Clyden
“Good afternoon, Clyden Gonzalo. My name’s Richard Sevida, owner of Sevida Enterprises and Maia’s father.”My eyes widened in surprise. Maia’s father? Come to think of it, I never really heard of Maia’s last name. It never occurred to me that she could be the daughter of a rich conglomerate. I sat straighter and became warier.“Then what brings you here to talk to me?”
He scoffed. “I’ve already told you the reason. You have the guts to reject my daughter in front of the entire student body, yet you’re not even taking responsibility for your actions?”
I frowned. “What do you even mean? It’s normal for teenagers to get heartbroken. What makes your daughter an exception? Is it much of a sin that I don’t like her like that? I don’t even know her that well!” I said exasperatedly.
He brought out his phone and showed the video of me rejecting her circulating around the internet. What the hell?
“Do you really think that I’d come and find you just like that? Your rejection incidence has been posted on social media sites, and everyone is talking about it. For a mere commoner like you, this probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but for a family like ours, this signifies losses.”
“Then what do you want me to do?” I asked, feeling a little bit guilty for Maia.
He leaned back on his chair and took a sip from his coffee. “I actually thought of that question last night. What do I want?”
He tapped his fingers in his chin.“But pondering upon that question, it made me realize that I really don’t want anything from you. You don't look like you have much to offer anyways. However, you are someone that my daughter adores. Since I love my daughter so much, I’ve come up with a solution that she’ll love. And get this! My solution can also clear our family’s reputation as being rejected individuals. Now, what do you say?”
My eyes narrowed the more he spoke. “Cut to the chase. What do you want me to do?”
“Impatient as always.” He leaned forward and gestured me to come closer. I leaned in closer and anticipated his response. “I want you to marry my daughter.”
I backed away in surprise. Marriage? Is this guy insane or something? “Are you out of your mind? I’m not in the mood for jokes, Mr. Sevida.”
“I, as well. What I’m proposing is completely serious. Why do you think I even cornered you and brought you here if what I’m proposing is just a joke?”
We stayed silent for a while as I looked at him. After pondering for a little while, I could sense that he was being serious.
“No,” I said seriously.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No?”
“No, I’m not going to marry your daughter,” I said with resolve.
“Well, I was expecting that you’d turn down my offer, but I didn’t think that you’d refuse right off the bat. It’s a good thing that I came prepared and found something very interesting about you.”
Although I bluntly refused his offer, he still held a strange confidence that made me feel unsettled.
Seeing that I wasn’t planning to respond, he continued talking. “You see, with just a click of my finger, I already found out about your entire existence. Clyden Gonzalo. The perfect son of the Gonzalo family.”
He started tapping his fingers on the table while trying to intimidate me. “You’re what they describe as ‘perfect,' yet your family life is far from it. Your father left you at a very young age, so your mother was forced to fend for your family all by herself.”
I slammed my fist down the table. “I don’t want to hear this from you. What you’re doing is clearly an invasion of privacy. I could report you to the police, you know?”
He smirked. “Come on, listen to what I’ll be saying. And besides, who are you going to report me to? Let’s see if you’re able to beat me with your non-existent power.”
I felt defeated by his words, so I angrily drank my water.
“Continuing on, your mother became so sick that she couldn’t provide for your family anymore. As a result, you had to go back to your grandparent’s house and cramp up their already small household. However, you were fine! You’re grandparents provided for your family, and it seemed like things were finally going well. But, my oh my, your mother was diagnosed with Diabetes, and you now had to buy maintenance medication for her. That’s when the chaos started. Your sister dropped out from college, and you had to work every day after school.”
I stayed silent as I listened to him speak. Everything that he was saying is right, and it just dawned on me that we really have become a burden to my grandparents.
“However, that’s not all! Your mother also developed a complication from her Diabetes and is now on the verge of becoming blind. So now, your sister has to slave away in her work, and you have to sacrifice your teenage life for your mother.”
Deciding that I’d heard enough, I pushed away my chair and prepared to stand up. “That’s enough. I should have known better than to follow you here. All you did was state the obvious in front of my face. Pathetic.”
Before I could walk away, he stopped me. “Ah ah ah, are you not even going to listen to my proposition? I stayed up all night to come up with this, so give me a chance. I promise that after this, you can leave right away.”
I turned around and crossed my arms.
He let out a deep breath and looked me in the eye. “I’m giving you a choice. Marry my daughter, and I’ll pay for your mother’s operation; ignore my offer and let her go blind.”
I stopped in my tracks. He smirked at me and said, “Quite a good deal, right?”
My mother’s face flashed in my mind, and I almost agreed to his proposition right away. I shook my head and let go of those thoughts. My mother wouldn’t like for me to do this.
“No, thank you. I’m sure that we’d be able to find a way to get my mom operated on. Unlike you, there’s still plenty of kind people in the word,” I retaliated.
He chuckled. “Kind people? In this world? I don’t think so. Fine! You can do just that. But just know that it isn’t kindness that runs the world, but money and connections. If you choose to refuse my offer, then I don’t have any choice but to blacklist your mother’s name in the hospitals in the country. I’m sorry, that’s just the way life is.”
The more he spoke, the more hatred I felt for him and his entire family. What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment? All I did was reject a girl that kept pestering me for months. And now it has come to this? I smirked in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that Maia was like this.
I glared at him and said, “Why would you even give me a choice when you’re choosing for me in the first place?”
He leaned back and smiled. “I’m glad that you understood my intentions. I’m not going to take the day off just so things don’t go my way.”
He stood up and dusted off his pants. He walked closer to me and patted my shoulders.
“You’ve made a good choice, Mr. Gonzalo. I hope your mother will be delighted by her free operation.”
I clenched my fists in anger as he walked away from the coffee shop.
Clyden“So, where are you taking Maia today, Clyden?” Maia’s mom, Victoria, asked me once I entered the kitchen. I had just woken up while Maia was still in bed. I know better than to wake her up since she’s going to be grumpy all day if I do.I tilted my head to the side, confused. “Why? Is there a special occasion today?”She dropped her ladle and turned to me with wide eyes. “Did you forget?”“Forget about what?” I asked, still confused.She gasped in surprise and covered her mouth. “Come on. Think about it a little bit more. Today’s the 16th of January.”My eyes went wide when the realization came to me. “Shit,” I cursed under my breath.“Oh god! You really forgot! Haven’t you planned anything?”I shook my head and pulled my hair in anger. How could I forget our wedding anniversary?! What am I going to do now? M
KarlToday is an important day. My boss, Sir Clyden, just asked me for a favor. I refused at first, but when I heard about his reason, I had no choice but to agree.I was standing in a cornfield, talking to Maia about Clyden getting into an accident. This was all a lie, of course. This is just Clyden’s scheme to get Maia running after him like crazy.“Have you finished the call?” Clyden asked, emerging from the cornfield.“Yes, sir,” I said and handed him my work phone. “I’ll be sitting here and waiting for your signal. Just press the home button when you need me to turn all of the lights on.”“Good. Good,” he nodded his head. “Thanks for this, Karl. I’d give you a hefty bonus when we get back.”“Looking forward to it, sir!” I said and bowed.I pulled out my folding chair and placed it in between the corn stems. I scratched the
Maia There he was— Clyden, the love of my life, standing in the very middle of the road. The sun shone down on his face, making him have an indescribable glow. The sun was still shining, but his smile shone even brighter. I felt the wind brushing through my hair, but the cold had long been forgotten. The person right in front of me was the embodiment of the sun, and his warmth emanated just from his gaze, masquerading as a pleasant hug. The sight brought tears to my eyes. I came here knowing that Clyden had gotten in an accident, but this is just as tear-jerking as the thought of him getting hurt. He walked closer to me while I became a blubbering mess. “Why—What… Karl told me that you’re hurt. How could you even walk right now?” I stammered. He pulled me into his chest and comforted me. “Shh, Shh,” he said. “I’m okay. Don’t cry. I’m sorry,” he said while caressing my hair. I looked up at him from his chest and wiped off my tea
Clyden“Sir, when are you going back here? The board directors are already asking where you are!” That was the first thing that Karl said to me when I dialed his number.I sighed. “I know. I know. But I really can’t go there right now. Something very important came up, even much more important than the company.”“Why? What happened, sir?” He asked with a worried voice.I felt a smile creeping up my lips. “I’m going to be a father. Maia’s pregnant.”The line stayed silent for a while, and then I heard some things crashing down on the floor.“Karl, you okay?”“Oh my gosh!” He said in a high-pitched tone which made me raise my eyebrows in surprise. Karl cleared his throat and went back to his normal voice. “No… I mean. Congratulations, sir. It seems like you really have much more important matters to take care of. So, why did you call?&
Maia“I’m home, Maia. I’ve already booked you a check-up with the doctor for your first month of pregnancy.”My eyes widened in shock, and I kept still in my seat, not bothering to look at Clyden. His eyes were burning holes into my skin, but I kept my gaze on my mother, who was coming in.“Mom,” I said in a cautionary voice. However, my mom didn’t even notice the unusual presence in our living room because she kept on talking about my pregnancy.“Are you still having morning sickness? I had the doctor prescribe some medicine for you to help alleviate that. Do you want me to prepare it for you?” She asked.“Mom,” I said louder this time.“I’ve also noticed that you haven’t been sleeping these days. Maybe because Clyden isn’t around. I also had some troubles sleeping when I was pregnant with you and when your father wasn’t around. Maybe you could c
MaiaOkay. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to let Clyden stay here in the house. But, who could blame me? He was so smooth with his words, and he just told me that he loved me despite all of our conflicts in the past. Who wouldn’t fall for that?However, I am slowly regretting it since I couldn't sleep knowing that he was only a few meters away from me. I looked down onto my stomach and caressed it.“I’m sorry if mommy isn’t letting you have any sleep. Your daddy’s sleeping outside, so mommy’s nervous,” I softly whispered.Suddenly, the door opened, and I got a bit frightened. I held onto my chest and propped myself up with one elbow.“What the hell! You scared me!” I said, still holding onto my heart.He smiled sheepishly while holding the door open. “Sorry.”I sighed and leaned back on my side. “What do you want?” I asked.He let out a deep breath