"Louisa, you're aware that it was your Tio Fernando who helped us get back on our feet after that disastrous contract with the Belgians, right? "
How could she forget? She was still quite young when it happened but she knew about the 'Belgian Tragedy'. It was what had drastically changed their lives. Her parents had been in the import-export business then and they were able to secure a multi-million dollar contract with a reputable Belgian company. The deal was that the Belgian company would import coconut and banana products from the Philippines and they would export their crystals and precious stones here for a period of five years. The prospects were good so her father invested almost everything they had into the said venture. Unfortunately, the deal turned sour.
The President and CEO of the company, who was the only one in direct communication with her father, had a fatal accident. As it turned out, he had not yet secured the final approval of the board regarding this deal. When the contract was reviewed, the Board cited several flaws and refused to honor the agreement. It took months to renegotiate the contract, but in the end, the Belgian company decided to terminate the contract. The products, 80% of which had already been shipped, were returned to the Philippines. Her parents were not able to salvage anything from their perishable products. Their budding import-export business fell into ruin.
When Don Fernando Montoya learned of what happened to her father's business, he did not hesitate to offer his assistance. He provided the capital needed to start a new business. Soon enough, they were able to put up 'The Furniture Shop', a company that designed and manufactured world-class furniture. Her father was done with perishable goods. At least, that's how she remembered it.
"Si, Papa. I remember." Louisa, though confused, nodded. She couldn't understand why her father was bringing this up now. Neither could she see its relevance to Tio Fernando's medical condition. But she held her tongue and waited for her father to elaborate.
"That year, we almost lost everything. I was forced to sell our house and other properties in Cebu. We also had to mortgage the house in Manila just to pay off all our suppliers and contractors. That Belgian deal was a mistake, yes, but my biggest mistake was putting almost everything we had on that one business venture," he said, his eyes watching his daughter's reaction cautiously.
When she didn't say anything he took a deep breath and proceeded to reveal the secret that he had been harboring since the day 'The Furniture Shop' was concocted.
"I was so afraid of going back into business. I did not want the sole responsibility of running a company anymore. I feared a repeat of the Belgian tragedy and I couldn't afford to make such a big blunder again. So, when Fernando approached me and offered to lend us money to start over, I refused. I didn't want to take such a big risk again. I asked him if he could just sign me on as an employee. He wouldn't. He said he had too much respect for me to demote me to such a position. He offered me an alternative instead."
He paused to sip at his coffee. He barely noticed how cold it had become. It was just reflex. He was still thinking of ways to broach the real subject of this conversation with his daughter. He feared that he had raised her too leniently, too loosely, that she had grown headstrong and independent - so unlike the ladies of his time who were used to doing what they were told, completely subservient to their parents' will. But Louisa was different. She was smart, strong-willed and very capable of handling herself. Probably because of the freedom he had granted her when she lost her mother to cancer. Had Consuelo not died, he wouldn't have indulged Louisa that much. However, he also knew of Louisa's soft heart and fierce loyalty to her family. And he held on to that small hope that she would understand why he had to do what he did.
"Fernando and Aurora never had any daughters, but not by choice. After Gabriel, they longed to have a daughter. They had three boys one after the other precisely because they were hoping for one. It was only when Aurora was diagnosed with a heart condition that they stopped trying altogether. The knack for having sons and no daughters must've ran in the family because neither Aurora's nor Fernando's brothers had any daughters either. You were actually the closest that they had in having a daughter. You must have noticed how they doted on you so much when you were little. Fernando often said that you were the daughter they never had."
If Ramon's aim was to clarify the situation with his statement, he would be sorely disappointed. Louisa felt even more confused now. What was her father trying to tell her? Had the Montoyas adopted her or were they proposing to adopt her in exchange for the Furniture Shop? That would be crazy! Tia Aurora knew how much she loved her father and she would not want to separate the two of them. Besides, she wasn't a commodity that could be traded off for a piece of business, no matter how lucrative it was. Also, the Montoyas did not need their paltry business. They practically owned half the country already! There had to be more to this than her father was telling her.
"Papa, I don't understand. What are you trying to tell me, really?"
Ramon sighed. He knew that he was bungling this. He thought he had more time to prepare her for this inevitable event but with Fernando's health waning fast, he had to get this over with, posthaste. He might as well just blurt out the truth. He took a deep breath and plunged head-on into dangerous waters.
"The Furniture Shop is not really ours. Yes, we manage it, we have full control over its operation but we're just caretakers of that company. It actually belongs to Fernando's eldest son, Gabriel. When I accepted Fernando's proposal then, it seemed like a really good idea. I never thought that your mother wouldn't be here to guide you and instruct you on the intricacies of our contract with the Montoyas. We were going to tell you about it when you were old enough, of course. But, alas, she had to leave before we had the chance. And I must admit that my grief over your mother's death was more than enough for me to handle that I did not know how to tell you about the contract. Believe me, Louisa, when I say that we both had yours and Gabriel's best interests at heart when we did it."
He looked at Louisa to see if she was finally getting what he was trying to say, but her furrowed brow and pursed lips convinced him that she was not.
Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath and continued.
"Fernando and I agreed that since I did not want to manage my own business anymore, that I feared the complete freedom that sole proprietorship granted me, he would then be my business partner. And so, later on, when the Shop had taken off, before it became the huge success that it is today, he also took me into his other business ventures, as a partner. However, the Furniture Shop was still our baby. It had a special place in our hearts because it brought our two families together, permanently," he paused and sipped at his coffee. He grimaced. It was bitter and ice cold.
Louisa shook her head. She didn't like to think where this was going. Crossing her arms on the table, she leaned towards her father and asked the one question that her father had been dreading.
"What was the contract about, Papa?"
"Hmmm?" Don Ramon said, pretending to sip at the dreadful coffee.
"Quit stalling, Papa. What was the contract that you made with Don Fernando about? Are you telling me that we are now going to turn-over everything to his son, Gabriel? After all these years? You know that the Shop is my heart and soul, Papa!" she said, the frustration and fear of losing the Shop making her voice sound harsher than she intended.
"I know, dear. But we are not going to turn it over to Gabriel. You will not lose it because the Shop legally belongs to Gabriel and his future wife." Ramon said carefully, hoping that his daughter would get his meaning.
An awkward silence followed; the lull before the storm. Then, Ramon saw how confusion, shock and finally understanding flashed, one after the other, on Louisa's face. Just as quickly, they all collided and merged, giving birth to something violent – rage!
"Please don't tell me that I have to marry that arrogant, self-important, narcissistic ass just to gain control of the company that I had nurtured all these years? It wouldn't be in its current position in the world market if it weren't for me, Papa. You know how I've bled and sacrificed for that company," she exploded, eyes flashing, nostrils flaring, calling for fire and brimstone to rain down from heaven.
"I know, dear. And that's the reason why I gave you a free hand on the Shop. Because I knew that it would eventually be completely yours. It was the only company we have that was not transferred to my name after Fernando insisted that I was already more than capable of handling them myself. And, as you are well aware, it was the only one not included in the merger we had with the Montoya Group of Companies last year," Ramon answered calmly, refusing to be drawn into the maelstrom of Louisa's wrath.
"What? I did not know that! I thought that you just negotiated with them to grant us full control of the Shop."
"Did I not tell you? Oh, well, now you know," her father answered sheepishly, mentally beating himself for forgetting to tell her that. "Fernando did not want it to be part of the merger because he said it was not rightfully his or mine. By all intents and purposes, it belongs to you and Gabriel."
"It does not belong to me, Papa. You just said that it belongs to Gabriel and his 'future' wife. So, that would mean whoever he would condescend to marry. And, sorry to disappoint you, Papa, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not even on that overbearing oaf's list of 'suitable wives'!"
"Really, dear! Did you think that we would leave that bit to chance? That Fernando would not prevent Gabriel from finding his own wife? The contract was quite specific. It stipulated that the only way Gabriel would take control of The Shop was if his wife were a girl named Maria Anna Louisa Almendrez y Cortez. His father even added another stipulation to his inheritance."
"What stipulation?" Oh, please, no! Not that!
"That he would have to marry this Señorita Almendrez before he turned thirty in order to get his full inheritance, including control of the Montoya Group of Companies. Otherwise, he would just be given a yearly allowance and a minor company in their empire to play with." Ramon said, smiling at the slight misinformation.
Fernando truly wasn't that heartless. Gabriel would never be 'disinherited' even if reneged on the betrothal. However, Fernando wanted the marriage between their children to happen and he was shrewd enough to make that provision in Gabriel's inheritance believable in order to push him in the right direction.
"What!? If this is a joke, Papa, it's not funny," she said, silently hoping that her father would burst out laughing and admit that he was indeed joking. Unfortunately, her father remained straight faced and solemn. Louisa felt her heart slowly shriveling down the size of a walnut.
"Why did it have to be Gabriel? Of all people? He barely noticed me! The few times that he deigned to take note of me he made it clear that I was nothing more than a nuisance. And that was when we were still kids. But with this new development? Boy, I bet he's consigning me to the devil just now! Not that I haven't done it to him myself, mind you. And you expect us to get married? To each other? Bah! Thanks to you, Papa and your match-making compadre, that would be like asking the moon to kiss the sun! UN.BE.LIE.VABLE."
Ramon was taken aback by the venom in his daughter's voice. One of the reasons why he had agreed to the betrothal was because he thought Louisa had a big crush on Gabriel. He thought she would not be too resistant in marrying the Montoya heir. Sure, she would rant and rave at being forced into an arranged marriage, seeing it as too archaic. But he had been sure that her infatuation would be rekindled and would even be delighted in marrying her childhood crush. So, Ramon was at a loss when he saw her obvious abhorrence for Gabriel.
Still trying to decipher his daughter's reaction, Ramon barely caught the next words that Louisa muttered under her breath as she stormed out of the room in a dark rage. There were a few very unladylike expletives in there, too. Ramon shook his head. She would be going straight to the stables to get her mount and ride her fury down. Still, he knew that after all the fireworks were spent, her sense of duty and honor would take over. She would come around and accept her fate. Just as Gabriel, who Fernando said had gone ballistic himself when told about the betrothal, would also come around.
Eventually.
Fernando was right, Ramon smirked, remembering how his own daughter had just reacted to the news of her betrothal. The two would be a perfect fit for each other.
They just needed to see the truth for themselves.