Chapter 3

Surprise

My soft palms touched the letter the Valleros sent me. This was sent a week ago after their arrival from the States. I just heard rumors about the heirs looking for a suitable wife. I guess they want me now. Parang hiindi nila pinatay ang ama ko, ah.

I smirked as I fixed the hem of my fitted dress. I just sent a reply to them yesterday. And they have contacted me for a family dinner. They’re so formal. Hindi man lang nila personal na isinabi sa’kin na invited ako sa family dinner at secretary pa talaga pinasabi sa akin.

They are, after all, busy people. I’ve been handling my family business well but not as good as my father. May araw din na busy ako pero sa ganitong mga matters, iba ang prinsipyo ko sa kanila. Being the CEO is manageable. It’s stressful at times but it’s something I have been trained on since birth.

Hindi ko pa nasabi kay Mommy ang plano ko. I won’t kill them, that’s the most painless torture. I’ll just have to make them suffer slowly until they won’t handle the pain.

I sighed as I walked to my mother’s room. Simula noong namatay si Daddy, ganito na siya. She has trapped herself in her room and only goes out when she likes to.

“Mom,” tawag ko pagkapasok sa kan’yang silid.

She immediately faced me with disappointment evident on her face.

“You seriously want to get tangled with those people, Marizell?”

I sighed. Last night, I did a research about the Valleros kaya naintindihan ko si Mommy.

“I need to do it, Mom.”

“Alam kong gusto mong makamit ang hustisya ng ama mo, gusto ko rin ‘yon, anak… but… with the Valleros, it’s a no! Hindi ko hahayaan na makatapak ka sa pamamahay ng mga taong iyon.”

I bit the insides of my cheeks. Mukhang nasabihan na siya ni Gracy tungkol sa plano ko at ang bagong lead namin. If Gracy didn’t tell her yet, her reactions wouldn’t be like this.

“Hustisiya… I didn’t mention justice, Mommy.”

Napakunot ang noo niya. She narrowed her eyes on me at mukhang malalim ang iniisip.

“Revenge?” tanong niya.

I nodded.

Natahimik kami ng ilang minuto. Mom is not the type to seek for revenge. She’s the soft one in our family kaya nga nagkaganito siya simula noong wala na si Daddy. She’s against anything that is violent, bad, rebellious, just anything negative.

Kaya hindi ko inaasahan na pumayag siya sa gagawin ko. She just said yes! It only took her minutes to agree with my plans. But she also advised me to be careful.

Kinuha ko ang aking cellphone sa bulsa nang magring ito. I saw my grandmother’s name on it. I immediately answered it. Matagal na niya akong pine-pressure na magpakasal na. She’s calling me. Ibig sabihin, narinig niya na ang pagtanggap ko ng proposal ng mga Vallero.

“Hija! You didn’t tell me!” unang bungad niya sa akin.

“It’s business, Mamita.”

Pumasok na ako sa sasakyan. I glanced at Gracy on my left side. She’s wearing a beige bodycon dress. I think it’s from a luxury brand even when it looked simple. I just wore a fitting red dress. It has a long slit and my cleavage would be the highlight of this dress.

It’s just a family dinner but I just love being extra.

“I mean, you could have chosen another suitable man as your husband. You know, the Valleros are…” hindi niya matuloy ang sasabihin.

Gosh, I miss this old lady.

“Ako ang pinili nila, Mamita.”

“Wow! That’s something, hija. But are you really sure about this?”

Napatingin ako kay Gracy. She’s giving me this ‘you’re gonna regret this’ look. I rolled my eyes.

“I’m more than sure, Mamita.”

Sigurado na ako. Para sa aking ama. Kay Mommy. Sa aking pamilya kahit tutol sila. I mean, it’s only an engagement. I can still back out whenever I want. They’re doubting my decision. Natural lang. I mean, the Valleros would be good business partners but as in-laws? We’d doubt that.

It took at least thirty minutes to arrive at the residence of the devils, the Valleros. Their ancestral mansion is something different. I looked at the tall pillars of the mansion. It looked like a castle. Natanaw ko na ang bakuna ng mansion. There, I saw the matriarch of their family.

“This better be good,” narinig ko si Gracy when the matriarch of the Valleros is getting closer.

She looks lovely in her pink flowy dress. The crystals embedded in it made it look more expensive.

“I was never wrong on suggesting you to Hunyo. Good evening, ladies!”

Hunyo Vallero is my fiancé. So, she suggested me to her son? Tsk.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Vallero.”

“Please, it’s Tita Riona now. Mama will be after marriage,” she chuckled and I had to chuckle with her.

Napatingin ako kay Gracy na katulad ko, nagpapanggap lang din.

“This is Gracy Lopez, Tita Riona.”

We had a lovely conversation even if it was our first meeting. I’m surprised, I admit. Hindi ko inakala na ganito pala sila kagaling magpanggap din na mga mabuting tao. I smiled in each member of the family. I had to pretend that I’m interested.

Nahagilap ko ang natatawang mukha ni Gracy. She’s also comfortably talking with one of the Vallero siblings.

“I believe I owe you an apology for being late,” I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw a gorgeous man with a smirk. His smirk looked familiar that I thought of someone else for a moment.

I smiled. Well, it’s not that bad having a godly-looking fiancé.

“2 minutes late,” nagkibit balikat ako.

“Rumors were true. You are indeed ravishing.”

This family is indeed full of flowery words.

“Marizell Acevedo,” I handed out my hand.

He accepted it. I smiled sweetly. This man will suffer. This entire family will suffer.

“Hunyo Vallero.”

In the middle of our handshaking, I heard a piercing voice.

“You’re late!”

I heard a familiar chuckle that tightened my stomach.

“Just two minutes late, Nica.”

That voice…

My heart has never been so shaky. Trembling and… anticipating something.

“Mateo! I’ll introduce you to my brother.”

Brother?!

Hindi ako makagalaw. My feet are stuck in one place and my mind can’t seem to process what I’m thinking right now! Pakiramdam ko nawala lahat ng dugo ko sa katawan.

I turned around to see what was happening behind me. I glanced at two men smiling at each other. Kahit side profile lang nakikita, alam ko na kung sino ito.

“Marizell, this is my brother.”

I anticipated him looking at me. And when he turned his head in my direction, there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. Not so obvious but I could see it, clearly.

“Mateo Vallero. Nice meeting you…” he waited for me to say my name.

It took me seconds to respond. His hand waited for mine to accept it. Mapapanis na sana kung hindi ako natauhan.

I swallowed hard.

“Marizell Acevedo. A pleasure to meet you… Mateo.”

This is impossible. How can he be Teo?