The next morning.
The steaming heat of the previous day suddenly was no where to be found. Instead, a thin layer of mist laid just above the roof of houses. There was slight chill to the morning and a gentle breezing blowing through the dried leaves on trees, adding melody to the hymns of singing birds.
While the atmosphere appeared harmonious on every side of town, the Andres Manor had woken up with an atmosphere alienated to that of the current atmosphere.
Heavy clouds of gloom and tension hung over everybody's head. There were no smiling faces and definitely no relaxed look, up from the great master of the house to the littlest maids.
In the sitting room,
The Old Matriarch, Roxanne, Suzy as well as the head of the Andres Manor himself were all huddled up in front of the Manors official contact line.
"It's time already, why isn't he calling?" Grandma Andres asked with scrunched up brows. Her attention on the phone that was as quiet as the morning.
"It's probably the network, I heard them say in the news that the fog might affect communication networks today. Let's wait a little further, the call will come through" Roxanne comforted the old woman with her words but even her could not help but be anxious herself. The expected call was just too important for all of them. Any mishap at this moment would come along with grave consequences.
All of them knew this, so as they watched time roll by slowly and yet the phone did not ring, their expression dropped deeper than it already was. The hanging hearts sank into their bellies and for once in their lives they could finally explain the feeling of despair.
After staying in that cramped position for another hour. They were all certain that that person had no intentions of making that call. They had been led by the tip of their nose like the previous times.
The Andres company was going through a very tough time at the moment. They initially still had unpaid debts from Raoul's gambling fit but now the debts was doubling in numbers. They had invested all the company funds in a project, in hopes that it would amount to enormous profits that would enable them pay all outstanding debts but all of a sudden, weeks ago, their partner unannouncedly withdrew from the project. Though they had been given a settlement fee, it was no where near what they had put into the project.
Now they were running Helter skelter looking for companies that would be willing to sign a deal with them based on the already laid down preparation. All their efforts ending up in one disappointment after the other. No one was willing. The unreceived phone call just proved their last resort also abortive.
With this they were few inches away from declaring that the company was bankrupt.
"Why don't you give them a call again?" Suzy had just finished asking when a pair of flat heels flew across the room and slammed on her head.
"Argh!" Suzy's pained shout echoed in the room followed by Grandma's furious yells.
"D*mbsh*t! How does calling them again help?! The director had indirectly told us not to contact them again when he said, we should do nothing and wait for his call. Wouldn't calling them again only put us in their bad list?!" She yelled "if you have nothing reasonable to say. Why don't you spend that time thinking of getting so cash from that ungrateful daughter of yours!"
With the mention of the gold mine that was still untapped by the family, everyone's expression became unsightly. Deep frowns appeared on their faces and even if they would have felt sympathy for the woman that has half her face covered in blood, they felt nothing but anger and judging looks now.
"Mother i_"
"Don't mother me!" The old woman cut Suzy harshly "did you not say you had a way of taming that daughter of yours and getting her to settle us? It's been so long already and you have done nothing! What you think we have all gotten amnesy? I'm not too old to be demented!!"
"Grandma, I bet she was simply pacifying us then. Aunty Suzy has no plan on correcting Sister on the bad things she had done. She most likely is waiting for the Andres family to go bankrupt then she and her daughter would enjoy the proceed of the marriage we had effort fully planned for her." With pure jealousy in her eyes, Roxanne joined in accusing Suzy. Not only was the Andres business doing bad but on her part too, her career was taking a down hill slide. The company had recruited this new newbie so all the resource were allocated to her, whereas she Roxanne had to scramble for the crumbs that wench let her have.
Though Gisele had no idea about her current predicament, Roxanne still blamed her for it since it was only after meeting Gisele's breathtaking face, did her manager get obsessed with recruiting Beautiful ladies and had come across the new artist.
"No!" Suzy struggled to gain her standing. Her left hand held into her bleeding forehead while her right hand hurriedly dug her small outdated phone out from her pocket.
"I had not made a move because I had to spend my time to finding a way to contact Gisele. There was absolutely no way I could. But fortunately, I obtained her cellphone digits. Now I just have to wait for the completion of my plans."
The room went quiet for a while. Surely a slight elation surfaced in their hearts but everyone was quick to hide the joy the felt.
"Hmph!" Grandma Andres snorted arrogantly "all talk and no work. You might just be bluffing what else is there to be assured with?"
Suzy hurriedly shook her head "no I'm not. In a few weeks time, we will have all the benefits we want from the Montero family. I just need to get the timing right"
"Why do you speak of it like we want to scam them. We are only trying to teach Gisele the right way to live, aren't we?" Roxanne gave a slight chuckle and said.
"Yes, absolutely. That daughter of mine needs to learn to share and not hog all the benefits for herself. Our misery is also her misery" The woman shameless agreed, pretending not to know their real intentions. For her head she would readily sacrifice her daughter.
Raoul's cleared his throat loudly. Everyone else kept quiet and listened as the man of the house intended to speak. He too did away with every expression of anxiety and worry that had once clouded his face, now he had only arrogance and intended superiority oozing from his body.
He furrowed his brows at Suzy and ordered in a deep tone. "Do what you have to do, I'll give you my terms in a few days but... if this goes wrong, don't come back here!"
An anxious light flashed past Suzy's eyes, his command did not come as a surprise as it has always been the modus operandi to threaten her with leaving the family. After all these time, she would still succumb to this threat everytime it was used, as it was her biggest fear to leave the Andres family.
Did she love him?
Definitely not!.
The bright florescent bulbs lined on the room walls were not enough to illuminate her face that was buried in her palms. The thick contempt and mockery that took over her eyes thus went unseen by the family that had proceeded to discuss amongst themselves.
In the earlier years of her marriage, she might have been crazy in love but as time rolled by. She had only one reason to stay, her greed and selfishness. She had no where to go if she wash thrown away. No status, No property and obviously no livelihood. How was she supposed to survive if she was thrown out of the house?
This was why she would readily sacrifice Gisele as long as she remained here. No matter how the family detested her, she would still be referred as the Lady of the house and be treated like one if the family got wealthier in future. There was bound to be profits siding with the Andres family but what profit would be there for siding with Gisele?
Another bundle of disappointment.
The same disappointment she got when she found out the man she had hooked up with was no CEO in the hiding but a mere son of a countryside Old man. Worst of all he died even before she could hackle him for child support. Leaving her to take care of their mistake of a daughter alone and also his Sickly Old father.
Hooking up with that man that night had been the worst mistake of her life, or else she would have not ended up with a raptured womb and might have gotten the chance to stabilize her position in the Andres family by giving birth to a child for Raoul. If a child had been involved, grandma Andres would not have hated her as much as she did now.
Gisele was the start of her downfall, so she should also pay for the damages her existence had caused.