CHAPTER 2: Friend's Wish

Erin steered her car towards the Yurich Group office. Since her father's passing, it felt as though she were on autopilot, routinely making her way to the office.   

Her father held the majority of shares, rendering the board powerless in the face of her presence, despite enduring unpleasant remarks from them on numerous occasions.  

"What does the model do in our office?"   

"I like seeing her ass, though," were just a couple of the unsavory comments she overheard.  

Her Uncle Roger now serves as the current chairman, having won the vote for the position vacated by Mr. Lawrence. Erin allowed this to transpire due to her lack of knowledge about the business. However, this didn't mean she would passively await his decisions. Refusing to be excluded from the office dynamics, she joined the advertising team as a staff member. Her father's assistant coached her, ensuring she navigated the corporate landscape adeptly.  

Her manager consistently targeted her. It's plausible that this directive came from Uncle Roger or perhaps Jenna, intending to drive her out of the office.  

Erin lacks trust in her Uncle Roger and harbors similar feelings towards his daughter, Jenna, who currently holds the position of marketing head.  

It's childish! That's why she remains unfazed. Currently, her salary is meager, just a couple of thousand, which she must allocate for daily expenses. She saved nothing from her modeling gigs because she needed to purchase skincare and personal items. The idea of saving never crossed her mind due to the luxurious lifestyle her dad provided. Now, she can only endure her office job's modest salary.  

Although her dad left her a penthouse, she hasn't been able to sell it for two years. It will only become hers after that time, and that's where she currently resides.  

Erin has a two-year window to become the Arvessos' wife. Still, she is determined to explore every avenue to avoid that path. She won't allow Uncle Roger to take control of her shares.  

The sudden arrival of a motorcycle beside her car startled Erin, catching her off guard. The passenger, wielding a hammer, proceeded to shatter the side mirror of Erin's car. Nervously, she honked the horn, pondering anxiously about their intentions. What did they want from her?  

After that, the man pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. Erin's eyes widened.  

"Help!" Frantically scanning the street, she feared the motorcycle-riding tandem. The man used the gun to tap on her car. Swiftly, she maneuvered her vehicle to reach another road, aware that there was a police station nearby.  

She hoped the motorbike wouldn't trail her there. The tires of her car screeched as she brought it to a halt at the station.  

"H-help!"  

Exiting her car, she approached the entrance in a state of panic. While trembling with fear, a uniformed police officer met her at the gate.  

"Miss, are you okay?" he asked.  

"Someone is following me!"  

The police officer looked back to where she came from.  

"There's a motorcycle-riding tandem trying to harm me! They broke my side mirror!" The profound fear was evident on her face, and her muscles had yet to recover from the shock of the man pointing a gun at her.  

Erin recounted the incident, and soon after, Assistant Mike arrived at the police station.  

"Are you okay, Erin?" he inquired. She had contacted him because she was running late for the office.  

"I already provided a statement about what happened earlier," she said. Regaining her composure, she proceeded to share the details with him.

"Any idea who they were?" he probed.  

She sighed. "I suspect it was Uncle Roger who orchestrated it. We went through Dad's last will over the weekend. I have a two-year window to claim my shares in the company. If I fail, the Yurich Group will benefit from the substantial two hundred and fifty million worth of shares!" She involuntarily clenched her fist as she spoke.  

"But taking legal action is challenging without evidence," Assistant Mike pointed out.

"That's precisely why I can't file a report against him!" she exclaimed through gritted teeth.  

"Why not consider hiring a bodyguard if you're feeling uneasy?" Assistant Mike suggested.  

Erin grimaced as the impracticality of the idea hit her. Her meager salary made it impossible for her to afford a bodyguard. The burden of her daily expenses left her feeling helpless at the moment.  

Despite her financial constraints, Erin still entered the office. Skipping work was not an option; it was what she had chosen, her self-imposed punishment.  

***  

[Months Later]  

"Are you saying that the Villaverde you've mentioned and the one implicated in Daryl's death are the same?" Orion sought clarification from his father, a need for assurance evident in his tone.  

A year ago, Mr. Arvesso had proposed that Orion marry the Villaverde princess. However, it was only now that Orion grasped the significance of that surname. He realized the connection when Lily's identity came up.

He thought he had settled the matter and hadn't anticipated it would continue to have repercussions a year later.

"So, you're telling me I'm supposed to marry Uncle Rod's princess? Erin Villaverde?" Orion pointedly inquired. Despite sharing the same household as Uncle Rod, Erin bore a different last name.

"That's correct!"  

"Damn it, Dad!" Orion couldn't contain his frustration.  

"Lower your voice, Orion! Remember, I'm still your father!"  

Orion felt an urge to express his frustration physically. Despite this, he found himself holding a degree of respect for his father.

"I couldn't believe it when you mentioned wanting me to marry someone. But what's even more astounding is that you expect me to marry Erin! I need to remind you that she's the one who seduced Daryl! She's the reason my brother died and the reason why I quit the Bureau of Investigations."  

Anger surged through Orion's muscles as he recollected the events, his disdain for Erin intensifying.  

"What do you think Danica would feel knowing Erin could become her sister-in-law?"

"Orion..." His father appeared weary, displaying the signs of aging on his face and a longing for a peaceful life. "I know I haven't been the best father to you. I felt relieved when you quit your job back then, not just because of its danger but also because I had no one else to rely on to protect your siblings."  

"Then why are you doing this?" Orion demanded, his anger palpable.  

"I'm fulfilling the last wish of a dear friend. You also know the truth about what happened back then because you secretly conducted the investigation."  

"Yeah, Erin engaged in flirtatious text messages with Daryl. Pure flirting! And now you expect me to marry that woman?" The mere thought of marrying the person responsible for his brother's downfall made him feel nauseous.  

While still with the agency, he conducted some investigations despite prohibitions due to potential conflicts of interest, as his family was the victim. The son of his boss was one of the names implicated, and this individual was actively taking steps to protect their seventeen-year-old child.  

Indeed, all the names that came up were minors, just like his brother. Naturally, their parents would be held responsible. While everyone pointed fingers at Erin as the primary suspect, Orion knew the evidence had been tampered with. Nevertheless, that knowledge didn't diminish his disgust towards her; she still played a role in Daryl's fate.  

"Come on! She was just seventeen at that time," Mr. Arvesso argued.  

"That's what's repulsive about that situation! Back then, at seventeen, she flirted so openly in her messages with Daryl."  

Most likely, now, various men are making a move on that woman! Orion shook his head, vividly recalling Erin's face—a seventeen-year-old Erin Villaverde. How old is she now? Twenty-three? Twenty-four? Her age is not far from Danica and Daryl's.  

Erin was the type of woman who seemed like a bully in school, a cheerleader, and a popular girl. Unsurprisingly, she played with Daryl, her brother with thick glasses, who is thin and deeply in love with Erin.   

Above all, Daryl managed to use his car without permission! Right now, Orion felt on the verge of punching someone's face.  

He was twenty-seven at that time, and he despised her physical appearance. Erin was just a kid in his vocabulary of the women he dated.  

But how about now? If she's twenty-four, she's definitely beyond that high school student stage.

"O, I propose you marry Erin because of the financial benefits you two would gain. Erin's father has entrusted her shares in the company to me for the next two years. Erin will receive her inheritance only if she agrees to marry you. It took her a year to come around to the idea, and I believe it's because she's reaching the breaking point of her sanity."  

Perplexed, Orion inquired, "What do you mean?"  

"She's facing difficulties due to not receiving financial support from Rod. I wish I could be happy about this turn of events, but I can't. I just came across this email from her father, which I hadn't seen until now." He handed Orion a printed copy of Mr. Lawrence's email to Mr. Arvesso.  

Orion's eyes widened as he absorbed the contents of the letter. "You... You're saying?"  

His father nodded solemnly. "Yes."  

***  

Approaching the hotel front desk where the man was residing, Erin asked the receptionist, "I'm here to meet Mr. Niel Arvesso."

"You've been expected. Please take this card," the receptionist replied, handing her a card. "You may proceed to his room."  

Erin nodded appreciatively before stepping away from the receptionist's desk and going toward the elevator, carefully pressing the button for the desired floor. Her heart pounded with nervous anticipation.  

She couldn't shake the feeling of shame. That's probably what the Arvessos were thinking.  

Using the card provided, Erin entered the room. Her heart raced as she caught sight of the man, his hands casually tucked into his pockets as he gazed out of the floor-to-ceiling window.  

His scrutinizing gaze turned towards her as he heard her enter.  

A wave of fear washed over Erin, causing her to tremble.   

'Is he Daryl? No, Orion!'