FALSE MARRIAGE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

The Announcement

Don Manolo Alejar and Don Reynaldo Castelo were the best of friends. Together, they had established one of the  biggest shipping companies in the country, the Alejar-Castelo Shipping Company, which was also called as ACSC.

Its main office was located near the coastline of Reoul City, the capital of Ramad. Ramad had the biggest shipping port in the country.

Don Manolo and Don Reynaldo were also neighbors at Katarungan Village in Barangay Roxas in Fubi, a town just north of Reoul City.

Don Manolo had just one son with his wife Doña Altagracia. Manuel was their only son. He had married Lorna and they had two children – Juan Manuel and Lorraine.

Don Reynaldo also just had one son with his wife Doña Mariana. Gerardo was their only son. He had married Miriam and they had three children – Marianne, Jeremy and Regina.

ACSC was about to celebrate its golden anniversary on July 8, 2011.

A month from that they had planned on something, which involved Jerry and Raine.

Jerry was the only grandson of Don Reynaldo while Raine was the only granddaughter of Don Manolo.

Their other grandchildren had all been married with children except for the two.

Jerry had just assumed the President-CEO position at ACSC. He had left the position, Executive Vice President for Marketing, vacant. Raine was to assume such position as soon as she arrived from USA. She had taken her master's degree in marketing in a very well known university in Connecticut, USA. She had already finished it and she was about to come home on July 8 for the ACSC's golden anniversary.

Jerry was just four years older than Raine. Jerry had just turned twenty-nine the previous month. He had finished his MBA at UF – Vienburg.

Jerry and Raine were the best of friends. They had maintained an open line of communication while she was in USA.

Jerry was a playboy. He had been in and out of so many relationships. He really never had any serious relationship with a woman. The rest were all just casual flings, which would then last for a week or two.

On the other hand, Raine had been into two serious relationships. Her relationship with her previous boyfriend, Anthony Cordova, lasted for two years. It had ended when she had gone to USA to pursue her master's degree.

July 8, 2011 came. It was Friday. From Ramad International Airport, which was in Reoul City, Jerry had fetched Raine.

"Why are you the one who fetched me?" Raine had asked him as soon as Jerry's driver, Rogel, had stirred the wheel.

Jerry answered, "Well, they all had decided for me to fetch you. They say it was my duty because I am now the President-CEO of the company."

She asked, "Will I really assume your former position?"

He confirmed it, "Yeah! I already told you about it when I visited you last month in Connecticut."

"Okay," she asked, "So, how are you?"

He answered, "I'm fine."

"Who's the flavor of the week?" Raine was referring to the woman he might be dating at the moment.

He told her, "Nobody! I had really been busy with the company as soon as I had assumed the Presidency last month right after I arrived from my USA trip. I had last dated before that trip."