Mending Heart's Affliction [Phoenix Countesses: ETHEREAL MAIDENS SERIES I]

Chapter 59

Upset

I learned that my stepmother had filed a lawsuit against me regarding the inheritance my father had left me. Hindi ko na inalam pa ang buong detalye dahil alam kong ibabasura din naman ng korte iyon dahil kabit lang siya.

And I have all the legal documents. There's no way she'll win against me.

Nito ko lang din napagtanto na marahil isa ako sa pinakamalaking dahilan kung bakit nagsimula ang alitan nina Arik at Liam. Thinking that my choice of Arik over Liam may have played a significant role. Perhaps I was the root cause and the end of it all.

Back when we were in Spain, Liam had been expressing his feelings for me for a long time, and I had repeatedly told him that I wasn't ready for a relationship. He understood that, and I never imagined we would end up in this situation.

Everything had happened so suddenly. While I initially thought it was related to the feud between Arik and Liam as cousins, it turned out to be much deeper than that.

I was one of the reasons behind it all.

From the beginning, everyone had their own plans for each other, and it just so happened that the Johnsons had set things in motion. Even now, I wasn't sure if we would all perish together in this conflict.

Indeed, there are still things I didn't know about Arik, and I'll be always surprised every time I get to learn something new about him.

"How wealthy is he? Is it true that he single-handedly manages all his businesses, including the company he currently heads? Nahihiya akong magtanong," I admitted hesitantly.

Aurora rolled her eyes and glanced over at the entire restaurant where our lunch meeting will be held.

"He owns the entire Rioflorida Estate. I mean, all of it. Arik has managed to increase its value to surpass that of the entire company. He's exceptionally skilled in business management, even better than his own father. That's something Liam can't accept and will never be because his own father had high expectations of him. They used to get along, but ever since then, Liam has regarded Arik as a rival," Aurora explained.

Nag iwas ako ng tingin sa kaniya at napako ang tingin ko sa entrance ng restaurant. Lahat ng sinabi niya ay kabaligtaran ng sinabi sa akin noon ni Liam. He had claimed that Arik had taken everything from him, and I had believed him without question, guided by my love for him.

"Well, initially, as far as I know, Arik did want to take everything from Liam, the entire Rioflorida family. Gusto niya lang bigyan ng hustisya ang pagkamatay ng biological mother niya, whose life was taken by Uncle William, Liam's father."

Mabilis na bumalik ang tingin ko kay Aurora dahil sa sinabi niya. Kumalabog nang husto ang puso ko.

"What do you mean? Isn't Elena Rioflorida his mother?"

Aurora's sarcastic laughter was unsettling.

"That's what they told everyone, but the truth is, Arik's mother is actually Auntie Elena's twin sister. Anak ni Uncle Isaiah si Arik sa kambal ni Auntie Elena. Her name's Eliana. When Aunt Eliana threatened to expose their affair to Uncle, she was found dead in their house the next day. It turns out that Uncle William killed her before Auntie Elena could do it. It was all a mistake. Uncle William thought Auntie Eliana had killed Liam's sister, but in reality, Auntie Elena was the one responsible for it all."

My heart sank as I listened to this revelation. I couldn't find the right words to respond. It was as if my mind had gone blank due to the shocking information.

I had believed that Arik's mother was Elena Rioflorida, and now I realized that this was likely one of the main reasons for Liam's intense hatred towards Arik. This family rift ran deep.