Caray, Caray!

(I’ll begin with the new scenes after Carola comes to warn Renata not to make Fernanda cry again, and after a shot and bleeding El Magnate finds out from the government SWAT team that the head honchos of the narco-trafficking mobsters are all in police custody.)

El Magnate dies peacefully with a look of relief on his face in the arms of the real government agent.

Cesar is now ordering even Bertha around in his apartment. She scoffs at him and says, no he’d better listen to her first as she has important news for him. He says he’s all ears and she asks him if he knows any reason Gonzalo would know enough to go to London. Cesar is surprised as heck to hear about this.

Alejandro is discussing Leonardo on the phone with Luciano when Lizania finally appears in the hallway asking where her mother went so early in the morning. Alejandro looks at his sister and suddenly realizes she’s wearing those ugly sunglasses for a reason and it isn’t the so-called migraine she’s complained about.

Cesar says Gonzalo has no reason at all to know about his activities in London and he says somewhat menacingly that he hopes she had nothing to do with it. Bertha tells him she’s not that stupid. So he asks her to get hold of Luis Alberto and have him meet him at the usual restaurant but she tells him she’s not his secretary. He goes off half-cocked and warns her not to get him crazy, and spits at her that he said it was “a favor, a favor!” She actually gives in and goes to make the call. In the meantime he calls Daira back a second time and asks her again not to tell Alejandro that he called about Lizania or told her anything about it. She promises to be discreet and asks to meet the girls that saw Lizania like this. He agrees to arrange a meeting with them. She hangs up and tells Santiago what Cesar had called about and that she was going finally to talk to some girls who realized Lizania’s problem and had told Cesar.

Alejandro takes off Lizania’s glasses and is shocked to see how bad the bruises are, and immediately wants to know who did it to her. Lizania starts crying, but she refuses to tell him, says it was an accident, just games – “What kind of games are you playing?” It finally comes out that she actually enjoys it, which just floors Alejandro. She still refuses to tell him who beat her because she’s afraid her brother will send somebody to beat him up or go himself and beat him up. (Talk about your “twisted sister”.....) He tells her that she and Daira are leaving in another day for Italy. She doesn’t put up an argument. (I guess she needs a break – I mean a rest.)

Gabino, Arcadia and Nati are cleaning out the pool area when he says he plans to tell Miranda that all the hacienda owners around except her and the Manglars’ are eager to sell out. He calls Miranda and she says to use the fact that he’s well known and a trusted employee to get them to come to a meeting with Miranda there.

Cesar insults Bertha again and broadly hints about “her daughter”, then tries to blackmail her. Sansone comes by and tells him that Nuria hasn’t been heard from. Cesar tells him to return to her apartment and get out of her who she was with and where she went. He has orders to beat her if need be. Sansone leaves and Bertha asks how he knows about Nuria but he says it’s enough that he knows. Bertha tells Cesar to back off or she’ll let people know he’s the father of Nuria’s baby and then walks out. For whatever reason Cesar doesn’t up the ante before Bertha goes.

Fabricio finally works up the nerve and tells Florencia how and why Veronica has been blackmailing him. Florencia says she loves him and forgives him but never wants the girl around them ever again. He leaves to get her some treat she’s craving.

Pamela and her mother read El Magnate’s final letter to them and cry over his self-sacrifice. They lament the fact they'll never know his name.

Renata invites Veronica over to Juan’s to warn her against blackmailing Fabricio anymore. Veronica has a great laugh at Renata’s expense over Renata’s “new reality” and standard of living. Veronica eventually breaks down and cries about her rotten situation with her illness and her rage. Renata tries to console her and tells her destruction of one’s self or of others is not the answer.

Alejandro brings Pamela to see Miranda and when she finds out he’s there the two argue about everything and nothing. He asks her when will she allow him to speak to her and she says perhaps never. He tells her how fussy and demanding she always is (You said it, Ale!) and she answers that it takes one to know one. (This masochistic thing obviously runs in the family. --Enough already, Alejandro! This woman has been nothing but rude, mean, arrogant and demanding from the moment you met. Where's your sense of self-respect.)

He turns to leave and Miranda stops him long enough to warn him that if he goes to visit Florencia she now knows they are brother and sister. He is bewildered by this news and asks why she didn’t seem to realize she was risking her life. Miranda says because just like her she was tired of lies and half truths. He leaves in disgust to see Florencia. Pamela suggests Miranda go after him and tell him she loves him, but Miranda just swats away that idea saying there’s no reason to. Pamela tells her after that it was Luciano who, on Leonardo's orders, took the proof of the mob's activities to the police and saved her and her mother and her father's money.

Florencia and Fernanda are chatting in the hospital room and Bertha rushes in. Florencia tells her to leave, that she isn’t wanted there. Bertha wonders what’s going on and why she’s so mean. Florencia tells her she remembers everything from that fateful night and what she and her father both were saying to each other. Bertha tries to shock her by telling her that Fernanda is her mother. Florencia says she knows and that she’s extremely happy to have her for a mother.

Then Bertha tries to shock her again by telling her that Gonzalo isn’t her real father and that she’s Alejandro’s sister. Florencia shoots back that she knows all that too, so get out and don’t come back. Bertha attempts the “how do you dare to judge me when I cared for your needs and raised you as my own” speech. “All I ever did was to do exactly as you wanted.” When that doesn’t work she blames Fernanda and starts hitting her. Juan finally comes running in and pulls Bertha off Fernanda. Bertha, finally speechless, screams her frustrations like a wild animal, and she runs out of the room.

Renata is still trying to console Veronica, but in the end Veronica tells her that she has no idea where she’s going to find money for her treatments next month and if she knew something about Renata she would definitely blackmail her as well. Renata tells her to get out of her house then, and Veronica has the last laugh telling her, “I wouldn’t call this place a house! It’s a pigsty!” Then she stomps out.

Luis Alberto and Nuria are eating lunch together and she explains that she had to cancel their meeting last night because she was so tired. He wipes away all of her tears and tells her she can count on him and that she knows he loves her. He would be a loving father to her baby. She thanks him and says no because she loves Cesar and is married. Then she tells him how Roman found out about her being registered as Bertha’s daughter and got copies of the documents. She says Bertha always told her that her parents had died and had her put in charge of her as a foster mother. Luis wants her to talk to Bertha and to get the truth but Nuria is afraid to confront her. The whole idea of really having Bertha as her real mother is frightening to her.

Bertha goes straight to the convent and is angry to find out that the Mother Superior gave Fernanda the copies of the entire file. The nun says the files are open to anybody who wants information. Bertha warns the nun that since she turned against her there will be consequences. The nun has things to hide also. She knows enough to worry once Bertha leaves.

Alejandro visits Florencia and she greets him as her brother. They all say they’re relieved not to have to walk on eggshells about all these things now. Florencia wonders where Daira and Lizania are. He explains Lizania is going through a bad spell and is about to leave to return to Italy. “In fact,” he explains, “she’s hooked on a masochistic relationship and you’d be shocked at the beating this guy gave her!” (Why send her to Italy? Ship her off to a psychiatric hospital somewhere for treatment!)

Once Bertha gets back home, she tells Lucas that she has to rest and think things through. She tells herself, “I never lose.” She calls up El Guapo and tells him to meet her. Then she lays down and takes a nap (What an image: two vicious dogs together.)

Arcadia asks if Gabino is going to ever tell Miranda about killing her horse, Chocolate. "Miranda won’t like it a bit, not to mention that it was an order of Bertha’s," she adds. Gabino figures he’s got no choice but to tell Miranda the truth. The two discuss the likelihood of Bertha returning. Arcadia suggests they ask Nati. Nati looks into the water of the pool and tells them that Bertha will be coming back and she will bring misfortune and death.

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