Siena read the attachment of Adalfo’s testament for one more time. Every flower name written was found in Adalfo’s greenhouse, except for one. What was Drumbrazil? She creased her brows again.
It was Saturday, one day after Damien handed over the testament, and Siena was in the greenhouse now. Determined to solve the riddle given by her adopted grandfather, she observed the flowerpot one by one according to its name written on the paper.
She lifted the first stone flowerpot, it was Amaryllis. Was there a message on the bottom side of the pot? There was nothing.
She turned the pot from side to side. It was clear, nothing written on it, except for the carving which was the part of the pot design.
She exhaled sharply. Did she have to pull out the whole plant one by one, to see inside the pot? Was it possible that Adalfo hid something in the soil? Her hand reached out in hesitation.
“Grandpa, I wonder what kind of game this is all about,” she complained.
Eventually she decided to pull out the Amaryllis plant. Her delicate fingers scraped the soil inside the pot, going faster and faster, until finally she poured out the whole content of the pot onto the greenhouse floor. There was only black soil in it.
“Oh my gosh! Not fun at all!” She felt as if she wanted to slam the stone pot onto the floor at the same time. What an absurd message!
Siena crouched, gazing at the soil scattered from the pot. “If only I had not promised Grandpa to take care of everything he left to me,” she murmured. “I wouldn’t have had to do this ridiculous thing.”
Massaging her temples with her fingers, she mumbled, “Think, Siena, think…! What exactly did Grandpa mean? There must be a clue….”
Had Adalfo ever given her any clue or hint? She knew Adalfo loved planting flowers, but it seemed that there was nothing special with every flower planted by Adalfo in this greenhouse.
She rubbed her hands onto her jeans, trying to brush the dirt off. Then she took out her cellphone from her pocket.
“Amaryllis….”
She typed the flower name into the search engine. The results were various definition and history about the red and white-colored flower, but what was the correlation to Adalfo’s inheritance?
“Let’s try this one, Drumbrazil….”
The results appeared were all about music instrument, a Brazilian samba drum!
“This is ridiculous!”
It suddenly crossed her mind, what if Adalfo was just trying to prank her? With her mind full of assumption, she turned her body around. She was just about to step out of the greenhouse, when she heard a loud voice familiar to her.
“Siena Chan…!”
“Imelda?”
Siena was surprised to see her two best friends, Imelda and Brian, walking toward the greenhouse. She immediately hid the attachment from Adalfo’s testament behind one of the big pots, the closest one to her. Damien had warned her to let nobody know about the testament and the attachment.
“Why don’t you guys tell me that you are coming?” Siena greeted her friends.
“Woo…. So now we must ask for your permission before coming?” Imelda protested.
“That’s not what I mean….”
"Wow! Look at the garden, it’s so large!” Imelda screamed all of a sudden, admiring Adalfo’s garden. “Tsk, tsk, tsk…. You are the luckiest person ever, Siena Chan. Suddenly you become a billionaire!”
“Don’t say so, Imelda…. Come on, let’s sit there,” Siena suggested, pointing at the gazebo.
“Cheers Café misses you, Siena…,” said Brian, as they sat on the sofa.
Siena smiled wryly. Ever since she stayed in Adalfo’s house in Beverly Hills, she could no longer go to Cheers Café, the café where Brian worked. She had also resigned from her job at Angels Daily online media, all because of Adalfo’s last wish.
“I miss your green tea latte too, Brian….”
“Only my green tea latte?” It felt like Brian was trying to tell her about something else. He raised his brow.
“I miss both of you,” Siena added. Her hazel eyes locked into Brian’s eyes.
“No, it really doesn’t matter. I like it more when you stay here. So I can come here whenever I like. I saw a swimming pool over there. Next time, remind me to bring my swimming suits. Please tell me that I can swim here, Siena, please?” Imelda kept on babbling, ignoring Brian who was staring at Siena intensely.
“Of course you can –"
Before Siena could finish her words, Imelda had stood up and dragged Siena’s left hand. “Come on, Siena Chan! Show us around this grand castle! I haven’t seen everything.”
“What? Hey, slow down…!”
Unable to refuse, Siena reluctantly followed her best friend. Brian was tailing behind them. They walked across the garden, kept going through the left wing of the house, where there were living room, family room, dining room, and kitchen.
They continued striding to the right wing of the house where more private rooms located, such as study room and bedrooms. Imelda could not stop praising in amazement.
“Everything is in jumbo size! And look, there’s the second floor!” Imelda’s voice echoed in the luxurious grand house.
“Stop acting like a child, Imelda!” Brian scolded.
“Who cares? I never pretend anything. If I am amazed, I will say it out loud!” Imelda retorted fiercely.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to be like this!”
“Cut it off, you two…! Let’s just sit near the pool….” Siena broke up the fight between her friends who easily debated over many simple things.
They sat on the chaise lounges at the side of a large round swimming pool. Cool breeze blew from the side yard covered by big trees. It was the end of autumn now.
“Tell me, Siena, what are you busy with now?” Brian asked.
Beep! Beep!
Siena’s cellphone beeped. She gestured toward Brian and answered the coming call.
“Hello….”
“Siena, don’t forget our appointment tonight. I’ll pick you up at six PM…,” Damien’s gentle voice greeted her.
“Sure, Damien…. Of course I remember our party tonight.”
Brian instantly fixed his piercing gaze on Siena, his brows creased. Who the heck was Damien?
“What about the dress code? I mean, what should I wear? Oh, fine…. Yes, I’ll be waiting….” Siena hanged up the call.
“Who’s calling?” Brian asked quickly.
“It’s Damien, Mister Adalfo’s lawyer. Tonight I’m going to the anniversary party of La Paradise Hotel, one of Mister Adalfo’s hotels.”
“Oh my! You’re a crazy rich person now, Siena!” Imelda giggled.
Imelda kept on chattering, while Brian was staring at Siena with a feeling of sore in his heart. He felt like he was missing Siena whom he knew, Siena whom he could talk to and hang out with, despite of any status.
“What are you thinking about?” Damien’s question took Siena back from her drifted mind. They were sitting in a limousine driving them to La Paradise Hotel. “Oh, nothing, I’m just –" “Are you nervous?” Siena bit her bottom lip. “Yes, a little bit nervous….” Damien stretched his right hand, took Siena’s hands and held them. “Don’t be nervous, you’re a brave girl. Besides, you look so wonderful tonight,” he praised Siena, who was wearing a cherry red midi dress with off-shoulder model. The dress clung to her body in all the right places, showing her beautiful figure, making Damien unable to turn his gaze away. Siena found it hard to respond. But something in Damien’s warm touch made her heart skip a beat. He was such a nice person, willing to acco
Alfonso and Gloria stepped into a white Audi car. Alfonso drove the car quickly, leaving La Paradise Hotel. After silence reigned for a moment, Gloria turned her face to Alfonso who suddenly became voiceless. “So that was Siena Mori? She looked so different tonight. Huh! She must have spent old Adalfo’s money to afford for expensive cosmetics and glamorous dress. But still, she looked so old-fashioned, not worthy to be a billionaire,” Gloria taunted. Alfonso remained silent. He rubbed his stubbly chin with his right hand, trying to take Siena’s image out of his mind. “Honey Bear…,” Gloria started whining again. Alfonso reluctantly turned his face to his woman. “I saw the way you looked at Siena. You’re not drunk, are you? Don’t tell me that you find her beautiful….” Alfonso chuckle
Siena zipped her suitcase closed. Everything she needed was already in the suitcase. Now it was time to prepare her sling bag. All she needed were her purse, passport, private stuffs, and the photograph of Adalfo and her mother which she always brought anywhere with her. In two more hours, Adalfo’s private jet would fly her and Damien to Dubai. Suddenly she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, as if someone was running to her bedroom. Knock! Knock! Siena opened the door. “Lucio? What is it?” The loyal butler was standing in front of her. His face somehow looked pale and sweaty. “Miss Siena…,” he stuttered. She creased her brows. “What happen, Lucio?” “Mister Alfonso Garcia is waiting for you in the living room.” &nbs
Flashback: Two months ago. Siena walked in a hurry along the pavement crowded by pedestrians, and entered a café at her left side. The glass wall café was dominated by soft pastel colors. It was just seven thirty AM, but the café was already crowded by customers enjoying their breakfast. “Welcome to Cheers Café!” a friendly voice greeted. “Good morning, Brian! My order, please…,” Siena replied, flashing a smile to the barista standing behind the counter. The man with oriental look was smiling warmly, forming a soft crease near his eyes. His lean body was just a little bit taller than Siena. His black hair and black irises typical of Asian combined with his chubby face made the man look warm-hearted and friendly. “Green tea latte, less ice, ready to go. You’re late
Flashback: Two months ago. Siena arrived at a tenth floor building locating couple blocks from Cheers Café. Angels Daily office was on the eighth floor of the building. Though it was just a small company, but Siena really enjoyed her job here. She also made a good living. Well, not a luxurious living, but the satisfaction was more valuable than the amount of her salary. “Siena! Hold the door!” A scream was coming from outside, when Siena was already in the lift. Siena immediately pushed the ‘open’ button. A girl at her age ran hastily into the lift, with a backpack on her shoulders, a paper cup in her left hand, and a plastic folder in her right hand. It seemed like she was having a difficult time to bring all her goods. “Thanks, Siena Chan! You’re the best!” the girl greeted, chuckling.
Flashback: A month ago. CRAAACKK!! Alfonso Garcia smashed his own cellphone onto his desk violently. It was not shattered, but at least the screen would be cracked. He was not even bothered anymore. The pain was suffocating him. He felt as if his heart was burning. He had just finished reading the article on Angels Daily column, nothing else but the article about Adalfo Garcia’s life story, his grandfather. He could hardly believe it, why would Adalfo willingly reveal his life story on a media like that? It was just not his grandfather’s common behavior. What made Alfonso enraged the most was Adalfo’s honest confession about how his grandfather had become the reason behind his parents’ separation. This was Adalfo’s confession: “It was I who should be bl
Flashback: A week ago. A black limousine stopped in front of a luxurious house in Beverly Hills. Siena rushed out from the car. Adalfo sent his private driver to pick her up. He wanted to see her immediately. Heart pounding, Siena frantically ran to Adalfo’s bedroom. Lucio said Adalfo had been lying in his bed for the past two days. She knew Adalfo had coronary heart disease, and he had undergone the bypass surgery once. But his condition was getting worse lately. “Grandpa…,” Siena called out, standing in front of Adalfo’s room. Her heart was racing, her chest was moving up and down trying to breathe. Adalfo lay in a jumbo size bed in the middle of the large bedroom. He turned his gaze at Siena. “Hi, Siena…. Come…,” he requested in a weak voice.
The most challenging journey in your life is the journey to find yourself.*****Back to the present time.Siena was sitting with a somber face in Adalfo’s private jet. Alfonso was on another seat, not far from across her seat. But she knew his piercing eyes kept glancing at her several times from the moment they sat, as if he was scrutinizing her.Her cellphone suddenly rang. “Hi, Damien….”“Siena, what are you doing?!” Damien sounded panic. “You can’t go to Dubai with Alfonso! He’s dangerous! I’m heading to the airport now! You must wait for me! Don’t leave without me!” he instructed.Siena glimpsed at Alfonso. He was looking back at her with a mischievous smile on his face.“Damien, I’m sorry. I can’t expla