MEANT FOR EACH OTHER

CHAPTER 2: The Other Family

Bry had started courting Iya since that night. He had continuously asked her on a date but she had always declined. He had often visited Monreal Mansion and given her and her parents some gifts. He often brought the finest wine and cigars for her father. Her mother often received an orchid plant to add to her collection from him. On the other hand, he often gave her a bouquet of her favorite peach roses, and a basket of fruits or a package of her favorite chocolates.

Eventually, Iya had finally agreed to go out on a date with him on his 30th birthday. Bry did not know if agreeing was from her on volition or if she was coerced by her father.

May 28, 2016. Saturday. It was his birthday. Bry just opted for a quiet private celebration. They had just had dinner at Angeles Manor. They just talked casually over dinner.

He started the conversation by expressing his utmost gratitude for the fact that she agreed to celebrate his birthday with him, “Thank you very much for agreeing on this date.”

She replied casually and honestly, “I only agreed on this date because my parents convinced me. Why did you not just have a party?”

He answered her question, “I seldom celebrate my birthday grandly. There was no need for a big celebration anyway. I just lost Lolo.”

She sincerely apologized, “I am sorry for that. I almost forgot about it.” She knew how very close Bry was very close to his grandfather.

He then asked about her work, “So how is your medical practice?”

She responded, “It is okay. I devote my weekdays to my medical practice while I perform my civic activities during the weekends.”

But in her mind – You seem interested in my medical career. Is this for real? Before, you just kept on teasing me whenever we met when we were still younger. Then we seldom saw each other as we pursued our respective degrees. Why did you get interested in me all of a sudden? Lately, you have not even been seen with any lady, just like before, whenever you attend social gatherings or business-related events.

He then commented, "Well, being a pediatric surgeon was really your dream and you are now living the dream.”

She acknowledged it, “Yes. It really feels great saving lives, especially that of children.”

He informed her then, “The Angeles Foundation can sponsor the cost of operations among your other underprivileged patients. You cannot always do pro bono surgery. So you can refer them directly to me for funding. I am also heading the Angeles Foundation.”

She expressed her gratitude, “Thank you very much. I do not charge personal surgical fees for my charity ward patients in Nidiria Hospital. They just usually pay for the medication and the hospital bills. I will refer my patients, who really cannot afford funding in Angeles Foundation then. I really appreciate this.”

But in her mind – Is this one of your ways to win me over? I know that the Angeles Foundation has been helping a lot of people. But you really make it your personal initiative to help my patients. I cannot give in that easily. Helping me out with my patients is not enough. If you really like me, then I need to feel your sincerity. But then what do I need your sincerity for? I do not want a romantic relationship with you anyway. You are not my type. I just agreed on this date because Dad is so insistent. It seems that he likes you so much for me. He does not have any vote of confidence in my other suitors. But with you, he is even the one finding ways for me to have some private time with you. Why does Dad like you for me that much?

Bry imparted, “Lolo had allotted a large percentage of his annual dividends from ACI for the foundation. I also have an allotment for the foundation from my earnings at ACI. My future wife will eventually have to manage the foundation. For now, we have scholarship grants for the underprivileged students at Nidiria University as well as the University of Filipinas System. We just require our scholars to work for ACI for the same number of years we sponsored their collegiate studies in return. After such, they are free to decide whether to stay or not. I also support the charity programs of FEBC.”

Iya commented, “That is really nice of you.”

In her mind – Yeah I have heard of all the projects of Filipinas' Elite Billionaires' Club. Your organization is doing a lot of good things for the country. And despite everything, the organization is nonpolitical, just helping the government, regardless of the political parties of the officials, in a very transparent manner.

Bry stated, “Well, I got lots of excess and I still do not have a family of my own to support.”

Iya then inquired, “Yeah, why did you not settle down before? You have dated a lot. Did you not ever find someone you can have as a wife?”

Bry opened up, “I would have settled down if I had found 'the one', Iya. But most of those ladies I dated are just after the money I can spend on them. So I just tried to enjoy their company for a short amount of time.”

She asked him, “Why me?”

Bry responded honestly, “Aside from your beauty, brains and kindheartedness, I just know you will not exhaust my fortunes on incessant trivial expenditures. I also feel that you will be a good wife as well as a good mother.”

In her mind – You did not mention anything about emotions. Do you even love me? I only want to be married for love, Bry. You are just mentioning my good qualities, but what about your true feelings for me? Anyway, that is useless. It seems to me that you just want a suitable wife even if there is no love at all. I want a marriage like that of my parents. They love and respect each other.

June 24, 2016. Friday. It was late in the afternoon when Iya received a phone call from her mother about the very sad news – her father, Eleazar Monreal, had a heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival.

Iya went to a private hospital in the town of Bergaz where her father was. She was surprised upon seeing three unfamiliar people inside her father’s hospital room, two of whom had an uncanny resemblance to her father.

When she saw her mother, Iya asked in a low voice, “Who are they, Mom?”

Her mother asked, “Let us just talk about this later.” Then her mother talked to the woman who was on the other side of the hospital bed with a young man and a young woman who had a facial resemblance to her father. “Lavinia, you already know that you and your offspring could just visit the wake and attend the burial in secrecy. I am sure that my husband has left some inheritance for your son and daughter. So just wait for his lawyer’s summons.”

The woman named Lavinia replied, “We know where to stand, Dr. Monreal.” Then the woman motioned her son and daughter to leave the hospital room.

On their way back to Ivoire City, the capital of the State of Nidiria, as her father’s body was also being transported to the funeral home; Iya asked her mother again, “Who are they, Mom?”

Iya was driving her SUV while her mother was seated in the right front seat. Her mother’s driver went ahead of them. Her mother replied, “We will talk about this at home.”

After half an hour, they reached the privacy of her bedroom in Monreal Mansion.

As they sat down on the long white leather couch by the foot of her bed, her mother spoke. “Lavinia Tecson was your father’s first love. Zar and Leanna are your half-siblings. Lavinia was already pregnant with Zar when your father and I had to fulfill the arranged marriage agreed upon by our elders . The Monreals and the Navarros are families of politicians and so our parents had forged a political bond through marriage. Your Dad has been very honest to me regarding Lavinia. In order to fulfill our parents’ wishes, we still pushed through with the wedding. We had an agreement that I would just be his political wife and he could still go on with his relationship with Lavinia in secrecy. But I gave him the conditions that I would still have my private medical practice as a trauma surgeon and that I wanted a child from him. We also signed a prenuptial agreement wherein all my fortunes will stay with me so my child will eventually inherit them.”

Iya asked more questions, “Why did you tell me this only now, Mom? Did my grandparents know?”

But in her mind – So everything I believed in was a lie. Dad had another love aside from Mom. They did not marry for love at first, but only for political reasons. It was not a love match but an arranged marriage. How was it possible? How were you able to accept that past relationship of Dad, Mom? He has a son and a daughter from another woman. Why did you not just let him marry his first love? And Dad, why did you not fight for your first love? She was pregnant back then. You even had another child with your first love when you were already married to Mom. You continue your relationship with your first love even if you are already married. You had a son and a daughter with your first love before Mom had me. Did you already love Mom when she had me? All the while, I thought that your marriage was perfect but it was not!

“Only in the later years,” her mother responded. “Your Dad loves you as much as he loves his son and daughter with Lavinia. He did not want your affection for him to change once you found out about his other family. That is why we decided not to tell you. Besides, Lavinia and their offspring have maintained a quiet life in Bergaz.”

Iya asked, “What will happen now? What if the truth comes out in public?”

But in her mind – How was Dad able to keep his other family a secret? Will they arrive this evening at the wake? What really happened to Dad? Why was he with them? What triggered the heart attack? He always has his medication with him so that he can take it if he already feels uneasy.

Her mother replied, “We are your father's legal family. If Lavinia, Zar and Leanna didn’t follow the agreement, we cannot do anything about it. But I don’t think they would make a scene.”

That evening, the wake for Governor Eleazar Monreal started. A lot of politicians and business colleagues had come to pay their respects to the benevolent public servant and businessman.

As agreed upon, her father’s second family just visited the wake and the burial in secrecy.

After the burial, the reading of the last will and testament was done in the family room of Monreal Mansion. Iya and her mother were left with the ownership of Monreal Mansion, El Coco Company, El Coco Farm, and the shares in ACI, while Lavinia, Zar, and Leanna were left with the ownership of their house and lot in Bergaz and several bank accounts.

El Coco Farm, one of the largest coconut plantations in the State of Nidiria, the coconut capital of Filipinas, belonged to Monreal Clan for generations. The farm lay in Bergaz, a town in Nidiria to the east of Ivoire City.

Don Jose Monreal had established the farm. He had inherited an extremely large amount of money from his Spanish father along with the big mansion house in Ivoire City, the capital of Nidiria. He had bought that big parcel of land in Bergaz and started growing coconuts and other fruit trees.

His eldest son, Don Benito, inherited the farm. It was in his time that a big farmhouse had been built at the center of the farm. The farm also was one of the largest producers of copra in the entire country.

Eleazar, the only son of Don Benito, had taken over after his father’s death. In his time, he established El Coco Company, one of the biggest processing companies in the State of Nidirai. The company specialized in processing all by-products that could come from all parts of coconut, like timber, pawid, coconut gel, soap, coconut oil, handicrafts, furniture and many more. When he entered politics, he had his lawyer, Atty. Raul Cortez as acting CEO of the company.

The truth about his father's other family had finally come out when they contested his last will and testament. Her father's other family wanted El Coco Company, El Coco Farm, ACI shares and the mansion for themselves instead of the very large amount of money they got.

But Iya had to keep them for herself because it was her father's wish, which he stated in his personal letter to her –

Dearest Sweetie,

First, I would like to apologize if you only got to know about my other family only upon my death. I was afraid to lose your love if you ever found out about them. I am sure your Mom has already explained to you about my other family. But I also wanted to let you know that I love you very much and, even if your Mom may not be my first love, I have learned to love her as well, for she was an excellent wife to me as well as an excellent mother to you.

Your Mom and I had you when I had already ended my relationship with Lavinia. From then on, I had just focused much more on your Mom, you and my political career. But I never forgot my responsibilities as a father to Zar and Leanna. I have provided well for them even after my death.

Their materialism and bitterness might cause them to question the inheritance I left to you and your Mom. You will eventually have them because that is what your Mom wanted. In the event that they question my last will and testament, I would want you to never give up El Coco Company, El Coco Farm and ACI shares. They should all stay in the family. I know your interest is in medicine and not in the coconut industry. Nevertheless, I want you to safeguard the company, the farm and the shares.

A merger between Angeles Coconut Industries and El Coco Company would only be realized if you marry Bry. With ACI being a bigger company than ours, Bry will own 60 % shares and you will have 40 % shares in the merged company. Bry will manage the merged company for you and you can use the dividends from your 40 % shares on anything you want to spend them on. Bry is the only person I trust to help you out with El Coco Company and El Coco Farm. My lawyer, Atty. Cortez had just acted as CEO in my place during my tenure as Governor, but I still have the last say on everything regarding the company, which I now passed on to you. Please consider marriage with Bry.

Love,

Dad

Iya shared the contents of the letter with her mother.

She asked her mother, "What will I do, Mom?"

Her mother stated, "I know how much your Dad trusts Bry. Anyway, he has already expressed his intention to you. I don't think there is any harm in following your Dad's wish for you to marry Bry. You're not getting any younger, sweetie. You're already twenty-seven years old. In a few more months, you'll turn twenty-eight. You shouldn't just focus on your medical career and your charity work but settle down as well. The idea of having grandchildren excites me too. If you really don't like Bry, then be ready to take over the leadership of the company."

She voiced out her misgivings, "But Bry is a playboy, Mom."

Her mother pointed out, "He has never dated anyone but you since his grandfather died. I think he's serious about you. Maybe you should talk about the merger with him."

"I really don't know if this is a good idea, Mom," she voiced out.

Then her mother asked, "Don't you feel anything special about Bry?"

She confided in her mother, "Well, he is good looking, I may say. He is also a perfect gentleman around me. He has never made any pranks on me since we met again, unlike when we were still young. I like him as a person, but I want to marry for love. And I am just used to him as a godbrother. I am not sure if I will be able to fall in love with him the way you and Dad did."

"I understand," her mother then asked about Eleazar's other family, "So what shall you do about the petition of your father's family regarding his last will and testament?"

She answered, "The mansion, the company, the farm, and the shares will stay with us. It is Dad's wish. They got their fair share of their inheritance as well. Even if they are older than me, you are still Dad's legal wife and I am his only legitimate heiress. I had already talked to Atty. Cortez. Dad had already instructed him beforehand on what to do should this scenario happen. Also, in the meantime, until I haven't decided on the merger, Atty. Cortez will teach me the ropes around the company and the farm."