CHAPTER 1: Last Will

Erin tossed all her belongings into her room, breaking and smashing them. Exhausted, she quietly wept in a corner.

Her body shook with profound disappointment upon discovering that the man she had loved for years had toyed with her emotions. He had only granted her a few months of solace before delivering the final blow of punishment.  

The accusations from people, pointing fingers at her for a sin she didn't commit, persisted. She had borne the weight of guilt since high school, which continued without relief. When would she ever find her justice?   

She sobbed as her lips trembled. 

"Erin!" Orion's voice echoed as he pounded on the penthouse door. She had already changed the security code, preventing him from entering.  

"Erin! Hear me out. Please… Erin!" His voice quivers audibly from the other end.  

But her emotions are weary. Her chest felt drained. It isn't easy to love someone who doesn't love you back.  

Erin raised the phone to call security and remove the man from outside her door. Tears streamed down her face. She had anticipated Orion hurting her severely, but not in this manner.  

She grabbed the cell phone with a cracked screen, and despite her tear-blurred vision, she called the person she knew would keep her safe.  

 While sobbing, she uttered the words, "Let's get married."  

***  

[Two years ago]  

"I wish to extend my gratitude to everyone who has shown me love, especially my daughter, Erin. I'm entrusting my car to our driver, Cardo Dalyas, and placing the mansion in the capable hands of Isadora Reyes, who dedicated her life to my family for several years. I will pass down the penthouse in White Garden to my daughter, Erin Villaverde.  

"My friend, Niel Arvesso, will oversee all my shares in the Yurich Group until my daughter Erin becomes a part of their family through marriage. I grant Arvesso and Erin two years, effective today, to strengthen our relationship. If they fail to fulfill my final wish, transfer all my shares to the Yurich Group." 

It felt as if every part of Erin's body froze, and her lips were left hanging open in response to Attorney Tuazon's concluding words. Even her head appeared to swell.  

"That's everything Mr. Lawrence stated in his last will," the lawyer said.  

"Are you saying Dad left me nothing except for his penthouse in White Garden?" Erin rose from her seat, her face a blend of disbelief and concern.  

'How could this be?'  

Two months ago, her stepfather succumbed to diabetes-related complications. His kidneys had weakened to the point where he collapsed in the hospital and ultimately passed away.  

"The last will specifies that he leaves all his shares in the company to the Arvessos within two years, contingent upon your full integration into their family through marriage. Failure to fulfill his final wish will result in his shares reverting to the company itself."  

It means that after two years, the shares her dad owned in the company will go to his cousin, Uncle Roger. She turned to look at the man and his daughter Jenna, who was smirking.  

"How much is his net worth in the company?" Erin asked.  

"Two hundred and fifty million," her uncle answered with a grin.  

"You've got two years, Erin. You have nothing to worry about if your relationship with the Arvessos is solid." The lawyer glanced at Mr. Niel Arvesso, who sat quietly in the corner.

"That's the problem. She hasn't been getting along well with them!" Jenna, her cousin, said amusingly.

"Why?" Erin blurted out. 'Why with the Arvessos?'  

Despite her desire to confront them openly, she held back, particularly with the man's presence. That was perplexing! Her stepfather appeared determined to burden her with punishment for the rest of her life. Wasn't seven years of guilt enough?

"I think we've heard enough! We're leaving!" declared Uncle Roger, who happened to be a cousin of her stepfather.  

"Good luck, Erin! I must congratulate my dad; the task is hard," Jenna said with a sarcastic tone, casting a look at Niel Arvesso.  

Erin shot her with an indignant look. At that moment, she wanted to slap Jenna. Although they were close in high school, her betrayal of Erin's boyfriend made her realize who to avoid.  

Individually, each person rose from their seat and left the room. The household staff also departed, their expressions subdued, even though they, like the others, were beneficiaries of monetary support from her father. Though they yearned to revel in the windfall, the somber reality of their master's recent death cast a shadow over their hearts.  

"This is quite a revelation," Mr. Arvesso said, holding the tears welling up in his eyes. "I'll excuse myself too. Miss Villaverde, call me when you're prepared," he conveyed before exiting, leaving her in the lawyer's company.  

"I will file a petition. I have a stronger claim to the shares than letting Uncle Roger take them!" she declared, her irritation evident. The urge to cry welled up within her. She was determined not to let the two hundred and fifty million end up with them. She adamantly opposed allocating her parents' money to Jenna's family.

Her mother had passed away during her high school years due to a heart attack. Part of the two hundred and fifty million belonged to her mother. It was her rightful inheritance! Since Mr. Lawrence was her mother's husband, everything seemed natural to go to him, especially considering she was still a minor then.  

"I apologize, Erin. Only Mr. Lawrence's biological daughter can perform that action."

"What?!" Not even her last name changed when her parents married; she still carried her mother's surname.  

"It's true that Mr. Lawrence was your legal guardian back then. But you are twenty-four now, Erin. It will be difficult if you petition for what you'd inherit, especially since there's no blood relation between you."  

"But to marry into the Arvesso family?!"  

"As far as I know, your dad and Mr. Arvesso were friends. You saw him earlier. I don't think he had any objections. For me, marrying into the Arvesso family seems easier than submitting a petition."  

That's what she aimed to uncover. To her knowledge, his family held contempt for her. She hadn't seen Mr. Arvesso in over seven years. Even her mother couldn't bear the guilt of what she had done, resulting in her heart attack.  

"I'm going as well; I'll handle everything your dad left behind."  

Erin covered her mouth. She quivered with anger, sadness, and a multitude of reasons!  

Unfamiliar with office work due to her modeling job, she still expressed willingness to work at Yurich and assume her father's position if necessary rather than letting it go to his cousin.

She wouldn't allow what rightfully belonged to her in Jenna's family to slip away.  

Erin was already ten years old when her mother married her stepfather. She didn't see Mr. Lawrence as a stepfather; to her, he was her birth father, and he treated her as such.  

Her mother got Erin during her maidenhood, and the lack of knowledge of her biological father might explain her happiness in experiencing fatherly care from Mr. Lawrence. Even when her mother passed away seven years ago, she felt an even stronger sense of nurture from him.  

Erin was the one who ended the friendship between Niel Arvesso and her father. She understood why her father continued to include her in their lives up to that point. Maybe her father wished to test the enduring friendship she shattered during high school.

However, Erin only knew one thing: she was not responsible for Daryl's death—the youngest son of Niel Arvesso.  

'No, Erin! You are guilty!'  

Tears began to flow down her cheeks.  

Daryl's loss became a tragedy for the Arvesso family. In turn, Erin lost her mother, who followed Daryl just a day after the incident.