Chapter 7

Sunday morning, both Ava and Sophia are at home. Ava worries about her younger sister, who hasn't said a word since the night that Marionne arrived with their father. Gregory, who was disappointed and mad with how Sophia acted, won't talk to them, too. He despised Sophia for demanding that Marionne will not give him any money once they got married. He surely didn't expect her youngest daughter to defy him like that.

"Aren't you going to talk to Sophia, Dad?" Ava said to her father, who's drinking his coffee in his study room.

"Why would I? You two seem to forget I am your father." Gregory said hatefully.

"That's right; you're our father," Ava responded in the same manner. "And selling you're selling us like some piece of goods."

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Gregory asked dismissively. "If yes, you can go."

"You're unbelievable," Ava replied. "I'm sure Mom will be ashamed of you."

Ava left her father with utter disappointment in her heart. The man they used to look up to and love is completely gone. What they have right now is a man devoid of compassion and rationale. A man her mother will surely never fall in love with.

As Ava walked the hall of the second floor of their mansion, she passed by Sophia's door. She tried to knock twice but received no answer. When she tried the doorknob, she realized it was locked from inside—feeling sorry for her sister; Ava put her forehead at the door.

"Soph, you haven't eaten since last night. Please open the door." Ava pleaded, but she received no answer.

"Soph, please. Open the door." She tried again but still no answer. She tried to listen for any sound indicating her sister is awake, but nothing. Ava panicked and ran downstairs.

"Yaya Mildred! Yaya Mildred!" She screamed.

"Ava, hija. What's happening?" The middle-aged maid immediately responded?

"Master keys, now!" Yaya Mildred to get what Ava asked and immediately came back with the keys.

Ava ran back to Sophia's room and opened it with the master keys. Her heart is pounding with the horrible thoughts flashing through her mind. Afraid that her sister might have done something to herself, Ava opened the doors and ran inside.

"Soph—"

But she was dumbfounded to see her room empty. It didn't even look like somebody slept on the bed. She scanned the room saw Sophia's dresser slightly open. When she checked her sister's things, one of her suitcases is missing.

"Oh, thank God!" Ava exclaimed. At least she knows that her sister didn't do anything to hurt herself.

"What's going on here?" Ava and Yaya Mildred both turned around to see Gregory, who just entered the room.

"Sophia is gone," Ava said, smiling. She was pleased to know that her sister ran away.

"What!" Gregory could not believe what he just heard. The syndicate only gives him a month extension before they do something drastic. And with Sophia being gone, Marionne's promise to help him pay his debt now lies in jeopardy.

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At the Castello estate, Crisanto just arrived at the dining hall to have his breakfast. He was pleased to see his son Marionne reading a newspaper while waiting for him. He started at him for a while before announcing himself. He realized how different he's been since he graduated. He still remembers the boy who would come home running excitedly to tell that he was the first honor of their class. Or the young man who came home jumping and screaming in happiness when he got accepted into his dream college with a full scholarship.

That was the son he raised, content with small victories—the son who gets amazed with every bit of wonder in life. The one in front of him is an empty vessel of his son—a clone of the boy he cared for and loved. He missed his son.

"Good morning, son." Crisanto greeted Marionne after heaving a sigh.

"Dad, good morning." Marionne stood up and helped him to his spot.

"How's your sleep, Dad?" Marionne asked, concerned. "Does any of your previous body pains bother you again?"

"No, son. I slept wonderfully." Crisanto responded when in reality, he barely slept. He was worried about what D.A and Marionne talked about.

"Dad?" Marionne took his attention back to reality. "Is something bothering you?" He asked.

"What did you and D.A had to talk to about? What was so important and private and that you had to take her to the garden?" Crisanto asked his questions directly. Looking intently at his son's eyes.

"Dad, I don't want you stressing out—"

"Then you better kill me now." Crisanto cut his son off. "If you don't want me being concerned about you, then kill me because I can't do that. You're my son. No matter successful you become, you're still my little boy." Crisanto can longer let his son go on living like a dead man walking. "For twelve years, I watched you work hard to be successful. When you became successful, you doubled your efforts to stay on top. But I've never seen you happy. Every time I ask you and just choose to keep it all to your self I respected you. But I can't stay quiet forever."

"I'm sorry if you feel, Dad. I just don't want you stressing yourself anymore." Marionne apologized to his father. "I want you to enjoy a good life you well deserve."

"I know that, son. But I'm still your father." Crisanto insisted.

Marionne sighed loudly before finally telling the truth to his father. "I met Gregory Rothschild last night." He saw the sudden change of emotion on his father's face. "He's looking for wealthy bachelors to marry her daughters. So they can be rich again."

"What!" Crisanto could not believe what he just heard.

"He didn't recognize me but Ava. Gregory offered me to have Ava as my wife, but I declined." Marionne saw relief in his father's face when he said he declined to marry Ava. "I accepted marrying his youngest daughter."

When Crisanto heard the last part of what Marionne said, it's like all the sounds around him disappear. Even when his spoon and fork fell on the marbled floor seemed muted. He was looking at his son, but he felt like he doesn't recognize him anymore. Instead of responding, Crisanto stood up and left Marionne alone in the dining hall.

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Sophia ran away from last night while everyone was asleep. Despite saying to the marriage that her father set up for her, she despised even thinking about it. Knowing her father, Sophia didn't even call her boyfriend to keep him safe. She slept in her car the whole because she didn't want to be tracked using her credit cards. When the banks opened, she withdrew all her savings and drove south.

"Hi, I need a room for three months, and I'll pay cash now." Sophia ended up in a province twelve hours away from her family. She thought that being gone for a while will change her father's mind, and he will finally leave her alone.

"Right away, Ma'am. Kindly fill this up for our record, and I'll have our staff prepare your room." said the hotel clerk.

While waiting, Sophia looked at the menu of the hotel. She driver nonstop for twelve hours, afraid of being seen. And she's starving.

"Here's your key, Ma'am. Our staff is now preparing your room. We have a dining hall to the left if you'd like to before going up to your room."

After eating, Sophia locked herself in her room and cried. She wanted to see her boyfriend and tell him what's going, but she can't risk it. After a while, Sophia decided to turn on her laptop, turn off its GPS, and checked her social media messages. She received thirty-five messages from Ava which she chose to ignore. She's certain that Ava is worried sick about her, but she doesn't want to tell her where she is, at least not yet.

The message that caught her attention was from her father. The preview of the message made her heart skipped a beat. Sophia immediately opened the message and almost fell to the floor. Her father sent her a picture of her boyfriend, beaten and covered in blood. The message stated that if she doesn't come home, something terrible will happen to him.

Sophia cried even harder. Her mind can't absorb the fact that her father is an evil incarnate. Her mind is no longer functioning. No matter how hard she tries to think of a plan, it always came up blank. Not having any other choice, Sophia took her mobile phone and dialed her sister's number. After a few rings, Ava finally answered the call. Sophia heard her sister said things about their father's plan that she overheard.

"He's got him, Ava. And he said if I don't come home, something terrible will happen to him. Please, sister, help me."