Chapter 7: Loathing Maia

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.