Caray, Caray!

 While  Juan is trying to put more points back onto the board with Fer at a swank restaurant post morning serenade, Elena is letting her new toy-boy score a few with her while her kids are left to fend for themselves.

 Exlena and Toy Boy are partying heartily at The Club. However, Toy Boy isn’t quite high enough apparently.  The next possible Mr. Right offers her something probably very wrong in the way of illegal substance which she has enough sense left at this point in the evening to refuse.  However, she is taken by the moment and swept away by a need for romance--and Toy Boy’s deep tongue probes.  (Blechhhh!) 

 Across town in a different kind of club, Pedro returns to the strip joint and again asks Tatiana for a private lap dance.  This time she sneaks away to the body guard to advise him that Stalk Jock is here, with her.  “—Return to him.  Trust me.  She goes back and he’s immediately surrounded and hauled off to jail by policemen.

 The next morning, Exlena’s not in her room.  Natalie’s about to call Ricardo for a lift to school when Mama Mia arrives, not-so-fresh in last night’s femme fatale frock ready to load the kids into the car.

 Pedro and his well-heeled and very refined (definitely 2 or 3 levels above Carlos the Crud-slinger) mouthpiece join Sonia and Leonardo for a bit of questioning.  Mr. Mouthpiece refuses to let his client say a word about the circumstances leading to his being at the same hotel (and on the same floor) as his murdered prostitute fiancee.  “Like so many other of your suspects…..” adds Mr. Mouthpiece.  Pedro reserves his right to make his statement.  Sonia can only hold him while Mr. Mouthpiece fetches Pedro’s passport which he must hand in. Leo is beside himself he is so upset.

 At court that morning, Roberto proves in some roundabout manner that his client was innocent—she obviously didn’t know the difference between cocaine and heroin and made no correction about what supposedly was being said to have been transported in her boyfriend’s car.   Then Juan adds a file into evidence with a number of aliases the boyfriend used when involving other unsuspecting young women who were also serving prison sentences for being “mules.”  His client is freed and the law will pursue Mr. Alias as the real culprit.

 Meanwhile, Ms. Reporterette, is doing an interview of Alonso over the new case against the Mayor of San Benedito for embezzlement and other fraud.  She tells Lonnie that he’s currently out of the country but will give his interview once he returns.  FF>>FF>>

 Carlos makes his appearance at Vega in Ric’s office and extends his hand in greeting which Ric,whose brick exterior is close to crumbling, nearly refuses to accept.  Carlos tells him that he’s left Vexlena’s case in good hands due to a conflict of interest and request by Leo and Rob (but hey, the damage is already done and the knife wound deep enough).  He should have given him the professional courtesy of a heads up where Vex was concerned… and he realizes that now.  Anyway, he’s giving him a professional heads up about the Wealthy Widow of Armando Ruiz (?)  who’s going to fight to maintain her prestige and her pile of inherited pesos instead of allowing the dead hubby’s mistress to get her mitts on any part of it.  The kid’s not legitimate and never was formally adopted by the dead man.  Mistress’s kid therefore isn’t allowed to make a claim.  It doesn’t make the claim itself any less justified offers Ric.  He fathered the kid –easily proven- -and the kid deserves a slice of the familial pie to survive and make his way in life goes the argument.  Carlos wants to settle out of court since Ric hasn’t a legal brick to stand on.

 Ric sneers at the offer/proffer and calls it a joke.  Carlos puts salt on Ric’s Vexlena wound and says, well Ric’s not thinking clearly and tends to lose his professional cool because of his personal problems with the ex right now…  Ric jumps up and pushes Carlos back and reminds him he’s just taking advantage of being out of jail right now while he’s still under suspicion of murder!  They begin a bit of a fisty cuffs and professional pissing contest.  Widow Carolina will take all and Bastardo will lose everything.  “Well, the joke of an offer is so ridiculous it’s absurd so get the hell out of my office!  N.O.W.!!!!!!”  “--See you in court!”

 Carlos, who by now, should be renting space at Vega and Associatesh e’s there so often, slinks his way over to Alejandra’s office under the pretense of discussing the progress of The Women’s Foundation.  He informs her that he’s told Exlena he’s off her case—all done, of course, “--to avoid any further unpleasantness” for Ale.  (Does this guy shed his skin every few weeks instead of bathe or what?) He informs her of his new case and that he’s going against Ric; he tells her the mistress is a gold digger and doesn’t mention that a kid’s involved, just that Ric refused to compromise and do an out of court settlement.  Ale says it all sounds unlike Ric to act this way.  (Yeah, but Carlos does know which of Ale’s buttons to push as well as Ric’s.  He is playing both of them like a fine Stradivarius.)

 Across the hall, Rob enters his office and Ms. TV Reporter has taken off her jacket and softened her look--more for pillow talk than TV talk.  She’s in the midst of seducing Rob who is never one to refuse sex on the side when who should waltz in without knocking this time but Victoria. The TV gal leaves.  Scowl doesn’t quite cover it for Vicki and sorry certainly doesn’t do it for bobbin’ Robbie.  He doesn’t apologize and says he’s done nothing wrong.  The gal made the first move and kissed him.  She spits back at him her disgust in that he has no respect for himself or for even the hallowed halls of his place of business.

 Rob tells Vicki something like he knows she’s jealous and only came in because she knew he was with another woman.  He’s already told her that she would cause him to change it all.  She’s his best therapy but well.  So this is just sex, right?  Well no, she’s just jealous, period.  “—Roberto, the world doesn’t revolve around you.”  She only came to tell him that Ric is totally overwhelmed with Vexlena problems and then learned that his new case’s counterpart is none other than Carlos Ibarra who came to see him.  “—Yeah, Carlos will never stop needling him because of Alejandra.”  He needs some talking with to calm down.  Vicki turns on her high priced CMF heel and heads back to her side of the office hallway.  He’s cheering himself on because he’s certain she’s now jealous.

 Ale, on cue, now visits Ric to tell him he’s got to accept that he must separate his personal life from his professional.  The problems with Vexlena are getting in the way.  He reminds her that he was the first to have meddled in his life by negatively advising Elena.  Oh, so that’s why you won’t negotiate with him now?  What?  So he now has sent you to negotiate his case for him?:  “—I was not sent to negotiate for him.  "--And yeah, he dropped Elena’s case but the harm was already done."  So now…   "--You’re sent here and are negotiating his case for him!”  No, she just is trying to remind him not to let himself get carried away by his personal feelings!  Uh. Yeah. They agree to disagree and she leaves his office and struts her stuff off down the hall.

 Across the way, Rob discusses Ric’s situation with Leo over Carlos taking these family law cases.  It’s surprises Leo since Carlos is a criminal lawyer not a family lawyer.  Rob says well, he’s doing it to get Ric’s goat over Ale.  Anyway, we need to take him out and get him 3 sheets to the wind.  Just then Juan comes in and learns that Pedro’s been let go because he’s just one of many on a list of suspects.  Juan’s angry because now Tat’s been left in danger for her life.  Rob and Leo tell Juan to drop it and this is the last time they want him to worry about this Tatiana hooker.  He’s getting too emotionally involved, period.  Rob will handle her from now on.

 In another part of Vega, Benjamin hands over the keys to the new car he promised Leticia.

 Rob and Leo then visit Ric and remind him to keep his cool around Carlos.  He’s pissed at Ale’s attitude regarding Carlos—only seeing the nice side and never the scales.  They go to get drunk.

 Widow Carolina comes with the cops to Mistress’s house and has her thrown out of the place since, as the deed says, it’s in dead hubby’s name and she is now the sole proprietor of all hubby’s properties.  So it’s out on the street for Mistress and little bastardo.  This is vengeance, right?  It’s not fair.  “—Should have thought of that before getting involved with a married man.”  (Viewerville cannot deny the point is well made, no matter how badly the heartstrings may be plucked at this part of the tale.)

 Rob goes to the club looking for Tat.

 Mistress and little boy meet with Ric and both beg for help.  She doesn’t have proof of living there since he paid all and she didn’t have to lift a finger while he was alive.

 Tat learns that Pedro’s out running around free.  Tat’s scared.

 Meanwhile, Carlos and Ale are discussing The Women’s Foundation while having a light supper with wine and cheese together at Paula’s and her house.  He’s too close for my comfort but Ale doesn’t seem to notice—or mind.  (He’s really in her space if not in her face—which actually he is.)  He makes his move and tells her that he remembers all the times the two of them were enjoying themselves in the cozy kitchen and when she would fall asleep in his arms there.  (He plays with her hair –No!  Not the hair-play trick!!)  How happy he was with her.  He moves in to lay a meaningful liplock on Ale but Ale moves away just in the nick of time and begs him to back off.  Ok.  Just know that he’s not going to stop fighting to win her back.  (Flattery will get you everywhere, especially under Ric’s skin, right Carlos?)  Ale seems lost in his eyes.

 At the strip club, the other stripper tells Rob that Patricia was mixed up with a lot of bad types.  It’s dangerous to ask about it.  (The rest I couldn’t catch.)

 The next morning The Widow and The Snake in Silk Clothing tell the judge that it would be better to come to some agreement.  The Widow cries out that she doesn’t want to make any agreement; that woman destroyed her happy home! Ariella says it’s a lie that Carolina knew nothing.  She has no proof of his buying her the apartment though.  They fight Ric’s handing in a request for exhumation of hubby’s body for a DNA test to prove paternity.

 Benjamin finally tells Lonnie no to some case.  Lonnie is taken by surprise.

 Back with Ric and Carlos in the judge’s office, a cat fight breaks out and then Ric gets in a dig saying they’re ready to go to trial despite Carlos not being a Family Practice Lawyer…A pissing contest starts again.

Labels: ley