Chapter 4

At a famous and expensive hotel, a woman walked in dressed in elegant clothes and expensive-looking makeup. She wore layers of silver and gold jewelry. Her lips were painted red, and a luxurious hat adorned her head—she looked every bit the part of a wealthy señora. She sat across from Esteban, who stared at her without a hint of emotion.

She smiled at the young man, and though he didn’t show it, she could feel the joy she felt upon seeing him.

“My son…”

Esteban did not respond when his mother spoke.

She was Señorita Yvonne—his mother. The young man stared at the woman sitting confidently before him with a look of resentment. He wanted to ask right away what her purpose was for this meeting and why she even wanted to see him. Wasn’t it enough that she just drove Flavio away the other day?

“It’s good that you agreed to meet with m—”

“Just get to the point, Yvonne.”

Yvonne was stunned by how her son addressed her.

“What are you saying? I’m still your mother, Des—”

“Esteban… My name is Esteban. Call me Esteban.”

She was even more surprised by what she heard from him.

She didn’t expect that he had even changed his name. As she looked at her son—wearing worn-out clothes—her chest tightened with pain, but she didn’t show it. She knew Esteban didn’t want anyone to pity him.

“M-my son…”

“Cut the crap, Yvonne. What do you need now? How many years have passed, and it’s only now you want to show up in front of me?” Esteban asked coldly.

He looked directly at his mother, showing no trace of joy or affection. He was angry at her for everything that happened to him—from his childhood up until now. He despised his mother, and even though she didn’t show it, his words pierced Yvonne deeply.

“What happened three years ago was your grandmother’s decision—”

“And none of you did anything to stop it,” he interrupted.

Yvonne shook her head. “You’re wrong, Des… Esteban. I simply didn’t have the strength to go against the Montecillos.”

Esteban shook his head at her words. Whatever explanation she had no longer mattered. It was all in the past.

“What do you want? What does she want?” Esteban asked bluntly. Yvonne took a deep breath and looked straight at her son.

“She plans to build a new company in town... and she wants you to be the one to manage it.”

Esteban just listened. So he was right—his family was in need.

“Is this a test for me? Is the exam she’s been giving me over now? Did I pass, after all those three years without you by my side? Oh wait—not just those three years. You haven’t been there since I was a child.”

“My son, that’s not true.”

Esteban let out a bitter chuckle at her excuses.

“Do you remember when it was me and my brother’s birthday? Only his name was on the cake, and I was just there—standing at the side, watching your happy faces while you showered him with love. Yvonne, we were born just five minutes apart, but I never felt like I was your child too.”

Esteban’s chest tightened as he recounted the memory.

Yvonne turned her gaze away, the memory of that day returning to her as well.

“And when I was thrown out three years ago... I hoped you would fight for me because I was your son too, and her grandchild. But all I had was hope.”

“I’ll explain everything—”

“I don’t need your explanations. I just want you to know that you were a worthless mother, and she’s a worthless grandmother. No matter how hard I worked at home and in school, you never saw me. It was always about him.”

Esteban turned away and took a deep breath.

“If he were here now and not in jail, would you still have come to see me?”

Yvonne could no longer stop the tears that had long been building up.

“I-I'm sorry…”

“I’ll do what you want—not for your family, but for my wife. I don’t want her to experience the cruelty of this world. Don’t think that I’m agreeing because of you. You stopped being a part of my life a long time ago.”

After saying that, he stood up and walked out of the hotel.

Yvonne wiped her tears and composed herself. She took her phone and made a call.

“He agreed, Mom.”

“Good. He better not disappoint me—he has no idea what I’m capable of if he messes this up.”

Yvonne stayed silent, her son’s words echoing painfully in her chest. She couldn’t deny that she had failed as his mother.

The next day, heavy news spread throughout Laguna. It was about the new company that the Montecillo family planned to establish. They were looking for a new business partner for this venture, and the wealthy people of Laguna were already lining up to present themselves.

The name of the new company was Desmond Estate Corporation.

People began to wonder—why the unusual name? What was the story behind it?

Despite the rising number of new businesses and the decline of others, many believed that their town would soon become one of the most prosperous cities in the country.

The Lazaro family was in the business of supplying building materials, so they assumed the Montecillo family would invest a large amount in their company. The unmarried women of the Lazaro clan couldn’t sleep from the excitement brought by the news. All of them dreamed of marrying a Montecillo, even though they hadn’t met one yet. After all, who would refuse a wealthy stranger if it meant getting married? It would finally be their chance to experience the life they had always dreamed of.

On Monday, the entire Lazaro family gathered to discuss the big news they had received. Sitting at the front, in the seat reserved for the Board of Directors, was Doña Rosario. Her eyes swept over her clan, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Listen, everyone,” she began. “Nowadays, our competitors are growing in number. Just imagine if we lose this opportunity to boost our business—we should be leading this town.”

“Ma, we’re all tired. And we don’t even know who the owner of the new company is yet.”

“Exactly. That’s why we need to start figuring out how to win the favor of the new company’s owner.”

The Lazaro family was terrified of failing, because if they did, the whole town would look down on them.

Anna lowered her head when she felt her cousin, Frederick, looking at her with a sly grin.

“Grandma, we’ve got a lot on our plate at the company. Just look at Anna—she’s not doing anything. Why not give her the opportunity to get to know the owner of the new company?”

The room fell silent.

“Yes, she’s not really contributing much either.”

“She can’t just be a burden to the company while the rest of us are making sacrifices. She should be, too. Work harder.”

“Alright, let her do it, but...”

Anna looked down again as her phone vibrated. When she saw the name of the person who messaged her, she smiled. It was Esteban. The message was simple:

‘Don’t waste the opportunity. Fight to make that connection with the new company.’

She didn’t know why Esteban had said that, and her relatives were clearly embarrassed about what she was about to do. Should she go through with it?

“Anna, do you agree?” the old woman asked without even looking at her.

Anna had never done this kind of work before, so she didn’t know whether to accept the challenge or back away. She took a deep breath and looked the old woman straight in the eye.

“I’ll do it,” she said firmly.

Frederick smirked and looked at Anna.

“Don’t be lazy. If you mess this up and fail to meet or work with the owner, you’re in big trouble.”

“Yeah, this is an opportunity for you—but don’t get too happy yet. You haven’t done anything.”

“How about we have someone follow her to make sure she actually does what she’s supposed to?”

As Anna listened to the words coming from her relatives, anger rose inside her. She couldn’t believe they still looked down on her after all this time. She was part of the family too, yet they treated her like an outsider.

“Actually, that’s a good idea. Have someone watch her,” someone said.

The matriarch nodded, seemingly agreeing with what the others wanted.

“In that case, bring someone with you and report everything back to us.”

She couldn’t bear what she was hearing anymore. She clenched her fists and faced them boldly.

“Don’t worry. I can handle this alone, and I’m not lazy,” she said, locking eyes with Frederick, who was still grinning.

Her words silenced the room, but someone started laughing at her.

“Are you out of your mind? Everything we’ve done—you think you can do it too?” Frederick asked mockingly.

“That’s funny. Probably the funniest thing I’ve ever heard from you,” she replied, not backing down.

Even if the world turned upside down, she was still a Lazaro. And when their grandmother was gone, she was sure she’d still inherit something—even if just a small part.

“Well, you said it yourself—you can handle it. What if you fail?” Frederick asked tauntingly. “If you succeed, I’ll serve you. I’ll make you tea and water and call you Sister Anna.”

“Okay,” Anna replied simply.

“But if you fail, we’ll throw that trash Esteban out of the family.”