Sebastian's Obsession

Chapter 4

It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when I got to Donato's office. Coming to his firm at this time of day was probably a smart idea because he was no longer entertaining any customers. Personally, he has been serving my family for almost 30 years, even before my parents passed away. Given his age, he is like a second father to me.

"What do you like to eat or drink, En? So that I may ask my secretary to deliver it to you?" he asked after we had both settled upon his office couch.

"A juice will suffice; I'm not really hungry, Dons."

He managed to take up the folder in front of him.

"I got your email last night, En. This case wasn't as simple as the others I've handled before, and we can't just sue Sebastian Montenegro, since he has all the document—proof at hand," he answered while putting on his glasses. That is something I am already aware of. But what puzzled me was how he acquired my signature. Aunt seemed to have played the ticket very well on me before. And since I had already placed complete faith in her. It wasn't difficult for her to do it. She let me sign it without my knowledge. Perhaps, on one of those days when I'd signed a ton of paperwork, she slid it through the pile so I wouldn't notice it while signing. It was a cunning move for her. And that was the biggest mistake I made.

"But Dons, I did not sell the company to him; I did not permit it; it was entirely my Aunt's fault. Perhaps we could make a case for that," I said optimistically.

"We can launch a larceny case, En, but it will be your Aunt who will plead guilty in the end because she was the one who profited from this without your consent."

I don't want Aunt to be in jail. All I want is to get my company back to me. That is all that matters. But if I don't push through this, if I allow my emotions to get in the way. What will happen to my company? Aunt deceived me first, and I should not feel guilty of doing this, of raising this case. I'm only doing this for my parents so that their previous efforts will not be in vain.

"Let's get that one in, Dons, and maybe you can think of another case or complaint we can throw at Montenegro," I paused momentarily.

"Alright, En. I'll do my best to help you with this matter. Do not forget to take a rest, you look so pale right now," Dons commented after he placed the folder back on the mini table.

"I'm fine, thank you for the juice, Dons. I'll be heading home now," I said, trying to plaster a smile on my face. My body felt numb, the inside felt heated despite the fact that it was freezing outside. Perhaps because Donato had turned on his air conditioning.

"Ok, En, take care."

I simply nodded in response as I stood on the couch and exited his office. I checked my forehead to test if I had a fever, but it didn't feel hot at all. My body's current state is a bit odd. I don't seem sick, but I feel sick. And my house is quite a distance away from here, and I don't think I can safely drive myself back there. But staying here would be much of a bother to Donato. Despite feeling ill, I hopped into the driver's seat and drove my car. The sun had chosen to set toward the west, darkening the earth's surface. The magnificent moon radiates, owning the entire sky along with the stars, although it doesn't provide much light in comparison to the sun. The streetlights along the road are constantly flickering, adding to the ominous atmosphere. The environment looks calm, contrary to what I had endured.

I tried to slow down my car as I felt like I was going to faint any minute. My condition worsens. I'm gasping for oxygen as my heart palpitates once again. I'm completely perplexed as to what's going on with me. This has never happened to me before. Could this be because of stress?

Lord, let me just reach my house safely.

Even at a slow speed, I had successfully parked my car in our garage after an hour of driving. I leaned back on the headrest, blowing a couple of breaths, before going out. Fortunately, I made it home alive.

"En, what took you so long? Where have you been? We contacted the company, but they said you weren't there anymore. Good thing you are home now," Monica exclaimed, a sigh of relief on her lips. She continued to speak, but my vision suddenly blurred, and the last thing I heard was Monica's scream for my name, followed by darkness.

I opened my eyes and found myself in a strange room. The room was painted white, the drapes were white, and on the right corner of the wall hung all the ossie-based materials. Then a familiar scent filled my nostrils. I am in the hospital...obviously.

"Good thing you are awake, you make us all worried, En."

I turned around to see who was talking and saw the worried face of Monica. The lines on her face are prominent, and so are the dark bags beneath her eyes.

"Why am I here, Monica?" I queried, recently noticing the IV inserted in my hand.

"You collapsed last night after you came home, so we bring you here. The doctor immediately ran some tests on you, and the results showed that you were fatigued; he then ran another test with your blood, and the results would be revealed later," she explained.

Last night? I looked at my wristwatch and noticed that it was already 9 a.m. Dang. Today is going to be a busy one for me. Yet, here I am feeling sick when I shouldn't be. This isn't the right time to get sick.

"I can't remain here, Monica; I have work to do, and I'm feeling better now." I lied.

I'm still unwell, but it's not as awful as it was yesterday. My body is feeling much better now. Besides, I'll have to pay for my stay in the hospital. The more time I spend here, the more money they'll make off of me. If that happens, I don't know if I could survive a year while barely relying on my savings.

"You're still unwell, En. Please don't be stubborn and rest; stop worrying us all," Monica nags.

I'm curious how they'll respond once they realize I've fully lost the company. Time will come, perhaps sooner now, when I will have to fire all of my housekeepers because I do not have enough money to pay them.

It never occurred to me before that the time would come when I had to be alone. Where I have to walk on my own feet and labor with my own hand the hard way. I'm accustomed to a lavish lifestyle, certainly afraid of what will happen to me if I'm left alone. Perhaps God sent me this test to teach me the true meaning of life. To appreciate the little things that I used to disregard. To be appreciative for all of the blessings I've gotten instead of complaining. But does life have to educate me the hard way?

"Monica, I can't remain here much longer because I'm broke, I'm no longer the CEO of my company, and I won't be able to pay if I stay any longer," I quietly mumbled. It was only the two of us in the room, so it was safe to tell my bitter secret to her. And for Monica to understand what I was expressing. Monica already knew Aunt had sold the company to Montenegro, so she'd understand my point immediately. We talked about it the other day, and we were both hopeful that I could find a solution.

But only if I find Aunt will all of this be put to rest. A day had passed and Stale had not sent me any updates on their tracking operation of my Aunt's whereabouts. Hopefully, after five days he can provide me with the data already like what he promised me.

"But, En. Can you stay a little longer till your blood result comes out?" Monica said as she sat beside me.

I took another quick glance at my wristwatch. "By 12 p.m., Monica, that's the final extension I can offer you." She agreed and handed me a piece of apple. My appetite appears to have vanished these days. I don't want to eat anything. For some reason, all I want to do is sleep and let the stress go away, but I know that is impossible.

Monica halted abruptly, as if she had remembered something. I gaze at her, perplexed, as she turns her back on me to fetch something from her bag.

"En, someone has been calling you, but I don't know how to answer it," she says worriedly as she hands me my phone.

Perhaps this is Mr. Stale. I hurriedly accepted the phone, excited by the prospect. Yet my brows furrowed after seeing what was plastered on the screen. Strange, because I had previously registered Stale's phone number on my phone, and the person who called me had an unregistered number. This person appears to have called me last night, as evidenced by the previous and current statistics. A 30 miscalled, yet no single text message. It was indeed odd. Because if he had something significant to share, he should have had the courtesy to introduce whoever was at the other end. Furthermore, the fact that this is a new number and only Cana and Mr. Stale have it, adds to the creepiness. As if I had some creepy stalker keeping an eye on me. And just thinking about it sent shivers to my spine.

Who the heck is the caller?