CHAPTER 5

"How are you mom?" Philip asked as he kissed his mother on her forehead.

"I'm fine...and you?" 

"Okay." He said and sat down beside her.

"How is dad responding to the treatment?"

"He isn't responding well, he's dying fast."

Philip kept quiet for a while and turned to his mother, "Why didn't you tell me that dad was sick?"

"I... didn't want to make you sad. It would have interrupted your life."

"It wouldn't have interrupted my life. It's because you didn't want me to fall short of your desire. That's really cruel."

"You wouldn't have been able to cope with the news."

"You can't decide that for me. Even though you are my mother, you can't decide how you want me to feel."

Maria looked at her son with obvious anger in her eyes. "I suffered for you, I did all I could to bring you to this point where you are. So I have the right to decide what goes on in your life, I decide what stays and leaves in your life."

Philip stood up and walked out of the house without saying another word. He knew she was right but he was fed up with her domineering attitude. The fact was that he didn't want to disappoint her or make her regret suffering for him. He wanted to make her proud always.

Ella entered the room where Clara was working on a painting. It was good to see that Clara had finally found someone who put a smile on her face after a long time.

"It's beautiful," Ella said with her mouth open wide.

"I haven't even started. This is just my first touch on the painting."

"It's still beautiful."

"Thank you."

"So, when are you going to start working for the CRUZ company?"

"I don't know yet. Uncle Mathew submitted my application to Philip so, I will be going for an interview on Friday."

"That's really cool. You are moving fast towards your goal."

"What goal?"

"Getting into a relationship with Philip."

"Oh...no. That is not how it works. His mother will not even allow it."

"These things always work out, trust me. You might not know now, but when you start finding out that you love him, you will do anything to stay by his side."

"That's very funny. Who did you fall in love with?" Clara asked with a smile.

"No one," Ella replied keeping her face straight and unreadable.

"You sound like someone in love...do t tell me that you fell in love with..."

"That's none of your business." Ella said walking out of the room as fast as possible.

"Ella!" Clara got up from her seat and chased Ella. 

After reading some of the written presentations, Philip sighed and kept his pen aside. Then he checked his watch, it was almost time for his interview with Clara. 

He was the one that chose to interview her because he wanted to know her better and how she worked well with people.

"Maestro Philip, es casi la hora de su entrevista con la señorita Clara." His secretary, Carmen said through the phone. She was a Spanish-speaking lady who found it hard to speak English but Philip employed her because he preferred hearing Spanish to English. He couldn't speak it clearly because he had grown up in California all his life. His mother was a true Spanish-speaking woman who didn't hesitate to use it whenever she wanted. 

"I will be there." He replied.

"De acuerdo." Carmen said and cut the call.

Philip got up and left his office with his laptop. When he entered the interview room, he saw Clara seated in a sit. She was elegantly but modesty dressed. She stood up immediately she saw him and greeted him.

"Morning. How have you been?" He asked while keeping his laptop on a table. 

"Fine...and stressed out." 

"Relax, it's just an interview."

"That's what my best friend told me but it was too hard for me to take this interview casually."

Philip smiled and gestured for her to sit down, "I will just begin with a simple statement. Tell me about yourself."

"Myself...oh...I am the only child of my parents...though I have not spoken to them for some years now..."

"Why?"

"Because they don't care about me...and I accepted it."

"Okay."

"I grew up in Italy, I schooled there before I came here in California for college...but I was expelled in my first year for forging and stealing another person's painting."

"Did you?"

"No. I couldn't defend myself at that time because it was very obvious that I did it."

"Did you tell your parents?"

"I did but my mother didn't believe me, so she cut me off...I had to do whatever I could to survive. I worked for hours daily just to fend for myself and pay my bills. Some months later, Uncle Mathew found me and took care of me...but I didn't go back to college."

"Dr. Mathew was a friend of your father right?"

"Yes. He and his wife were very kind to me."

"So, you worked in various companies with your designs and paintings right?" He asked looking at some documents.

"Yes, that's right."

"Then, tell me about your temperament."

"I talk too much... I know it's obvious." She said with a shy smile.

"Yeah."

"I am an extrovert, I relate well with people and work well with them...I actually can't work alone except when I'm painting but when it comes to office work and teamwork, I relate well to that."

"When you're working on something and it fails, what's your reaction?"

"I simply try again. I am not usually a quitter."

Philip nodded and closed his laptop."Thanks for your answers, I will tell my secretary to get back to you on Monday with my decision."

"Okay, thanks."

Philip nodded once again and left the room while Clara stood up and closed her eyes for a second. She was desperately in need of air. She wished that she didn't talk about her expulsion from school, that was a bad record that she had always wanted to hide. She didn't know why she felt comfortable telling Philip all those things. She guessed that he would definitely include that in her record. "Oh, when will I stop talking too much." She asked herself.

"How was the interview?" Dr. Mathew asked.

"Fine...I talked too much." Clara said with a sad countenance.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him about my expulsion from school."

"You really talk too much...but all you have to do is to be patient. What was his response after the interview?"

"He said that his secretary would get back to me on Monday would y his decision."

"Are you scared?"

"I desperately need this job, I don't know what to think."

"Calm down for a while, he will get back to you on Monday, that's what he said."

Clara sighed and drank her coffee after it was given to her. She wasn't used to going to a coffee shop but this occasion demanded it.

The terrible news about Manuel Cruz's death spread like wide fire. His burial was on a Sunday and people came from all over the world to honor his death. Maria cried continuously because she could not bear to see her husband's dead body. Philip had to control his emotions and console his brother who didn't mind crying. 

The passing of a great businessman and a good father was so humbling. The other businessmen at the burial could not recover from it even after leaving the burial. The good reputation of Manuel Cruz was so strong that nobody could wish him death, not even his enemy.

Clara was present at the funeral and she also cried. She remembered the day when Manuel visited Dr. Mathew at his house and when Manuel saw Clara he stood up and extended his hand for a handshake. Clara shook him with excitement and showed him her paintings. Manuel was impressed by her work and he promised to send an invite for her so that she could display her talent. He did as he said.

For the first time, she stood in front of a thousand businessmen to present her work and everyone loved it. Some days later, one of the men who had attended the party called her and told her about a contract. If she could produce three paintings in one month, then she would receive thirty thousand dollars for her work. That was when her career started. All because Manuel saw her and gave her a chance to showcase her talent.

When everyone had gone, Philip stayed back and knelt down in front of the grave and cried. All the tears that he had been holding were pouring out of his eyes. Clara wanted to approach Philip and console him, she wanted to embrace him and tell him that all was good but she realized that was best to leave him alone.

"Go talk to him." Dr. Mathew said approaching Clara.

"He's in a bad mood."

"He needs someone."

Clara nodded and walked towards Philip, then she knelt down beside him. 

"I should blame him for not telling me about his sickness but I guess it's too late." He said but Clara kept quiet. 

"It seems like I am under a curse." He said.

"You are not under a curse. No parent would want to see their child suffering."

"It's hard to believe." He said. Clara didn't know what Philip meant by that but she guessed that it was his mother, he was referring to.

Philip got up and walked away from the grave. He was a shattered mirror hiding inside a box and he hoped that he would be able to pick up his pieces and put them back together. Unfortunately, this was the tail end of the thread and there was no going back for him. There was no way that he could repair those pieces again. 

Clara watched him enter his car and the driver drove off. She was devastated within her, the desire to find her way into his heart and repair it was burning inside of her. She was slowly realizing that Philip was someone who took care of everyone else and left himself to suffer. 

Maria stayed inside her room all day without coming out, she lost all appetite for food. She was slowly sinking into depression but she didn't realize it. A knock on the door woke her up from her subconscious thoughts and she stood up to open the door.

"Mom, a friend wants to see you." Henry said and walked away. Nobody was in the mood to talk to each other, three days after Manuel's burial.

Maria went downstairs and saw her close friend waiting for her. They hugged each other happily after a long time of seeing each other.

"How have your been Sofia?" Maria asked.

"Yo lo he estado haciendo bien y tu?" Sofia asked.

"I have been stressed after my husband died so, I am not doing very well." Maria replied after they sat down.

"I'm so sorry for his death, it must be so hard for you to cope. Como esta maestro Felipe?" 

"Philip is doing fine...he hardly showed his emotions after the burial. He has been working a lot lately and he hasn't spoken to me for three days."

"He is trying to cope, so let him be. Losing a father is not a small deal, it means a lot. Henry seems to be coping well."

"He's not."

"Lo siento mucho. It isn't easy for you but you have to be strong for both of them. Your husband is dead now, so you are the one in charge. You have to look after things."

"I know, I will recover soon."

"I hope Philip is concentrating on his work. He has to make the CRUZ company a better one than his father did."

"Being a CEO isn't easy for him but I believe that he will excel at it."

"You have labored and put yourself in Philip. Don't let him disappoint you."

"He won't."

"You know that once a lady comes into his life, he won't respect you anymore. That's what happened to my son. He fell in love with a lady and didn't respect my decisions again regarding the company. The lady is the one deciding how the company runs."

"That's cruel. No es agradable."

"It is cruel. The lady seduced my son and he foolishly fell for her. She controls him and the company now. Even though I have the biggest shares, I am not allowed to decide in the roundtable."

"Ay dios mío. What are you going to do now?" 

"I don't know, that's why I'm telling you. Don't allow your son to fall in love with any lady that you do not like, if not you will end up like me. Eso es todo."

"I will make sure to heed your advice. Gracias."

"I will get going now. It's nice to hear from you again." Sofia said.

They hugged each other and Sofia left the house.

Maria sat down and pondered on what Sofia had said. She wasn't willing to give up her son to anybody yet. She feared that another lady would come into his life and take him away from her. She was never going to let that happen not while she was still alive.