Chapter 19
“Look who’s here!” Paloma greeted her stepdaughter as they crossed paths on Daniella’s way to the kitchen. “Where have you been, Ella?”
“None of your business,” she replied curtly, ignoring Paloma’s presence, her exhaustion from the long journey compelling her to head straight to her bedroom. All she wanted was to get some rest.
After her deep slumber, she awoke at around three o’clock in the afternoon, feeling famished. She ventured into the kitchen to satisfy her hunger but was greeted with an unpleasant sight – the woman she had grown to despise.
“We need to talk, Ella,” Paloma demanded.
Daniella raised an eyebrow, then reluctantly pulled out a chair and sat down. “As far as I’m concerned,
we have nothing to talk about.” She was steadfast in her refusal to address Paloma as Mama or Mommy,
having resented her presence in her family since the beginning.
“Come on, Ella. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Do you still remember what was written in Greg’s last will?” Paloma’s intentions weren’t to provoke Daniella, but her utter indifference compelled her to play the role of the wicked stepmother.
“What about it? That I wouldn’t get anything unless I had a child? You know it’s absurd, Madam.”
“Yes, it was absurd. But our deal was not,” Paloma reminded her of the agreement they had struck that
day.
Daniella gave a wry smile. “We’ll see,” she responded, maintaining a hopeful demeanor but secretly praying that Marcus was potent enough to impregnate her with one attempt. Or else…
“Excuse me, Miss Paloma, Miss Daniella, but Attorney Elarcosa is in the living room, and he said it’s urgent,” Patty, one of the household staff, interrupted, surprising both women.
“Please tell him to proceed to the library; we’ll meet with him there,” Paloma recovered first, once the
shock of the solicitor’s visit had subsided.
Curiosity piqued, Daniella followed Paloma to the library to understand the reason behind the unexpected visit of the solicitor.
“It’s great to see you both,” Attorney Jaime Elarcosa greeted the women as Daniella joined him in Greg’s library.
“Same here, Attorney. So, how have you been?” Daniella inquired, noting the attorney’s discomfort in her father’s oversized swivel chair.
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“Please, have a seat,” he invited.
“Is something wrong, Attorney?” Paloma asked, concerned about the expression on his face, which hinted
at an issue.
“First of all, I would like to apologize to you, Ella dear. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I made a mistake when I read Greg’s last will,” he explained, and both women nodded.
She knew it! However, it was too early to celebrate, and she eagerly anticipated the reaction of her stepmother when the solicitor informed them that, as Greg’s daughter, she had the right to inherit without any conditions.
“A mistake? In what?” Daniella inquired, concealing her excitement.
“I failed to read the revised will that your father had made a few weeks before he passed away,” he
admitted.
“I see. Hmmm, why don’t you read it now, Attorney?” Daniella prodded, crossing her legs, eager to hear
the revised will.
As the solicitor commenced reading her father’s last will and testament, Daniella secretly hoped that Paloma’s world would crumble. She knew the woman would be furious and might even harm herself for losing out.
But, to her surprise, there were no major changes to the will. Paloma still received her share, and Daniella’s rage flared. She wanted to ask about the condition Gregory had initially set for her to inherit everything but decided to hold her tongue.
Nonetheless, it overwhelmed her that the magnificent mansion located on a secluded beach with the most exquisite sea view in Oslob was now hers. She recalled her father’s adoration for the beautiful and willowy Paloma Murillo, which had left her doubting whether the mansion would pass to his new wife.
“He had so much money, Attorney!” Daniella reacted to the whopping fifty million euros she found in her trust fund. She attempted to calculate its equivalent in pesos, but her head began to ache.
“He was a savvy investor, Ella.”
“I see. But what happened to the condition stated in his initial will?” Daniella asked, realizing that the solicitor had yet to mention it.
“Oh, that? Greg was just joking at the time,” he replied, reminiscing about his friend’s demeanor on that day.
“Joking? What do you mean?” Daniella probed, intrigued by the notion that her father had on jesting
back then.
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“It means you don’t need a child to inherit everything I mentioned. As for the cash, you now have full access to it,” he stated, handing her a passbook.
However, Daniella was too preoccupied with the recklessness of her decision involving Marcus Madrigal in Hong Kong to care about the money in the passbook. She was deaf to everything around her and could only think about her potential pregnancy.
“Ella, are you alright?” Paloma inquired, noticing her stepdaughter’s pale countenance.
“I’m fine,” she replied, though the loss of her chastity to Marcus and the possibility of becoming pregnant soon weighed heavily on her mind.
Attorney Jaime Elarcosa took his leave after fulfilling his duty as Gregory’s solicitor. “I’m just a phone call away if you need me, ladies.”
Paloma nodded, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from Daniella, who appeared deeply troubled. “Is there something wrong?” She asked, her tone maternal, as though speaking to a child.
“None of your business,” Daniella’s standard retort to Paloma’s inquiries. She stormed out of the library
to find solitude.
Paloma suppressed her sobs as she watched Daniella walk away. She had been patient with her for twenty years, and still, Greg’s daughter couldn’t accept her. Karma had come back to bite her, as she deserved, for leaving her own child for Ella.
It crossed her mind to return to her own family, considering that she had now secured control of their fortune, but a part of her heart still belonged to Daniella, especially in the wake of Gregory’s passing. Without her financial support, Paloma was confident that Daniella would realize many things.
Lost in thought about how to win Daniella’s heart, she was jolted from her contemplation by her ringing phone. “Paloma Reyes speaking,” she answered.
“Mom, when are you coming home? I miss you.”
“Lilian dear, I’m sorry. Greg just passed away, so I can’t leave Daniella alone,” she explained. However, her daughter responded with a scream and abruptly ended the call. Lilian had every right to be upset with her. Any daughter would react that way.
