Chapter 2

Questions of something that has yet to happen kept running on my mind until I went back to my office.

My secretary who's five years older greeted me when I came with a very cheery smile, as if the day’s work didn’t exhaust her.

She stalked me as I stride towards my table that is facing backward to the glass ceiling-to-floor window that has the same width as the wall of the office.

The whole wall is made with a thick glass, in which would sparkle at night as the mesmerizing city lights reflect upon it, and most of all, it shines as the beauty of the Eiffel tower would greet me after a day’s hardwork.

"How was the visit in the hospital, Ma'am?"

A girl, shorter than me by a bit of inches stood in front of my desk, full of confidence and simplicity. Her smile was that of a mother’s, calm and comforting, just like how she can constantly make me feel as she does her duties more than as what is expected from her.

"Nothing new. Still the same as always. People crying, guilty doctors. " I said a bit indifferently which made her crunch her nose.

I removed my coat and hang it on the rack not far from my table. My littles tangles in the hair got untangled as my finger passed through my hair.

I groaned inwardly when my back felt so comfortable as I sat down on the imposing yet comfortable chair. My neck and back were hurting these past few days due to the stressful activities this week.

"Maybe… you should change on how you perceive hospitals and doctors, ma'am." She said, a bit slowly as if a word will hit me like a bomb if said in a wrong way.

I shifted on my seat, putting my right leg above the other, and put my clasped hands on top of it. She looked away for a bit. I titled my head as I noticed how she bit her lower lip, almost rolling her eyes.

"Why would I change it if that's what I keep on observing?" I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of her words. 

"Because… Because ma'am, hospitals are there to save lives."

I laughed drily. "Doctors don't save lives, they just help patients lengthen their time by diagnosing them and giving them medications."

"Then, they still save patients." She said a bit nonchalantly as if she isn’t speaking with her boss but she sounds more determined this time.

I sighed before sitting properly so I could start doing my paperworks. I reached for the new stack of my papers near my table which she may have put here earlier before I came in.

"How many times have we talked about this?"

My interest was on the papers I’m reading than on her nonsense peptalk about hospitals and doctors. I wasn’t interested and I wanted to dismiss the topic but her silence was quite disturbing. She was just talkative a minute ago.

From the papers, my eyes shifted to her only to see how she stared at me and the papers I’m holding. Weird.

I rolled my eyes before turning back my attention to the papers only to make a knot in between my brows. I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with my eyes nor the way on how I comprehend things. They were perfectly fine, the last time I check. But this certain paper made me doubt.

After reading it for the third time, my eyes slowly turned round as both of my eyebrows raised as I look at the papers. My eyes darted toward her, before looking back at the papers again.

"Fuck!" I cursed when I realized what this is all about.

"Marriage?!"

I looked at my secretary but she just shrugged her shoulders as she looked away, not wanting to see my reaction.

I bet she doesn’t want to hear me rant. And if she has a choice, I think she’ll leave me impronto, not wanting to deal with me and this awful topic.

"That was sent by Miss Andrea earlier while you were visiting the hospital. She said it's an urgent matter. All the board members are in the Philippines. They are in chaos right now." 

"In the Philippines? Fuck! What are they thinking?"

I bit my lower lip because of the irritation and the feeling of hopelessness of not being able to run away from this shit.

The board members live in different parts of Europe but there are some who are permanently living in the Philippines. But one thing is for sure, they’re all from Europe. 

And knowing how they are all in the Philippines for this marriage talk is just mind-blowing and suffocating. It is my homeland. The main headquarters of the company is there. Everything is there. But what the hell?!

My blood boiled as rage completely took over my system. I understand their concerns regarding the company but this is my marriage we’re talking about! My life, my privacy!

I do understand their sentiments for it but I’ve never made a mistake for them to question my competence and fucking force me to marry someone for my empire to continue standing at the top.

I massaged my temple.

They’ve been pestering me for years about marrying and conceiving an heir but what made them this determined? That they have the audacity to kick me out of my own empire if I can’t get married with that amount of time they’re giving.

And they really have the audacity to all camp out in the Philippines? Why not face me head-on here? Why bother flying to another country?

And what the hell is Lolo doing? Why is he allowing such thing to happen?

"I don’t want to get married nor go back to the Philippines.", I said with gritted teeth. 

This marriage issue is killing me. I’ve been evading this topic for more than ten years now. Looks like the board is more determined to chain me now that they all went to the Philippines.

"If not now ma'am, then when? Quand est-ce que tu reviens ma'am?" When are you coming back ma'am? She said with concern laced in her voice but heck with her concern. 

"I'm too young to get married. Lolo's still breathing and I should be there for him rather than going around finding some groom. And fuck, no! I'm never gonna use a man to help my company grow. I don't need any man. My empire can stand alone. My empire doesn't need any marriage to make sure of its future. As long as I'm breathing, this empire is gonna stand tall and proud!"

This is what I've been telling them for years! And I don’t understand why they can’t understand.

Surely, the empire needs an heir after me but I’m too young. I’m still 27! I hate it. I hate this. Why wasn’t Lolo able to stop them this time? 

My secretary looked at me with uncertainty and a vivid concern in her eyes. She sighed heavily before speaking as if she’s going to spit out some heavy rock.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to say this but your Lolo is no longer healthy like you think he is. I'm sorry to say this only now, but your Lolo was advised to get surgery for his heart a year ago. His condition right now is not so good and the board knows. That’s why…"

It was as if I became deaf to all the words she’s spouting.

My world suddenly turned gray as the familiar long beeping sound kept ringing again as the mention of his life reminded me how it was to lose my love.