The discussion between Lily, Felipe, and one of their lawyers regarding the discovery of the plan that Chocolatier wants to be sold by Julian has unraveled. Upon this realization, Lily will dig deep and hit Violet which will hurt her the most because she has no choice but to deplete her resources and take away her connections. Upon hearing this, Felino puts it back at the top of the priority list, which is the threat of mass resignations by the employees of Crestmont. I guess, for now, her personal strike against Violet has to wait. But, at the very least, Lily is now fully aware of Julian’s hidden motives, which have finally been revealed for her to address.
In the following scene, we see a flashback to a young Lily with a younger Felino. In what seems to be a way for Lily to move up in her father’s company, Felino has brought up the position of CFO (Chief Financial Officer) as the most likely position her father (Leopoldo Chua) might give her. This is not your average board meeting, but it could affect the future of Crestmont for years to come. During that meeting, it disappointed Lily that they awarded the position of CFO to someone else; she leaves the meeting with a sense of despair. Moments later, we see her and her father discussing what had happened and why she was not suited for that heralded position. Because she has already had two children, it is Charlie who needs to be groomed, and it is Charlie who holds the most promise as the person among Leopoldo Chua’s children who could one day rule Crestmont. This has to do with Chinese culture, and this scene shows how important it is to know someone’s place in the hierarchy of a family-run business.
In the present, we see Lily in the law office of the famed attorney. Jonas, who in a sense is going to be the mouthpiece of all the disgruntled contractual employees of Crestmont who are going to do a mass resignation, Some pleasantries were exchanged by both parties, with Lily acknowledging the “celebrity” level that Atty. Jonas has reached this due to his excellent win-loss record. Not long after, all the false praising is thrown out the window, as Lily is the first to antagonize and insult the attorney, and in return, he warns Lily: “What would the fate of Crestmont be once he wins his case for all the employees?” Lily has stated unequivocally that she does not want and would never agree to a settlement. She wants to win this the long and hard way, which is going to be a legal battle for her. Will Lily be the first person to hand over the attorney’s first defeat?
Then, we see Lily playing a somber tune with her piano, signaling stormy days ahead and an uncertain future that she herself does not know the outcome of. Here comes Redmond, who has become a better husband to Lily, to comfort her, and he knows, naturally, because they live together, that she only plays this kind of tune with the piano when she is feeling down and troubled. Redmond reminds her he believes she will always do what is right for Crestmont and that he and the rest of the family will always be there to support her every step of the way. Take note: To the attentive viewer, Redmond mentioned Lily is doing what is right for the company and not the literal meaning of what is right for the employees, which is to meet the demands of the disgruntled employees. Finally, you must always do what is right for the business, and if that does not please everyone, well so be it. This is how it goes in the real world, and it reflects that here.
We then see Divina Chua with Atty. Jonas, is the one who has orchestrated this whole scheme to take down Crestmont from within by unionizing all the disgruntled employees and gathering them to commit a mass resignation soon. Divina Chua asks how things are going and if they are going as planned. The attorney gives a so-so answer because he senses Lily will be a lot tougher than expected, but he regains his arrogance and cockiness by explaining he has seen the likes of Lily many times before, and thus, because of his psychological evaluation of her, he is confident she will settle because, in his eyes, people like Lily are way too concerned with their public image to settle for millions. What is it worth for them to settle for millions? Upon hearing this, Divina hands the attorney an envelope of cash, which he accepts. Divina is sure of her victory.
Then, we see Felino and Lily in a conference room with some of the disgruntled employees. Melissa, the secretary, is also there. This will be a last-ditch effort on Lily’s part to stop the mass resignation. Lily gives them a decision to make, which is really an ultimatum, in which if they do not accept the new conditions to their contracts, they can continue what they plan to do. The deal is beneficial for them; clearly stated are the parameters under which they will gain regularization, a probationary period for employees who have been with them for less than 3 years, and other details. One employee questions and casts doubt on this. But Lily puts her foot down and tells him that is the final option they have, and they can either take it or leave it. Definitely, this scene was important because it showed that Lily is resourceful, and probably her biggest resource is her brain, which she possibly won this legal battle without it even reaching the court.
In the Lily household, we see Andrew studying, then he suddenly gets a call, and it is Iris who is driving and on her way to a condo, where she wants to introduce Andrew to one of her girlfriends. Andrew says no and states he is not interested in dating now, but she insists he must go because besides, she has been driving her aunt’s car, and Petersen will also be there. Andrew eventually agrees.Next, in the living room of the Lily household, we see Petersen has a mess with all his clothes all over the place, and it resembles something you would see in “Hoarders.” Well, on the bright side of things, Redmond reminds Lily that at least he is home for the time being. Then, we see Andrew approach them to ask permission if he could go out and attend the party that he is being invited to by Iris, but upon knowing that Petersen will be there also, Lily immediately says no and does not want him to follow in Petersen’s path and develop vices as well.
Now, as soon as Lily and Redmond are in their own bedroom, boy does Redmond go off on Lily about her parenting style and say that she is too hard on the kids and that she should allow Andrew to party! Now, Lily reminds him she knows what she is doing and that he should not tell her how to be a parent to their kids, to which Redmond, who is usually not in this foul mood, gives a stern warning that if she does not change her way of parenting, she could lose them.
In the next scene, we see Iris has already arrived at Lily’s house, and she calls Andrew to inform him of that. Knowing that Iris still came despite Andrew not being permitted to join their party, he still relents from joining, but Iris says something that persuades him to join and basically sneak out of the house. While in the car, Andrew justifies his good-boy behavior by saying that when he was 8 years old, it taught him a valuable lesson that he still remembers to this day and that has molded him into the morally upright person he has become. Iris counters his principles in life and tempts him to give in to the temptations of youth. They then arrive at the condominium, where Kayla is already partying and Iris is eager to introduce everyone to Andrew. Petersen, Kayla, and Jessica are there. It’s just the four of them, but considering that three of them are rebellious by nature, more on the wild side, and free spirits, what are the chances of a good boy like Andrew resisting all their temptations to do things he normally would not do while being guided by Lily? Slim to none is what I would say.
They do the usual stuff that can be shown here without getting into censorship problems, like taking tequila shots, drinking, and so on. After a while, we see Andrew in one room of the condominium going through the messages on his smartphone. He notices messages from his mother; Andrew has left them and kept them to himself. Jessica argues against Andrew’s explanation by saying that he can also have fun and hang out with people his age. But Andrew has a good head on his shoulders and is strong enough to ignore her sexual advances and hints, so he goes home.
In the house of Lily, here comes Andrew, who, naturally, is met by a visibly upset Lily. Andrew tells Lily where he has been, and upon hearing he was out with Petersen, this immediately upsets Lily, and he gets a scolding and a one-month grounding. For the first time, Andrew is defiant and goes up to his room. Has Andrew followed the self-destructive lifestyle of his older brother, Petersen? And, with this problem arising with another child of hers, how will Lily be able to handle all the other existing issues already at Crestmont?
