“What?!” Kate exclaimed in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing from her mother. “You want me to put her in danger even though I clearly told you she turned down his proposal?” She shook her head, staring at her mom in disbelief.
Caro chuckled and rolled her eyes. “She only rejected him because you were following her. She’s just pretending.” She scoffed loudly, causing Kate to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. “Tell me, who wouldn’t want to be married to Javier Reyes? Are there still girls like….”
“Such girls still exist, mom. I can confidently say that Natalie is one of them!” Kate interrupted her mother, already anticipating what she was going to say.
Caro looked at her daughter in disbelief, wondering why Kate didn’t want to see things from her own perspective. Why did her daughter always overlook the fact that Natalie always took away every opportunity that came her way from the first day they became friends? Why didn’t she want to see that Natalie was like an obstacle preventing her from having a good life?
“I wish you knew how much those two hate each other, you wouldn’t be saying such things about my best friend,” Kate muttered to herself, feeling uncomfortable with her mother’s remarks about Natalie.
Caro sighed and shook her head. “You’re too naive, and Natalie is taking advantage of that. It hurts me to see her taking everything that was meant for you, and you’re ignoring it,” she said sadly, trying to emotionally manipulate Kate.
Kate laughed softly. “Javier was never mine to begin with, so I don’t understand how Natalie is taking everything. You know I wouldn’t be where I am today without her help and knowledge,” Kate explained. “You should be grateful to her, not resentful.”
Kate, are you talking back to me now? I am aware that Natalie has been teaching you to be disrespectful, but I assure you, I will give her the piece of my mind when next I see her.” Caro shouted at Kate. She then went back to what she was cooking.
“You can scream all you want… because I know all this fuss was for me to extract money from Olivia after giving her this information but I won’t sell my best friend out.” Kate fired back and angrily walked out on her mother.
*******
The entire Reyes family gathered around the dining table for breakfast. Javier and Elvis were the last ones to join, as they walked down the stairs to join the rest of the family.
“Good morning, girlfriend.” Javier playfully greeted his mother, giving her a kiss on both cheeks before taking a seat beside her.
“Good morning, my love,” Helen playfully responded, running her fingers through his hair. He smiled in response.
Javier paid no attention to his father, completely ignoring his presence. Only Elvis acknowledged Reyes, while Javier harshly ordered the servant to bring him breakfast. The servant promptly served him coffee.
As Javier took a sip, he quickly spat it out, his eyes bloodshot. “Who made this coffee?” he demanded, placing the cup on the table. The rest of the family paused their eating, sensing an impending drama.
“What’s wrong with the coffee, Javier?” Helen asked, confused by his anger.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Javier threatened coldly. Suddenly, five female servants appeared in front of him, causing Javier to furrow his brow in confusion. “Which one of you made my coffee?” he dangerously demanded, glaring at each of them.
“W-we all made the coffee,” the first servant stammered, pointing to the others.
“What do you mean, you all made his coffee?” Elvis chimed in.
“Well, you see… Yonna left the Mansion because she wasn’t feeling well… But she never taught us how she usually makes your coffee. So… we combined our ideas to make it,” the second servant explained calmly, keeping her head bowed in fear of Javier’s anger.
Elvis and Fabby burst into laughter, finding it amusing that five servants would collaborate to make a single cup of coffee. However, their laughter was quickly silenced by Javier’s glare.
“And you all joined your brainless ideas and succeeded in poisoning me, is that it?” Javier taunted, while the servants shook their heads in disagreement. “You’re all fired. Get out of here,” Javier declared firmly, pointing to the door.
Suddenly, the door swung open and an elderly man, appearing to be in his late eighties with gray hair, entered. He was accompanied by a young, handsome man who helped with their luggage.
The entire family turned to see who had arrived and were surprised to see their grandfather, Pa Inder.
“Grandpa!” Fabby exclaimed excitedly and ran towards him, embracing him tightly.
“Oh my goodness. Look at how much my grandchild has grown,” Pa Inder said, gently patting her back before letting go.
“But grandpa, why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” Fabby pouted.
“It was just a little secret between your father and me,” he whispered jokingly, causing the family to burst into laughter.
“Grandpa,” Javier whispered, moving closer to embrace him tightly. He rested his head on his shoulder, feeling all his anger dissipate. Javier was the happiest of them all because his grandpa was his second best friend. He supported and condemned any selfish actions or dishonesty from his father. Javier felt a sense of relief knowing that the only person who could scare his father was here to help him out of the mess his father had gotten him into.
“Look at my boy!” Pa Inder playfully tousled Javier’s hair before jokingly pulling his nose. “You’re a man now! You’re getting married in two months. I’m so excited,” Pa Inder exclaimed joyfully as he held Javier’s hand and pulled him to sit beside him.
“Congratulations, Javier,” Carlo, who had entered with Inder a few minutes ago, said. He stood tall and handsome, his muscular chest almost bursting out of his tight sleeveless shirt. His deep brown hair fell to the side of his face, covering his left eye, giving him a sexy look.
Javier quickly turned towards the sound of the voice and saw his cousin brother, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. They both went to the same high school, but Carlo went to Mexico to continue his education while Javier and Elvis studied in London.
“Carlo? Is that really you?” Javier exclaimed in disbelief, getting up and walking towards him, pulling him into a hug. Carlo returned the hug wholeheartedly.
“Yeah… I came because of your upcoming wedding,” Carlo explained, his gaze shifting to Elvis, who seemed unfazed by his presence as he continued to eat his meat after exchanging pleasantries with Pa Inder.
“You have become quite handsome, although not as handsome as me,” Javier playfully teased, pulling him to sit at the table.
“I know I can’t compete with you, brother.” Carlo replied, causing the whole family to burst into laughter except for Elvis.
The entire family gathered around the round table as the servant served their breakfast. As they started eating, Pa Inder asked everyone about their businesses. He then turned to Elvis, who was quietly eating his meal without saying a word.
Pa Inder was the first to notice his silence. “Elvis… I am incredibly proud of you. Your parents in heaven would also be proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the good work, my boy,” he praised, reaching out to pat his shoulder.
“He has been a wonderful son to me and a supportive brother to Javier and Fabby,” Reyes added.
“Thank you,” Elvis smiled.
Immediately, Carlo scoffed loudly, “Finally, the poor street orphan has managed to bring himself into the limelight, and he’s feeling on top of the world because everybody is showering their praises on him. Impressive,” he taunted, quickly pretending like he never said a word as he focused on his food.
The word ‘orphan’ sounded like a thunderstorm in Elvis’ ear as he angrily clenched his hands into fists. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he quickly raised his hand to wipe them away. Elvis felt disappointed that Carlo hadn’t changed one bit. He couldn’t believe that Carlo had grown up with this nasty and dirty attitude. He didn’t understand why Carlo found joy in taunting him about his dead parents.
“Just so you know, no matter how polished you look, you can’t cover up that street smell that hovers around you,” Carlo added, scrunching his face in disgust as his eyes filled with pure hatred. “I wonder why you invited him to this house. He doesn’t belong here.”
“Enough, Carlo! I thought you had changed,” Helen scolded.
“I also thought he had left this house a long time ago,” Carlo retorted, sending Elvis a murderous glare.
Suddenly, Elvis’ phone rang loudly, and he quickly stood up to walk away. Javier held his hand, but when Elvis flashed him a reassuring smile, Javier gently let go.
As Elvis stepped outside to check his caller, he saw that it was Garry. “Any news?” Elvis asked.
“Yes, boss. I know where Natalie lives, and I know where her shop is located,” Garry disclosed over the phone.
“Shop?”
“Yes, boss. She runs an art shop now, where she creates beautiful art designs.”
“Send me the location of her shop now. I’ll be there in a minute,” Elvis ordered, contemplating whether to go back inside the house. However, Carlo had succeeded in ruining his mood, so he decided to meet Natalie first. He quickly got into his car and zoomed off.