The Billionaire's First-Born

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

My eyes were fixated on the window beside me while I was waiting for the other passengers to enter the bus where I was. I busied myself by staring outside. My parents and my brother were staying on the benches near the bus where I was. It seems like they were just waiting for the bus to leave before they left.

I know that they couldn't see me from where I was because they didn't follow me with their eyes when I decided to get on the bus. Based on their looks, it seems like they looked sad when I left. They hadn’t shown it to me before because they knew that I would back down from my decision if I saw them get upset when I left.

"Is this seat vacant?"

I lost my attention outside when someone asked me. I turned to look at who it was and smiled a bit when I saw an old lady who was now waiting for my answer while pointing at the vacant seat beside me.

I nodded my head in my answer, which made her smile at me. I helped her lift her luggage and carry it to the top of our seat. She thanked me when we finally rested our backs on our seat.

"This is my first time leaving this city," she said, which made me turn to look at me. She smiled at me, which made me see her wide smile. "How about you?"

I shrugged and smiled at her. "I think so..."

There was a moment of silence that happened to us when she never spoke again. I turned to look at her, and seeing her staring at me bothered me a little.

Not for being judgmental, but the way she looked at me bothered me a bit. What is she looking at? Is there dirt on my face?

"You will have good luck on the path you take, hija," she said. She smiled genuinely at me when I turned to look at her. "You'll get to meet him soon."

"Whom will I meet?" I asked, confusedly.

Her smile grew even wider when she saw the curiosity plastered on my face. "The man destined for you."

My brows furrowed in confusion at what she said. I felt something weird while talking to her, and it seems like I didn’t make a mistake in my first impression of her.

I chuckled to refute what she said, but her smile seemed to remain on her lips while she was still looking at me.

"I don't believe in destiny, auntie. That's the least thing I'll do," I said before I leaned against my seat. "I never believed that kind of thing."

"Then that's a good thing, Solanna."

My eyes widened a bit because of what she said. How the heck did she know my name even though I didn't introduce myself to her personally? How come she guessed my name?

Is she a witch?

"How d-did y-you—"

"Your relationship with him would turn your life into a miserable one. Your life seemed to be a roller coaster ride while you were with him. There are many obstacles you have to go through before you reach the thing you hope for," she added while looking into my eyes. "And that man is the reason why you have gone through many hardships in life from then until now."

I could do nothing but purse my lips while looking at her because I was so shocked. "What the hell are you?" I asked, confusingly.

"Excuse me?" someone interrupted our discussion.

I lost sight of the old lady when a girl caught my attention by waving her hand in front of me.

"Is this seat available?" she asked before she pointed to the seat where the old lady had been sitting earlier.

I slowly turned to look at the empty seat where she had been a while ago, and my eyes widened slightly as I realized that I could no longer see her. I turned to look at her baggage in front of me a while ago, but I saw nothing.

"Hey, are you okay?" the girl in front of me asked while waving her hands in front of me. "Is this your first time riding a bus? You looked pale. Are you sick?"

I slowly shook my head at her questions before I nodded at her question before she asked me if I was okay. I didn't look at her anymore, and instead of thinking about losing the old lady next to me a while ago, I just decided to distract myself by looking out the window beside me.

That's a strange feeling. An unusual event that I never expected to happen to me. I thought that kind of thing wasn't real. It never entered my mind that there was a possibility that this thing would also happen to me.

I turned to look at the girl next to me now. She seemed busy reading her magazines. When she felt that I was looking at her, she slowly turned to look at me and smiled a bit.

She was the one who caught my attention earlier by asking me, so I know that there’s a possibility that she saw the old lady sitting beside me a while ago.

"Is there..." I searched for lines. I can't deny that until now, I'm still shocked by what happened earlier. "Did anyone sit next to me before you asked me if this seat was still available?" I asked curiously.

She slowly shook her head while still grinning at me.

"I saw you stunned while looking in this seat. Your skin was a bit pale, so I thought that maybe you were just feeling dizzy," she said before I saw how her brows furrowed while looking at me. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Instead of telling her a story, I decided to shut my mouth and shake my head. Even though her furrowed brows were still visible in her face, she managed to smile and nod at me before she focused again on what she was reading.

That scene bothered me the whole trip. If the person next to me hadn't tapped me, I might have passed the terminal because of being occupied by my mind.

"Thank you," I said before I decided to stand up from my seat and get off the bus.

My mother told me last night that Henrietta’s second daughter would pick me up at the terminal. Like what I expected, I waited two hours at the terminal while waiting for her to arrive and pick me up.

The girl wearing a white chiffon dress hurriedly walked closer to me. She put her shades on her head, which made me see her deep eyes and long eyelashes. She has a pale skin just like me. She smiled at me, which made her lips redden a bit.

"Are you Solanna Javier?" she asked, which made me stand up from the gutter where I sat earlier before I nodded at her. She said, "I'm Marjorie Montero, and I'm here to pick you up just like my mom told me to," before she presented her hands to give me a handshake, which I accepted of course. "Follow me."

She turned her back on me and walked to a fancy car. I shook my head in dismay before I decided to pick my things up from the gutter. Even before I could step my foot, someone snatched my things, which made my eyes widen a bit.

"Snatch—"

Marjorie turned to look at me before she looked at the man who took my things from my hand. "Conrado will be the one who will take care of your things."

I slowly turned to look at the man who was now looking at me. I saw how he pursed his lips, and it seemed like he was just restraining himself to burst into laughter in front of me. I secretly rolled my eyes at him before I walked towards the car where Marjorie was.

That man seemed to be her driver. Marjorie was a bit talkative, and it bothered me while I was on the trip. Sometimes I'm having fun with her, but it looks like I'm more annoyed with what she tells me.

I feel like she didn't even say anything about my work with their family.

"How about my work?" I asked after she told me about her ex-boyfriend, who dumped her ten years ago.

Conrado secretly laughed at himself because of what I said, so I couldn't help but furrow my brows before I turned to look at her.

"Didn't your mom tell you what my job would be in your family?" I asked. I saw how they exchanged their stares with each other. "I mean, don't get me wrong. My mother told me that I wouldn't serve as one of your maids. I mean, Henri—your mom told me that you already have maids, and she told me that my job is to be your b-brother's personal assistant."

"Exactly what she told me before," she said, before she shrugged. "Actually, I didn't expect that they would hire another maid. I mean, Heather is fine. They were all fine. Our house isn't that big, and Heather is a hard-w**********l. I don't know what came to their mind why they hired another assistant."

"My mom told me that the only one I would take care of was your brother," I said, which made her nod at me. "How old is he? Is your brother still drinking milk?"

They both turned to look at me before they burst into laughter at what I said. I feel like they think now that I'm too stupid to think that her brother is still drinking milk.

Okay, fine! I don't have any idea what my supposed job is!

My mother told me that Henrietta's son is coming home to the Philippines from the States. She told me that I had to serve her firstborn. Okay, there we are! But she told me last time that I have someone else to look after besides their first-born, so I expect they still have a brother who drinks milk or needs the support of a mother.

I don't have any idea what my work will be with their family!

I'm expecting that I will take care of two; their first-born and their younger brother. They told me that they needed a babysitter and an assistant. That's why I'm here!

"You will only take care of my brother. My eldest brother, Solanna," she said, which made me purse my lips. "My younger brother is already a teen, and he's not with us, so basically, all you have to take care of is my eldest brother, and to make it clear to you, my brother is not drinking breastmilk, and he doesn't need the support of a mother. He's already in his 30's, okay?"

I felt ashamed because of what I thought a while ago. I know that they didn't include what I said before, and they think that I really have no idea about my supposed work. I want to blame my mom, because she never told me that their first-born was in his 30's!

I feel like I dug my own grave because of what I said a while ago! I know that if that man was here, he would be insulted by what I said!

"We're here, Solanna," Marjorie said, which made me look at the house from afar.

Their house is quite large, and if I were to be asked, I would say that there are five to six bedrooms downstairs, while three or four can fit on the second floor. Their house has many designs. Many expensive plants are scattered around, and it seems like they are not watered that much. I felt my lips tingle a bit when I saw some of the garbage scattered outside their gate, and it seems like they didn't notice it even though I saw a CCTV placed near the garage.

"Why did Heather let the stray dogs scatter the garbage in front of our house?" Marjorie hissed, which made me look at the gutter where the garbage was scattered. "I've already instructed her to clean and repair the trash while I'm away."

"I already sent a message to Basilio," Conrado said.

They both got out of the car, annoyance on their faces, while I remained inside, pursing my lips. I shrugged and let myself sigh heavily before I decided to go out and follow them outside.