The man wearing a fedora hat and a clean cut haircut called out Mrs. Sanchez's name.
Jane could feel her mother's discomfort, therefore she knew that he was the man pestering her mother.
The man didn't look bad at all. He seemed to be on his late 40's. Jane could even see a few streaks of white hairs on his perfectly combed hair. He had a clean mustache on his face.
Even so, he was quite good-looking and was clearly from a well-off family.
Of course he should belong from one. After all, he was able to have ties with the person whom her father was indebted with.
He was wearing a black aviator sunglasses and a floral polo with white pants and black leather shoes.
His neck, wrist and fingers were covered with gold. In fact, he and his men came out from a black mercedes benz car.
How he presented himself had supported her conclusion that this man was rich and was probably bored. He was probably one of those rich people who were so bored of their millions that's why they were trying to mess up the lives of the people who were sitting on the hierarchy level below them.
Unfortunately, her mother had become his target.
Behind him were his men in uniform. Must be his personally trained private guards to protect him at all times.
They moved in a seemingly choreographed manner. They were like well-disciplined soldiers.
It was a shame that they were serving him.
Yes, she had already judged the person based on how bad he had done towards her family. What they had told her had become her initial impression with the man.
Seeing how confident and proud he was to himself, it seems like what she heard was not wrong at all.
A small crowd of curious people were also forming not far from them as they were interested of what was going on.
They dared not to get closer as they didn't want to be implicated.
"Mr. Sandoval." Mrs. Sanchez called him with his last name.
"Oh, come on! Are we really going to go down that road? I told you to call me Simon, right?" He said while removing his sun glasses and shoved it in his front pocket.
However, Mrs. Sanchez stubbornly denied him with his request.
"No. We're not well-acquainted. I'll only call you with first name."
In short, Mrs. Sanchez didn't like the man at all so as much as possible, she was only trying to be civil with him.
"What do you want? Have you enjoyed seeing our shop in this miserable state?" Anton could not hold back his outburst after seeing that the man's presence was giving his mother a hard time.
"Oh! Brave boy!" Simon Sandoval then waved his hand to make his people grab the boy.
They were about to grab Anton by the neck but a hand stopped them.
Mr. Sandoval's guards then turned their attention towards the owner of this hand and they were stunned to see an unfamiliar looking young woman.
Of course, the Jane that they had recognized was the one with the dark-colored skin tone. But this young woman had a much lighter skin tone.
So they thought she must be a relative who came over to visit the family.
"Dare to touch even a strand of my brother's hair and you'll know where this hand will end up to!" Jane coldly warned the man who was a bit bigger than her when it comes to body size.
However, the man didn't take her seriously.
They even dared to laugh at her.
Jane looked at them straight in the eyes one by one as if she was analyzing them.
She felt like puking her guts out after she had heard and read the thoughts that were running inside the man's head.
They were full of malice towards her and her sister.
She felt like she was going to be sick should she stay with these types of people in the same room for a long period of time.
So she let go of his hand and she protectively hugged her siblings and brought her mother closer to her.
Jane balled her palm into a tight fist while she was looking at them.
"Oh! So you're the other daughter. Nice to meet you! I'm Simon Sandoval. If I were you, you'll learn to be polite as a month from now, I'll be your mother's new husband."
In other words, Mr. Sandoval was telling her that she would be one of his subjects later on and she better be polite so she won't suffer his cruelness.
"Don't be so sure. We still have a month. Don't worry, we will surely pay you in full including the interest a month from now to Mr. Tan."
"Ha! Hahahahaha!" Mr. Sandoval laughed hysterically after he heard that. His men also joined him.
"Damn! Ann, I didn't know you have raised a comedian daughter!" He spoke loudly enabling those curious by-standers to hear it.
However, he stopped laughing after he saw that Mrs. Sanchez and his children were serious about it.
The last time he visited them, their composure was not like that. Their confidence and self-esteem were on the lowest level after he destroyed their only means to pay the debt.
But now, that confidence was back and he could only blame it to Jane.
Her arrival had brought hope to her family and he didn't like that.
However, when he recalled that she was still an undergrad, he calmed down a bit.
What could a university undergrad do to help them? How could she find the five million peso in just a month?
Even if she would sell her dignity and body every night to different men, she won't be able to save up that much.
Unless if she could find an old millionaire man to marry. That could be their last resort of help.
"After we give him the money, I hope you'll keep your word. You'll stop pestering my mother."
"Sure! Sure! I promise to stop pestering your mother after you have paid me your debt in full." He said making Jane and Ann in surprise.
"What? Why do we have to pay it to you when we don't owe you a dime?!"
"Oh, Ann darling, I have already paid your husband's debt to my partner, Mr. Tan. In short, your family owes me now." He smirked evilly at them.
In short, he had already bought them out.
"And convincing him to do so was not cheap. The old man had even given me double of the interest rate despite us being partners in many business transactions." He added.
He was telling them that their debt to him was no longer five million but more than five million.
Jane could feel Mrs. Sanchez's anger therefore she held her hand to calm her.
Jane squeezed her hand in the hopes that she would stay quiet and let her handle the situation.
She could hear and read Mrs. Sanchez's protest in her thoughts but she threw her a reassuring look thus making the latter to trust her daughter.
"How much?"
The man looked at Jane in disbelief.
"How much do we owe you?!" Jane repeated making Mr. Sandoval to narrow his gaze towards her.
Jane had managed to remain composed despite their situation.
"Oh! Approximately seven million. And I want my money thirty days from now."
"What? Are you trying to rob as off?"
"No! Of course not! Young lady. You're a business major student. And I guess you understand better how business transactions work." He paused to get a packet of cigarette from his front pouch and then one of his men lit it up for him.
Mr. Sandoval puffed some smoke towards them before he decided to continue.
"I have bought your entire family's freedom from Mr. Tan. Your freedom ain't cheap if I may add. By paying me what your family have owed, you're buying your freedom back. And of course, as a businessman, I have to gain some profits from that."
"I have already calculated the benefits I can gain from your siblings. They're not even worth a million or two. Even if they have decided to be one of my unpaid servants in my mansion, they cannot give me that much equivalent."
"As for you, after you graduate, you will work for me in the company. Of course for free. So as you can tell, an approximate of a million or two for profit is very little amount for me." He said.
"Fine. We will pay you that amount. Just give my mom the meet up location. But first, I want a written agreement with our lawyers just to make sure that you'll do your part."
What Jane had said made him and his men to laugh once again.
"I am the law in this town! Therefore, no one can dare to dictate me on what to do. You're family is lucky that I give you this ultimatum!"
If he really wanted to, he could just abduct Ann and separate her from her children. However, he want some thrill in this hunt.
He already had plans on what to do with her children. In fact, he already had prospective buyers for them each.
"Okay. However, let me warn you. Until then, you better stay away from my family. Especially my mom."
"Your threats are nothing to me young lady. Keep it up. I might make you one of my son's mistress."
"Thirty days. You only have thirty days of freedom. Until then, you better start packing up your bags and accept the reality that you're lives will never be the same thirty days from now."
He then wore his sunglasses back and said, "Even if you will run away and try to hide, there's no place in Country P that I can't find you."
Mr. Sandoval gave them another glance before he turned around and left them.
The people who had also gathered not far from them soon dispersed after they left leaving the mother and children alone.
Before anyone would start approaching them and bombard them questions, Jane grabbed Mrs. Sanchez and Naomi's hand and dragged them away from that place.
Anton was following behind them.
When they reached the house, Jane could tell that her family were in low-spirits after the confrontation.
Anton excused himself to cook dinner while Naomi went straight to her room.
Where as for Mrs. Sanchez, she had slumped in the living room lost in her own thoughts.
Jane didn't like the thoughts that were running in their heads.
Convincing them to not give up was not enough. She had to produce something to make them believe that they could overcome this trial.