THE SASSY LADY & THE NOT SO GENTLEMAN

CHAPTER 1: Her True Lineage

April 20, 2014. Sunday. It was Easter Sunday and the 18th birthday of Keren Santos, the only daughter of Melchor Santos and Kristina Montelibano. The Montelibanos belonged to the upper class society of the State of Zaramala. The Montelibanos owned a chain of fine dining restaurants all over the State of Zaramala and her mother, being the only living daughter, inherited half of them along with the ancestral mansion and a large amount of money when her grandparents died. Her parents had lavished her with a grand debut party attended by their circle of friends. They even gifted her with: a two-bedroom condominium unit in the newly established low-rise condominiums in Mellin City, the capital of Zaramala; a brand new hatchback car; and a college education fund all under her name.

Then after the party, Keren heard her parents having a fight for the very first time.

She heard her father told her mother, "You are spoiling Keren so much, Kristine. You did not even consult me when you purchased that condominium unit and car under her name. She is still too young to win such properties. You even deposited a large amount for her college education on another bank account under her name."

Then she heard her mother said, "Of course, I will spoil her because she is my one and only daughter. She deserves all of those. She has always been a very sweet and responsible daughter to us. Those are also some sort of advanced graduation presents for her."

Her father pointed out, "But then she planned on having her college education at one of the top universities in Missi. She won't need the condominium unit yet. As for the car, she is just about to study driving at a driving school after her 18th birthday. We also have drivers to drive her around."

Her mother argued, "Well, I want her to learn to be an independent woman as early as now. We won't be around for her for the rest of her life. Why do you think I have subjected her with so many after-school and school break classes? Those are to prepare her for the life ahead with or without us. We won't be around for the rest of her adult life. So as early as now, she needs to learn the duties and responsibilities of having her own properties and managing her own money."

Her father did not argue with her mother any further, "Okay. You are right. But then you should have informed me. I know that you are earning well from all those restaurants that you inherited from your parents. But you should not just spend everything on Keren. You should also leave some for our retirement."

Her mother responded, "We both have pension plans and health cards. Keren is our only child. If she ever did not want the life managing the restaurants, then I would just sell them when I am not capable of managing them anymore. You are also doing well with your law practice. You are even teaching at a law school. So our retirement funds are already secured. I did not inform you about those birthday presents because I am aware that you will disagree. You always think that I am spoiling our daughter. But I just want her future secured no matter what happens with the two of us. We were both on our 30s when we had her. We are now in our 50s. We can never tell when we will depart from this life."

Keren then realized - I will not fail you, Dad, Mom. I will study hard to earn a degree. But until now, I am still undecided on what degree program to take. Shall I pursue accountancy and then take law afterwards like Dad? Or should I take hotel and restaurant management so I will be able to help Mom later on with all the management aspects of the restaurants. But then Mom told me to just pursue what I am really passionate about while Dad is just neutral as always. Sometimes I even think if he really is my father. Although he is present at most of the milestones in my life, it has always been Mom who is constantly with me and deciding on my well being. This is actually the first time that I heard Dad having a say in my well being. And it even involved the birthday presents that Mom had decided to give me. He has always just been focused on his work. Mom and I only get to be involved with his work, whenever he has important clients to accommodate. We always need to be present as a family whenever he has to attend an important social gathering of a client. Mom has all the social and business connections, being a Montelibano. According to my grandparents, when they were still alive, Dad's law practice would not even flourish without the Montelibanos' connections. Dad is the successful lawyer that he is now because of Mom and her family.

May 30, 2014. Friday. Keren graduated from her senior high school education. She might not be the valedictorian or the salutatorian but she graduated as the Top 3 student of the graduating class. Her national college admission test scores also qualified her for all the top universities and colleges in the country. She had already decided to take up early childhood education at UF - Mellin because she wanted to establish her own pre-school for unprivileged children someday. Her mother had exposed her to various charity works mostly related to helping orphanages all over the State of Zaramala as well as helping out single mothers through livelihood programs and supporting nursing homes for the elderly through food and monetary donations. But then her decision with regards to her career path suddenly changed.

May 31, 2014. Saturday. Her mother had a stroke, slipped into a coma, and died after midnight. Keren was not at all prepared losing her beloved mother. Her father decided on just a short wake. But it was attended by several of their friends from the upper class as well as all the organizations that her mother had helped through all of her charity works.

June 3, 2014. Tuesday. Her mother's remains were laid to rest along with her parents at Montelibano Mausoleum and other members of the Monteliban Clan. Later in the afternoon, Atty. Tomas Aquiliano, her mother's maternal cousin and lawyer, had read to them the contents of her last will and testament. Aside from her birthday presents which were already hers, Keren also got to inherit half of her mother's assets which included all of her jewelries, half ownership of all of her family's chain of restaurants, and full ownership of the ancestral mansion, several bank accounts and a large amount of trust fund which she could access as she reached the age of 25. Her father, on the other hand, inherited the other half of her mother's assets which included, half ownership of all the Montelibano's chain of restaurants, and all of other remaining money in several banks. He was also entitled to live at the ancestral mansion for the rest of his life. It was also stated in the last will and testament that her father would have the management control over the chain of restaurants until Keren reached the age of 25. By then the management control of the chain of restaurants would be on her. Should her father passed away ahead of her then, she would be the only one who could inherit his half ownership of the chain of restaurants.

June 4, 2014. Wednesday. Keren had the biggest shock of her life when her father allowed three strangers to live in their house. Her father had escorted them into their house that afternoon.

Her reaction was, "Who are they, Dad? Why are you letting them live here in our house?"

She did not expect her father's response, "They are my biological son and daughter along with their mother. They will live here from now on. I am legally entitled to live here for the rest of my life . So I can also decide whoever I want to allow to live here with me."

She replied with, "But Mom just died a few days ago. Can you not even wait much longer until you allow your other family to live here?"

Then the mother of her father's biological son and daughter declared, "My son and my daughter have every right to live here with their father. They are Melchor's biological offspring while you are just an adopted daughter."

She was even more shocked with such revelation. So she gave her father a questioning look, "Is it true, Dad?"

The father that she had known all her life was speechless, not denying the claim of the mother of his biological son and daughter.

Her tears just voluntarily flow from her eyes so she ran towards her bedroom and packed all of her stuffs"

His father followed her, "What are you doing, Ker? Don't tell me that you will just move out."

She replied, "Is it not what you want, Dad? Mom is not even dead for a week but here you are allowing your other family to live here with us."

Her father had calmly told her, "They deserve my recognition, Ker. They are my biological offspring."

Then she asked her father, "Did Mom even know about them?"

Her father was not able to answer again.

She assumed, "So you have kept them hidden and now that Mom is dead you want to give them everything."

Her father then declared, "Yes! I want to give them all the luxuries that you have enjoyed all your life, Ker. I just followed everything that your Mom and her parents wanted since I married into their family. Your Mom cannot have a child and so I have to agree to adopt you even if I have already a twin son and daughter from my ex-girlfriend that I only got to know when they were born. I was already married to your Mom so there was no way for me to recognize them. I even had to secretly support them through my parents so that the Montelibanos would not know about them. I will soon marry their mother to legitimize them as my son and daughter. If you want to leave then I will not stop you. Anyway, your Mom had bequeathed you with so much before she passed away. You will even receive a regular allowance from the monthly income of the restaurants as a half owner. You can already stand on your own. So leave if that is what you really like!"

She did not answer anymore. She felt so hurt with lack of concern from the father that she had known all her life. She just continued packing her stuffs. And so her father just left her be.

But in her mind - Did you even care for me at all, Dad? You will not even stop me. Adopted or not, I will not betray Mom. I cannot live here with your other family, Dad. A week has not even passed yet since Mom died but you are already bringing your other family here. You have no respect for her memory. Did you even love Mom at all? Or you just married her because she is a Montelibano?

On her way out, she even heard the mother of her father's biological offspring saying, "She is already showing you her attitude. You said she was a very sweet young lady. If you did not agree to adopt her, she will not even enjoy all the luxuries that the Montelibanos have. She was just a daughter of a teenager r**e victim who died from childbirth. She is not a real Santos. You could have inherited all of Kristina's fortune if she does not exist."

Her father said, "Legally, she is still my daughter, Cynthia. So please just let Keren be. She loves Kristina so much so I do not think that she will be able to accept the three of you. I will make things right for Michael and Michelle. I will send them to the best universities. They have good NCAT scores so they can enroll in any university they prefer. We will get married towards the end of the month so I can already process their legitimization as my offspring. As for you, you can work or just stay here at home, whatever you want. If you want then I can allow you to oversee the management of the restaurants that Kristina left. I think that Kristina left me the management control over the restaurants first so Keren would have enough time to finish her collegiate education before taking over the helm."

Keren then heard Cynthia replied, "So you intend to relinquish the management control to her when she turns 25?!"

Her father then responded, "We are both half owners of those chain or restaurant Cynthia. I won't be able to sell them without her written consent. So we might as well benefit from their income. Kristina has assigned and hired good employees to keep all those restaurants running smoothly."

Keren just continued on her way but in her mind - I will be keeping an eye on you if you will oversee the management of my Mom's restaurants. I will not allow you to tarnish her legacy. But in order for me to retain the legacy of the Montelibanos, then I must be equipped with all the legal knowledge and skills if it came to a point wherein I have to battle it out legally against Dad. I should take law then. But what will be the best pre-law degree to prepare me for law school? If ever I will pursue law, I also need to earn more money as early as now coz the college fund that Mom had provided for me might not be enough. I can only access the trust fund as I reached the age of 25. That will still be seven years from now. I cannot also sell the jewelries coz they are heirloom jewelries of the Montelibanos With Dad's other family being his main focus now, I doubt if he will even give a dam about my well being. I should invest the money Mom left wisely. I should also set for contingency funds. The income of teh investments shall be my living allowances. I should better ask Ninong Tom for help in these matters.

Before going to her condominium unit at Hampton Homes located in Mellin City, Keren visited first the grave of her mother and grandparents along with the other departed members of the Montelibano Clan. She poured her heart out to her Mom - Dad had brought home his other family, Mom. Did you even know about their existence? I do not want to sound bitter coz Dad has every right to recognize his biological son and daughter. But why can he not wait to bring his other family in our home until your first death anniversary? He is even going to marry that ex-girlfriend of his. She does not seem to be kind. I left home because I feel so hurt for you, Mom. I also found out today that I am just adopted. But I don't take it against you and Dad for deciding not to inform me. It is just sad that I have to hear it straight from a stranger. It seems that Dad's ex-girlfriend knows a lot of things about our family. She might even oversee the management of your restaurants. I don't know what will happen to my life now that you are gone, Mom. Does Dad even truly love us? Or he just used you and me to have that picture perfect family that can boost his image as a top lawyer? He has immediately replaced us. He will marry his ex-girlfriend to legitimize their son and their daughter, who are actually fraternal twins. They seem to be just a few years older than, me perhaps one or two. I decided to live the home we had always lived in. I will already be moving in to the place you have chosen for me. Please guide me in this new path that I will take, Mom.

Meanwhile at the Montelibano Ancestral Mansion, Cynthia had talked to her daughter Michelle, and her son Michael

Cynthia asked her daughter, "Have you already decided which bedroom you like, Mich?"

Michelle's answer was, "I like the room of Papa's adopted daughter but then the maids told me that I cannot use it according to Papa."

Cynthia's decisive response was, "Have it! I will talk to your Papa about it. My baby girl deserves everything she likes in this house."

Cynthia then asked her son, "How about you, Mike? Have you already chosen a bedroom."

Michael responded, "Yes, Ma."

Cynthia asked him further, "Have you already decided what degree to pursue? You and Mich had stopped a year because your father cannot just give us the large amount of money we needed for your collegiate education. But now that his wife is gone, then you can choose any degree program you wish to pursue at any university you prefer."

Then they saw a young lady knocking my the front door of the mansion while they were at the garden.

Michael asked her mother, "Who is that girl knocking at the front door? The housemaid seems to know her."

Cynthia had assumed, "Perhaps, she is Keren's friend. She seems to be leaving already." But somehow she knew that her son seemed to be interested with the girl who seemed to be from a well-off family."

On the other hand, Tiffany Aquiliano, Keren's best friend tried to call up Keren's number. In her mind - Where can you possibly be, Ker? Why did you suddenly move out from home. Are those three strangers at the garden the reasons why? Who are they? Please answer your phone, Ker? Where are you?

After Tiffany's third dial, Kren had finally answered - Hi Tiff. I am sorry if I was not able to answer your calls. I just arrived at my place here in Hampton Park. I decided to move in sooner than later because Dad decided to have his other family live in our home."

Tiffany was surprised - What?! Your Dad has another family!"