The rich aren't like you and me. Or are they? To those of us not born with silver spoons in our mouths, the world that the affluent and well-bred live in may seem surreal. We often imagine they have it way better than we do—that they don't really have to work, that they can go off to Europe when they're feeling blue, or buy clothes that cost more than an average Pinoy's annual income. From where we're standing, it sure looks like the grass is so much greener on their side of the fence. "What more can they ask for?" we wonder, but we may very well be wrong. Besides, a wise man once said, "The only reason the grass may look greener on the other side is because it's fake grass."

We've uncovered some much-publicized—not to mention disturbing—cases involving people whose lives seem, at first glance, like fairy tales. To avoid misinterpreting the often-dizzying details of these cases, we've quoted liberally from the news sources that discussed them and tried to cram as many details as possible into these complicated tales. As such, we also chose stories given extensive coverage by mainstream media or cases that actually involved lawyers. (If it made it to court, it must be real.)

So, if you're into stories with stranger plot twists than telenovelas, devour away. You may not know these people, nor will you ever hang out with them—but maybe you could learn a thing or two from their travails.

A photo of Francisco "Paqui" Ortigas III (Screenshot from Interaksyon.com)

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The characters: Heiress Susana Madrigal Bayot, 63, and her husband, former Philippine ambassador to Mexico, Francisco "Paqui" Ortigas III, 65

The connections: Bayot and Ortigas are both from very influential clans with numerous and vast business holdings.

Opposing sides: Susana Madrigal Bayot vs. Francisco "Paqui" Ortigas III, who have been married for almost 44 years

Conflict points: In a sworn statement filed at the Office of the City Prosecutor in Pasig in January this year, Bayot said:  "Paqui made Wilma (one of the dozen maids in the Ortigas house in North Greenhills) his 'sex slave' and engaged in perverted and depraved acts right in our conjugal home, in our den, in the master's bedroom and, worst of all, in the marital bed."

Bayot’s testimony was backed by the sworn statements of five other household staff. She pointed out: "Perhaps exhibiting his utter moral depravity, Paqui did not even make any effort to hide his used condoms from the other maids." Bayot also alleged that one of the other maids saw Wilma performing oral sex on Ortigas while the two were inside a walk-in closet. Apparently, as Bayot intimated, Ortigas’ dalliances with the household staff were a “common occurrence.”

In a Manila Standard Today report, Bayot went as far as to say that Ortigas’ indiscretions possibly “damaged” their son, Francisco IV (“Paco”). The report revealed: “Paco, according to his mother, made the mistake of confronting his father about the latter’s affair with an employee of Concrete Aggregates, a sister company of the Ortigas and Company, where Paqui continues to be a partner.”

Bayot explained in the Manila Standard Today report that “despite the father-son confrontation, Paqui still brought his mistress to the family’s beach house in Calatagan.” The report cited Bayot’s statement that Paco “must have been visibly shaken [and] upset by the temerity of his father bringing the other woman to the family retreat that he set off in a huff on his jet ski.” Bayot revealed that Paco's jet ski “hit a shallow reef, flipped, and [ended up crushing] his body.” The report did not indicate the date of Paco's death.

On top of that, Bayot disclosed that her husband also had an affair with her Assumption College classmate, Ma. Antonia Legarda.

In another Manila Standard Today report, Bayot said that she had left their conjugal home in North Greenhills in July 2011 "to protect herself" from her husband, who she claimed subjected her to "insults, [his] foul temper, and baseless accusations." Back then, Ortigas allegedly prohibited Bayot from entering their conjugal home unless he was also in the house. He likewise prohibited her from getting her belongings.

Ortigas has not yet issued any formal statement in reaction to Bayot’s accusations. The Philippine Daily Inquirer did publish a story about Ortigas on January 12 but, in it, he only said he was "trying to find peace" with himself and his loved ones. He referred to a "personal crisis" but the report emphasized that Ortigas "would neither confirm nor deny the concubinage and sexual perversion-related allegations" made by his wife.

The writer of the Philippine Daily Inquirer story,  Jerry E. Esplanada, disclosed: "Last weekend (referring to January 7 and 8), Ortigas told this reporter he would issue shortly a statement in reaction to the article on the scandal that appeared on Page 1 of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on January 8. He later asked for more time, saying he was waiting for the recommendation from his team of lawyers 'if it’s timely or necessary to answer, or if there’s any reply to the newspaper article that needs to be done.' On Tuesday afternoon (January 10), Ortigas called up to say he had been advised by his lawyers not to issue any statement or make any further comment on the issue."