Chapter 8: The Price To Be Paid

Cassandra's POV:

Keljiesz fulfilled his promise to visit me. A few days after he make that call,

here he is, in flesh.

After a few years abroad, he's still charming and kind. I wonder why he is still unmarried.

Keljiesz took me to a fine-dining restaurant for lunch,the food was great but I felt uncomfortable with the ambiance. I preferred eating at any fast-food chains, with my current status, I am afraid Keljiesz would be dragged with this crisis. But it seems his unfazed by those insulting stares earlier.

Then we watched two movies at the Mall after lunch. I almost died laughing my heart-out while watching Romantic-Comedy film. Our stress-reliever since college days.

But anyways, he's still a total gentleman. He always open the door for me, pulled a chair so I could sat down properly and held the umbrella so I won't be soaked in the rain. Like he always do way back then. 

And now, he is helping me buy some groceries. He's in the wet section looking for meat. The reliable best friend of all time. 

I am at the Milk Section, choosing cheaper milk products.

"Which is much tastier? This or this?" I asked to myself while holding two different Milk brands in my hands and looking at its prices.

"Ate Cassandra?!"

I looked at my back and saw Beth.

"Beth? Oh my gosh! How are you?! I missed you!" I hugged her so tight. Gosh! I missed them so much!

"I miss you too, Ate Cassandra." she replied as she hugged back.

"It's really good to see you! I heard that classes are opening soon. Is that the reason why you are here?"

I excitedly asked.

"Yeah. I am buying my things for school. I am also looking for cheap biscuits for snacks when I saw you."

"Let's talk somewhere else. I'll just pay for these items on my cart and I'll treat you for snacks. I'll just message Keljiesz to meet us on the snack house."

I grab two boxes of the cheapest Milk in my hand and placed it on my cart. Pushed it towards the cashier and paid for it. I grabbed the recyclable bag and leave. I also paid for her chosen snack.

We looked for some place to eat and entered on one of the fast food chain at the Mall and ordered some food.

We sat on the opposite chair of the table. And started eating our snacks. My hands trembling, dying to know how they are.

"So, how are you guys?" I started the conversation, trying to calm myself despite the roller coaster of emotions inside me.

"Well, I am okay. But I don't know what nanay and tatay felt right now."

She said sadly. Clutching her fists out of anxiousness.

"What do you mean by that? Why did you say that your mom and dad is not okay?" My voice cracked, my emotions blurting out one after another—Fear, anxiousness, sadness.

"Nanay Susan, Tatay Danny and I thought that the new owner is a cold  monster. He imposed new set of rules that made everyone in the Hacienda suffer in isolation."

"Rules?!"

"Yuph! He imposed a curfew at nine, meaning we are not allowed to visit each others house before bedtime. No time for drinking coconut wines with them, bonding. No more time to unload our stress after a hell day of working under the unforgiving sun.

You know full well that that's they're way of resting. My father is not used to this kind of isolation from everyone so his health began fluctuating. You know how Tatay loves to bond with others.

If anyone was caught, it will be surely deducted to their salary. Or worse, be shun by them. But, we don't care about it. What we fear most was the second rule.”

“What rule?” I asked trembling.

“He also implemented the 'No work, No pay' policy. You know how long it will take take from the rice planting season to the harvest season. It took almost three to four months. In between those months, I'm afraid he'll be carrying more jobs than his body ever could to sustain our needs.”

“How about you sell the fruits from your backyards. Those plants were yours, originally. Those were planted for these difficult situations, right? And even the vegetables from the garden.” I tried to calm her down by giving options.

“It can't be done. All of those were now part of the inventory. The fruit bearing trees in our backyard? Monitored. The vegetables in our garden? For sale. Even the chickens and pigs allocated for occasions were kept for bidding. Our houses, it was free when you were still there. Now, we have to rent it. It wasn't ours to begin with, so we can't argue with it.”

By the looks of it, Beth is really trying not to cry in front o me. Trying to be tough in this situations.

“I am sorry that you have to go through those hardships. If it wasn't because of my Dad, you won't be mistreated this way.” I grabbed her hard.

“It wasn't your fault Ate Cassandra. We are not blaming you, they're just doing what they think is more profitable.

But that's not my concern. My real concern is, the planting season is nearly over. I don't know where will Tatay get the finances for my schooling after. Harvest season is four months away. That means Tatay will be jobless for four months.

I can't bear to see him to do the heavy construction job at the Hacienda. His too old for that.”

I became speechless for a moment

I can't believe what I am hearing.

“Construction works? That heavy job? Are you sure about that?”

"Yes. I heard that the jobless farmers will be assigned in helping it rebuild the Hacienda, especially the Manor. Then others building another stock houses. Some of them will be  laborers, construction workers or masons. How will a sixty year old man survive that kind of job?

My mother was also instructed not to touch anything in the kitchen, even if  it gets rotten. Unlike before that we can eat the leftover food to avoid food wastage.

I don't know how long we can endure it. "

Beth, though trying not to let her emotions known, is crying silently in her seat. I got up and hugged her.

"I—I  know this sounds selfish but I—I wish you didn't have to l—leave us." she said in between her sobs.

Her words struck me deep.

The Manor? Where my mom grew up?

Our family's pride and treasure will be reconstructed? Our heritage will be erased.

Why is this happening? How can my Mom possibly accept this reality?

Do I have to claim back the Hacienda?  But how?

“I also wish for that to happen.”

I am still hugging Beth when Keljiesz appeared.

Beth let go of my hand and dried her tears quickly. Afraid of getting embarrassed.

“How long have you been listening to our conversation, Jeisz?” I asked out of pure curiosity.

His expressions were dark, hands clutching hard his veins almost lost it.

                        * * * * *

“I–I'm sorry for eavesdropping earlier. I didn't mean to. I went out looking for you after I got your message. I'm afraid I would interrupt your conversation with her so I remained silent. But yes, I heard it all. ” he tried to sound casual this time but his eyes were screaming danger when we were at the Mall.

“No. It's okay. I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess.” We were at our house, having coffee. He insisted on coming with me despite the fact that we're not living at mansion anymore.

“Weʼre best friends, remember? You don't have to worry about me being dragged. So, what are you going to do now?” He sipped the instant coffee I prepared from his cup.

“I don't know. I want to move on and accept things but how can I move on with things like that happening. If Mom would find out that the Hacienda will be restructured, especially the Manor, she will freak out.

I guess, I'll just have to keep this a secret. Until she's fully moved on. ”

My mom is the only family I have left. Her hearing this might cause a heart attack. I can't take this another blow in our family.

*PAK!!! *

I quickly got up from my seat as I heard a strange noise outside the door and ran towards it. Quickly open it and froze as I saw a familiar figure outside talking to Mom.

“Dad? Mom!”

The air outside this rundown building felt heavy, thick with silence and dread. I stood frozen, my hands trembling, still unable to fully grasp the words my father had just spoken.

“I'm sorry if we lost everything.

The businesses… the lands… and the Hacienda.”

“I— I told you to stop gambling. I begged you, not the Hacienda. Not my parents place, my sanctuary. You promised you would protect it. You promised it would stay in our family forever.”

My father, Don Enrico, sat slumped on the dusty cement floor. Far from his wealthy demeanor.

His face was pale, his eyes red-rimmed and hollow. He looked smaller, older, broken. “I tried, Katrina. I tried everything to get it back. I gambled… and I lost. Everything belongs to Kyle Sebastian now. Every acre, every building, every single thing we owned. I'm sorry! Please forgive me.”

My mother slapped my father so hard his mouth bled.

Her face had turned as white as paper. Her hands flew to her chest, clutching the fabric of her dress right over her heart. Her eyes widened, filled with shock and unbearable pain, as if someone had just struck her.

“The Hacienda…” she breathed out, her voice barely a whisper, trembling with agony. “That land… it was where I was born. It was where I raised Cassie… where I buried my own parents. It is not just land, Enrico. It is our soul. How could you… how could you give it away?”

So, Momʼs anger was kept this long.  Her rage was keeping her sane all this time —the undenial, the unacceptance were fueling her. Until my father showed up and unload those grudges.

Mom took a step forward, but her legs seemed to lose all strength. Her breathing became short, sharp, and painful gasps. She looked at me, tears spilling from her eyes, her hand gripping her chest tighter.

“Cassandra… promise me…” she gasped, her voice fading, “Promise me… you will never let it go. That place… it holds my heart. If they take it… they take me too…”

“Mom, don’t speak like that! It’s going to be okay! We will fix this! We will reclaim the Hacienda” I cried, holding my mother’s shoulders tightly.

But Mom’s eyes rolled back. Her body went stiff for a second, then completely limp. Her hand slipped from her chest, falling lifelessly to my side.

“Mom! MOM! Jeisz! Help us! Please!”

With a soft, pained sigh that sounded like a broken breath, my mother’s knees buckled. She collapsed straight down, falling heavily into my arms, her weight pulling us both toward the floor.

“Katrina!” father shouted, scrambling up from the cement floor, rushing towards us.

I fell to my knees, catching my mother’s head before it hit the floor. “Mama! Wake up! Please, wake up!” I shook her gently, panic rising in my throat like bile. My mother’s skin was cold, her pulse faint and fluttering against my fingers. “Help! Jeisz, call the doctor! Her heart… it’s her heart!”

The building turned into chaos, but I barely heard my father shouting for help. I only looked down at the woman who had given me everything — the woman who loved the hacienda more than gold, more than status, more than anything in the world.

My mother lay unconscious, pale and still, and in that moment, I knew.

This wasn’t just about money or property anymore.

The Hacienda was my mother’s life. And if I didn’t get it back… I would lose my mother forever.

I stroked my mother’s hair, tears falling onto my face, and whispered a vow that burned in my soul:

“I will get it back, Mom. No matter what I have to pay. No matter who I have to face. Even if I have to sell myself… I will bring our home back to you.”