I was Reincarnated in Another World with Absorb Skills

Chapter 12- Let's Save the Inn

"Then let's pay them," I said with a smile. I saw how they froze at my words. When they finally recovered, they all just smiled at me like I had told a joke.

“Gustuhin man namin, Lily, dahil dito lang kami umaasa ng kinabukasan, pero paano?” tanong ni Kuya Gerome, isa sa mga waiter ng Inn.

“Tama siya, Lily. Saan tayo kukuha ng ganun kalaking halaga na sa tanang buhay ko, ay hindi ko man lang nahawakan,” dagdag pa ni Nanay Linda. I simply smiled at them.

"Don't worry about it po. Ako na ang bahala," I said with certainty.

“At ipapakita natin sa merchant na ‘yan na siya ang magba-babye at hindi ang Luna Inn,” I added, unable to hide the irritation in my voice. That greedy merchant will see.

The night passed, and as soon as morning came, I went to visit the owner of Luna Inn, August Frankistív.

Last night, before sleeping, I asked Nanay Linda for his address. It was far from the inn, and I passed by several buildings and homes before arriving. His house was relatively big, but you could tell it wasn’t well-kept, its dusty, old, and dimly lit. Nasabi din ni Nanay Linda na wala na silang mga katulong at tanging ang pamilya nalang nila ang nakatira sa malaking bahay na ito, probably due to financial struggles.

I stepped through their creaky gate and knocked on the door. I had barely knocked three times when the door swung open, revealing a man who looked to be in his late 30s. He was tall and had a quiet handsomeness to him, but stress was etched all over his face.

He looked like my old self. A walking zombie from an apocalypse movie.

“Sino sila?” he asked lifelessly.

“Ahm...my name is Laytildia Stella Vildåmorě po. Are you Augusto Frankistív?” I replied.

“Yes? Ano’ng kailangan mo sa akin?” he asked, puzzled. I smiled and got straight to the point.

“I’m here to make a business offer,” I said with a calm but firm tone.

“Pagpasensyahan mo na at tsaa lang ang kaya naming maihanda sa'yo, miss,” his wife Esmeralda apologized, clearly embarrassed. She was a beautiful woman in her early 30s with long, blonde hair that flowed down to her waist.

“No worries po. Saka Lily nalang po ang itawag niyo sa akin,” I said kindly before sipping the tea. Hmm... ang pait.

“Anyway, let’s get to the point. We don’t have much time,” I said seriously, and the couple straightened up in response.

“I heard Luna Inn has been buried in debt for the past four years,” I started, watching August’s brow furrow.

“And I also learned a merchant is pushing to buy it. Originally, you had two weeks to pay off the debt, but yesterday, it was changed, now you only have until tomorrow. After that, the inn will be demolished so the merchant can build a new business there,” I continued.

“The question is... do you really want to lose the Luna Inn, August?” I asked directly. His fists clenched.

“Of course, I don’t want to! Ang mga ninuno ko pa ang nagtayo at nag-alaga niyan! Pero hindi ko man lang naalagaan,” he said, voice cracking with pain.

“Pinaghirapan iyon ng mga magulang ko mapalago, dugo at pawis ang nilaan nila para lang mas makilala pa ito ng mga tao, tapos isang iglap lang... Wala akong kwentang Frankistív!” he shouted as tears began streaming down his face. He was breaking.

“Honey, calm down,” Esmeralda whispered, her own eyes glistening.

“So you don’t want to lose the inn?” I asked gently. “Then how about this... I’ll buy it and help the Luna Inn grow into something beautiful?”

They both froze.

“What do you mean? May ganun ka bang kalaking halaga ng pera?” August asked in disbelief.

“Yes. And don’t worry. I won’t turn it into anything else. No matter what happens, it will stay as the Luna Inn,” I assured him with a smile.

“So... how about it?” I offered.

They glanced at each other.

“Pero bakit mo gustong bilhin ang Inn gayong luma na ito at halos pagiba na?” Esmeralda asked with curiosity.

Yes, bakit ko nga ba gustong gumastos nang malaking pera para lang sa lugar na iyon gayong pwede ko itong gastusin sa ibang bagay? I can even buy new house and build businesses with that money. But the only answer that I had in mind is something that my heart and soul both wanted.

“I have no interest in the place itself,” I said honestly. “But I care about the people who work there... and the people who loves it. And if that means I have to spend a fortune just so they won’t feel hopeless or heartbroken, then I’ll gladly do it. I just want to see them happy again.”

They exchanged glances again, this time with soft smiles.

“Then I don’t see the reason why we shouldn’t agree,” Augustsaid.

“Just promise us one thing—continue the legacy of the Luna Inn, even if it no longer belongs to a Frankistív,” he added.

“Don’t worry, I promi—” I didn’t get the chance to finish my words.

A loud cry suddenly pierced the air, followed by the sound of running footsteps racing toward us.

The door burst open with force.

Two boys—one around 12 and the other about 10—came rushing in, crying and gasping for breath.

All three of us immediately stood and rushed to them.

“Kyle, what happened?!” Esmeralda asked, clearly panicking.

“Aisha! Aisha, Mama!” the younger boy sobbed uncontrollably.

Something’s wrong. Terribly wrong.