C5 - Last will and testament.

“Atty., are you sure you read that right? Is there any chance you’re mistaken?”

Dominic appeared to be so surprised upon hearing that Samuel Lucero left the company's thirty percent of shares to him. 

"There's no way Tito would give that much shares to me. It's bigger than Arianna's! Atty, you must have read it wrong!" 

"I only read what's in the will," sagot naman ng matandang abogado.

Arianna remained silent. One way or another, in-expect niyang may maririnig siyang hindi niya magugustuhan. Kaya kahit nagulat siya sa nilalaman ng will ng ama ay kaagad niyang nakolekta ang sarili niya. 

Her face remained calm kahit pa magdrama sina Dominic at Bianca na hindi makapaniwalang pinamanahan ni Samuel. 

Yes, including Bianca who got the house and the cars. 

"Arianna, I'm sorry. Can we do anything to give it back to her, Atty.?" hirit pa ni Dominic.

"Yes, Atty., kahit ako ay hindi komportable na maiiwan sa akin ang malaking bahay na ito. I mean, who am I? I'm not family! Ang pagpapatira pa lang sa akin dito ni Arianna ay sobra-sobra na. I don't wish to have more, Atty.," sabi naman ni Bianca.

Gusto niyang magroll eyes. What insincere words coming from them. 

"Arianna, are you mad at us?" 

"No, Bi," sagot niyang napilitan ng magsalita. "It's my dad's decision." 

Sa loob-loob niya, wala siyang tanggap sa mga nangyayari. Imposible iyong gawin sa kanya ng kanyang ama. Samuel wouldn't think of another's welfare more than his own daughter.

Hindi siya maniniwala sa twenty-five percent shares na nakuha niya kumpara sa thirty percent ni Dominic. Hindi totoo na mas naniniwala ito na magiging maayos ang kompanya sa pamamahala ng taong sinanay nito para humalili rito gaya ng nakasulat sa testamento. At hindi rin siya naniniwala na binigay ni Samuel ang bahay kay Bianca dahil sa tingin ng ama niya ay wala na siyang planong bumalik sa bansa dahil maganda na ang buhay niya sa Amerika. 

But she was not wondering why the person who did the will, who Arianna believed was not her father, would think it was okay to state that she would no longer be coming back. Hindi kasi alam ng mga ito na nagkikita silang mag-ama. Dominic and Bianca thought that Arianna abandoned her dad. 

Baka nga hindi ini-expect ng mga ito na uuwi siya. But for some reason, she was contacted by her dad’s lawyer. Siguro ay naihabilin na iyon ng kanyang ama sa abogado. Did he feel the tragedy that would befall upon him?

“Atty., do you believe you read the right will?” malumanay niyang tanong sa abogado nang maiwan na silang dalawa. 

“Sa totoo lang, hindi ako makapaniwala. Pero nakita ko nang pirmahan at isilyado ng iyong ama ang envelope na ito. Kasama rin niya ako nang ilagay namin ito sa vault. Ako lang ang may alam ng code bukod kay Mr. Lucero, Arianna.”

“Are there any CCTVs in this room?” Inikot niya ang mga mata sa loob ng study ng ama. 

“You should know that better than me,” sagot ng kausap niya. 

Tama nga naman ito. But Arianna was not home in the last five years. “Kahit siguro meron, wala na iyon ngayon.” She chuckled weakly.

“I know you have doubts. I have too.”

“Wala tayong magagawa sa ngayon, Atty. Who knows? My father really wrote that will. Pero kung bukal sa loob niya ay siya lang ang nakakaalam. At wala tayong paraan para malaman ang totoo. So for now, we have to obey what’s written in the will.”

“Are you sure about this, Ms. Lucero?” 

“Babawiin ko rin ang lahat ng binigay kina Dominic at Bianca, Atty.” Determinado niyang sagot. “I know my dad wanted me to do that.”

“Then you will have to leave this house as it already belongs to Ms. Palma.”

“I have no intention of staying here with them anyway, Atty. Nagkaroon lang ako ng valid na rason. For the meantime, I need your help with something.”

“Say it, Ms. Lucero. Your father would want me to help you in any way I can.”

“I want the shareholder list of AL Jewels,” tukoy niya sa kanilang kompanya. 

Tumango ang abogado. 

“That’s it for now, Atty.”

Nang umalis ito ay naiwan siyang mag-isa sa study. Naroon pa lahat ng gamit ng kanyang ama. Arianna was not ready and will never be ready to give up her father’s things in that room. Let alone everything in the house where her whole life’s memory was. 

Hindi siya papayag na mapasakamay iyon ni Bianca. 

She would appear like she had given up now, but she would surely reclaim everything that was hers!

Arianna was still in deep thought when she heard a knock. Dominic entered the room shortly after. 

“Arianna, let’s get married. I will return everything to you.” 

Tumayo siya at tamad na ngumiti sa lalaki. “Let me think about it first, Dominic.”

“I will surely return everything that should belong to you,” sabi nito na nagkapag-asa yata dahil sa sagot niya. “Even this house, Bi should not have it. It belongs to you.”

“She might hear you. Lower your voice a little,” saad pa niya, walking towards him. 

“I don’t care!”

Mahina siyang tumawa. Sa totoo lang, naiinis siya sa pagpapanggap nito. Hindi nito bagay iyon. 

“Let’s talk about this some other time,” sabi niya saka ito nilampasan na.

“I still love you, Arianna. Whatever I have done in the past that upset you, I regret it,” pahabol ng binata.

She didn’t think so. Pero hindi na siya sumagot. Sa halip, tiningnan niya ang cellphone niya na mayroong email notification. 

It was the list she requested from the lawyer. It sure was fast.

Arianna quickly downloaded the file and did a quick scrolling. 

“Alistair Miller - fifteen percent,” she read with a furrowed brow. The man was indeed a shareholder, and it looked like with the recent change in share ownerships, he was the third majority shareholder of AL Jewels next to her and Dominic. 

Arianna didn’t know who the man really was, but reading his name in the list and their two previous encounters, she came up with a plan in her mind. Alistair Miller’s fifteen percent and her twenty-five percent would make forty percent. She would regain control of the company if he agreed to sell his share to her.