Heart Tamer (That Girl #1)

03. Damian

"Abuelo," bati ko sunod ang pagmano. My grandfather's gaze automatically lifted on me with a big smile plastered on his lips.

"Ah, my favorite apo!" he said loudly, not minding his other grandkids—my cousins and half-siblings gathered and sitting around the huge and long dining table here in the dining room of his mansion. Some families are on the other two table on each side. Our family and dad's two younger brothers' families are here in the capital table with abuelo.

Tipid lang ang ngiting naisagot ko kay abuelo, he asked me about how I've been doing and told me that I should visit him often because he likes to see his favorite apo.

I'm happy being abuelo's favorite, really, but that is not helping with my relationship to my cousins and half-siblings. Most of them abominate me simply because abuelo favor me a lot more than anyone in this family, despite their strong belief that my mom brought nothing but disgrace to our family's name. Mula pa sa mga magulang ni abuelo hanggang sa mga ibang anak niya ay walang sino man ang nakipaghiwalay sa mga pinakasalan nila. No one in the Guillermo has a second family—except well...my dad.

He doesn't have much choice anyway, mom doesn't want him anymore and the men in the Guillermo is considered nothing without a wife and a family. After his annulment with mom, abuelo arranged dad to another marriage. A marriage that abuelo chose and approved, which he never did to mom and dad before, he and abuela only tolerated it but never accepted completely. Being an actress and a social butterfly, abuelo and the rest of the Guillermo believe that mom's profession won't do good to our family's image especially in business. Mom proved them right eventually.

I sat down on the chair beside dad. This is where my mom used to sit before whenever we have a gathering like this in the mansion, but after their separation and even though dad remarried to Emilia, abuelo decided that I should take the seat beside dad. My tíos and older cousins wasn't happy about it, they just couldn't voice it out because no one should question abuelo's decision. It wasn't a simple sitting arrangement in the dining table anyway, everyone in the family knows that the closer your seat to abuelo at the dining table, the closer you are to be the successor and the head of the whole Guillermo clan. In my case, it is quite obvious that I have a high chance to be next to dad as the family scion.

"I'm so glad everyone made it here tonight, Anita will be really happy to see us still having this tight relationship despite her early passing," abuelo said still smiling but now with a hint of sadness on his eyes upon the mention of abuela's name. Abuela passed away 5 years ago from a heart and lungs complication. Today marked her 5th year death anniversary, the reason why we're all gathered here.

Abuelo delivered a heartfelt speech about abuela as we all remember her in silence while listening to abuelo, nang matapos magsalita ni abuelo ay nagsimula na ring kumain kasabay ang pag-uusap ng mga lalaki at mas nakakatanda patungkol sa mga pamilya nila at negosyo.

Abuelo is still currently sitting as the chairman of the Guillermo Group—a holding corporation which cater a lot of business in multifarious industries with seven other big companies under it. My dad, Anselmo is currently holding two from the seven sub-company, the AG Industrial Bank and Guillermo Lines which is a global port company and the well-known business of our family. Ang natitirang limang malalaking kompanya ay pinaghati-hatian na ng anim niyang nakababatang kapatid, their youngest being a woman—tia Aurora is the only sibling that cannot assume any company under her name simply because she's a woman. While our family value women as a necessity for a man to have his purpose in life, hindi maaring obligahin at bigyan ng malaking responsibilidad ang mga babae sa pamilya para magtrabaho. Their purpose mostly focus to keep their home and raise the younger ones with utmost grace, elegant and respect for the elders.