Mandume stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him. Maria, teeth clenched and eyes fiery, shoved Star away and marched upstairs. Bonita followed her silently, the weight of it all catching up to her steps.
Left alone in the kitchen, Star sighed and muttered to herself, "Uh oh... I've probably awakened sleeping lions. I'm so dumb. I wasn't supposed to let Mandume see that report—hell, I shouldn't have let him know I even had it. Now my investigations just got a whole lot messier." She sat down, poking at her breakfast.
Upstairs, chaos brewed hotter.
Maria paced in her room, livid. "Ever since that brat stepped into this house, no ounce of luck or happiness has visited me. I swear, Star—you've bitten more than you can chew."
Bonita crossed her arms. "Actually, Mom, I'm more disappointed in you. That 'brat' just exposed that you're hiding Dad. Is it all about property? Seriously?"
Maria's hand flew faster than words—slap!—across Bonita's cheek.
"I don't want to hear another word from you," Maria snapped. "You're just as ungrateful as Mandume."
Bonita held her cheek, stunned. "Did you just slap me?"
"And I'll slap you again if I must." Maria's voice darkened. "Listen, Boni. The truth is out now, and we need to act. It's clear Star stirred the pot downstairs. But here's what you don't know—I am the one who injected your father with that mental illness. I did it to protect us, to keep a roof over our heads. If I didn't, we'd be on the streets by now."
"What... are you talking about?" Bonita's voice trembled.
"David is not your father," Maria said coldly.
"What?" Bonita blinked, mouth dry. "Mom?"
"Keep quiet and listen. Let it sink. David isn't your father—Kefas is."
Bonita staggered back, as though the air itself betrayed her.
"Why do you think you and David never got along? Or why he left you out of the will? Boni, this is our moment. It's time to take what's ours."
Bonita's voice cracked through sobs. "You slapped me just to drop a bombshell like that? Now I understand why you hate Star—you're afraid of her, afraid she'll unravel you like she did just now."
Maria's smile curled like smoke. "Star won't be a problem much longer. We'll deal with her. Together."
"You're evil," Bonita hissed.
"Finally, you're noticing." Maria's grin widened.
Bonita ran out, tears streaming, slamming her own door behind her.
Maria sighed deeply, stretching like a cat. "Whew! I missed this breeze. Five years of motherly duties, and it's finally over. I can go back to work now."
Downstairs, Mandume hurried in, breathless.
"Whoa," Star blinked. "You late for a rescue mission?"
"Let's go," Mandume said, grabbing his jacket.
"I'm not going to college today. It's my last leave-day—I'm staying in."
"Neither am I," he replied. "We're going to Paola Asylum."
Star paused, the name hitting her like cold wind. "Oh…"
She grabbed her bag and followed.
Meanwhile, Maria made a call.
An hour later, Kefas arrived. Maria told him everything—Star's reveal, the report, the unraveling truths. Kefas, quiet and heavy-hearted, walked to Bonita's room. She was curled on her bed, still crying.
"No more tears," Kefas said gently, sitting beside her. "I'm here now."
"Why is this happening to me, Kefas? My own mom betrayed me… I don't know who to believe anymore. Are you really my father?" Bonita asked, her voice broken.
"Yes, Boni. I'm sorry. We kept this from you… I didn't want to. But Maria tricked me. I left her pregnant when I went to Germany for my Masters. When I returned, she was already with David. You were two. But she'd told me about your birth—and I even named you. I wanted to be part of your life, but… she shut me out."
"Then why didn't you speak up? Why keep silent while hurting the man I thought was my father?" Bonita whispered.
"I confronted her. She said she was taking revenge—by stripping David of everything. We built a rival company together. It's still running, Boni… the one that bid against David's at the airport contract."
"You're saying my mom knew about all that?" Bonita's eyes widened.
"She orchestrated it. But that's not all. Maria… isn't Mandume's biological mother also. His mother died in a car accident. Maria raised him, but David never fully accepted her. They were engaged—but never married. She felt used. She wanted payback."
Bonita exhaled. "She needs to move on. This is madness."
"I tried to stop her, long ago. But she wouldn't listen," Kefas said.
"Why inject him with mental sickness though?"
"Because David knew. He knew you weren't his, and that Maria had been cheating. He planned to throw you both out."
Bonita sat back on the bed. "I just… I need a break. Today's too much."
Kefas hugged her. "Rest, my girl. I'll bring your favorite snack later. I love you."
He kissed her forehead and left, walking back to the living room where Maria sat smugly.
"You failed her, Maria," he said with quiet fury. "Maybe I did too. But we should've told her the truth ages ago. Now look—my daughter still calls David her father."
"She knows now," Maria said coolly. "Let's move on to the next phase."
Kefas stared at her as if seeing a ghost. "You know what, Maria? I'm done. I'm pulling out. From you—and from the company. Keep it all."
"What?! Kefas, you can't! We didn't come this far to quit!"
"Our daughter is hurting because of us. I won't be part of this anymore."
Maria narrowed her eyes. "You still love her more than you hate me."
"I just want peace. I'll come around later—alone."
And with that, Kefas left—devastated.