Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun blazed brightly, but the man named Esteban didn't mind. He whistled as he wandered through the market. Many eyes glanced his way, silently judging him for his worn-out clothes that were practically hugging his body from old age, with small holes here and there. But he paid them no attention. Although he wouldn't admit it, he had grown accustomed to people's disdainful looks.

He quietly waited for the gift he bought at a stall. After a few moments, the woman seller approached him, holding his purchase.

"Thank you," he politely said to the woman before turning and heading home. He smiled as he glanced at the gift he had specifically gone to the market for.

"Señorito." He stopped in his tracks when a man in a black tuxedo suddenly blocked his path.

Esteban frowned, his face full of confusion as he wondered who this man was. "I've come to fetch you. The Montecillos need you," the man said.

Esteban took a step back at those words, gripping the plastic bag tighter. The name the man mentioned was like a nightmare, one that he despised.

"Who are you? Ahh... I don't care who you are, and you're wasting your time coming to get me because I'm not going with you."

"My name is Flavio. Your grandmother sent me to fetch you and bring you back to the mansion." Stephen grimaced at Flavio's words.

The mere mention of his grandmother by this man was enough to make Esteban realize that she needed something from him. The old woman wouldn't waste her time looking for and sending for him unless she had something big to ask of him.

'She needs me because her favorite grandson is missing?' he thought, laughing bitterly. They only ever looked for him when they needed something. The memory of how his family had cast him aside still stung, and to this day, he felt the pain of their scorn, as if he wasn't part of the family.

With a determined and serious face, Esteban faced the man. "Leave. You won't get anything from me." He was about to walk away but turned back to Flavio. "Tell your boss she's made the wrong choice. I'm not going back to that hell she's in."

Flavio remained silent as Stephen walked away. The young man sighed deeply, knowing how stubborn one of Doña Agatha's grandsons could be. "He's no different from his brother," Flavio muttered to himself, shaking his head as he watched Esteban walk off without a backward glance.

***

Meanwhile, a beautiful young woman waited, visibly annoyed.

"Where is that man?" she muttered irritably. She had been dressed and ready for some time, but her husband, Esteban, had yet to return.

Her name was Hadrianna Lazaro, or Anna as everyone called her. She was Esteban's wife. They had been married for three years, and for three years she had endured their situation. She had been against marrying him from the start, not even knowing him before they were wed. But she had followed her father and grandfather's wishes.

"You're so late! Where have you been, Esteban? We're going to be late!" she snapped when he finally arrived home, drenched in sweat as if he had been running from something. "And why are you so dirty? What happened to you?"

"I just bought a gift for your grandmother," Esteban replied, lowering his head. He discreetly sniffed himself, embarrassed by his appearance.

"You shouldn't have wasted your time. She won't accept that gift anyway."

"There's nothing wrong with buying a gift for your grandmother, Anna," Esteban answered seriously.

Anna just shook her head as she looked at her husband, irritated by his reasoning.

"Change your clothes and hurry up! Everyone is waiting for us there! You're such an embarrassment to bring along!"

Esteban remained silent, hurt by her harsh words.

He knew Anna had long been displeased with him, and even though they were married, she treated him differently. There was nothing he could do, not even complain, because Anna was all he had left now.

She was the only person he could come home to.

Anna didn't speak to her husband during the ride to the venue, where her grandmother's birthday party was to be held. Señora Rosario was Anna's grandmother, and her family was the second wealthiest in all of Laguna. Given their status, she knew that her grandmother's party today would be nothing short of grand.

"Don't do anything stupid here, Stephen. If you don't know anything about certain matters, just stay quiet," Anna whispered to Esteban. He didn't reply, as she had said the same thing every time they attended an event in the city.

As the people in Señora Rosario's mansion chatted among themselves, a man walked in arrogantly, holding a gift. It was Frederick Lazaro, one of Anna's cousins, who seemed to do nothing but irritate her and Esteban.

"Wow! Good evening to you, cousin—" he glanced at Esteban, who didn't even acknowledge him, "—and to your trash."

"What's your problem?" Anna asked indifferently, her eyes scanning the room.

Instead of answering Anna, Frederick’s gaze landed on the gift Esteban had brought. He laughed, thinking the cheap wrapping revealed that it contained something far less valuable than the gift he was holding.

"What’s this?" Esteban stood up abruptly when Frederick snatched his gift. "You’re giving trash as a gift to Grandma? Are you that stupid? She’s just going to throw it away. You’ve wasted your spare change, Esteban!" Frederick laughed mockingly.

But Esteban remained unfazed, watching as Frederick slowly opened his gift.

With just one glance at Frederick’s bag, Esteban could already tell if it was real or fake.

"Look at mine. This is the most fashionable bag in town. It’s a brand-new release from overseas. I bought this from a prestigious shop in Manila." Frederick grinned, showing off his bag to everyone, bragging.

Esteban shook his head and smiled before approaching Frederick. "Are you sure that bag you bought is real?"

Frederick's forehead creased at Esteban's words, and even Anna glanced over.

"If you look closely at that bag, it certainly looks expensive and like it's from a famous brand. But look." Esteban took the bag from Frederick's hand, surprising him even more. "Didn't you notice that the tag is just stuck on, like the ones on the original design? It's obviously a knockoff."

"What are you talking about? Are you crazy?" Frederick protested, but the nervousness on his face was clear. Esteban's words were true, but Frederick couldn't understand how he knew such things. It only made him more furious.

"Aren't you afraid Grandma will get mad if you give her a fake bag?" Stephen teased.

"I bought an original bag! You're just trying to ruin my reputation in front of everyone!" Frederick insisted.

Esteban just smiled. He knew that Señora Rosario was skilled at spotting genuine bags, and he was certain Frederick would be caught trying to deceive his own grandmother.

"You don't know anything about these things, Esteban. Don't try to drag my son down," Frederick's mother said as she approached them, her husband, Frederick's father, in tow.

"The way you act, you think you have something to boast about. You're nothing compared to my son because you're just trash in this family," Frederick's father chimed in.

Stephen remained silent. Even if he told them that his mother was one of the country's top fashion designers and had an eye for spotting fakes, they wouldn't believe him. They would just laugh at him.

"WHAT is going on here?" An elderly voice suddenly interrupted.