INNOCENCE (First Book) *Completed*

Episode 6: The Scapegoating

After the special dinner, Genesis took Daisy home to Renaissance Residence. Because their houses were so close, the two just walked in while talking under the full moonlight.

Gen: How's the dinner? Did you enjoy it?

Daisy: I enjoyed it.

Gen noticed that his companion was getting cold so he took off his jacket and put it on Daisy's shoulder.

Daisy: How sweet of you, thank you. I never thought that the special dinner was for me.

Daisy White notices a paper scattered at her door upon their arrival at the Renaissance Residence.

Gen: My Dad and I planned it. It was a surprise dinner for you. You may not know how happy I am to have a new friend like you. And when I look into your eyes, you actually remind me of someone else.

They looked into each other's eyes. Magda once liked Genesis. But she only loved Giovanni in her life.

Daisy: Let's call it a night!

Gen nodded his head.

Gen: Good night Daisy.

Daisy watches Gen as he walks away from her. When Gen looked at her, she gave him a goodbye wave.

Then, she picked up the paper. When she opened it, she saw the unexpectedly written "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO DOLORES!".

She didn't panic but she just wondered who gave it to her.

Insert ➡ Dramatic suspense sound effect! ♬♬♬

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While the Salvatierra couple is lying in bed, since Ronaldo is drunk and getting high, he tried to seduce Veronica.

Veronica: Stop it! I'm not in the mood!

Ronaldo: Why? Do you have yours now?

Ronaldo still didn't stop but he continued kissing Veronica's neck.

Veronica: I said stop it!

She pushed her husband away from her.

Ronaldo: What's wrong with you?!

Veronica: You think, I didn't know that you're flirting with Daisy White?! You can greet her by saying, it's nice to meet you! But really, it's great CONNECTING with you what you used!

Ronaldo: So, I'm right that you're jealous of Daisy White!

Veronica: I just want to make sure that you're no longer a womanizer.

Ronaldo: Trust me Veronica, you're the only one I really love.

Ronaldo tried licking and kissing her again until Veronica could do nothing but gave it up.

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Insert song: "Alone Tonight" by Digital Daggers

Meanwhile, Daisy is still drinking a glass of wine on the terrace of her house while she's watching the Salvatierra mansion.

She had seen the light of the upper room of the mansion that suddenly turned off.

Aside from the glass of wine she is holding in her left hand, she still holding the paper she had picked up at the door earlier.

Before midnight, she remembered the business meeting with Arjun Escordia and how she got the property.

She also noticed at the dinner on how Veronica was upset about the announcement that she is now officially the owner of the Renaissance Residence.

She learned it from Arjun that Veronica had called him to buy the house.

As Arjun needs to impress his investor, when he learns that Daisy White was the first client to buy the Renaissance property, he did not hesitate to give it to Daisy in exchange for investing in his company.

But Arjun doesn't know that behind the investment agreement is his downfall. And that trade-off is not a form of business but a form of revenge.

Daisy: In the world of high society, where your innocence was abused, revenge is the most expensive one they should pay for. However, the acceptable form of payment is not your million dollars; it's your reputation.

She looked again at the handwritten paper she is holding in her left hand. After that, she immediately crumpled it.

Daisy: Wikipedia says that a trade-off is a situational decision that involves diminishing or losing one quality, quantity, or property of a set or design in return for gains in other aspects. In simple terms, a tradeoff is where one thing increases, and another must DECREASE, and it's you Arjun Escordia; the money launderer of SCORPIA.

In the word decrease, no other image entered her mind but the face of Arjun Escordia.

Those are the words that played into Daisy's mind. And she's now preparing to topple the SCORPIA's money launderer, to make it difficult for them to carry out another deadly terrorist attack.

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The next day,

Daisy goes to the market to see how her family is doing.

She looked as though no one was buying her Mom Remedios' store. While other fish vendors are busy with their customers.

She also saw the sadness in her Mom's eyes. There seems to be a serious problem.

When a customer approached her Mom Remedios' store, another fish vendor tried to grab the customer. Her name is Loida Rodriguez.

Customer: How much per kilo?

Remedios: Php120.00 per kg., are you taking it?

Loida: Pssst! Madam! Madam!

Loida calls Remedios' customer.

The customer immediately turned to someone calling her.

Loida: Don't buy their fish, I'm afraid of what might happen to you next. They are terrorists, you can be poisoned.

Remedios: Hey! You Loida, you're overreacting!

Loida: Oh! Why? Isn't that true? Your daughter Magda is a terrorist! She is the reason why thousands of people were killed in bombings! Your daughter is a murderer!

Daisy overheard Loida's harsh words against her Mother Remedios and she dislikes it.

Remedios saw how people were looking at her. She also saw how they whisper each other as well.

Although it's very embarrassing but Remedios tries to fight herself against Loida.

Remedios: What did I do wrong to you Loida and you do this almost every day?! Can you be more respectful, please?

Loida: Wow! Respect? Big word! You don't even have it Remedios! Don't pretend!

Remedios' face could not be painted but she tried to keep quiet instead.

Loida: With so many people killed, I doubt God would still welcome you into heaven. Even Satan will never accept you in hell because all of you are murderers!

Remedios: What you are blaming us is not true!

Loida: How is that not true? Magda was already sentenced to life imprisonment! Remedios, be ashamed of what you say!

The customer replied who is supposed to buy Remedios' fish products.

Customer: Her daughter is Magda Soliman? The responsible for the bombings 3 years ago?

Loida: Exactly! Isn't it scary?

Customer: Oh my goodness! I need to leave!

That customer immediately left when she found out that Magda was the daughter of the fish vendor Remedios.

Remedios couldn't resist and she threw her fishes onto Loida's face.

Remedios: You really won't stop huh!

Loida, meanwhile, still relentless in her fight against Remedios.

Daisy is hurting at what she sees her mother going through. She would try to help out the two when Giovanni finally arrived.

Giovanni: Mom, stop it! Loida, please enough!

Giovanni tried to stop her Mother Remedios. Remedios stopped, but Loida, still throwing her fish products onto them.

Giovanni: Loida, please, stop!

Giovanni's face was hit by a big bloody fish.

Loida: Stop?! If it hadn't been for her daughter, I would not have suffered today! I lost everything! I lost my store in the Mall that Magda fired! Then now you say stop? I cry for this world!

Giovanni: Magda can't do that! She's innocent! So you should stop hurting us!

Loida: Really? Innocent? Where? It was good for her that she had died so that she could never make another terrorist act again! She didn't just blast one? Three more and one at a time!

The Manager of the Market came forward to put an end to the conflict.

Wet Market Manager: Stop it! You are not ashamed! You're already in the market, and you're making this place looked much worst than a market! You will stop or I'll terminate you both in this market!

The manager left immediately with so much anger.

Giovanni: Mom, are you okay?

Mother Remedios was moved to tears because of what had happened.

Remedios: I'm okay Giovanni. Do not worry about me.

Daisy was hurt by the scapegoating she witnessed to her mother. She also shed tears and immediately wiped them away without anyone noticing it.

However, Daisy will make sure that Loida will get what she deserves.

Insert ➡ Dramatic suspense sound effect! ♬♬♬

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After that incident, Daisy immediately went to that unfortunate Mall to investigate the Scapegoater, Loida.

When she arrived, she saw that the Mall is now under construction again. She immediately looked for someone to ask questions about the former tenant in the commercial space for business.

Daisy: Good Morning, I just want to ask if you still have information regarding the list of names of all commercial space renters in this Mall?

Keeper: Who are they?

Daisy: I'm from an insurance company and I just want to make sure that our customers claiming compensation are listed here.

Daisy showed a fake ID that she's working from an insurance company. But the keeper has no knowledge identifying if the ID is fake.

Keeper: What is the claimant's name?

Daisy: Her name is Loida Rodriguez.

The Keeper tried to find the requested name but did not find Loida Rodriguez rented the Mall for commercial or business space.

Keeper: You may be right.

Daisy: I'm sorry?

Keeper: Sorry but Loida Rodriguez is not listed here.

Daisy felt the vibration of her phone and saw Genesis calling.

Daisy: I appreciate it. Thank you.

After she asked the Keeper, she immediately answered Genesis' call.

Daisy: Genesis, you called?

Gen: I just want to invite you for a coffee in CBTL.

Daisy: Sure, I think, I'm just 20 minutes away from CBTL.

Gen: Great! See you then!

Daisy immediately dropped the call. But because of the information she had received earlier, Daisy wonders where Loida's anger coming from.

Insert ➡ Dramatic suspense sound effect! ♬♬♬

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When Daisy arrived at the CBTL, Genesis immediately approached her with a large size of Ice blended coffee free; Pure Double Chocolate for her.

Gen: For you.

Before Daisy accepted the ice blended non-coffee, she remembered that it was her favorite when she was Magda.

Gen: That's Magda's favorite. I missed her so much and somehow you have a resemblance to her.

Daisy smiled but she's certain that Genesis would not recognize her as a former Magda.

Daisy: If you don't mind me asking, where is she now?

Gen: She's gone.

Daisy saw the sadness of Genesis' face.

Daisy: I'm sorry to hear that-

Gen: You don't have to say sorry. It's fine. I think I should be the one to say sorry because I brought her up on this conversation.

Daisy: Just a friendly advice, it would be better if you try to forget her for the better, you need to be who you are today.

Gen: I wish that it would be easy to forget about her. But it would be harder if I didn't think of her.

Daisy noticed that Genesis is still an emotional person to this day. When she was Magda and they were always together, Genesis loved to open up emotional stories like family problems and especially love life. Gen is also the type of deep storyteller.

Daisy: It takes courage to forget her. But I hope someday, she's not our topic anymore.

Gen smiled at what he heard from Daisy.

A woman passes by and she throws her ice-blended coffee at Daisy accidentally. Genesis gets angered to the careless girl.

Gen: Holy s**t! Don't you look where you are going? What if it's hot coffee?

Girl: I'm sorry, I didn't mean it.

Gen: Leave! You're such a social climber!

The woman left immediately and Daisy was surprised by what she had heard from Genesis.

Daisy: Gen, you don't need to tell her that way.

Gen: I saw her doing a selfie while walking. It's fine taking pictures of what they've bought but there should be a place for it and not here or while walking.

Daisy: Children nowadays, but that is fine.

Gen: I'll get you a tissue.

Daisy: No! I'll just go to the restroom instead.

Gen: Are you sure?

Daisy: Of course!

Since they were sitting outside the CBTL shop, Daisy had to go inside to go to the restroom.

When she entered the restroom, she saw that no tissue was available inside. She also tried to enter the cubicle to see if she could get some tissue.

When she got inside the cubicle, Veronica came out from the other cubicle.

Veronica saw that someone was calling her phone and she immediately answered.

Veronica: Hello Loida!

Daisy was about to leave the cubicle when she suddenly heard Veronica's voice and mentioned the name Loida.

Loida: Hello Queen Veronica!

Veronica hears how energetic Loida is now.

Veronica: It sounds like you have good news Loida. Can you tell me what happened?

Loida: I feel pity for them, Queen Veronica. If you were just there, you would see how they feel!

Loida was overjoyed as she recounted what had happened earlier in the market.

Veronica: Loida, I do not want to enter that smelly market as smell as you! Just keep humiliating the Soliman family until they leave. Remember, your payday is near.

Loida: Of course Queen Veronica, you can count on me!

Veronica immediately dropped the call and left the restroom.

From Daisy's hearing, she learns that Veronica is just paying Loida to hurt and humiliate her family. Daisy recalled that after the day she was exposed as Ronaldo's mysterious mistress, Remedios also humiliated Veronica and Dolores and simultaneously slapped them in their faces in public too. This is probably the reason, why does Veronica do this to her family. So Daisy's plan immediately figured out how she could stop it.

Insert ➡ Dramatic suspense sound effect! ♬♬♬

What is Daisy's plan to stop Loida from insulting and humiliating her parents? Who put the threat letter that Daisy picked up at the gate of her house? Is this the evil plan of Veronica against her? or Does Dolores know that Daisy has something to do with the embarrassment she has been through so she is beginning to take revenge too?

Find out all the answers to these questions to the next episodes you shouldn't be missed. ⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇