Caray, Caray!

• Paula talked about how every good lawyer wants to work at Vega & Associates, but Carlos denied that on the grounds of philosophical differences. Paula nonetheless pointed out that it was lawyers from that firm who got him freed, which he agrees with and gives Alejandra credit that she perhaps did not earn. When he kissed Alejandra it was evident that she did not welcome it and wanted him to leave. He finally said he needed to go home and rest to have the energy to start working on his plans and said he would pick Alejandra up in the morning. She declined this offer, saying she needed to get an earlier start. He made a big deal instead of saying he loved her.... more than ever. She went upstairs and Paula turned to Carlos to make sure he understood that he had hurt her daughter badly. She told him he had to respect Alejandra's decision. He didn't understand so she spelled it out that her daughter had a lot of work rebuilding her life after what he had done. He said he had paid for this in many ways. She told him point blank that her priority is her daughter. He asked her to trust him, etc.
  
  
• Leticia stopped by Benjamín's office to remind him about the celebration of Leonardo's case. He didn't want to bother but she told him he was always reminding her to remember to act with intelligence. She reminded him that he needed to socialize with his colleagues in order to be seen as a candidate for partner. That meant interacting with Ricardo, Roberto, and Victoria. He didn't argue with her but made it clear that he was more interested in desktop antics.
• Paula told Carlos that if it were up to her she would change everything: The church, the dress, and... the groom. Carlos didn't get the message, as he still called her “Mother-in-law”. Only after he left did she allow her facial expression to change to one of extreme distaste.
• The male lawyers were at the club Rivoli celebrating the victory. Roberto proposed a toast to Juan whose dogged determination got them the information they needed. Leonardo and Ricardo praised his work and Ricardo told him that if his client interaction matches his skills he will be an excellent lawyer. Juan seemed a little embarrassed but very grateful for the encouragement while Roberto scanned the room to look at the women. He then said “Hey, we're not here to work; look at what's waiting for us” while drawing attention to women in short dresses.
• Paula went up to Alejandra's room to check on her and Alejandra told her that she had trouble telling it like it is. Paula suggested she allow Carlos to start rebuilding his life but also asked what she was going to do about Ricardo. Alejandra told her that he had left her the room to deal with Carlos. Paula suggested that she tell Carlos it was over, after which she would not have to live with pain anymore. [We back you on this, Paula.]
• Victoria and Olivia arrived at the club to join the guys. Victoria sat next to Roberto while Olivia sat between Ricardo and Leonardo, the latter of whom she hugged when giving congratulations, which embarrassed him [and made us cringe]. Juan saved the evening – at least for the moment – by saying he felt privileged to be socializing with them and Ricardo made the official welcome statement.
• Rosita was at the dinner table with two of her children when her brute of a husband forced his way in. She quickly put the children in their room and closed the door. Her husband – who was obviously soused – began accusing her of having killed their baby. She told him that they didn't have enough income to support another child and barely had enough to support the children they had. He did the whole macho man-of-the-house song and dance about being the $upport of the family [as if her income wasn't needed]. She countered for what must have been the nth time that she had the right because it was her body. He then insisted she had no right to anything and thanks to what she did he had noplace to live. [Obviously nobody ever taught him that Karma is a bitch with PMS.] She told him he deserved it for hitting her and trying to throw her out. He said he would get his children to help him strip her of everything. He took some of the food and began stuffing his face during that.
• Benjamín and Leticia arrived at the club and exchanged the usual pleasantries. Roberto and Ricardo were talking about his concerns about Alejandra and Roberto said that there were many other fish in the sea as he began pointing them out. Victoria came into his peripheral vision and then he stopped. She started to scold him when he said he was only concerned for his friend. He then told her something to the effect that “you would be the only woman for me if you gave me the opportunity.”
  She answered “That will never happen.”
  Roberto looked at Ricardo and said “Would you please tell her that I'm a good person?”
  “Yes, although it doesn't look that way he is a good person,” Ricardo said.
  “I never said you were a bad person,” said Victoria. “I only tell what I know.”
  “What you know?” Roberto smiled slyly and said “Then, you're jealous.”
  “Never, Roberto.”
  “Well, therefore if it doesn't bother you, we'll go over and talk to those two ladies.”
  He then guided Ricardo off and Victoria returned to their table. She looked over her shoulder once to see Roberto introduce himself to two brunettes.
• Rosita and her poor excuse of a husband continued arguing, which led to him shoving her twice, then telling her he would never give her a divorce. He grabbed her, she fought to get free, and he finally left, calling her a murderer as he exited.
  
  
  
• Susanna stayed up waiting for Juan and scolded him when he arrived, as though he were a high school student out partying on a school night. He told her he had not expected to be out, then explained that they had been celebrating the outcome of the case and that they were welcoming him into the firm. She finally understood that he had value to his colleagues and calmed down. [Although all of us Dear Abbies are screaming at him to get his own apartment as soon as he gets his first raise.]
  
  
  
• The following morning Roberto realized one of his long-term ambitions when he woke up in a large bed between the two brunettes from the club. He smiled to himself as he carefully got up and out of the bed. One of the women woke up and asked where he was going. He said he was going to work and had many things to do. However, it didn't take much for the two to persuade him to stay a little longer to get his motor running for the day. So he did.
  
  
  
• Alejandra arrived at the tribunal building to find Ricardo there. It was awkward. He asked about Carlos and she told him that his colleagues had done well by him. He offered her a ride back to the office but she said she would be along later. He took his leave and she looked sad.
• Rosita went to Olivia's office and told her what happened the night before. She didn't want to report him to the police “because he isn't a bad person” but Olivia was not so sure.
  
  
  
• The ambush interview of Carlos made front page news and Elena was ecstatic over the idea of Alejandra marrying him. She immediately called Leticia to gloat over the perceived guarantee that Alejandra would marry Carlos, retire from the law to be his brood mare, and move far away from Ricardo. This would also make Leticia happy. She also told Elena that Alejandra is no longer sharing an office with Ricardo. Elena wanted to know everything.
• Carmen entered Ricardo's office to tell him he had an unexpected visitor. It was Carlos,who got straight to the point: He was there to talk about Alejandra. He thanked him for helping Alejandra get hired. He went on to say “I never trusted you but by doing that you have demonstrated yourself to be a man of integrity, a man of your word. Except for the serious problem I had, I wouldn't have left my woman alone a single moment.”
  “I don't know what you're talking about because I didn't do anything for Alejandra.”
  “You helped her get this job and you helped her distance herself. You were the first to accept her.”
  “I didn't do that, Carlos.”
  “Ricardo, your actions tell me that far apart from the competition we always had, you are a good person. Thanks.” He extended his hand. “Thanks for comporting youself like that.” Ricardo looked as though he knew Carlos was up to something shady. However, he stood up and shook his hand.
  
  
  
• Roberto arrived a little late wearing sunglasses, which he always did when he was hung over. He entered Victoria's office and she immediately knew this. He boasted of his great life and tried to invite her out. She reminded him she had a lot of work to do and liked him better when he was working hard. He told her he is a good worker but wanted to demonstrate that he was good at.... everything. There was no questioning his meaning.
• “I appreciate your word, Carlos, but you're mistaken,” Ricardo said. “Alejandra earned her place in this firm.”
  “Well, you also gave her cases. She never stopped visiting me. And I hope you have treated her well.”
  “Yes, but she has a free rein because of her talent.”
  “Yes, and I'm grateful that you have conducted yourself as a good friend, putting aside our differences to help me as much as I needed. You know what, Ricardo? I'll always be grateful for that.”
  “It's not necessary to thank me, really.”
  “You know what?” He sat down again. “Being in jail is a life-changing experience. I saw what it does to people. I learned a few things.”
  “Like what?”
  “I learned what my priorities are.”
  “What are they?”
  “Alejandra. She and I, before all this happened, were ready to get married, be together forever.”
  “That was a pity. You weren't able to get married, things didn't work out the way you planned. You –”
  “I'm alright. When I was in jail there wasn't a single moment when I didn't think about her. I never stopped loving her. Love doesn't just appear from one day to the next. Ricardo, never will I be ungrateful for your help. Therefore, from today on I will be entrusted with Alejandra.” He stood and extended his hand again. “Well, I won't waste any more of your time. Have a good day.”
  Ricardo had a bad vibe from all this.
• Gustavo visited his client to meet his son and to see his home environment. The man called his son and told him to keep his right hand on the wall until he got to the corner, then to turn to the left. The boy – Lalo – was intelligent-looking with dark hair and eyeglasses, but it was obvioius that he had very little vision left. His father guided him verbally to the sofa and turned him to face Gustavo before introducing them. Lalo invited Gustavo to sit down, then accepted the Braille book his father handed to him so he could practice. He kissed his son and motioned to Gustavo to come into the dining area so they could talk. He had found out where his wife was from a friend of hers. Gustavo took a look at the boy then told his client he needed to sign the petition for divorce and the one for child-support. That included everything from food, shelter, medical bills, and caregivers. He handed his client a pen and looked at Lalo.
  
  
  “You know, I have a son, too. A little older than Lalo. It's been a while since I've seen him and I miss him very much. Believe me, I know you want to do everything for him because I also want to for my son.” He stopped talking for a moment to choke back tears. “Pardon me. I know all about it, too.”
  “You sound very sad, sir. If it's not any intrusion, why can't you see him?”
  “Pure foolishness. But I have faith that it can be put right.” He took a breath. “I'll file the papers today and send notification. She will have fifteen days to respond. I will do my best for you and Lalo.”
  
• Alejandra went to the office and found two huge bouquets of red roses. The card read “So you will have a beautiful day. I love you. Carlos.” She half-dropped, half-threw the card on the desk.
• Juan entered Alonso's office where he was told that Roberto and Leonardo were pleased with his work. Further, he was assigned to work with Roberto and Leonardo on the investigation and their other cases. This pleased him.
  
  
  
• Carlos entered Alejandra's office to see if she liked the roses. She said they were very beautiful but he didn't have to do this. He didn't notice that she wasn't looking him in the eye. She said she had a full day's work and asked if there was another reason he was there. He was just stopping by before his appointment with Leonardo.
  
  Just as he was about to bestow another unwelcome kiss Olivia entered and was impressed with the flowers. And – granted, blindly – with Carlos.
  
• Leticia paced around in Benjamín's office as she talked about the case against Milena. He asked her if she had all the messages and e-mails to prove her case and she said she did. He advised her to interrogate to the limit, saying that a woman as shameless as Milena will not care what anyone thinks of her. He advised her to put on as much pressure as possible. However, Leticia thought she needed more proof. Benjamín – admitting that this was not his specialty – also advised her to really rip Milena's guts out by driving home the point that Gustavo would never divorce Isabel for her. She reminded him that Isabel was petitioning for divorce. He pointed out that Milena didn't know that and that she could catch her off guard. Leticia grinned at the prospect. [We can't blame her for that.]
• Juan entered Roberto's office and was presented with a thank-you and welcome gift: a nice, expensive traditional briefcase. He was reluctant to accept it, but finally did when Roberto pointed out he needed something for his papers and for his image.
• Carlos entered Leonardo's office for their meeting. He said he wanted to pay his bill, but Leonardo told him he would need to talk to Carmen about that. He was looking forward to getting on with life, including fixing things at his own firm. Leo commended his attitude and then asked the Big Question regarding his relationship with Alan.
  
  
  “My cousin is very strange. It pains me to say that our relationship has gotten worse.”
  
• Victoria entered Alejandra's office and was wowed by the roses. When Alejandra said they were from Carlos, Victoria's reaction was “They say 'guilt' to me.”
  “I think so, too.” said Alejandra.
• Leonardo listened, took notes, and asked the appropriate prompting questions as Carlos talked. “Alan and I were raised together. Reallly, we were more like brothers than cousins. I went to study law and he followed in my footsteps. Afterwards we began working together but I put a lot more teamwork into it than he did. What affection there was between us seemed to have gone. In reality he's not a good lawyer. No attention to details, deadlines... The worst was that my aunt – his mother – preferred me over him and gave me the money to start my firm. He knew that the money came from her. I don't like taking order from anyone and neither does he. He resented taking orders from me and I covered up his mistakes. I resolved his cases and because of that he took no responsibility for anything.”
  “I wish we had known this before,” said Leonardo.
  “The truth is that it didn't seem important. I was used to it.”
  “This could be very important to your case.”
  “Really, I think he has a certain resentment for me. That doesn't bother me.”
  “One doesn't seethe over nothing. We will have to investigate Alan.”
  “Very well. If you think it's important, do it.” He rose, thanked Leonardo, and took his leave.
• Alejandra met with Isabel in a café to hand her the divorce papers. Isabel wasn't sure she was doing the right thing. Alejandra told her to take all the time she needed to make the decision. Isabel confided that it hurt very badly when her son would ask about his father. She didn't want her son to suffer over this. Alejandra told her to think well about what was beset for both Luis and herself. Isabel was not sure what was the best thing.
• Leticia entered Gustavo's office to tell him her plan to expose Milena in court. However, she was considering calling other witnesses.
  “Milena always acted in bad faith. She sent the video during your son's party.”
  “Yes, and there were witnesses.”
  “And above all, she sent the video to your wife.”
  “Yes. Milena wanted to get revenge on me by destroying my family.”
  “The judge needs to understand she had always acted capriciously.”
  “What do you want to do?”
  “I am going to call Isabel to testify. Isabel has to come to court.”
  “No! I won't allow this!”
  “Gustavo, Isabel's testimony will have a lot of weight.”
  “No way will I expose Isabel to this.”
  “Gustavo, please, calm down.”
  “Do whatever else you have to. She is very badly hurt.”
  “Yes, but the pain will be more evident if your own wife says that it was addressed to her.”
  “No, Leticia. I don't think this is a good idea.”
  “You know how important tesstimony is. It's more important than evidence.”
  “Yes, but I don't want Isabel to suffer any more.”
  “Think like a lawyer! You know this is better.”
  “I don't know.”
  “Gustavo, let me try it. Let me try to get Isabel to help you.”

Labels: ley

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