,” Jude said.
“Mikoy!” Kulas called out.
“So how do you know Mikoy?” Jude asked.
“I’m his uncle. I’ve been looking for him for a while.”
Mikoy came over. “What is it, Mr. Kulas?”
“Someone’s looking for you. He says he’s your uncle.”
Mikoy froze and stared. Without warning, he ran off, leaving the Bartolomes looking on in confusion. During the drive to Batangas, Romina discussed with Bernard and Jepoy about the stunt Savannah had pulled on account of Daniela. Mina was certain that Daniela was the one who had had her räpëd and was now trying to cover up the evidence. She asked Jepoy to drive faster so Daniela didn’t beat them to the nurse. Mikoy was still running when he bumped into Myrna. Myrna asked why he was running and he told him about his uncle being at the car shop. Myrna then tried dragging him along to go and talk to him but Mikoy resisted.
“What’s going on?” Myrna asked. “Why don’t you want to talk to your uncle?”
Silence.
“Nevermind. I’ll just go to the car shop alone.”
“Thank you, Miss Myrna.”
“Where will you go now?”
Mikoy flashed back to how Marga had tried to force him to go to the music fest with her. “I’ll go see my friend.”
Daniela sat at a table with her husband. Hector kept calling her phone as they were getting ready to eat. Carlos asked her to turn it off but Danny girl claimed that the calls were from the conference and she had to go because they needed her there.After Daniela left, Carlos asked a waiter to get rid of the food and get him a bottle of whiskey.
Hector cuffed his brother and warned him not to try to escape, reminding him about how he had taught him to betray everyone except his own family. Alvin told him that he had to punish himself as well since he had also betrayed him the moment he developed an interest in Daniela.
“You’re crazy for Daniela,” Alvin pointed out. “You’ll stop trying to milk her for cash.”
“You’re not that smart,” Hector snapped. “Didn’t it ever cross your puny mind that if I end up with Daniela, I’ll be with an heiress?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“If I end up with Daniela, we won’t just be getting thousands, but half of her family’s wealth. That shut you up? Brain cells work?”
“That’s not a guarantee. It’s impossible you two will end up together.”
“Nothing’s impossible. Stop helping Romina. Help your big brother out here if you want more than what she’s offering you.”
Cassie and Kristoff arrived at the music fest, in the company of Neil and Gino. Cassie reunited with her friends, Fatima and LJ. Neil then asked Gino where his niece was. They all looked to see Marga making her entrance and basking in the attention of her fans. Marga came over with the Mean Squad. After spouting some nonsense, she deliberately bumped Fatima with her bag as she walked away.
Neil turned to Gino. “Can I slap your niece just for once?”
“No, not my niece. But her friends are fair game.”
Daniela met up with Hector, upset with the way he had dragged her away from her husband. They started shifting the blame on each other. Daniela asked about Alvin, and Hector told her that he was at home, figuring out a way to mislead Romina. “Let’s go,” Danny girl decided and Hector started following her. Daniela turned back to him. “What are you doing?”
“I was going to open the door for you,” Hector replied excitedly.
Don’t bother. I can open the door on my own.”
“That’s what I thought.”
Alvin called Romina and told her that he needed her help because his brother had caught him. Daniela scolded Hector not to drive and text. She snatched his phone away and asked why Alvin had sent him a text, saying that Romina was on her way to help him. Hector told her that Alvin was just pretending to be nice to Romina so he could manipulate her easily.
“You better be telling the truth,” Danny girl said.
“Come on, Daniela. I would never lie to you. My brother and I would never betray you.” Hector then eyed the handbag on Daniela’s lap. “You like that purse, huh?”
“Why do you care? I don’t show appreciation for cheap things.”
Hector’s enthusiasm ridiculously resembled that of a teenager. “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you another one.”
“What do you mean? This was a gift from my husband.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m the one who bought you that. Your husband doesn’t even care enough to buy you gifts. I bought that for you Daniela.”
Danny girl was horrified. Kulas cut Jessa a piece of his winnings at the gambling house, and went on about how she was his lucky charm. He then proposed that they get married so she didn’t have to move to a new place. Jessa however turned him down the classic way, saying that she wanted to experience everything like dating and courting before marriage. Funny enough, Daniela fished out all of her stuff from the handbag Hector had gotten for her. She then tossed it out. Hector pulled over and went to retrieve it. “Why’d you throw it out?”
“I don’t like it,” Danny girl grumbled. “It’s hideous.”
“But you just said you liked the bag.”
“When I thought it was from my husband.”
“So you don’t like it now cause it’s from me?”
“Of course. What makes you think I would want to receive gifts from you?”
“Daniela, you’re hurting my feelings. I spent a lot of money to buy that.”
“You just used the money you got from me. Why did you even buy me a gift?”
“You don’t know why?”
“No.”
Hector scoffed. “I guess it’s true. The smarter you are, the dumber in løvë.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m trying to court you. I like you.”
Daniela laughed. “You really need to get your head checked, Hector. That’s one joke I don’t ever want to hear again.”
“I’m not joking around with you. I’m being serious.”
“Hector, I have a husband. Even if I weren’t married, you honestly think I’d fall in løvë with someone like you? You’re out of your mind. I know I’m perfect and you can’t help it, but do you think I’ve got no taste?”
Hector simply smiled. “That’s exactly what Roxanne’s mom said when we were still together. But we still split up. You will too. You aren’t even on good terms with your husband. Don’t worry. You’ll break up. I’ll wait for you.”
Cassie with Kristoff and her friends joined the other ‘campers’ for the matchmaker game. Her jealousy knowing no bounds, Mini-Daniela went to the woman in charge and blackmailed her into calling her name and Kristoff’s. A moment later, the crowd were cheering Cassie’s name after Kristoff was called. The place fell silent when Marga’s name was called as Kristoff’s partner. Mikoy came out of nowhere and grabbed Marga’s hand before she could leave with Kristoff. He then dragged her into the tent.
“Is that Michael?” Nadya wondered out loud.
“What’s he wearing?” Nica added.
Mini-Daniela was upset that Mikoy had ruined her plan. She threatened to have him arrested for destroying her watch if he didn’t leave. Mikoy asked her to give him a week to fix the watch, and until then, he would continue pretending to be her boyfriend.
At an undisclosed location, Alvin sent a text message to his brother, saying that Romina was on her way to help him. He then cuffed himself to a tree. He started calling out for help as a cab approached.
Bernard rushed out of the cab. “Where’s Hector?”
“Where’s Romina?”
Marga came out of the tent with Mikoy, and the Mean Squad wondered if he was the same guy they had met before since he looked ‘nasty’. Nadya asked why Mikoy looked like that and the boy managed trickery. Kristoff was allowed to choose his partner for the night since he had been interrupted earlier. The crowd cheered as Kristoff took Cassie into the tent. “You can leave if you want to,” Kristoff said. “No pressure.”
“What do people do here anyway?” Cassie asked.
“Just talk.”
Someone outside the tent accidentally shoved Kristoff into Cassie’s personal space. Cassie and Kristoff were staring at each other intensely as the tent was unzipped. The crowd cheered excitedly while Marga stormed off. Daniela and Hector went to a house and asked about Pearlita Salvador, and the woman asked if she was with Romina.
“Romina’s here?” Danny girl said in disbelief.
“Yes. She just arrived.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s not here right now. My mother went to her friend’s house, so I took Romina there so they could talk.”
Romina was glad that miss Pearlita could still remember her. The old woman asked how she could be of help, and Mina brought up the fact that she had been the one who had found her unconscious the night she had been räpëd. “Did you see who left me there?” Mina asked.
“I think I remember seeing a man near the place I found you. He was in a rush to get inside his car.”
“Do you remember what he looked like?”
“I’m not too sure.”
Romina showed her Alvin and Hector’s photos but the woman said it was neither of them. She then placed her phone on the table, which had a photo of herself and Robert as her wallpaper. The old woman stared in shock as Romina tried calling a cartographer to make a rough sketch. “Wait. I remember. It was him. He’s the one I saw. He left you there.”
“Who? This one?” Romina showed her Alvin’s photo again.
“No. Not him. The one in the other picture. It was him.”
“You mean this one?” Mina showed her Hector’s photo again.
Vickie, her daughter rushed in just then and wheeled her mother away despite Romina’s pleas. Romina asked whether Daniela was behind it and Vickie said that her mother needed to rest. Mina offered to pay double what Daniela had offered her, but Vickie made their driver drive them away anyway. Romina and Jepoy tailed them. Myrna came home to find the stuff Kulas had bought for Jessa. She asked if Jessa really needed all that and Jessa told her that she would be staying a little bit longer.
“Jessa, I think you’re taking this too far,” Myrna complained.
“Watch your mouth,” Kulas warned. “Or do you wanna get kicked out?”
“Kulas, you told your sons she’d only stay here until she finds a place for herself.”
“Well, I changed my mind. You got a problem with that?” The misëräble one-eyed-old man then made his wife carry his mistress’ things to her room.
Daniela had a call from Vickie, telling her about Romina following them. “Okay. We’re on our way.” Another phone call came in. “Carlos?”
“Daniela, where on earth are you?”
“I’m so sorry. I’m still here.”
“So you forced me to come with you just to leave me alone?”
“I’m really sorry.”
“Screw this, Daniela. I’m going home.” The line went dead.
“What’s with him?” Hector asked.
“He’s drunk,” Danny girl replied. “I need to get back to him. He might drive back home. Just drop me off anywhere. My driver will pick me up.”
“Alright. I’ll take care of Romina.” Romina and Jepoy were still pursuing the Salvadors. Mina urged Jepoy to overtake them and block their way. As Jepoy accelerated, a car suddenly came out of nowhere to block their path, and Jepoy was forced to swerve to avoid a collision. Romina ended up hitting her head against the car pretty hard several times, which left her unconscious. Hector sped off.
