"Yes, dad,” he said, speaking to the phone while leaning on his chair. “Sure dad, no dad,” he said, already tired of his father’s requests and expectations for the wedding.
He couldn’t understand why his mom wanted a huge wedding when they could just elope or have a small wedding with family and friends. He wasn’t a big fan of those big events.
“Did you send the list your mom made for your wedding to Joan?”
“I did, sir.”
“She agrees with them?”
“No response from her yet, dad.”
“She’s your wife to be, try to talk to her. Or maybe your mom and Joan can go over the list together.”
“That will be a great idea; just make sure to invite Joan’s mom. I don’t want her to feel left behind.”
“Very true” He cleared his throat. “I thought you weren’t taking your wedding preparations seriously.”
“Why wouldn’t I, dad?”
“You know… just let it be.” He understood where his dad was going. He didn’t want to go there. “Do you have the necessary files sent to Mr. Chu for the final deal sealing of our partnership?”
"Yes, dad, but I have an odd feeling about this.”
“Just do as I say and let it rest. You know we need this partnership to expand our offices in the Beijing region. He’s the best man to grant us that.”
“Why don’t we properly look into this dad and ju-”
“Do as you are told, and don’t ever question my authority,” Jullian concluded in a firm tone.
Santiago sighed and shook his head. "Yes, sir, I am sorry, dad.”
“You better be. I am doing all this to better your future and so you can concentrate on the big picture.”
‘Or for your own benefit.
He wanted to say something but bit his tongue. He wasn’t in the mood for a back-and-forth with his dad.
“He’s busy and doesn’t want to see anyone now.” He frowned when he heard the muffled voice of his PA from outside.
“I don’t care, let me go in,” a voice that sounded like Joan’s replied, and his curiosity was piqued.
“Did you hear what I said?” His dad’s voice brought him back to their conversation.
“Huh? Sorry, I…” He rubbed his forehead, already feeling a headache forming. “Sorry, I missed what you said. Can you repeat?”
“I am beginning to think you purposely drift off when I give advice pertaining to your life." Jullian sighed. “You should take them seriously, I mean well.”
"Yes, dad, I will make su-”
The door burst open with Joan marching towards him, holding a document, and her eyes glaring daggers at him. His frustrated PA was trailing behind, trying to get her out of the office.
She turned to her boss. “I tried t-”
Santiago stopped her, then dismissed her. She looked at Joan, then bowed her head and walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.
“What was that?” his father asked.
Santiago stood to his feet, looking into Joan’s furious gaze, wondering why they were directed at him.
“Joan is really excited to see me, dad. Let us talk about these later. I’ll update you on Mr. Chu’s deal's finalization. Bye, dad,” he said, disconnecting the call without waiting for his dad's response.
“You could have ca-”
“What is this?” Joan threw the documents at him, expecting his response.
Santiago was irritated by that action but chose not to dwell on it. He looked down at the document lying carelessly on his table, then picked it up. The front of the document read, ‘Reliso and Fernando Corporation’
“This is a business deal that would have been sorted out months ago,” he responded, sitting on the chair.
Joan was mortified by his calmness over this issue.
“What—all this while you knew about this?” a look of hurt in her eyes. “And you didn’t bother saying anything.” Her voice rose an octave.
“This is business, Joan,” he says, pointing to the document on his table. “I don’t think you would unde-”
“Don’t tell me I won’t understand all these Santiago. I have been in this business game too. I know how some things work.”
“Emphasis on ‘some’. There’s a lot you don’t know about, and you should just let some things be. It’s for the good of the company,” he shrugged.
Joan banged her hands on the table. “What the hell is wrong with you, Santiago? This was the plan all along? You and your dad want to destroy a man’s business just because you can?”
“No one is destroying anybody’s business here, Joan. This… I don’t think you will understand now, but soon it will make sense.”
“Let it make sense now,” she yelled.
He rose to his feet quickly, leaning closer to Joan, who didn’t flinch one bit.
“I will not have you use that voice on me or in my office,” he said, pointing to the door. “You barged into my office, even when my PA told you not to, and came yelling and demanding like you own the place. I don’t tolerate such, am I clear?”
Joan felt her world crumbling. His words cut through her heart, and she couldn’t find the strength to stand anymore, so she sat on the chair and buried her face in her hands.
‘Why did I agree to this? Why is this happening?
To think she was already liking him, and this happened.
Joan looked up at Santiago, who was not sitting on his chair with his leg crossed.
“All this while, I thought the Reliso’s were just trying to make our lives a living hell, but it was you all along. Why?” Her eyes were clear of any anger and filled with hurt.
Santiago’s features softened, and he stood up and walked over to her. He leaned on the table, looking down at her.
“Soon, you will realize I made the best decision by acquiring the company.”
“How is taking something my dad worked so hard to get the best decision?” Her voice broke when she asked, “Did you know how broken dad was when he thought he lost all his life-earned work? Mum was nearly hospitalized,” her eyes welled up with unshed tears.
Santiago reached out to wipe the tear that fell down her cheek. “Just go home, relax, and think about the wedding. We don’t want to get too overwhelmed with all th--”
Joan slapped his hands, wiping her cheeks, then stood to her feet. She took steps away from him and shut her eyes.
“Why propose to marry me? Why are you trying to get closer to me and my family? What do you want from us?”
“This is a business deal, remember? It’s all business, there is possibly nothing personal I need from you.”
“I’m done here. This is all a waste of time,” she turned to leave.
“There is no going back on our agreement; we signed a contract that binds us for five years, then we can go separate ways with the benefits granted to us.”
Joan stopped in her tracks and whipped around so fast that she nearly lost her footing.
“What? Five years? It’s a year we agreed on.”
“Read your contract well before signing it,” he said, no emotion evident in his tone. “I believe we have nothing else to discuss now, so if you’d excuse me, I have some important matters to get to,” he said. He walked back to his chair and sat down, discarding the document she brought and continuing his work like she wasn’t there.
Joan couldn’t believe what she just heard. She was used and played on. Not just her, but her entire family.
She thought the Reliso’s were evil, but this Santiago guy and his father—and his family—are even worse.
With a broken heart and a defeated mind, she turned around and walked out of the office. She shut the door weakly behind her. She’s doomed, and there’s no going back here.
Santiago cussed under his breath when she left and kicked the bin, spilling the contents on the floor.
“What the hell did I do?” He buried his face in his hands.