Chapter 2:

"M-Mr. Cervantes, what are you doing here?" Egon asked in surprise to the man in front of them. Athena remembered who the man was. He was the one she accidentally bumped into on the night she went to Egon's workplace to look for him. He was the man whose iced coffee she accidentally spilled on his clothes because of her.

Athena noticed that the man wasn't alone; there were two other men behind him who seemed to be his companions. The man didn't answer Egon's question, and instead, his gaze focused on her. "Ms. Athena Ferrer?" he asked.

"Yes? That's me."

The man was about to speak again when suddenly, Athena's stepmother arrived, accompanied by some business colleagues of her late father. "Mr. Euwenn Cervantes! You're here already," her stepmother greeted the man joyfully. The man turned his gaze to her stepmother, and she introduced herself, "I'm Mrs. Ferrer, Oliver Ferrer's widow."

"Oh, Mrs. Ferrer," the man said, and he shook hands with her stepmother. "My condolences for what happened to Mr. Ferrer."

"Thank you, Mr. Cervantes. Our family truly appreciates your visit tonight." The man nodded gently and just smiled, then his gaze returned to her. Her stepmother noticed this and spoke again promptly, "Mr. Cervantes, this is my daughter, Tierney," introducing her stepsister. She hadn't noticed that Tierney had also arrived.

However, the man only glanced at her for a moment, and once again, his gaze returned to her, stirring something in her heart for reasons she couldn't comprehend. "And she is... Athena Ferrer, right?" he asked while looking directly at her.

"Y-Yes, that's her," her stepmother replied. The man smiled at her and extended his hand towards her, slightly surprising her, and she looked at him with curiosity. "I am pleased to meet you. Your father has told me a lot about you."

"H-Huh?" She was momentarily stunned, but she quickly accepted the man's handshake.

"Mr. Cervantes, it might be better for you to come inside and see my husband's wake," her stepmother interjected, causing her to release the man's hand hastily.

"Sure, Mrs. Ferrer," the man replied, and finally, he turned away from her, walking inside with her stepmother and stepsister.

"Athena! Athena, are you okay?" Morgan suddenly approached her.

"Morgan..."

Morgan glanced at Egon. "Egon, what are you doing here?"

"Morgan, let Athena and me talk—"

"We don't have anything more to discuss, Egon," she interrupted her friend.

"Athena... aren't we trying to fix things between us—"

"We won't fix anything because we're done," she cut him off again.

"What?"

"Egon, it's clear what Athena said. You're done, so leave her alone. And if possible, could you leave this place? Show some decency, even a little, at her father's wake," Morgan told him.

"Morgan, don't meddle in this. Let us talk—"

"I will interfere whether you like it or not. Because I won't allow you to deceive and hurt my friend again," Morgan cut off Egon and held Athena's hand. "Come on, Athena," Morgan invited her, pulling her inside and leaving Egon behind.

"Thank you, Morgan," Athena said softly to her friend as they walked together. "I was trying to show earlier that I can handle it, but truthfully, my heart shatters every time I see Egon and Tierney." Morgan stopped walking and faced Athena.

"I even arrived a bit late. I'm sorry you had to be hurt again because of them." Morgan knew of Egon and Tierney's wrongdoing and deceit towards Athena. Athena shared everything with Morgan because she trusted no one else but her. "Does Tita Rowena know what Tierney did to you? Have you told her about her daughter's nonsense?" Morgan asked her.

"She doesn't know yet," she replied simply to her friend.

"Well, maybe it's better to let your dad be laid to rest first. You can deal with your sister afterward."

"But... I feel like I can't face her anymore."

"But what will you do if you all live in the same house?"

"I don't know, Morgan. I don't want to leave the house because... all the memories of my parents are there."

"Of course! Why would you leave your home? That's your parent's house. You can't just leave it."

"But I can't stand seeing Tierney every day. My blood boils at her, and I keep replaying how she and Egon deceived me," she confided in Morgan.

Morgan took a deep breath. "Why did you have to get an evil stepsister?"

"I don't know either, Morgan. I haven't done anything wrong to her since then. I loved and treated her like a real sister. But despite that, she still did this to me."

Their conversation paused as they saw Mr. Cervantes and his assistants coming out. He was accompanied by Athena's stepmother and Tierney, who now seemed to be smiling at the man for some reason.

"Thank you again for your condolences to our family," her stepmother expressed to the man.

"That's nothing," he replied simply.

"I know losing my husband is a great loss for you as well, just like his other business associates. But I still expect you to proceed with your original plans for our gallery."

"I will consider that."

"Thank you again, Mr. Cervantes."

After that, the man left, whom she assumed her father knew due to business things and the gallery.

The night passed, leading to the day when Athena's father needed to be laid to rest. Her eyes were swollen from continuous crying, while Rowena and her stepsister still looked impeccably put together.

Athena still couldn't fully accept that her father was gone. She was shocked by his sudden passing because she wasn't aware that he had been dealing with an illness. She thought he was healthy, so it was surprising to discover that he had a severe condition that eventually took his life.

Many people attended the funeral, but in the end, she was the only one left standing by his grave. Everyone, including her stepmother, had gone home.

She grieved deeply that night, spending the entire night at her father's graveside. The next day, feeling weak and exhausted, she returned home. However, to her surprise, she noticed other people inside their house engaged in conversation with her stepmother. Then, she saw Manang Lucia leaving with luggage.

"Ma'am Athena, you're back. Have you eaten?" Manang Lucia greeted her.

"You're leaving? Why do you have so many things with you? Where are you going?" she asked her with a series of questions.

Manang Lucia paused, seemingly unsure of how to respond. "Uh... don't you know yet?"

"Know what?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"Today is my last day here, Ma'am Athena."

"What?" she asked in surprise. "Why? Who is forcing you to leave?"

"There you are," her stepmother suddenly approached them.

"Mommy, did you ask Manang Lucia to leave?"

"Yes. I did. And not just her, but you too," she replied, sounding indifferent.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Athena, your father left us with many debts. And I have no other choice but to sell this house."

Her lips quivered in shock and disbelief at what she heard. "What? Did you sell the house? But you can't do that!"

"I've done it, Athena. So whether you like it or not, you need to leave. Don't worry, Manang Lucia has already sorted your things in your room before packing."

"No, mommy! You can't sell this house. I won't agree!"

"Athena, I have no other choice. It's your father's fault—"

"No! I don't believe what you're saying. Daddy wouldn't do this to us. Why would he have so many debts?"

"I don't know! Do you think I'm happy doing this? Athena, your father left us drowning in debt. If I don't pay off all his debts, they'll come after us!"

"But, mommy, not this house. Please!" Tears started to fall in her face. She couldn't bear losing their home, as it held the only memories of her parents. "I'll work harder. I'll pay off daddy's debts. Just please don't take this house away from me. It's the only memory I have left of my parents!"

"I'm sorry, Athena, but you have no choice but to leave this house," Rowena replied coldly.