Episode 19: "Pretend That You Are Pregnant"

If Jennifer de la Vega thought she was a smart cookie, she met a master of ingenius crookedness in Luis Alejandro Montero. L.A showed her that he is biggger than petty blackmail. What he wanted from Jennifer is a strong ally-in-hate-and-vengeance, to 'nail' their common enemy, his mortal enemy- Carlos Eduardo Gomez! He found that perfect match in his 'unholy alliance' with a yielded and disarmed Jenny, to sink the destiny of Carlos. Would they succeed?

L.A. was practically at ease and at home with Jenny's uncanny mission, he simply told her to sheath her sword and dagger of blackmail, and not to go looking for Luisa Fernanda Perez, he promised her that he would personally see to Luisa's destruction. He tutored and instructed Jenny to pretend that she is pregnant, that he would find an experienced and reputable doctor to give her ultra scan and other fabricated medical evidences to make the pregnancy appear real. With that in the kitty, Alejandro told her how that could be used to force Carlos hand into an irresistible marriage to Jenny.

L.A. justified his plot with the fact that what goes round comes round. If Carlos could fabricate a medical report for Luisa Fernanda which ultimately humiliated him in the court of law, it's pay-back time, as he too would show Carlos of his immense and legendary ability and reputation for greater fabrications. He assured Jenny saying: "...leave all the dirty work to me".

Consuela has finally gotten her alibi for her amorous plot against Luis Alejandro Montero. She is threatening her hubby with divorce, because of his extra marital affairs. She told him never to come near her again and should sleep on the sofa instead of their matrimonial bed. She reeled out the conditions for "co-habitation", if Heriberto is afraid of divorce. "...I don't want you to come near nor touch me again because i don't want to smell you. Our marriage has been a disaster because you see me as your cash register and not as your loving wife. You have no time for me. But from now on, I want you to continue to "live" your life and allow me to "live" mine too as I choose.

Ordonez came to Marisa's house to inform her of the good news: the bank's branch in Spain has finally gotten offer to merge with a big deposit bank, and there is a need for the President to be present for the final negotiation and signing of the memoradum. Marissa was happy with this good news but expressed her inability to proceed to Spain for a 15-day negotiantion because Jennifer's fashion show starts the next day, and she doesn't want to be seen by Jennifer as not keeping her words. At that moment, L.A interrupted with an offer to help saying: "...I can stand in for you in Spain, Just give me the power of attorney to negotiate on your behalf".

Ordonez had to explain why the L.A.'s offer of help is against the statue of the bank, that L.A. being Marissa's hubby cannot have anything to do with the business of the bank, and that L.A. has signed this agreement just before marrying Marissa. L.A. was mad at this clause and rose up saying, it is human beings that made the statue and it can be changed or reversed also by human beings. He walked out on them...Marisa was meditative of the eagerness and over-eaction of L.A. to these issues

She went straight to Carlos' hospital to convince him to become active and go to Spain to represent the bank. She reminded him that he is the majority shareholder which he inherited from his father at his death. Being a director therefore of the bank, according to the statue, the other directors are ready to give him the power of attorney to represent the bank in the Spanish merger negotiations. Carlos was suspicious, thinking that his mom wants to use the spanish trip to seperate him further away from Luisa Fernanda. When he said he doesn't know how to negotiate a banking merger she assured him that Lic Ordonez would go with him as an adviser during the trip.

Carlos went to Jenny's boutique and gym to warn her to stop going to Luisa's school to harass her. Jennifer, who is now calm and no longer hysteric because of the master plot deviced by L.A. simply confronted Carlos and told him to walk out of her office and her life.

L.A. succeeded in booking an 'appointment' with Andreina to 'iron out' their differences. At the reconcilliation meeting, in the 'carbuncle' which he rented for his lover, he challenged Andreina for revealing thier well-kept secret love-affair to Jenny. Andreina denied all the allegations with a shock. They "reconciled" with a re-union toast. After the romantic 'reconciliation meeting', Andreina brought out the Tigress in her again, as she stormed and pounced on her friend and confidant- Jennifer, for breaking their "oath of secrecy" to L.A.

Augusto Prieto came bursting with joy on Luisa with the Compensation Cheque paid by L.A. through the court as ruled by the judge last week. He suggested to her that they should go and cash it in the bank and then go to celebrate it. Luisa was so happy as she confessed that she had never in her life seen such a large amount of money. She agreed to go and cash the cheque, but found all manner of excuses to turn down the offer of 'celebrating' it, perhaps because Carlos had forewarned her that, Augusto has not given up the pursuit of making her his girlfriend.

She went straight from the bank to meet Carlos at their usual love nest, at the love garden. She told him all about the cheque and Carlos also told her all about is sudden Spanish trip to represent 'his' bank there. Luisa almost didn't believe that her boyfriend is a 'banker' when all along, she was contented and proud to have him as a medical doctor. She cried because, unknowingly to both lovers, fate is about to submit their true love to test in the hands of villains and cupid assassins. This 15-day trip would be enough to 'manufacture' the 'pregnancy bomb' that would tear them assunder when Carlos returns from his trip.

At the airport the next day, Luisa Fernanda appeared just before Carlos boarded the plane. The two lovers in defiance of Marissa and oblivious of any public observation, embraced and engaged in deeep kissing. Marissa was dismayed but helpless to prevent the consumation of these young destinies that fate had brought together and villains are struggling to put assunder; while people like Marissa seem to be playing the neutral card...

As Carlos goes to embrace the coming trial of fate, I remember the popular romance song of the '70s which goes something like this: "I'm leaving...On a jet plane, I hate to say goodbyeee....Darling, tell me that you'd wait for mee...Ooh I don't know when I'd be back again....darling don't you worry, I'd be back againnnn...."

After L.A. called the detective, to tell him to turn his searchlight for Amelia and daughter into Mexican Federal territory, the detective went to meet a friend to assisst in the search. While he was making his request in front of an office, Consuela, the consumate architect of evil in this telenovela, stumbled into them on the stairs and heared L.A.'s name being mentioned, so she pretended to be receiving a call from her gsm, while actually listening to the two detectives.

After the two departed, Consuela approached the first detective, telling him that: "...the person you are looking for is my sister, Her name is Amelia Alcantara, and her Hubby is Pedro Perez". This accuracy staggered the detective and he followed her invitation to a nearby restaurant to talk over the matter. Consuela demanded that the detective should not look for Amelia and daughter and she is ready to pay the detective more than whatever L.A. is offering him to search for Amelia. She left her complimentary card for the man, if he is interested in more money to call her anytime. Would she succeed in this plan to abort the search for the true inheritors of the Don Fernanda Alcantara's fortune? Only time will tell.