CHAPTER 2 - LONG LOST GRANDDAUGHTER

Knock, knock, knock!

"Katleah! Are you completely deaf? Please open the door! I've been knocking for quite some time!"

"Yes, Mrs. Rosa, I'm already there. Just wait, and I'll open the door."

"What happened to you, and why did it take you so long to open the door? Do you want to hide something from me?"

Mrs. Rosa yelled as she pushed open the door.

"Mrs. Rosa, I have no reason to hide you. Why, what do you need?"

"Hah! Are you still asking? Have you forgotten? You still haven't paid your rent at home, and it's been two months. If you can't afford to pay, leave."

"Mrs. Rosa, please have mercy on me; I promise to make up for my two-month delay in payment this coming week. If you could just wait until next week, I could get paid then."

"What? Within the next week? No way! I'm immune to your pitiful charms now that I've granted you a two-month extension in the past; what were you thinking? How fortunate are you?"

"All right, Mrs. Rosa, this is the last one because I can't find a cheaper one anywhere except here at your house."

"Oh my goodness! Katleah! Just stop acting already! I'll put it off until tonight. Don't come crying at me if I have to kick you out if you still haven't paid me! I don't give a damn where you end up! I, too, am in desperate need of financial assistance, as I have numerous bills that require immediate payment. Remember Katleah, someone will rent out this room of yours tomorrow! If you still haven't paid me by tonight, I'll come tomorrow and take your stuff from the curb." At the same time, Mrs. Rosa turned away.

Katleah sighed as she returned her gaze to Mrs. Rosa, who was about to leave. She needs to find a way to get a loan to cover the rent. She sat on her bed, rummaging through her wallet. She was immediately disappointed to discover that she only had $500 in her purse. She'll work hard until she earns her first paycheck as a mall salesgirl. She has only been with the company for two weeks. Her first paycheck is due at the end of the month. Her problem now is where she can borrow to pay the house rent. Mrs. Rosa is still known for being a Tiger. She dislikes her boarders who do not pay on time. Katleah had already observed her landlady's behavior after four months of renting her home. She was not joking when she threatened to evict her the following day if she did not make a payment.

Meanwhile, at the Dela Vega President’s Office,

“This is the information about the woman you want us to look into, boss.” 

Marco took the envelope that James had given him right away.

"All right, James, get back to work."

James immediately obeyed and left his office. When Marco opened the envelope, he saw Katleah's pictures. He was immediately captivated by the girl's angelic and beautiful face.

The woman is stunning in appearance, bright in mind, fierce in spirit, and solitary in personality but wise in matters of the heart. Despite facing many challenges, she is a woman who does not give up easily. When she was just ten years old, an accident took her parents' lives. Her grandmother has been her sole companion since then. Unfortunately, her grandmother died of a heart attack just a few months after she graduated from high school. 

Marco couldn't figure out why he felt so sorry for the woman. She is the only one fighting the battle of life. He immediately regrets his initial judgment of the girl. He had no idea how much she was going through. He was only thinking about one thing right now: how to help her.

10:00 P.M 

Employees are gradually leaving the employee mall exit. Katleah had decided to return home first and attempt to speak with Mrs. Rosa again. Her colleagues mocked her today because none of them she approached loaned her money. She was not surprised because nobody would lend it to her in the first place. She was, after all, a new employee. She decided to return home.

The following morning,

Katleah moved out of her apartment with just one suitcase.

Mrs. Rosa keeps her remaining possessions, such as the cheap ceiling fan and rice cooker she brought from the province because she needed more money to pay her two months' rent on her house. She refuses to listen, no matter how much she begs Mrs. Rosa. Her decision to give her room to the new tenant is final. But she was kind enough to let her stay there last night.

Her search for a rental home close to her place of employment has left her exhausted, but she cannot give up the search. Some are affordable but require a deposit equal to two months' rent, which is outside her budget.  Does this mean she'll sleep on the sidewalk for the next five days? While she did not receive her salary, she had to find a temporary shelter. She sat on a bench at the edge of the large park to rest first. It had been only five minutes since she had sat down before she spotted the older man on the floor, unconscious. Many people have noticed the older man, but they ignore him. She went straight to the older man to double-check her assumptions.

"Hey! Miss, stay away from him. He might hurt you. There are numerous methods of operation these days." A lady chastised her.

Katleah completely ignored her. The older man was still breathing; maybe he passed out because he was in so much pain. She took a small bottle of white flowers from her suitcase and rubbed the contents beneath the older man's nose. He quickly regained consciousness. He was surprised when he saw her. She slowly got him to his feet and seated him on a bench beneath the tree.

"How are you feeling, Grandpa?" Why are you by yourself, by the way? Is there no one else with you?" She inquired of the older gentleman.

The older man shook his head while staring at her. She wondered why, now that the older man had regained consciousness, he couldn't take his gaze away from her and her necklace.

"He could not be a thief. Not to mention, the older man seems benevolent. But why does he have that worried expression on his face?” Katleah thought.

"Grandpa, which way are you heading back to your house? It'll help you with getting on the bus. It would be best if you took someone with you the next time you leave the house. I mean, what if something happened to you on the way?"  When Katleah went to her feet, the older man grabbed her hand.

"I'm very grateful for your help. You saved my life. I might have died if you hadn't helped me. My vision went dark all of a sudden. I forgot to eat breakfast before leaving the house. That's most likely why my vision went black and I lost consciousness." The older man responded weakly.

"Oh!! It's okay, Grandpa; I'm sure someone else would have done the same thing. Are you feeling better now? I'll accompany you to the bus stop. "I'll get ready for work after I drop you off." 

“Speaking of work, I'm still looking for a place to take a bath. You know, the one who says, "I'll just put ten pesos in the bottle, and your shower will be complete." She thought to herself.

"Don't worry. I'll bring it here myself. I'm feeling fine." The older gentleman elaborated.

"Are you certain, Grandpa? Will somebody pick you up?” She inquired hesitantly.

"I'm sure. I have a cellphone with me. I'll get in touch with the person who will pick me up. And by the way, what is your name?”

"My name is Katleah Sanchez, Grandpa. Alright, I'll leave you, Grandpa, as I still have work to do. Take care." She waved as she walked away.

As Katleah left, the older man's eyes trailed after her. He sighed and took his phone from his pants pocket. He was looking for their butler's phone number and then dialed it.

"Hello? Send a driver to pick me up at Forbes park, Lucas." The command of the older man's baritone.

"Yes, Sir." The other line responded immediately.

After 5 minutes, a black Bentley pulled out in front of the elderly gentleman. He entered the car while holding an old photograph.

“Madame was concerned about you, Sir Harry. You left unexpectedly and without anyone else." When the older man got in the car, Lucas immediately informed him.

"Where is she now?" He also worriedly inquired of the butler.

"She's still crying at Amarah Manor right now, sir." She's been waiting for you for quite some time." Lucas responded right away.

Amarah Manor is one of their vacation homes in the Philippines. And he bequeathed this to his long-lost granddaughter Amarah. He nodded and returned his gaze to the butler. 

"Lucas, is there any information about what I've been looking into for a long time? "

 The butler gave the nod. "The Private Detective I've entrusted with the investigation will arrive at the mansion later, sir. He claimed to know something about Amarah. He only worked on this case for a week, so we can expect the information he gathered to be incomplete."

"Hmm. I've been searching for my granddaughter for several years. How many private investigators have you employed? Are you certain you can rely on him? Perhaps he'll take money again and then provide false information, as others did before?" In a skeptical tone, Harry asked Lucas.

"I'm certain of him now, sir." Mr. Morris is one of the world's best private investigators. He works quickly to resolve all of the cases he handles. So when I heard he was returning from the Philippines, I called him immediately and entrusted the search to Amarah." Lucas elaborated.

“Okay, but wait to bring him to me until the data I've requested from him is sufficient; in addition, Lucas, have him look into the woman named Katleah Sanchez. I'm curious about her family background. If you need to increase the payment to Mr. Morris, go ahead and do it." Harry placed his order solemnly.

Lucas needed clarification as to why his boss felt compelled to look into Katleah Sanchez's situation. He didn't ask any more questions and immediately agreed with his boss. "Ahh, Mmm... " Okay, sir, I'll tell him."