Prologue
February 28, this day marked the day she had decided to change her life and wouldn't be subjected to anyone's ridicule. Two years had gone in the blink of an eye. Her life made a turn for the better. She had reached her dream.
"My very own restaurant will have its opening today. Oh God, are all of these for real?" Looking at the new tables and chairs, curtains, and other things made her cry for she didn't think this would come true.
She closed her eyes and recalled that day, the lowest point of her life that could have led her to depths of despair and might have ruined her future. "Without that incident, will I be able to reach all of these? Could my life had been better or worse? Should I be thanking him now instead of hating him? No one can fathom life at all."
"Beauty, what are you doing just standing there? Come, come! I told you to wear the one Claire gave you, not this dreary thing," her mother instructed while waving one hand at the dress her daughter was wearing. "He is waiting for you in the office, so hurry!"
"Wait! He is in the office now?"
"Yes, he's been here for … almost two hours now, I believe."
"Two hours? You mean … "Beauty squeaked out with surprised eyes.
"Yes. He has had less than three hours of sleep for your sake. You had better thank him, child. I don't care what troubles you two have been having lately. He's always been by your side, and you know that. Ah, there is no time for this. Just go and change!" Her mother shooed her away with her hand.
"Yes, Mother!"
Beauty went into the office. There, she saw this man busy putting things in their proper order. He looked up as she went in. Their eyes met, that spoke in volumes, but no word came out from their mouths.
. . . . .
At this moment, a woman was driving her Ferrari on the busy roads of Manila in a rush.
"You didn't choose me; now, I'll make you and the woman you love to suffer. I'll make you feel the pain of losing someone you loved. I'll make sure the humiliation I got will return a hundredfold to the both of you."
. . . . .
Another car was racing with time. An anxious man dressed in a white suit was driving it. The guy tapped a flat monitor on his dashboard and a blue screen lit up with numbers on it. He chose the number 3, and 'Beauty' appeared. He clicked the call button, and ringing sounds reverberated in the car.
"Beauty, please pick up. Pick up." Still, the ringing tone continued.
. . . . .
In a big office, a man sitting on a comfortable swivel chair was making a call. "Claire, did your son answer your call?"
"No, he didn't. Clyde, is anything wrong? What is it? Please tell me." Claire, the caller's wife, sat at the back of a black car. A lady chauffeur was driving it. She watched the scenery outside the window while talking on the phone. Her forehead creased when she heard the urgency in his voice.
"Where is he now?" Clyde avoided her questions as he waved his hand to a man, beckoning the other guy to prepare to leave.
"He's probably in Beauty's restaurant. He's been helping her even before it was renovated."
"Just try to be there now. Change roads if needed, to get there as soon as possible. I'll try my best to be there soon as well. Don't worry. I'm just concerned that he had not rested well in these past few days. Okay, dear?" He stood up and wore his overcoat.
"That's all? You made me worried for nothing. He can take care of that. He's strong. See you there. Bye." Her face relaxed after hearing his reason.
That morning when he arrived in his office, he received a call from a man named Jesse Marinelli. He called, saying that Beauty was in danger, and the line ended. That was the only information he got.
"Paul, find me the fastest route we can get to reach Beauty's restaurant."
Paul, Clyde's bodyguard, nodded in affirmation.
Clyde left the office while Paul went ahead clearing paths and opening doors for him.
These people were in a hurry to reach one destination: Beauty's restaurant, Beautiful Food.
Chapter 1: Beauty, What a Name
Two years ago, February 15, in Cebu City, he was on her way to her classroom when her plump body bumped into a boy. As she was about to make an apology, someone shouted 'fat and ugly,' making her voice clog up in her throat. She didn't recognize the owner of the voice.
Her eyes reddened, with a face full of tears. "Fat and ugly. Fat and ugly." Voices echoed in her head.
"Stop it! I'm fat, but I'm not ugly. Stop it!" Tears streamed down her face as she ran out of the school without direction, for her eyes were blurry and her mind muddled. A friendly neighbor saw her as she ran in the opposite direction of where she lived. The lady stopped her from running more and sent her to her house.
That was days before the graduation day. She couldn't bear to go back to school. She couldn't believe this happened to her. What was her fault to receive such hate?
That's right, Beauty Ferol was graduating from Senior High, but she locked herself, eating a morsel for days. Her parents asked what had happened but felt lost, for no words would come out of her mouth. Every day, she cried until she was exhausted.
Her parents insisted and protested to the school but to no avail. The teachers interrogated her classmates. However, these students were afraid to tell the truth or had no clue about what happened. Evidently, most of them were those who yelled the demeaning phrase. Teachers visited and tried to talk to her, but she just remained inside her room.
With much consideration, her sad parents decided to send her to a different place to start a new life. She agreed and left, feeling she let her parents down.
She was an 18-year-old girl who had pretty brown shiny eyes (the most attractive part), short black hair, and a smooth chubby face with an extra chin than the usual. Her body? Well, she was ... fat.
She was facing the window, watching the kids play outside from her simple comfy small room. Her parents sent her to her mother's hometown and maternal house on the small island of Camotes. She was dazed by the window that she couldn't hear her grandmother, Amelia, calling her for dinner.
"Beauty, what a name, but ugly on the surface." She uttered the words like a whisper, but still, her grandma heard her.
"Dear child, what are you saying to yourself?" She looked up and cupped the young girl's face, "Your Mama gave that to you after she saw this cute face and pretty eyes when you were born. Aya, don't be upset anymore. You know how much your parents love you."
Her grandmother continued with a stern face, "Only those scoundrels dared pick on you. If I was there, then I would have given them a good beating." She raised and swished down her hand like holding a stick and beating someone's butt. The old lady consoled by holding her hand and patting her head afterward.
Beauty hugged her grandma. She wiped her wet face and tried to smile as not to dampen the mood. "Let's not talk about those things, Grand Mommy. What's for dinner?"
"I prepared your favorite grilled pork ribs and sautéed fish fillet. Eat heartily and wash away those worries. Come! Your Grand Daddy's waiting. There will be nothing left for us if we don't hurry," her grandmother laughingly joked in an easygoing manner.
The house was a two-story building, and her room was on the second floor. She dashed her way from her bedroom to the dining room. Her grandfather was sitting at the head seat and reading a newspaper. There, she spotted the steaming hot grilled saucy ribs and the white fish fillet covered by thick brown sauce and onion leaves in the middle of the table. A big plate of white rice was beside it. Just looking at those made her stomach grumble. They all laughed.
Grand Daddy placed the newspaper on a rack. "I thought you'd need more time to come. So I read the news, or else I'll be tempted by those delicious ribs in front of me", he said while eyeing at the succulent ribs.
"Hey, wait, old man. I cooked these for your grandbaby and not for you. You wait while she takes her share first." She gently hit Grand Daddy's hand that was ready to grab the ribs. "Let's say our graces first."
Grandma led a short prayer. She placed three pieces of the red grilled juicy ribs on Beauty's plate and some rice, but Grand Daddy couldn't wait. He grabbed a piece of the ribs using his hand and bit it without shame. The old wife scolded him again, but he didn't budge and continued to munch like a hungry child with some sauce shimmering on his lips. Beauty laughed seeing such sight, which led all three of them laughing while eating.
The three of them were talking about the food Beauty loved to cook while enjoying the meal. No other topic was mentioned so this beloved grandchild would forget the agonizing experience, helping her move on.
They were laughing heartily as she focused her gaze at her grandparents' faces. Both were now in their sixties. Grand Mommy, a retired teacher, Amelia Pascual, was a slim and petite woman with short white hair. Her brown eyes glimmered when she laughed, and her face had a few wrinkles under her eyes. She was sweet and kindhearted.
Her Grand Daddy, Albert Pascual, was a respected elder. He was tall with dark brown skin and muscular arms, the result of years of farming the lands. His hair tinted in black made his wife call him 'old man in denial'. This grandpa's smiles formed wrinkles that almost covered his face, but seeing his happy demeanor made one at ease with his presence.
Seeing their smiles with a carefree atmosphere, warmth and love spread inside her heart.
"I'm glad I came here. Thank you, Grand Daddy, Grand Mommy, for receiving me here." She said those words as she stood up and embraced her grandparents.