CHAPTER 4

This was Don Miguel’s grandson? What a twist of fate!

“No, Grandpa… I haven’t formally introduced myself to her yet. She left me in a hurry,” Reed answered.

“What did you say, grandson?”

“Nothing, Grandpa.”

Clarissa kept her head down, hoping Reed wouldn’t recognize her but it was impossible. He was staring at her intently.

“Is she your girlfriend, Grandpa? You have great taste in women.... She’s gorgeous!” Reed teased, still trying to make sense of Clarissa’s overly concerned behavior towards his grandfather. He thought she might be taking advantage of his grandfather for money.

Don Miguel’s hearty laughter brought Reed back to his senses. "No Reed, she’s not my girlfriend… This is Clarissa. She’s the daughter of our estate caretakers. She just returned from New York, where she works as a nurse.”

“Since both of you are here, I want you to know that I want you two to get married in the future... She’s the one I want you to marry, grandson.” Both Reed and Clarissa fell silent, staring at Don Miguel

“What did you say, grandpa?” Reed asked

“You heard me, dear. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Uh, Don Miguel…” Clarissa Exclaimed!

“Call me Grandpa, Clarisa,” Don Miguel interrupted.

“Uh, Grandpa… I thought you called me home because you were ill…” 

“I’m not sick, Clarisa… I only said that to make you come home. I know you wouldn’t be able to resist me.”

“I want my grandchild to get married because all he does is chase after women… I’m old now, I want to see and play with my grandchildren while I still can…”

She can' beleive what she's hearing! Reed just looked at her as if agreeing with what his grandfather wanted. He didn’t say anything to oppose his grandfather.

"But Grandpa, why me? There are so many other women for your grandson!... and he’s a womanizer, right? Don’t you pity me, Grandpa?”

“Haha… Clarissa dear, my grandson is kind... he’s just a bit of a rascal. Just look at how handsome he is, he probably takes after me, haha… Didn’t I tell you before that I’d arrange a marriage between you and my grandson?”

“Y-yes, Grandpa, but I didn’t think you would actually take it seriously. We only joked about it!!!” Clarisa said, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

She never expected that upon arriving in the Philippines, she would encounter so much misfortune. She almost got raped, and now it seems she might end up married before she’s even ready.

“Grandpa, stop teasing Clarisa, she’s already crying,” Reed said.

“But I’m not joking. I want you two to get married as soon as possible. After all, you’re both of the right age… Clarisa, you’re 25, and Reed, you’re 28,” the old man explained.

“Okay, I’ll leave you two here for now. I’ll just go prepare our meal. Talk among yourselves, and I’ll call you back later.” The old man then left.

**********

"Why didn't you tell Grandpa? We can't just get married! Why do you just go along with everything he says?" Clarisse shouted at Reed, clearly flustered.

Reed stared at her intently, taking slow... deliberate steps towards her. She instinctively stepped back, not wanting him to get too close, fearing he might notice how nervous she was. She eventually backed up against the table, having nowhere else to go.

"Well… FIRST, if it were any other woman, I probably would have said no, but you're different."

"SECOND, I was so thrilled to see you again after last night. Honestly, I thought I wouldn't see you again after you used my body," Reed said with a sly grin. Clarisa winced at his words, clearly uncomfortable.

"And THIRD, according to Grandpa... you agreed to marry me."

"That was a long time ago!!!" Clarisa shouted. "I was just a kid then, what do I know about marriage? I only said that to make the old man happy! I didn't know he would take it seriously."

"Deal with it, sweetheart. From now on, you’re my girl. Don’t worry, I’ll still court you." Reed lifted her chin, leaning in as if to kiss her when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

"Clarissa, Sir Reed, Don Miguel is calling for you." the caretaker called.

"Oops, saved by the bell!" Reed whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "There’s always a next time, sweetheart. We have all the time in the world. Hahaha."

"Besides, there’s nothing you can do now. If Grandpa and your parents find out what happened between us, they’ll probably rush the wedding.... so if you don’t want me to tell them how you begged me to claim you last night, you’d better follow what I want..."

"That wasn’t me!" she lied. Her parents are too traditional. They would definitely rush the wedding if they found out.

"Really? Hahaha." Reed mocked her

"Are you trying to scare me, Reed Villaruel?"

"I'm not just scaring you, sweetheart.... and I'm willing to marry you!"

Clarissa was on the verge of tears as Reed gave her a disapproving look. He took her hand and pulled her out of the library. "Let’s go, sweetheart. Grandpa is waiting for us."

She hadn’t seen Reed at the hacienda before because he was studying in Manila and then college in the UK. As for her, she worked in New York... thanks to Grandpa Miguel’s help.

She remembered her past conversation with Don Miguel. "Clarissa, I'll pay for your education. I'll take care of it." He treated her like a grandchild. She was the one who brought joy to the old man, who was very fond of her.

She would accompany him when he went horseback riding or just sit in the garden picking flowers. She was a chatty child, so Grandpa Miguel was always entertained by her.

"I want you to be my real granddaughter, Clarissa. I’ll marry you to my grandchild at the right time."

"Okay, Grandpa!" she replied, hugging him. Don Miguel's smile grew even wider. She had only agreed to make the old man happy, never imagining he would take it seriously.