MEANT FOR EACH OTHER

CHAPTER 3: Her Enemies

July 2, 2016. Saturday. Bry visited Iya at Monreal Mansion.

In all honesty, Bry was also quite shocked by all the things that happened the previous week. His godfather died. His godfather's other family came out, received their inheritance, and contested his godfather’s last will and testament.

His thoughts were like – I agree with Iya that there could have been some sort of foul play about the death of Ninong. But why is Ninang just letting Ninong's other family have their ways? I must help Iya with what she and her Mom are facing right now. Ninong's other family really had the guts to contest the last will and testament.

His godfather's other family had been kept hidden from the public life of his godfather. But with his godfather’s untimely demise, they were out to create havoc with his godfather’s legal family. During those trying times, Bry wanted to assure Iya of his support.

After the pleasantries, he opened up the topic regarding the petition of her half-siblings regarding her inheritance, “Ninong’s other family had already involved the local press regarding the unfairness of your father’s last will and testament. And the political rivals of your father's political party are enabling them.What is your plan regarding it?”

She opened up, “Everything is still a shock to me, Bry. Dad died. I discovered my parents did not marry for love but for political reasons. Although they learned to love each other before they had me, it will still not change the fact that Dad has another family who hated my mom's and my existence. Then his death is still mysterious. He always has his meds with him so he can take them immediately if he somehow feels the possibility of a heart attack.”

He shared, “I was surprised as well. Ninong and Ninang had kept the whereabouts of his other family very well. But they are now out in the open,” and then asked, “Do they have a claim on your inheritance?”

She answered, “Atty. Cortez is still studying everything.”

He suggested, “Atty. Mallari might be able to help him out if needed. He is very experienced regarding inheritance matters. If you also need my help, don’t hesitate to ask. But as far as I know, a legitimate offspring is entitled to inherit twice as much as any illegitimate offspring.”

“I bear that in mind,” she acknowledged.

Then he asked, "How about the ongoing police investigation? Did they see an angle of foul play?"

She said, "Dad's bodyguard was apparently not inside the house when he was talking to that other woman. So he cannot tell whether there was foul play or not. So my suspicion that Dad was stopped from taking his meds cannot be justified."

He asked further, "What is the reaction of Ninang to all of these things that are happening to your family?"

She answered, "Of course, Mom wants to fight them by all legal means possible. But if there is no evidence, then we cannot sue them. As for them contesting Dad's last will and testament, Atty. Cortez is already reviewing the pre-nuptial agreement between Dad and Mom. I did not even know they had one. A lot of things about my parents' marriage have indeed shocked me."

"I am as shocked as you are." Then he made an inquiry, “So what are your plans regarding the farm and the company?”

She answered, “For the meantime, I will slow down a bit with my medical career. Atty. Cortez will teach me the ropes. He had already expressed that he wanted to focus more on his law practice and his family. Dad left me two choices regarding it – I either take over the helm or agree on a merger with ACI.”

He knew what the merger could mean. A personal letter regarding the merger was left to him by his grandfather. He asked her, “Will you consider the merger with ACI?”

She responded with a question, “Are you aware of the clauses included in the merger?”

He answered, “Yes, I am aware of them.”

She asked further, “So, you know that we have to get married for it to be possible?"

He affirmed, “Yes, I know.”

She then decided to ask him, “So, what is your stand on it?”

He imparted, “If you agree on it, then I will not disagree.”

She wanted to confirm, “It would also mean that I will just be a silent partner regarding the merged company. And are you just fine with it?”

He was torn whether to tell her or not regarding the marriage clause in his grandfather’s last will and testament. He then said, “As I was informed, the merger had been considered even when we weren’t born yet. Our grandfathers as well as our fathers, who were the best of friends, wanted to join the two families in marriage. The decision will be ours. If you decide to take over the helm of your family's company, then it also includes active involvement with ACI. The two companies would stay as separate business entities. As for my personal stand on it, I am courting you, so it is already quite obvious.”

She divulged, “I am still undecided with regards to it. I do not want to marry for any other reason except for love.”

He agreed, “I also want to marry for love, Iya. As a matter of fact, I do not see you anymore as my godsister. I am genuinely attracted to you.”

Her response was, “My physical appearance has just improved a little, but I am still that godsister you grew up with. Your attraction towards me will soon fade once you see someone better.”

His reaction was, “I do not think so.” He felt challenged. It was the first time he courted a lady. He did not expect it could be this hard.

All the women he dated in the past were the ones who approached him and made the first move.

In his mind – Is my attraction towards you already leveled up into something else? Am I already in love with you? Will my attraction towards you indeed fade away once I see someone prettier? How will I know my real feelings for you, Iya?

And so he decided to put himself to a test. He flew to Missi that night. He hung around with his friends and they went to Club Zenith. He did see ladies far much prettier and sexier than Iya. A lot of them approached him too and flirted with him, but they had no effect on him anymore.

Leanna Monreal happened to be there as well. She was with her brother and her brother’s wife. She got a pretty face and a sexy body, but Iya was far much better than her in all respects.

To his utter shock, Iya’s half-sister flirted with him.

Leanna approached him and whispered to his left ear, “Alone?”

He replied casually, “Nope.”

She asked, “Where is your date then?”

He responded, “I came with friends.”

She was bold enough to ask, “Want to have a hot night with me?”

He smiled and declined, “Sorry, I am not interested.”

He was already aware that Iya’s half-sister was a liberated type of woman. She had been playing the field in search of a wealthy husband. He would not be that man for Leanna Monreal.

He had flirted in the past with her likes. Such time was already behind him. Things had already changed. He did not feel happy playing around anymore. Iya had definitely made him deeply enamored for the very first time. And he would do anything to have her as his wife.

That night, he stayed in his executive suite at ARC – Sourisse City. Before, he would not go out of the club alone. He would be with a lady whom he would have a one-night stand with and they would head to the lady’s place or somewhere else private.

He needed to prove his sincerity to Iya.

His thoughts were – You must believe that I am already a changed man, Iya. You should see me as a man that you could depend on… a man that you could possibly fall in love with. Love? Am I really falling in love for the first time?

The following day, Bry saw Leanna from afar with his university fraternity brother, Conrad Silva, at his club. Conrad is a successful businessman, who owned an employment agency. Conrad’s sister, Courtney, was one of his past flings. Courtney was also with them.

He and Conrad were not very close. So there was no point in greeting him, especially when he was with two women who could ruin his chances with Iya. He was already on his way to the rooftop to board his helicopter. Atty. Mallari had already messaged him regarding the results of the private investigation.

When he reached Angeles Manor, Atty. Mallari arrived shortly after.

The lawyer said, “The results of the investigation aren’t very good.”

He asked, “Why? What did the private investigator find out?”

Atty. Mallari answered, “Lavinia has a brother involved in illegal activities like drugs, gambling and assassination. This brother had been seen paying her a visit recently now that Eleazar is gone already. She might have some evil plans regarding your godfather’s legal family.”

He asked the lawyer, “Do you think she has that capacity to do unlawful things to exact revenge?”

The lawyer said, “I am not sure but you need to warn Dr. Aurora and Dr. Iya. Lavinia seemed to be acting without her offspring’s knowledge. Zar had already moved out of their house when he got married two months ago to a former fashion model, Vanessa Dee. Leanna had been working in Missi since she finished college. She just recently resigned from a prestigious advertising firm and started her own.”

He decided to message Iya first – I will go and visit you home. I have got something to say regarding your Dad’s other family.

She called him up.

He replied – Yes, Iya.

She told him in a very anxious voice – Bry, I am on my way to the hospital right now. Mom’s vehicle had just been ambushed on her way home from the church. I cannot deal with you today.

He responded – I’ll be there.

She uttered before ending the call – Okay. Bye.

Iya was in a panic when Bry reached the hospital. Her doctor-relatives and hospital employees were trying to pacify her.

As if a little child, she hugged him when she saw him and told him, “They will not even allow me inside the operating room. I need to know that my Mom will be fine. I just lost Dad. I cannot afford to lose Mom as well.”

“You need to calm down, Iya. Let us go somewhere private. We need to talk,” he said in a calming voice.

Iya led him to her mother’s office.

As she wiped her tears, she asked, “What will you tell me regarding Dad’s other family?”

Bry expounded, “I had already asked Atty. Mallari to hire a private investigator to dig deeper with regards to them. A week before Ninong died, we would often converse. Your Dad has always told me to look after you if ever he is gone already. I did not expect his demise to be so soon. Going back to the investigation, I received the results today. Lavinia Tecson could have possibly been behind the ambush. She had recently reconciled with her brother, who was a leader of a crime syndicate involved in drugs, gambling and assassinations. We need to tighten your security as well as your Mom’s.”

She was shocked, “Why are they making my life so stressful?!”

Bry offered an explanation, “Perhaps because they felt that you and your Mom were the reasons why they did not become Ninong’s legal family.”

She was so devastated, “What shall I do now?”

“I am here. You can always count on me. I will already make arrangements for tighter security for you, your Mom, your home, the farm, the company and this hospital,” he told her. “I will do everything to keep you safe, Iya.”

“Thank you very much, Bry. I really do not know what to do right now. My mind could not function very well in the midst of all this havoc,” she reached his hands.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, “I will keep you and your Mom safe. That is a promise,” he said as he looked into her eyes with so much affection.

She lowered her head. She felt uncomfortable with his affectionate stare.

Iya’s phone rang. It was a phone call from Atty. Cortez, notifying her that there was a fire at the farm.

She informed Bry. “There is a fire at the farm.”

He told her, “I will go there. Stay here, but do calm down. This is your family’s hospital. They are your family. They would do everything to save your Mom.”

“No, I will go with you. I will not be able to calm down here. I need a distraction,” she said.

Aboard his SUV, they went to El Coco Farm.

When they reached the farm, they looked at the extent of the fire. The authorities were already done with their investigation.

The fire started in the kitchen of the log cabin mansion, but kerosene was also spread by the nursery near it. The nursery contained the new seedlings of coconut (macapuno variety) and other fruit trees that were scheduled to be planted on a newly-cleared vacant area. Together with the chief security personnel and the authorities, the CCTV footage was shown to them along with Atty. Cortez.

The CCTV caught the culprits, cousin and nephew of Lavinia Tecson, who worked as farm laborers. The culprits were immediately apprehended and cases were filed. The relatives of Airia’s half-siblings claimed that they acted on their own accord because they felt some injustice towards them and their relatives.

The local TV news had reported such an event in flash news.

Atty. Cortez allowed an interview with several local news reporters. In general, he stated that the ECC management would just let the justice system take its course.

Iya did not give any answer when asked by the reporters on the assumption that her half-siblings were behind the arson.

They returned to the hospital. Dr. Aurora was already out of danger as well as her driver/bodyguard, Herman.

Her mom’s vehicle was bulletproofed. When the attackers could not verify if the passengers were already dead, they bumped the vehicle until it fell down into the ravine.

Bry noticed how Iya cried from so much happiness upon seeing her mother alive.

Her mother looked at Bry meaningfully thanking him silently for his presence. He left the hospital room for a while.

He gave the mother and daughter some privacy while he made a phone call to his chief security officer. He asked him to hire more security personnel. He also called up Callix Valderama for the installation of CSS and CMOS on Monreal Mansion, El Coco Farm, El Coco Company and Maria Navarro Memorial Hospital at the soonest time possible.

On the other hand, the mother and daughter's conversation went like this.

Iya, holding on to her mother's left hand, which did not have the needle connected to IV fluids in both of her hands, said in tears, "I thought I would already lost you, Mom. Lavinia Tecson could have been behind the ambush. Bry had hired a private investigator. Her brother is the leader of a crime syndicate. Did Dad even know about this? Do you know about this? Her relatives even started a fire at the farm. Atty. Cortez had already filed the necessary legal suit against them. Bry also said that according to the private investigator, Lavinia Tecson seemed to be acting without the knowledge of her son and her daughter."

Her mother told her, "Stop crying, sweetie. You need to be tough. Your Dad and I knew about Leandro Tecson. He was one of the many reasons why your father had fallen out of love with Lavinia. She was tolerating her brother and even paying for his bail whenever he had trouble with the authorities, even asking your father to bend over backwards for her brother. But your father could not tolerate the crimes of her brother. Leandro had not been allowed to set foot in the State of Nidiria when your father was still alive. It seems that Lavinia wanted an all-out war with me. I don't mind losing or dying. But you need to stay safe and alive. The Vice Governor, who is now the Governor, is a corrupt public official. I have already asked your Uncle Anselmo to contact all of our political allies. He is still the Mayor of Ivoire City. So we will be safe here in the city. I also asked him to hire more security personnel for you and me. We cannot sue them unless we have concrete evidence to pin them down. So we can only protect ourselves from all of their possible attacks. Even if her son and her daughter had no idea about what Lavinia was doing, you must still not trust them to be kind to you. They contested your father's last will and testament after all."

Iya responded, "I will be cautious, Mom. You have got nothing to worry about."

Bry was already done with the phone calls when Iya approached him and said, “We need to talk. I want a merger.”