CHAPTER 7: Divorce Papers

-=Ang's Point of View=-

It wasn't until the cab driver informed me that we had arrived at our destination that I even realized we had arrived home.

My mother gave me a warm greeting as soon as I walked inside the house. I excused myself politely and headed straight for my room, locking the door behind me.

While lying in bed, I still couldn't brush off the thought of Miranda and her lover. Yes,  in my mind, I knew that Miranda was betraying my brother, and some images made it hard for me to calm down.

I imagined them in a private place being all cuddly and maybe doing something more; however, it turned out that I was overthinking when I later discovered that Miranda also arrived home that night.

The following morning, I decided to head out to start my responsibilities in managing the family company. It was too early when I got there, and when my mom's husband got to the office, he appeared off guard, seeing me in the office.

"You should have told me that you would be here," he said.

"I've decided to accept your offer to work here," I said earnestly, not quite taking into account that he was married to my mother and Anthony's dad, but still not quite.

"I'm glad to hear that, but what about your work with Henry?" he asked.

"I've already talked with Henry and told him about my decision to resign, and he respected my decision. So, is the position still available?" I asked.

"Yes, it's still yours, and since you already accepted the offer, it's time for you to meet our staff," he said with a smile while I remained poker-faced.

That day, he gave me an introduction to the team, as promised. A few were acquainted with me from my prior employment with the company before I decided to go to Australia and join Henry's team.

I went directly to my office for the day after that. However, I decided to give my friend Lucas a call before learning more about the specifics of the business.

I called Lucas and requested, "Lucas, can you prepare a divorce paper for me?"

"Obviously, but I had no idea you were married," he said, sounding confused.

"It's not for me; it's for my younger brother, Anthony. If you could stop by to discuss what I need to know about his divorce from that woman, I want to make sure she doesn't get anything from our family," I stated forcefully, and after ending the call, I tried to focus on the documents and files in front of me.

I lost myself in everything on my desk, not even thinking about lunch until Andres patted my shoulder to say it was time.

Even yet, since he isn't my biological father, I couldn't picture myself calling him dad.

He smiled and said, "Join me for lunch," so I said yes. Even after being married to my mother for years, especially after living overseas, I still hadn't completely adjusted.

"How was your first day?" he asked.

"It went well."

He sighed deeply, and then I heard him say it once more. His somber inquiry, "Ang, do you still not accept me into your family?" made me feel even more uneasy.

I said, "My mom is happy because of you, and that should be more important than what I think," and shut up. 

After we finished our steaks in silence, I excused myself to go back to work, which he agreed on, but even after I walked away, I could still feel his gaze.

He watched me go silently, but I disregarded him and hurried back to the office, where Lucas was waiting, after leaving the restaurant.

He grinned and said, "Long time, no see, pal. You didn't tell me you were back in the Philippines."

"Sorry for not telling you. A lot has happened," I stated, asking for my temporary assistant to bring us drinks.

"That's fine. I am aware of you and Atilla. How are you?" he queried, clearly concerned, but I refrained from requesting him to back off, knowing his intentions were good.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I told him, feeling a strange sense of reality in my words. Perhaps because I was already thinking about another woman?

"Did you bring the papers that I requested?" I cut to the chase, and he gave me a brown envelope with all the paperwork I needed.

"Getting divorced will be easier since they got married abroad, and divorce is legal in the US. We just need the couples' signatures," he said.

I asked him strongly, "What about her not getting anything from my family once they were divorced?"

He said, "The marriage is legal, so she's entitled, but we can contest it in court. It'll be a lengthy battle," and I nodded, ready to wait to make sure she received nothing.

"What if she refuses to sign the divorce papers?" I asked.

He said, "We can find variables, like psychological issues or infidelity," which made me think of the latter.

"So, if I can prove she cheated, we can move forward with my brother's divorce, ensuring she gets nothing?" I asked.

"Yes" was the response I had been hoping for. I had an idea as soon as he left the office, but when I got home, I made the decision to have Miranda sign the documents first; maybe she would say yes without me taking any drastic action.

After that, I gave my full concentration to reading everything I needed to know. I had to speak with representatives from several company departments because there were a lot of things I didn't understand.

It was finally time to head home. As I quickly got into my car and arrived home, I saw Miranda enjoying the fresh air in the garden.

She had a calm, enticing face, but I could see that underlying it was a greedy lady. The idea of her betraying my brother, who remained unconscious, hardened my heart. I could never imagine losing him or someone taking advantage of my brother.

I firmly remarked, "Miranda, we need to talk," observing her look of surprise upon hearing me.

"I don't think there's any reason for discussion now, Ang. You've already made up your mind about me, so what's the use of this chat?" she responded with a serious voice.

"It's about your divorce with my brother," I said, which was not what she expected. The arrogance of her to think I'd stand by after learning of her infidelity against my brother!

"What are you talking about? What do you mean by my divorce from Anthony?" 

"You know what I mean, Miranda; you don't deserve my brother," I replied, and I tried to ignore the pain in her face after hearing my words.

"No! I'll wait for Anthony to wake up... I assured him..." she stated very seriously, but I disregarded her.

"Fine, then wait for Anthony. But what if he doesn't wake up?" I opposed a worry that was getting in as I considered the idea of losing my dear brother.

She stayed quiet in response to my question, so I tried to keep my cool so she wouldn't suspect anything.

"Okay, I understand, but I want you to be open about it. For now, I think we could have a truce since I believe nothing good would happen if we kept on having animosity with each other. We can still act civil when in front of mom and Anthony's dad," I offered, faking a smile.

She seemed unsure at first, but in the end, she agreed to my offer.

I turned aside, a deep smile slowly developing on my lips. I had a strategy in my head that I was certain would work.

I promised in silence as I walked inside, "I will make her fall for me, and I will make sure she can't deny what happens between us."