“I just wanted to leave. Besides, the crowd liked seeing you a lot more than me. I didn’t want to ruin your moment. You looked pretty happy when you said that. All the girls went crazy. So I won’t make it hard for you anymore. It’s official. Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
Bernard asked Alvin about what he had told Hector so he could figure out what to do. Alvin claimed he hadn’t admitted a single thing to him. Bernard then received a call from Bonita, telling him about Romina’s accident. Marga was redefining and reinventing Mikoy at the music fest, telling him to know her likes and dislikes. Mikoy then asked for her favorite food and she began listing them. “Now about flowers, only give me tulips. Red tulips are my favorite, but yellow are okay too.”
“Hang on. That’s a lot of things,” Mikoy complained. “They all sound expensive too. I can’t even afford Jasmine petals, much less ‘chew-lips.'”
“Mikoy. It’s tulips. Two.”
“Two-lips.”
“Yeah. You got it. I’ll take care of all the expenses. All you have to do is play the part. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Mikoy then fished out his ancient phone. Yep. It was a ‘yam’ phone.
“What the hell is that?” Marga asked in disgust.
“A cellphone?”
“Put that away before anyone sees it. We’ll get busted if they see you using an old-timer phone. Remind me to buy you a new phone.”
Gino suddenly came out of nowhere. “Why are you here, Mikoy? And why are you two together?”
Mikoy turned to stare at Marga. Daniela paid up Vickie after taking her and her mother into a house. Vickie thanked her and gave her a duplicate of the house keys. Daniela told her to make sure that no one followed her whenever she left the house. After asking Hector and Vickie to excuse her, Daniela showed miss Pearlita a photo of Robert. “Can you recall who brought Romina to the hospital? Was it this man?”
Vickie saw Robert’s picture from where she stood. “Answer me,” Danny girl demanded.
“It was him,” miss Pearlita cried out. “He was the man I saw back then.”
“Did you tell Romina that he was the one who brought her to the hospital?”
“I wasn’t able to tell her.”
Back at the music fest, Gino scolded Marga and Mikoy for the ‘løvërs pretence’ they had going on. Marga told him that she didn’t want people to look down on her especially when Cassie was there. Mikoy apologized and Marga started guilt-tripping her uncle, telling him that she would be the laughing stock at school once everyone found out it was just an act. “Fine. I won’t tell anyone about this,” Gino said. “But are you sure about this?”
“I have to fake it, to make it, uncle. And this is my only option.”
“If I can’t stop you, then I might as well help you out. Let’s start with your look,” Gino said to Mikoy.
The next morning, Marga took Mikoy shopping, in the company of her uncle. She reminded him about what she had taught him last night. “Make sure Nadya doesn’t catch you alone. I’m sure they’re already trying to dig up dirt on you.”
“Why? Aren’t they your friends?” Gino asked.
“That’s what I said,” Mikoy cut in. “With friends like that, you don’t need enemies.”
“Focus. When they’re there, you need to be sweet to me, especially in front of Cassie and Kristoff. Hey, are you listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why aren’t you answering me?”
Mikoy poked his head out of the changing room, bare-chested and Marga quickly looked away. “Because I’m getting changed. Calm down.”
“Whatever.”
Mikoy then went back in to finish changing. “Let’s review,” Marga called out. “Where do you live?”
“Mariana BGC, and my pamily is from Davao.”
“Family,” Marga corrected impatiently. “It’s f, not p.”
Daniela arrived at the hotel, and she was pretty upset that Carlos had already checked out. Back at the boutique, Mikoy came out of the changing room to the compliments of Gino. Mikoy caught Marga staring at him and he started teasing her. Marga then gave him some money. “Hold on. What’s with the cash?” Gino asked.
“He’s my suitor, right?” Marga began. “And I have expensive tastes.”
Mikoy winked at Marga, and Gino warned him not to try anything on his niece. At the hospital, Romina told Bernard that they had lost the nurse because of the accident, and that she needed to find her again since she was the only one who had seen the person who had taken her to the hospital. “How do we find her?” Bernard asked. “She won’t go back to her house.”
“There’s only one person who could have sent the nurse’s daughter there. It’s Daniela. I’m sure she knows where they are now.”
“Even if your hunch is correct, she’s not gonna tell us where she hid the nurse and her daughter,” Bonita cut in.
“Or worse, she could have them k!lled,” Bernard added.
“We have to do something before Daniela gets the idea,” Mina stated. “If I have to force her to talk, then I will.”
Romina arrived at the mansion and confronted Daniela about the whereabouts of the nurse. Daniela denied knowing anything as Carlos joined them and asked what they were talking about. “The nurse who saw the man who räpëd me back then,” Romina said. “And your wife is hiding her.”
Daniela continued to play dumb but Mina was certain that she had a hand in what had happened the other night, so she vowed to find them. Nanny Esther asked them to calm down to settle matters but neither would listen. “Try harder, Daniela,” Romina hissed. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
Roxy asked her father if he had visited the woman he was courting since he had arrived late last night. Hector asked her to drop the questions, but Roxy bombarded him with some more. “Introduce me to her,” Roxy suggested. “So I can help you out. She knows you’ve got a kid, right?”
“We’ll see. Now stop grilling me about it. I’m already in a bad mood.”
Marga was appalled with the street food Mikoy had brought her, and Mikoy told her that that was how he courted – with street food. The Mean Squad came over and Nadya asked if it was a street food cart.
“Yep,” Mikoy replied. “I want Marga to experience something different. Like going on a new adventure.”
“Ewww.”
“That’s why it’s an adventure,” Marga said. “You need to be a little dirty to be healthy.”
Mikoy then gave Marga some red tulips, and she made a show of being surprised. The Mean Squad were excited. Marga gave Mikoy a look as he tried feeding her some street food. “I’ll k!ll you.”
Mikoy was amused. “Like you said in your fancy words, you need to be a little dirty to be healthy.”
“It’s not that bad,” Marga said to the girls after she had taken a bite. She then picked up some more and started eating by herself. She caught Mikoy staring at her. “What?”
“Marga. You really are beautiful.”
In her office at Camila, Romina discussed with Bonita and Bernard her plans and how she was sure Daniela was paying someone to hide the nurse. She then called Alvin on phone. “What is it, Romina?”
“Let’s meet up. I need your help.”
Nanny Esther tried talking some sense into Daniela to get rid of the hate and her constant fights with Romina because her father had filled the house with happy memories. Danny girl told her that she had to have that conversation with Romina since she was the one who had infiltrated her and her father’s lives.
Carlos came over to the dining table and Danny girl tried serving him to make up for what had happened earlier, but Carlos wouldn’t be swayed. They started arguing in no time. Romina met up with Alvin and asked him to find out his brother’s plans. Alvin reminded her that his brother had beaten him up when he had found out that he was helping her.
“We need to know how Daniela’s always one step ahead,” Mina said. “Make peace with him. Ask for his forgiveness.”
“It won’t be that easy. He’s very suspicious of me.”
“And that’s why you have to earn back his trust. Make him believe you’re on his side.”
Roxy sneaked into her father’s room as he was sleeping. As she tried reaching out for his cellphone, a phone call came in just then, forcing her to retreat. Hector woke up and answered the call. The Mean Squad complained about how they had been practicing nonstop, and Marga snapped at them, saying that they had to do everything to win the music festival.
Mikoy came over as the girls went to take a breather. “You’re pretty mean to your friends, huh?”
“Shut up if you don’t have anything nice to say.”
“Marga, they’re not robots you can just order around.”
“I’m the leader of this squad, so they have to listen to everything I say.”
One of the organizers came over and asked for the name of the group and Nadya told him that it was ‘Maxy Girls’. Marga however made him name the group ‘Dragon Squad’, much to the girls’ dismay. She then asked that they get back to practice but Nadya told her to perform on her own since she couldn’t stop calling the shots. Marga looked on in shock as they left. The music festival had finally began. Kristoff was nervous and Cassie encouraged him as he was called to the stage to perform. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank someone very special to me. She’s one of the most important women in my life. So… Cassie? Will you join me on stage?”
Cassie was caught by surprise. Marga looked on as she joined Kristoff on stage. He then announced that he would be performing a duet with Cassie. Mikoy eyed Marga in the audience. “Are you jealous?”
“Me? Why would I be? It’s just a performance. I’m sure I’ll beat them with my solo act.”
Kristoff and Cassie performed, much to the cheers of the audience. Meanwhile, Marga was having a talk with Mikoy, telling him about how she wished she was a fireworks display so everyone would look up to her and enjoy watching her. The Mean Squad approached the DJ and gave him a drive, saying that Marga had asked for her track to be changed for her performance. The guy was reluctant and the girls blackmailed him into changing it anyway.
Marga was called on stage and the crowd cheered. As she got ready to perform, the only thing that came out of the speakers was, “sorry, the subscriber cannot be reached”. The audience started booing her in no time as the Mean Squad gloated, while Marga just stood there like the idïøt she had been made. Mikoy went to the DJ and asked him to play a particular song.
“Should I call the next performer?” prompted the MC.
Mikoy took the MC’s mic and joined Marga on stage and started singing. Marga was reluctant at first but she went ahead with the act anyway. After the performance, Marga asked Mikoy why he had helped her out and he told her that she had needed it. “So you want me to be indebted to you?” Marga jibed.
“What was the deal? Pretend to woo you, right? That’s what a suitor does.”
Marga confronted the Mean Squad, certain that they were the ones who had tried to ruin her performance earlier. Nadya dared her to prove it before leaving for the stage with the others. A moment later, Marga approached the DJ and whispered something into his ears. The Mean Squad were performing on stage when their music started having some kind of breaks and interferences.
Nadya and Nica stopped dancing but Maureen just went on as if there was no trouble in paradise. The audience booed them and they eventually abandoned the stage. Mikoy was disgusted with the stunt Marga had just pulled. Marga told him that the girls had started it, and if she hadn’t gotten back at them, then they would have ganged up on her all the more.
“I’m the queen,” Mini-Daniela declared. “So I won’t let anyone walk all over me.”
“Queen? Where’s your kingdom, then?”
“Why do you always have to comment? Who do you think you are? We’re just pretending, remember?”
“Then I should have let you act like an idïøt on stage earlier, since you’re acting like one now. I’m leaving.”
“Sure. Go. Go back to the cave you crawled out of.”
Cassie asked Kristoff if he wasn’t worried about not winning, and Kristoff told her that he had only come to perform and to be with her and winning would just be a bonus. The MC announced Kristoff as second place holder and Cassie congratulated him before he went to the stage for his award. The MC then called Cassie on stage as well. “Can you give us an honest answer?” the MC began. “Are you two going out?”
Kristoff glanced at Cassie. “As of now, we aren’t.”
Cassie ran off the stage as the audience went wild and the MC announced that Kristoff was available. Kristoff went after her.
“Cassie, keep it together,” Cassie said to herself. “You shouldn’t have felt that way. It’s wrong, okay?” She then began doing a series of inhales and exhales. “Inhale. Exhale…”
Kristoff came over. “Cassie. Who are you talking to?”
“Nobody. I wasn’t saying anything.”
“You walked off pretty quick. I got tired chasing after you. What happened?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to leave. Besides, the crowd liked seeing you a lot more than me. I didn’t want to ruin your moment.”
“Cassie, are you upset right now?”
“Hmmm. About what?”
“About what I said. That we weren’t official yet.”
Cassie folded her arms. “You looked pretty happy when you said that. All the girls went crazy.”
“What did you want me to say? You haven’t agreed to being my girlfriend yet, so we aren’t official.”
“So…if we become a real couple, you’d actually tell everyone?”
“Of course. I’d be so proud if you finally called me your boyfriend.”
“Then, yes,” Cassie mumbled, turning away from Kristoff.
“What?”
“I won’t repeat myself.”
“Cassie, come on. Please. We’re going around in circles here.”
Cassie turned back to Kristoff. “So I won’t make it hard for you anymore. It’s official.”
Kristoff was confused. “Wait…”
“Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
“Yes!” Kristoff said excitedly. “Really?”
“I said yes.”
Kristoff hugged Cassie. “I løvë you so much.”
The MC announced Marga as the winner of the music fest, and she went on stage and received her award. Bragging followed. Mikoy was walking around when he heard some girls talking about going to see the fireworks. He flashed back to his earlier conversation with Marga and how she had wished she was like a firework. Watching the fireworks, Cassie thanked Kristoff for all that had happened, saying that today was one of her happiest days. Kristoff told her that there was no need to thank him because she had made him the happiest man in the world. Marga watched as they held hands.
“I never wanted to come back here with dad,” Kristoff revealed. “He just forced me.”
“No wonder you were always moody,” Cassie commented.
“Those were the darkest days of my life, because I knew my parents weren’t getting back together. Then I saw you again. And I felt for you. I never imagined that I’d be this thankful that dad forced me to come back to the Philippines. I’m so happy I came back.”
“I’m thankful you came back too.”
Mikoy came over to Marga and offered her a treat. Marga ranted on about not needing him and how she could do fine on her own. She eventually accepted the food Mikoy had brought and they ate as they watched the fireworks. Marga eyed Cassie and Kristoff who were still stuck in an embrace. At the autoshop, Jude tried to convince Carlos to go and check some of the cars since his mechanics were having a hard time. Carlos however told him that it was their job to fix the cars because he was their boss. Kulas cautioned him that his business would suffer if he kept on with that attitude. Carlos then told his father about how Daniela had left him all alone at the hotel.
“She was gone so long, it made me suspicious,” Carlos said. “It wasn’t about the conference anymore, so I left.”
“But how could you leave your wife alone?” Kulas asked.
“Because I was sure she was up to something. And I was right, because Romina confronted her as soon as we got home.”
The misëräble one-eyed-old man spouted some nonsense. “You’ve gone mad, Carlos. You should listen to your wife, not Romina.”
Jude then suggested to his brother that he find out what had caused Daniela and Romina’s recent argument if he felt uneasy about it. Cassie and Kristoff were holding hands and taking a stroll. Kristoff was still over the moon. He hadn’t recovered from the excitement of Cassie accepting to be his girlfriend. They came upon Neil and Gino, and Cassie told her uncle that Kristoff was now her boyfriend and she hoped he wasn’t mad. Neil told her that he had no reason to be mad and he knew her and Tope well enough, and he was happy for them.
“Don’t worry uncle Neil,” Kristoff said. “I will always take care of Cassie.”
“I’m not finished, Tope.” Neil turned to his niece. “I’m sure your mom will be surprised when she hears about this, so please make sure you’ll be the one to tell her first.”
Cassie offered her uncle a smile. “Don’t worry, uncle Neil,” Kristoff assured. “We’ll tell aunt Romina together.”
“Alright. I believe you’ll do the right thing. I’m happy for you both.”
“Thank you,” Cassie beamed as she hugged her uncle.
“Tope, be a good boy,” Gino counseled.
“Yes, sir.” Cassie turned to Kristoff and smiled.
