“How dare you? I won’t tolerate what you did to my daughter. You ruined her life too? You’re despicable. How can you live with yourself? I won’t back down, Daniela. I will take you down and make you eat the dirt! I have nothing else to lose, but there’s still so much I can take from you.”
Team Daniela were planning to organize a party to celebrate their victory over Romina. They disbanded as soon as Carlos entered Daniela’s office. Carlos informed his wife about how his father had used the car shop as collateral. He asked for her help in getting it back so he could earn money to support his family.
Danny girl was more than happy to oblige, on the condition that he come back to the mansion. Carlos agreed, so dumb. Romina went out job hunting. One company had no vacancy. During her interview in another company, the interviewer was called out by a co-worker and they whispered among themselves for a while.
The interviewer then came back in and cut short the meeting with the excuse that she had to go for an emergency meeting. Refusing to shake hands with Romina, she went back out and started gossiping with the co-worker again. This time, Mina listened in. Cassie discussed with her friends about her scholarship request.
Fatima offered to ask her mother for help, but Cassie kindly declined. A staff then came to call her into the principal’s office. Mikoy ran into Marga and he mentioned how glad he was to have found a nice restroom to ease his rumbling stomach, much to Marga’s disgust. Mikoy was determined and confident of getting into Maxwell and Marga asked why he really wanted to study there.
“Because I want to be with you,” Mikoy replied. “You’re my only friend, so we should be together everyday so you wouldn’t miss me.”
“Not funny,” Marga shot back. “Can’t you take anything seriously? Whatever.”
The Mean Squad came over and mocked her with Cassie’s presence in the school. Mini-Daniela ranted on about how she was the queen before storming off. Cassie relayed her reasons to the board about why she wanted a scholarship at Maxwell instead of studying in Maxwell London. They cautioned her about the difficulties of being a scholar, but Cassie was very determined and passionate to study again. “You will know the board’s decision tomorrow,” the principal announced.
Cassie thanked the board who seemed to be warming up to her, confident that her request would be granted and her dream, fulfilled. “It’ll be an honor for me to be a scholar of Maxwell. If you’d let me, that is.”
“You are our Maxwell Prime student,” stated the principal. “Based on their reactions and what you showed us today, I’ll be seeing you this school year.”
Cassie was ecstatic. After the meeting, Mini-Daniela approached the principal and fished for information. During dinner at the Mondragon house, Cassie happily narrated her meeting with the board to Romina and Neil. Mina promised to find a way to pay her tuition fee if the results didn’t turn out in her favor, but Cassie hoped it didn’t come to that. Mini-Daniela was working on a petition for Cassie, complaining bitterly about how Cassie wanted a scholarship instead of going to study in Maxwell London. Daniela promised to deal with the situation. Carlos arrived with his stuff, and Mini-Daniela was glad that he had come back to stay with them. She left for her room so her parents could talk. Danny girl thanked her hubby for honoring his end of the deal. She then offered him Romina’s position at Camila.
“I’m much more used to the car shop than the company, Carlos said. “Just worry about that.”
“Okay. If that’s what you want. I’ll find a way to give you back the car shop.”
Carlos went to see his father and told him about Daniela’s offer. Kulas egged him on to accept but Carlos’ pride wouldn’t let him. “How about you try swallowing your pride for once?” Kulas said. “We need money.”
Daniela, Marga and The Mean Squad’s parents connived together to raise an issue against Cassie’s request for a scholarship. The principal and the board were having second thoughts, and Danny girl threatened to cause problems for them if they didn’t rule in her favor. Romina was worried about their expenses piling up even more once Cassie went back to school, since they hadn’t recovered yet from the expenses for her hospitalization. Neil offered to have his salary budgeted since he still worked at Camila, but Mina said it still wouldn’t be enough.
“Do you still have money saved up?” Neil asked.
“Yes. About a million pesos. But you know how expensive Cassie’s school is. I’m thinking of selling my remaining jewelry, including this gift Robert gave me.”
“Romina, don’t. Those are reminders of the løvë you two both shared. Let’s hope Cassie would get the scholarship.”
Romina nodded vigorously. Cassie went to see the principal about her request for the scholarship. The principal commended her on her academic grace, and brought up the issue someone had raised regarding the conversion of her price for Maxwell Prime and how they had struggled to come to a decision.
“I’m really sorry about this,” the principal began. “But the board have decided to not approve of your scholarship grant.”
Cassie was in disbelief, even as the principal talked on about how some parents and students had been against it. “Who were they, ma’am? Was it Daniela and Marga?”
“They were among the group, but it wasn’t just them.”
“But… it’s no doubt they led the group. Thank you for considering, ma’am. Please excuse me.”
The principal made a call after Cassie left. “Can we talk to the board again? Maybe we can discuss things and reconsider Cassie’s enrollment. I feel bad for the child.”
Carlos went to the Bartolome house to pick up the rest of his stuff. He told his brother about how Daniela had cornered him into going back to the mansion in exchange for the car shop. “But what about Romina?” Gino asked. “I thought you were going to help her, now that Jude’s gone.”
“You need my help more than she does,” Carlos said. “My family’s my priority.”
Daniela was tying up loose ends, being the one who had blackmailed the company Romina had seeked employment at to turn her down. She was determined to get back the car shop from Hector, no matter the price. She then made a call. “Hector. We need to talk.”
Cassie and Kristoff overheard Marga’s conversation with the Mean Squad about how she had orchestrated Cassie’s scholarship disapproval. Cassie confronted Marga about it. “So I was right. You and your mom were behind this.”
“What if we were?” Mini-Daniela bitçhëd. “What will you do about it?”
Kristoff was exasperated. “Are you really that cruel, Marga? Putting Cassie’s future at risk?”
“It’s not like she deserves to be here,” Mini-Daniela grumbled.
“I didn’t know you were that scared of me coming back here,” Cassie stated. “You just gave me more of a reason to stay and study in this campus.”
“As if you can do anything about it. It turns out that Maxwell has closed it’s doors for you.”
“Then I’ll turn the knob. That’s what a door does – it opens up when you put in the effort.”
Mikoy joined the party. “What’s going on here?”
“Marga made sure Cassie wouldn’t get the scholarship she wanted,” Nadya revealed. “And without that, she can’t study here.”
Roxy was upset that her father had been devoting most of his time to Daniela when they hadn’t even started dating yet. Hector assured her that he was doing all that for her. He asked her to do her best to study while he took care of the rest. Romina had a call from the woman who had interviewed her earlier, claiming that they couldn’t employ her because she was overqualified. “Am I really overqualified or you just don’t want to hire me?”
“Mrs. Mondragon…”
“I overheard your conversation when I had my interview. Daniela blacklisted me. Thank you for calling. I know you’re just doing your job.”
“This is ridiculous,” Bernard muttered after the phone call. “Daniela really won’t stop? What now? What’s your plan?”
“Daniela doesn’t own every company in the country,” Romina pointed out. “I will find a job eventually.”
Cassie arrived home with Kristoff just then, and Romina noticed her demeanor. “What’s wrong?” Mina asked.
“Her scholarship wasn’t approved,” Kristoff revealed.
“Why? What happened?”
“Daniela filed a petition against me, mamma,” Cassie explained. “So that they wouldn’t approve my scholarship.”
Romina looked on vengefully. “Now they’ve really gone too far.” She grabbed her bag and stormed out, and the others followed.
“Ma, where are you going?”
“I’ll teach her a lesson.”
Bernard asked Cassie to stay back with Kristoff while he went with her mother. Daniela met up with Hector and asked him to name his price so he could give the car shop back to her husband.
“I’m not after your money here,” Hector said.
“Then tell me what it is.”
“You. I want you.”
Danny girl was exasperated. “What? What?”
“If you want your husband to get the car shop back, then come with me. I want us to be together. That is my condition.”
“And you really think l’ll give you what you want?” Danny girl shot. “You’re way out of my league.”
“But we’re birds of a feather,” Hector countered. “If you don’t want your daughter to know your secrets, you’ll do what I want.”
Daniela gave Hector a sweet sweet slap. “Was that enough to wake you up to reality?”
Hector grabbed Danny girl. “Hey, you wouldn’t want to see me mad.”
“And you do not want me as an enemy, Hector. You know what I’m capable of, so name your exact price for my husband’s car shop and don’t you ever use my family to threaten me again.”
Mikoy tried talking some sense into Marga about how she had likely ruined Cassie’s future by making sure her scholarship was denied. Everything he said flew out the other ear as Mini-Daniela ranted on about how she didn’t care if she was the bad guy as long as Cassie was out of her life. At Camila’s parking lot, Daniela was coming off the phone with Savannah when Bernard pulled over nearby. Romina got out of the car, dragged Danny girl out of hers, and started manhandling her.
“How dare you? I won’t tolerate what you did to my daughter. You ruined her life too? You’re despicable. How can you live with yourself?”
Bernard held back Romina as she tried punching Daniela. “Try stopping me,” Daniela said. “I’m just getting started.”
“Romina, you can’t afford this mess right now,” Bernard cautioned.
“I don’t care!” Mina hissed. “I won’t back down, Daniela.”
“Then try fighting me. It will get you nowhere.”
“I won’t just try. I will take you down and make you eat the dirt! Let me go!” Romina broke free of Bernard’s grip and faced off with Danny girl. “I have nothing else to lose, but there’s still so much I can take from you.”
Bernard caught Romina’s hand as she made another attempt to punch Daniela. He then shoved her into his car and quickly got in. Some guards and workers looked on. Daniela gave Mina a look and she returned the favor. Daniela was ranting nonstop about how she would press charges and make Romina rot in prison as her bratty lapdog tended to her wound.
“You should have expected this,” Savvy said. “After what you and Marga did to Cassie.”
Carlos walked into the office. “What exactly did you do to Cassie?” He sent bratty lapdog off and had a stare down with his wife. “I’m waiting for an answer. What did you do to her this time? And you’re getting our daughter involved again?”
Danny girl ranted on about how she had just done what Marga wanted, adding that Cassie didn’t have the right to study in Maxwell. The argument dragged on as Daniela vowed not to let Romina get away with wounding her. “Can you just leave Romina alone?” Carlos said. “You got exactly what you wanted.”
“Over my dëäd body!”
“Is that what you want Marga to learn from you? To be completely hateful of someone? If you don’t stop, I’ll have to keep Marga away from you.”
“You can’t do that to me, Carlos.”
“Then try me. I’d like to see you call my bluff right now. Leave Romina alone. This is your last chance.”
“Fine. But the next time she does something, you won’t be able to stop me.”
Carlos then asked about the autoshop and Daniela said she was still talking it over with Hector. Mikoy was nervous about the results of the entrance exams, so he asked Marga to check it for him.
Marga made a face. “Mikoy…”
“It’s okay,” Mikoy said.
“I guess you need to find money for your enrollment,” Marga added excitedly. “Congratulations.”
Mikoy was in disbelief. “I passed?”
“You’re lucky you passed,” Roxy commented. “I got wait-listed.”
“Don’t lose hope.”
“But where will you get money for the tuition fee?”
The Mean Squad arrived just in time to overhear. “Why would you ask Michael that, Roxanne?” Nadya asked. “Unless you know something we don’t. You don’t have to worry about money. Right, Michael?”
“Yeah, I’m not worried about it,” Mikoy replied. “Why do you seem so interested? Do you have a crush on me?”
Marga asked what their problem was, and the squad said that Maxwell was for the elite and not the poor. “Even a family name won’t help you. Like Cassie, she doesn’t have the right to study here because they don’t have money.”
“Is that the only way to get into this school?” Mikoy asked. “You can’t judge a person by their wealth. Your personality and attitude matter more. What are you so proud of? Your parents’ money? It’s not like you actually worked for it.”
Nadya stormed off with the squad.
“If I lose my patience with these three, I’ll sell them to the junk shop,” Mikoy stated. “They’re so fake.”
Mini-Daniela was in a state of ecstasy. Romina was thinking of having a talk with the principal regarding her daughter’s scholarship disapproval. Neil reminded her that Maxwell was a private school and she needed money for the tuition fee, which they didn’t have.
“Then I’ll sell shoes and clothes,” Mina said. “I’ll sell everything I can. I’ll pawn my necklace later too.”
“Mamma, don’t,” Cassie cut in. “Isn’t that a gift from daddy?”
“I’m sure your father will understand, because I’m doing all of this for you.”
“But mamma…”
“Cassie, don’t worry. You have to stay strong. We shouldn’t give up. We will fulfill all of your dreams.”
During dinner at the mansion, Marga asked Daniela what had happened to her arm and she claimed that it had been an accident. Marga then announced how Mikoy and Roxanne had gotten into Maxwell.
“Hector’s daughter?” Danny girl asked.
“Yeah. My crazy fan. Who would have thought that she had money?”
“Hector’s richer now?” Carlos asked, incredulous.
“Well, according to Roxanne.”
Carlos gave Daniela a look. A moment later, Daniela had a phone call from Savannah and she left the table to answer.
“We’re here now,” Savvy said. “But are you sure about this? What if Carlos finds out?”
“If you don’t tell him, he won’t find out. Just get every valuable thing in there, and the rest, destroy it. Make sure you leave no evidence behind. I’ll make it even harder for them.”
Romina and Cassie lay asleep in their bed. A masked goon broke in and started plundering Mina’s jewelry. His knife trained on the sleeping Mondragons, the goon retrieved Mina’s necklace from the bedside table. Romina’s eyes flew open just then, and she charged at the goon and sent him running out the house. Before Romina could go in pursuit, Cassie’s screams forced her back into the bedroom. The next morning, Romina narrated the incident to the police and brought up the valuables the goon had stolen. Before leaving, the officers promised to get back to her once they had updates. The Mondragons wailed over the incident.
“He stole a lot from us,” Mina sobbed. “All my jewelry. Even the necklace I planned to pawn for Cassie’s tuition.”
“When will things settle down?” Neil wailed as Cassie was crying. “It’s been an endless streak of bad luck. We’re being beaten into the ground.”
“Yes, we’re at the bottom right now. But if there’s anything good that will come from this, it’s the hope that we will rise again. Things are tough right now, but it won’t always be like this. We will rise again. We will turn things around.”
Carlos paid a visit to the family at Navotas. He found Gino all dressed up and asked where he was off to. Gino told him that he was going out to look for work since they’ve been on a tight budget lately since Jude passed away. “Are you going with Neil?” Carlos asked.
“I was supposed to, but he needed to stay with Romina. They were robbed last night.”
“What?”
“That’s what he told me. They’ve had it rough lately. Romina got fired from Camila too, right? I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniela fires Neil next.”
Carlos recalled the offer Daniela had made concerning the VP position at Camila. Bratty lapdog gave Romina’s necklace to Daniela, asking what she would do with it. Danny girl said she’d just keep it as a souvenir.
“You better keep it safe,” bratty lapdog cautioned. “No one should ever see you wearing that, especially not Romina.”
“I know what I’m doing, Savvy.”
Mrs. Galvez came in as they discussed about the party they had been planning. “Daniela, the HR department is looking for you. The interview for Romina’s vacated position is scheduled today.”
“Tell them not to waste their time,” Danny girl stated.
“What?”
“I’ll looked for a replacement myself. I will make sure all traces of Romina are gone in our lives for good.”
