Chapter 2 - The Leventis

"No! No way will I ever get married!" Bulyaw ni Isidore Leventis matapos i-anunsyo ng kanyang lolo na si Irnes Leventis ang gagawin nilang pamamanhikan sa bahay ng mga Palmer.

Irnes Leventis is seated in the middle of Idris, his eldest son, Idris' wife, Albina, and Isidore, his eldest grandchild. "I am not asking for your opinion, young man. You seem to not get it. You have no choice in this matter; you will marry Danley Palmer whether you like it or not," he said, leaning on his cane with his wife, Dianna Leventis, by his side.

"You've got to be kidding me; this is insane! This is completely insane! Just how much of my life do you want to control, ha? Was making me give up my music career not enough for you that you have to interfere in who I marry? Putangina naman, Lolo!" 

"Isidore!" exclaimed Idris, the eldest son of Irnes and Dianna Leventis.

Isidore glared at his father and asked angrily, "What? Are you going to tell me to watch my mouth again instead of standing up for your own son?"

"Calm down, Isidore," Isidore's mother, Albina Leventis, said calmly. "There is no need for you to raise your voice and curse your grandfather; let us discuss this calmly and rationally."

"Calm down? Ma! This old man just told me that I'm already engaged to someone I've never met and that I have no say in the matter, and you're still telling me to calm down? Hell, no!"

"Get your ass back to the couch, Isidore, and stop acting like a child throwing a tantrum! Act your age for God's sake!" Naka igting ang mga panga na muling saway ni Idris Leventis sa panganay na anak.

Isidore returned his fiery gaze to his father. "Then how do you want me to react, Pa? Do you want me to act happy and grateful just to kiss your old man's ass? No fucking way! I'll say whatever the fuck I want and do whatever the fuck I want right now, and I'd like to tell all of you that my life is mine to decide, not yours, and that decision of whether or not I'll get married and to whom is solely mine to decide!"

"Isidore, hijo, please calm down. We don't need to yell at each other. As what your mother said, we should discuss this rationally." Marahang sabi naman ni Dianna Leventis. Isidore has always had a soft spot for his grandmother. Kaya naman nang marinig niya ang pakiusap ng kanyang lola ay huminga siya ng napakalalim at pilit na pinakalma ang sarili. He sat down the couch again beside her mother na maagap na hinaplos ng banayad ang kanyang likod na tila ba tinutulungan siya nitong kumalma. "Now," Dianna Leventis said sternly to her husband, "explain to us what made you decide things on your own, Irnes; explain to us, and especially to Isidore, why you are so keen on forcing him to marry the young lady from the Palmers."

Ngunit bago pa man makasagot si Irnes ay inunahan na ito ni Isidore. "He just wants to take control of my life, Lola; that's all."

"Stop running your mouth, Isidore," Idris says, his teeth clenched. "Does respect no longer exist in your vocabulary?"

"Now we're talking about respect? Come on, we both know that word doesn't exist in this family; if it did, I wouldn't have to give up music and I wouldn't be engaged right now to someone I don't know."

"When are you going to get over your obsession with music? We're just leading you in the right direction, which is to become businessmen like us. You, fool, do you really think music will get you anywhere?"

Kumuyom ang mga kamao ni Isidore. He has always had a passion for music since he was a child. His ambition was to become a successful musician, and he was on the verge of achieving it when it was shattered by his grandfather and his own father. They forced him to quit his band and abandon music. He didn't want to do it, but his grandfather used his bandmates to threaten him. Irnes Leventis warned him that if he made a bad decision, his bandmates would suffer. Because his grandfather will ensure that none of his bandmates succeed, no matter how hard they try, and he does not want that to happen. He did not want to drag them into his family's mess, so he did as his father and grandfather demanded. He had given up on music. And now he's stuck working as a bank manager at Levenbank, which their family owns.

"Here we go again. Bakit ba ang baba ng tingin niyo sa mga musikero, ha?" Galit pa rin na tanong ulit ni Isidore sa amang si Idris.

"I am just stating a fact, Isidore. And you know I am telling the truth. Hindi ko nga alam kung ano ang pumasok sa kukote mo at gustong-gusto mo ang pag ba-banda, when our family can give you a job where you will earn millions every year!" Sagot naman ni Idris.

As Isidore prepared to reply to his father, Irnes Leventus interrupted him. Irnes Leventis shouted at his son and grandson to stop talking, "Enough! Both of you!" The Old Leventis' voice is angry, a sign that his remaining patience is about to run out, and the anger in Irnes Leventis' voice was enough to make Idris and Isidore unable to answer and remain silent. "How dare you both act like children in front of me? I didn't summon you just so you could act like children in front of Dianna and me! This is not how a Leventis should act!"

Irnes Leventis becomes dangerous when he is enraged. He becomes violent and will quickly decide whether to steal your fortune, which Idris does not want, or to make your life a living hell. But Isidore is no longer afraid of these threats. His grandfather's sudden announcement of his engagement is already shocking, and hellish. What could be more dreadful than that? 

"Of course! We, Leventis', shouldn't be acting like children because we're supposed to be jerks, assholes, and brutes, right? Grandfather?" mocked Isidore.

"Isidore!" Saway ulit ni Albina sa anak habang nanlalaki ang mga mata. Makikita sa mga mata ni Albina ang pangamba hindi lamang para sa sarili kung hindi para na rin kay Isidore. Albina wants her son to be on the good side of the old Leventis, but no matter what she says, Isidore refuses to cooperate. Isidore continues to do whatever he wants, which infuriates Irnes Leventis.

Everyone in the Leventis Clan understands that Irnes Leventis favors Isidore over his uncles and other cousins. They are also well aware that Irnes Leventis wishes to succeed Isidore. Irnes Leventis was being easy with Isidore because of this. If it was his cousins who disrespected and disobeyed Irnes Leventis, even if it was only once, they would be kicked out of the Leventis family immediately and without question. But, despite repeatedly disrespecting his grandfather, Isidore has never experienced this.

If Isidore had simply been obedient, if Isidore weren't so defiant, his grandfather would have already started preparing him to take over as their clan's next leader. Albina Leventis thought.

"Ako na po ang humihingi ng pasensya sa inaasal ng anak ko, Papa." Mapagkumbabang paghingi ng paumanhin ni Albina Leventis. 

Isidore scoffed. "Why apologize? I was just telling the truth." 

Binalingan ni Albina Leventis ang anak at binigyan ito ng masamang tingin, silently warning him not to say anything else that would ruin Irnes Leventis' night and mood even more.

Dianna Leventis let out a sigh of frustration. "Just tell us everything, Irnes, and don't make us wait any longer."

And because Irnes Leventis can already sense his wife's distress, he finally told them why he wants Isidore to marry Danley. "I want a great-grandchild from you, Isidore."

Natahimik si Dianna, Albina, at Idris. Nanlaki lamang ang mga mata ng tatlo at umawang din ang kanilang mga bibig. Tila ba hindi sila makapaniwala sa kanilang narinig. At habang tahimik at gulat pa rin ang tatlo ay nagsalita naman na si Isidore. He scoffed as he shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me. That's your only reason? Because you want a great-grandchild from me?" He shook his head again. "I can't believe you, old man; I can't fucking believe you!"

"You're already in your late twenties, but you've never, not once, introduced a woman to us; you don't seem interested in being in a serious relationship with someone, let alone getting married and having children of your own; so, as your worried grandfather, I've finally decided to make a move myself; if you don't want to settle down and fix your life, I'll make you."

"What?" Hindi pa rin makapaniwala na bulalas ni Isidore.

"You can't expect me to just sit and stare while my eldest grandson, who I expect to take over my role in the family, makes bad decisions and wastes his life and the opportunities I've laid out for him."

"And you think forcing me to marry an unknown woman will change my way of life? Do you really believe that an unknown woman will change my point of view and turn me into your puppet?" Isidore scoffed again. "Old man, you're thinking and talking nonsense. You know what? I'm done with this conversation. I'm out of here. If you want to go through the wedding and that pamamanhikan, then go. You can go take my place and marry that Palmer woman since it appears that you think highly of her because I won't. I won't let you dictate my life again." Isidore stood up and turned his back on his parents and grandparents.

"Leave and act stubbornly again, and your bandmates' careers will end immediately," Irnes Leventis said, causing Isidore to abruptly stop walking out. "In case you forgot, it was I who helped your bandmates' careers soar higher, and you know that I can also end it with a flick of my finger, so if I were you, you better make the right decisions, or all your sacrifices for your bandmates will be completely wasted."

Marahas at nanlilisik ang mga mata na nilingon ni Isidore ang kanyang lolo. "You, fucking demon." He said through gritted teeth.

"You can curse me all you want and call me a demon, a devil, an asshole, a jerk, whatever you want, but it won't change a thing. You will still have to marry Ms.Palmer whether you like it or not, unless you don't care about your so-called friends and bandmates anymore. Now, which one is it, my dear grandson? Will you marry the woman I've chosen for you? Or will you let your friends suffer the consequences?"

Mahigpit na ikinuyom ni Isidore ang kanyang mga kamao habang nag i-igtingan ang kanyang mga panga.

He had forgotten. He forgot that no one in their family could or should defy Irnes Leventis. Not because he is their grandfather and clan leader, but because he will use every trick in the book to get you to do what he wants.

"Fuck you," Isidore said, his jaw clenched, before turning his back on his grandparents and parents again and walking out of his grandfather's mansion in a fast stride, even though he could still hear his parents calling out his name.

Dumiretso si Isidore sa nakaparada niyang sasakyan. Kaagad niyang pinaandar ang kanyang kotse at pinaharurot ito palabas sa subdibisyon ng mga Leventis. Unlike the rest of the Leventis family members who live in the Leventis Subdivision, Isidore lives in a house that he chose and bought himself. A house that is not owned by his grandfather and is located far outside their family subdivision. It is one of the conditions he demanded in exchange for giving up his dreams and working for their family.

Nang makarating sa kanyang bahay ay kaagad niyang ipinark ang kanyang kotse sa garahe at pumasok na sa kanyang bahay. He ran to his house's bar, grabbed a glass and a bottle of whiskey, poured whiskey into his glass, and drank it all at once. One drink wasn't enough to soothe his rage and resentment, so he poured whiskey into his glass again and drank it quickly. 

"That fucking old man. That motherfucking demon!" he said, his grip on the glass tightening and his teeth gritting.

It's happening once more. His grandfather has done it yet again, and this time it is even worse. Because marriage is a life-long commitment. "He doesn't just want me to give up my dreams, huh? He wants me to give up my freedom as well, and he even used my bandmates as a threat again. How many times does he want to use them to control me and ruin my life?" scoffed Isidore, refilled his glass with whiskey, and drank it all at once. "And that woman, whoever she is, how could she have agreed to this so quickly without even having met me? Did that old jerk pay her? Was she after our name or was she after our fortune?"

Isidore could only think of those reasons. Otherwise, who in their right mind would consent to a loveless marriage? Especially to someone she has never met?

Danley Palmer. That is the first time he has heard that name. As far as Isidore recalls, none of his grandfather's business partners' daughters or granddaughters have that name, so she is not from their circle. But who Danley Palmer is and where she came from no longer matter to Isidore. He doesn't want to marry someone he doesn't know, but he also doesn't want to ruin his former bandmate's career, which is now at its peak. So he has no choice but to do what his grandfather wants. But just because he will marry the woman his grandfather wants does not mean that he is cooperating with them. Although the Philippines does not yet have divorce, there is still the possibility of annulment, and he will go to any length to ensure that his marriage to that Palmer woman reaches that point. He will make her life a living hell, and she will begin to regret the day she married him.