05
1077 Words
Chapter 5
"This wasn't part of the plan, Santino. You changed the entire plan for that woman. Why?" The man leaned against the table, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Santino who stood by the glass wall of the balcony, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Santino's gaze was glued to the woman, Rory, as she rushed towards the main gate of the villa, the heavy rain seemingly unable to dampen her pace.
He turned slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm enjoying myself. I found a new toy."
The other man, uninterested, looked away, his voice laced with a warning. "Don't forget our real mission. Remember, that woman is the daughter of the man who ruined Auntie's life. And she's the bride chosen by the Balthazars for the future head of the Balthazars. Once the wedding between the Altos and Jihoons takes place, it'll be impossible to reveal the truth about what happened years ago and bring Auntie justice."
The atmosphere thickened, the man leaning against the table turning to face his friend, his eyes narrowed, his expression dark. "Don't worry, no matter what means I use to crush them… the result will be the same. I will take everything they have. They will crawl on the ground, begging, and I will make sure they would rather die than live." He tossed his cigarette to the floor, grinding it under his heel with a cruel smile.
"That woman is the perfect piece in my plan," he muttered, Anthony Jihoon's face flashing in his mind.
Santino Rylee Balthazar, 23 years old. A college student. One of the Balthazar heirs, but for some reason, he refused to take over, considering himself an outsider.
He was 13 when he went abroad to study, cutting off all ties with the Balthazars, including his own father. He returned to the Philippines and decided to settle down after learning about his cousin's upcoming wedding.
"Grandma," he said, a genuine smile lighting up his face. He was dressed in a white coat, a suitcase trailing behind him.
"Oh my gosh, is that Young Master Rylee?"
The maids whispered amongst themselves, their eyes drawn to him as he rushed towards the old woman, enveloping her in a hug.
"It's good to see you remember me. How come you've been back for a few days, and you only show up now?" the old woman asked, her tone laced with amusement.
He looked at her innocently. "You know, Grandma, I just got back. I had a lot of documents to sort out, and of course, as a good son, I had to travel back and forth to visit my parents," he said, waving his arms like a child.
The old woman's assistant wanted to interject, explain that Rylee had turned the family mansion upside down in just two days after his return. He had been kicked out and was now hiding in the old woman's mansion to escape his father's wrath.
"Santino Rylee! You bastard!" the old man yelled, storming into the mansion, his wife trailing behind him.
The old Balthazar stopped, her voice booming with anger. "Don't you see me now, Samuel? Have you become so arrogant that you can just barge into my house without an invitation?"
Santino's father stopped, his eyes widening as he saw his mother.
"Honey, I told you, we shouldn't come here," his wife said, feigning tears. She turned to her husband, her voice laced with desperation. "We can't just let my son do whatever he wants."
"What's going on?" the old woman asked her assistant. The assistant approached her, relaying the events.
"Young Master invited his friends to the Headmaster's mansion. The Headmistress was furious. The video of her scolding Young Master is spreading online," the assistant said, showing her tablet. The video showed the Headmistress berating her stepson, humiliating him in front of his friends.
"Samuel! What kind of nonsense is this? And you want to punish my grandson for your wife's insolence!" The old woman yelled, raising her cane to strike her son.
"Hep! Hep! Grandma, calm down," Santino said, grabbing her arm. He reassured her, "It's not good for you to be so emotional. The doctor said you shouldn't get angry often. Grandma, take care of yourself. If you're gone, I'll have no one give justice for me."
"You little brat! Just because Mama is on your side, you think you can get away with everything? Your friends uploaded those videos, and now they're spreading all over social media," the old man said, his voice laced with anger.
Santino looked at him, his eyes innocent. "Dad, you're being unreasonable again. How is that my fault? I didn't upload the videos, and I didn't tell Stepmother to cause a scene while my friends were there." He chuckled, turning to his grandma.
"Grandma, I invited my friends to the main house because they wanted to throw a welcome party for me. I didn't know Stepmother had guests that day. If I did, I wouldn't have invited my friends."
The woman immediately protested, asking what he was talking about.
"Be quiet! Santino is your son too, and the main house is his. Why would you object to him inviting his friends? It's better that outsiders put effort into throwing a party for my grandson than you, his own father, who didn't even think about throwing a party for your son's return!" the old woman yelled.
Santino nodded, feigning understanding. "I know Stepmother was busy yesterday because it was her childhood friend's child's birthday, and they were using the main venue."
The old woman exploded, striking the woman with her cane. "You shameless woman! You used the main venue of the main house for someone else's birthday party!"
"Mom! Mom!"
"Ah! Ah Grandma! Calm down! Your blood pressure!" Santino said, pretending to restrain his grandmother from hitting his parents.
The Altos arrived, their arrival abruptly halting the scene.
"Did... did we interrupt something?" the Alto madam asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.
Santino froze, his eyes meeting the two people he hated the most.
"Rory is at the mansion now, scared out of her wits after the kidnapping incident. We asked her what happened, where she got those wounds, but she wouldn't say anything. We called the police, but she wouldn't cooperate."
Santino wanted to laugh at the idea that the Alto madam was a master of playing with words. She acted concerned while subtly hinting at things.
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