Esmeralda 27: Bring Home the Beauty

As part of the reconciliation terms with Rodolfo, José Armando brought Esmeralda who was anxious and afraid, to Casa Grande. Rodolfo and Fátima were stunned by the ravishing beauty of the blind girl, Esmeralda. They were speechless. Blanca also received her with tenderness and affection.

By now, it was clear to Esmeralda that Adrián and Graciela are deeply in love. Meanwhile, Fátima rebuked Graciela for making attempts to reveal to Rodolfo of her new fondness for Adrián. She warned her not to play the fool. Fátima was disappointed that her plans were falling apart with the arrival and acceptance of Esmeralda in Casa Grande.

The parental and love coast seem clear for José Armando, so, he proposed marriage to Esmeralda. Rodolfo pretended to play along with him and he advised him to enroll Esmeralda in a scholl to acquire formal education.

Adrián was almost at the precipice of mental breakdown, because of Fatima's banning him from seeing Graciela again. Florecita was worried by the anxious state Adrián.

Lucio too was overwhelmed with sadness because of the growing and seemingly irreversible love between Esmeralda and José Armando.

Esmeralda 26: The back off

Crisanta found José Armando the next day at Dominga's hut. She was surprised to find Dominga seriously ill as a result of Ofelia's assault allegedly commissioned by Rodolfo. She pleaded with Dominga to keep calm while she investigate the assault and also with José Armando to follow her back home.

Crisanta confronted Rodolfo, asking him to confirm if he was the one that orchestrated the deadly assault on Dominga. José Armando too launched inquiry asking from Dionisio, the foreman, if he had any information linking his Dad with the attempted murder of Dominga.

Fátima warned Adrián never to come near her daughter, Graciela, again, threatening that she would report his amorous ambition towards her daughter to Rodolfo, if he dared to disregard her warnings.The consequence of which would be that Rodolfo would sent him packing from the Casa Grande.

Blanca was happy but surprised by the new attitude of Crisanta who went to bring her son, José Armando, back home and mediating to bring peace and harmony to the family, particularly when it seems to be pointed in favor of Graciela, whom she was not favorably disposed to, in the recent past. She did not know that Graciela had confessed Adrián as her love, and reconciled with Crisanta.

Graciela decided to tell the truth of her romance to Rodolfo, who had been fighting on her behalf that his son, may marry her. Just before she opened her mouth, Fátima came and interrupted her and blocked off any further attempt by Gracielza to tell Rodolfo the truth.

Florecita was confused when Dominga out of desperation in her illness made weak but unsuccessful efforts to reveal to Esmeralda that Rodolfo was her biological father. Her stammering and shaky voice could not be comprehended, both by Esmeralda and Florecita.

Esmeralda 25: Assigned to Kill!

Lucio calmed down Esmeralda and examined unconscious Dominga, seeing that she had concussion as a result of a heavy blow on her head. When Melesio returned, Lucio threatened and chase him away. He took advantage of the situation, knowing that Esmeralda could not see what he was doing, he began to strangulate an unconscious Dominga, almost to death, until the miraculous arrival of Florecita at the hut, which interrupted his evil plans. He therefore quickly withdrew his deathly grip from Dominga's neck. Florecita later told her father and brother, Adrián, about the attempted murder of Dominga by Lucio.

Fátima counseled Rodolfo to change from his strong-arm and arm-twisting of tactics on his son over Esmeralda. So, he agreed and approached Lucio with a proposal to to kill Dominga, who had become a thorn in his flesh. Scheming Fátima also approached José Armando, asking him not to leave his inheritance, and should go and discuss with his father again, because she felt that Rodolfo may have changed his mind about the ultimatum he gave him. José Armando ignored the hypocritical mediation of Fátima and left Casa Grande.

As Lucio returned and was about to carry out Rodolfo's order, through injecting Dominga with a deadly and poisonous substance, José Armando arrived, and knew immediately, as a medical doctor, that Lucio was about to inject this poor woman to murder her. He became furious and threw Lucio out of Dominga's hut.

José Armando took care of Dominga and Esmeralda and attended to their medical needs, all night, and even passed the night in the hut with them. He assured Esmeralda that she would very soon be wedded to him, and become lady Esmeralda Peñarreal.

Esmeralda 24: Only One Choice!

Ofelia became frightened when Dominga could not breath or move, he thought that she had died, so he quickly left the scene undiscovered. When Esmeralda returned home, she was frightened when she touched an unconscious Dominga lying still on the floor of her hut. She sent Melesio immediately to fetch José Armando who also, as we already know from Snippet 2, as a medical doctor.

Rodolfo continued in his blind desperation to fight against the destiny of Esmeralda by giving ultimatum to José Armando to choose between living in his house as his heir, or pack out and leave Casa Grande for ever, if he would nor forgo his romantic adventure with the blind poor girl. José Armando boldly choose to leave his heritage and packed out of the Casa Grande. Blanca was horrified by his decision and made desperate pleas to him to change his mind, but he refused her entreaties.

Graciela chose to confess to Blanca that her true love was for Adrián, justas she was opening her mouth to talk, Fátima burst in and angrily shut her up.

Ofelio reported back to Rodolfo that the task was abruptly aborted because she resisted him violently and he struck Dominga who fainted, this made him to hurriedly leave the scene.

Esmeralda was distressed by the vents and she heard movement of footsteps, so, she thought it was José Armando. Alas! it was Lucio who quietly walked in with the aim of finishing the uncompleted assignment of Ofelia.

Esmeralda 23: Reprisals

As the battle line became sharpened, Rodolfo became desperate and paid a surprised visit to Lucio, and both men conspired together to separate José Armando from Esmeralda. Lucio told Rodolfo that Dominga was the gold-digger that was inspiring Esmeralda to go after his son, José Armando. He enthusiastically advised Rodolfo to take a retaliatory action against Dominga, if he truly wants to separate the two lovers.

José Armando confronted Fátima, telling her that the 'arrangee' marriage of convenience which she was scheming to spring on him and Graciela would not work. Crisanta met Esmeralda and reassured her that she was in full surpport of the love affair between her and José Armando. Ironically, Fátima too was reassuring Graciela that outside of her marriage to Armando is economic misery, and she should therefore continue to lure Armando to love and marry her.

Ofelio, who exposed Graciela and Adrian to Fátima has gotten another evil assignment, but this time, from Rodolfo. He was commissioned by Rodolfo to go and demolish the hut of Dominga and make her homeless, so that the midwife can migrate out of the village to another village.

As ofelio started his evil mission, he met a surprising and fiery resistance from Dominga. She fought back like a mad lion to defend her property and hut from the sponsored demolition exercise. In the process, Ofelio reacted violently by throwing Dominga against a rock and she fainted..

Specialist Doctor Lazcano cannot help but be secretly dazzled by the natural beauty of Esmeralda. Graciela became wearied of being used as a tool in her mother's handsays that better they return to the city.

Esmeralda 22: Rebellion

Crisanta supported and encouraged Graciela in her love adventures (which she had confided earlier in Crisanta), with Adrián. She told her not to give up or be disuaded by her scheming mother from pursuing her hapiness with Adrián to a logical conclusion of marriage. She told Adrián to fight to defend his love for Graciela. Crisanta seemed to me in alliance with Dominga in plotting a family and matrimonial 'coup' against Rodolfo and Fátima's counter moves.

José Armando demanded of Lucio to change his hostile and jealous attitude towards him because of Esmeralda.

Dominga was stirred up by the kindness of José Armando, particularly when Esmeralda shared the good tidings that the specialist doctor confirmed that she would see again after the surgery.

Graciela came to the conclusive truth that, what José Armando felt for her was not love, but brotherly affection. She compared the few weeks of explosive passions with Adrián and the years of friendship with José Armando. She knew that the true love was from Adrián.

When Fermín, heard the story of the simultaneous and peculiar births of José Armando and Esmeralda, he drew independent conclusions that Dominga's secret must have been in the suspected barter on that day, so he went and confronted her with that suspected secret. Dominga did not deny it.

Esmeralda's attempt to unravel that secret through Fermín was delayed, as he told her that it was still premature to reveal.

Blanca's attempt to force José Armando to abandon Esmeralda, and face his future with Graciela failed woefully, as he told Graciela to give him more time, to review his marriage proposal to her.

This latest delay only served to infuriate Fátima the more, as she began to despise and curse Esmeralda for being the reason for this matrimonial stalemate between Graciela and José Armando.

Crisanta could not bear the curses and frustration being poured on Esmeralda, she stood up to Fátima, and looked her straight in the eye, warning her not to insult that good girl(Esmeralda). Blanca was stunned by the strange and bold defense of Esmeralda against Fátima.

Adrián and Graciela secretly met in the mechanic garage and fell into each other's arms, they were almost about to make love in the dark recess of the garage when Fátima stormed the place, after being tipped off by one of the servants.

Fátima slapped Adrián and accused him of seducing her daughter. Graciela told her that she loved Adrián. Fátima dragged a terrified Graciela back to the main house.