The glitz and glamour, tinged with uncertainty, take over the screen as viewers watch an exquisitely dressed Mel (Sue Ramirez) clutching her stomach in silent pain. As the show begins, the host’s voice echoes throughout the room, transporting Mel back to her younger years, when she dreamed of becoming a fashion icon for her favorite brand, Grace & Glam.
Beyond the nostalgia, she remembers the people undermining her success: Anton (Jameson Blake), with his threats and disbelief in her individuality, and her father, Cedric Barrera (Franco Laurel), who once forced her to become a doctor and inherit the family hospital.
Mel loses patience with biased questions
A dazed and worried Mel (Sue Ramirez) sits, preparing to walk her dream runway for Grace & Glam. She remembers her former house helper, Jo, and her warnings about abuse—how men like Anton (Jameson Blake) will never change, how things only get worse, and her hope that Mel would not wait until it’s too late.
Tim (Dingdong Bahan) and Tom (Patrick Ramirez) notice Mel’s anxious state and ask if she and Anton had a lover’s quarrel again before giving her a much-needed pep talk.
Just as things begin to calm down, Anton arrives with flowers for Mel, and they perform another act as a love-filled couple—Anton even earning praise as an ideal man, a facade far from the truth.
Soon after, Reema, Grace & Glam’s creative director, greets the couple. She praises Anton’s seemingly sweet support for his wife but jokes that Mel doesn’t need a man to shine. Mel quips in agreement, triggering a sense of shame and simmering anger in Anton.
After a few more minutes of conversation, Mel heads to the bathroom for a break, only for Anton to follow her, confronting her over the small joke she made with Reema, which he insists comes at his expense.
With Anton locking the door, fear creeps over Mel, but she summons her remaining courage and warns him that if he does anything, people might find out about his abuse. Despite her warning, he punches her in the stomach and leaves her to endure the pain.
Overwhelmed by the pain, Mel nearly misses her cue on the runway, but she makes it in time. Towards the end, the tension peaks, ending on a conflicted note as Anton, behind his goody-two-shoes mask, presents her with a flower onstage.
Post-show, Mel happily shares her fashion journey with an interviewer, but when Anton squeezes in, the conversation shifts to him. Displeased, Tim and Tom wonder whether the media team had been properly briefed on which questions to ask during the event.
On the verge of her limits, Mel reprimands the interviewer, pointing out that the event was meant to celebrate women but instead highlighted Anton. Subtly, Anton squeezes the bruise he caused, and Mel faints from the pain as the press swarms, with Tim, Tom, and a deceitful Anton rushing to protect her.
Lucas confronts Steve over Dimaano’s death
Still present in Lawrence Kyo’s mansion, Lucas (JM de Guzman) watches as his peer, Steve, who is also Lawrence’s son, arrives.
Fidgety and looking pitiful, Steve kneels before his father. Lawrence scolds him for staying in Europe longer than agreed and for ignoring his calls. Steve can only apologize, but his words earn him a sharp slap, followed by a stern reminder that he is the future inheritor of the family businesses.
Moments later, only Steve and Lucas remain. Steve asks the house helpers for beer while painfully recalling his father’s violent methods of discipline, even from when he was a child.
Indifferent to his colleague’s suffering, Lucas grows agitated and shows Steve a photo of a beaten and presumably dead Dimaano. Showing no compassion, Steve suggests that Dimaano might have been one of the dealers who cheated his father and that this could have cost him his life.
Growing more furious, Lucas insists that Dimaano was just a businessman, someone who was treated unfairly because of Lawrence’s immoral methods.
Touching on the topic of hypocrisy, Steve warns Lucas not to act like a saint, reminding him that he once had a chance to walk away from them but didn’t—likely because of what he could gain from their financial generosity.
As the conversation goes nowhere, an informant calls Lucas about Esther Castro’s (Malou Crisologo) whereabouts, prompting him to walk out and leave a confused Steve behind.
Erica and Marco rush to reach Esther
As their private investigation progresses, Marco (Race Matias) speaks with his informant about Esther Castro’s (Malou Crisologo) current residence, revealing that she is staying at her sibling’s house, who recently underwent surgery.
Hastily, he instructs the informant to update him and Erica (Kaila Estrada) if Esther leaves, all in exchange for payment.
He then tells Erica that if they were wrong about Esther’s presumed death, they might also be wrong about their assumptions regarding Lucas (JM de Guzman).
Alice pushes forward with her preparations for doom
The broken glass door from Edong’s (Jake Cuenca) earlier intrusion was in the process of being repaired.
Rose, Alice’s helper, brings down the luggage, reminds the repairmen of specific instructions, takes care of Seth (Rhys Stevens), and eventually welcomes Alice’s uncle, Edward (Joel Molina).
Finding Alice’s absence unusual, Edward asks Rose where she went, but Rose can only reply that she wasn’t informed of her whereabouts. A few moments later, Susan calls him.
Alice is revealed to be practicing her gun shooting. As she prepares to pull the trigger, memories of Seth, her recurring dream of being tied up in the dark, and Edong’s infiltration flood her mind. Overwhelmed, she trembles after firing and walks away in a panic.
Just as she steps away, Edward appears before her. She frantically rambles about her worries, especially her fear of failing to protect her son.
Don’t miss an episode of “What Lies Beneath,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5, and iWant.