The Dark Side (Beloved Series #1)

Chapter 1

The sky was dark and the cluster of dark clouds seemed to sympathize with the sorrow felt by the people standing in front of a grave. It felt like even the heavy downpour wanted to pour out the burden carried by those grieving hearts that continued to weep for their lost loved ones. A thunderous roar broke the deep silence. Only faint sobs echoed in the noise released by the heavens. The cold breeze gently brushed like arms embracing their trembling bodies.

"Why?" Her only question was whispered into the void as Cyan let out a soft sigh. She stared blankly as they lowered the coffins containing her deceased parents. More choked sobs escaped her already sore throat. She still couldn't believe that her parents were gone.

It seemed like just yesterday she had seen their smiles for the last time. She couldn't have imagined that it would be their final embrace and farewell. She hadn't even been able to say to them, even silently, "I love you" before they left.

Manang Mina gently rubbed Cyan's back, sharing in the sorrow they both endured.

The cemetery was almost full from the multitude of mourners, oblivious to the bad weather and the impending heavy afternoon rain. Many of their employees were genuinely mourning their loss. She couldn't blame them, because her parents were undeniably good people. They were always there to help whenever their workers needed, especially on their ranch, and never asked for anything in return. Cyan didn't even flinch once, even when the dark clouds were continuously illuminated by flashes of lightning. Or when

the heavy rain began to fall as if they wanted to drown them. She did not care, even when she started to get soaked under the rain. She didn't mind the cold, the smell of damp earth, or even the raindrops that felt like heavy slaps trying to wake her up to the truth she didn't want to accept. She still didn't want to accept the fact that her loving parents were already gone.

They were gone. She was alone now. There was no one to help her achieve her dreams. What about the ranch? The company? She hadn't even fully learned how to run them. Would the major stockholders trust her, knowing she had little experience in running their company? What about the people there, depending on their livelihoods for their families?

She would be running the company on her own, which she had never even had a chance to see. Would the business partners who hated them so much that they were ready to take everything out of her unwilling hands trust her?

Although twenty years old is now considered a legal adult, she's still young. Could she handle this huge responsibility that was hanging over her shoulders?

"Dear," Manang Mina called from beside her. "Here's the umbrella. Don't get wet in the rain. You'll get sick. Your parents wouldn't want that," said Manang, while

sheltering her under a large black umbrella. Cyan tried to stop crying. She didn't want to look so helpless and

weak, but she just couldn't stop the water from escaping her already swollen eyes. She could even taste the bitterness on the tip of her tongue, the bitter truth that she was alone in the middle of this obstacle that her parents unintentionally left her.

"I-it's o-okay, Manang. I-I'll be f-fine," she told the kind woman and walked towards her parents' newly made grave, giving her

even more soaked under the rain.

Their graves were side by side. The driver who took them there

also died in the accident. Meaning, she had no one to blame this on.

It was also proven that the truck driver was not at fault based on the CCTV footage they obtained, so she really had no one to blame for her parents' death. Furthermore, according to the authorities' investigation, their vehicle allegedly lost its brakes. A fact that she found very suspicious.

Soon after, the mourners began to say their goodbyes

to go home.

"We'll go ahead, miss," Bryan Pedralba said, one of their

ranch workers

Cyan only nodded briefly in response, her gaze fixed on

her parents' grave, forcing herself to get used to this.

"We offer our condolences again, miss," Leila added, Bryan's wife. Her voice was sad as she looked sympathetically at the young woman standing in front of the newly made graves.

This was how it repeated. Cyan couldn't bring herself to turn away from those saying goodbye. She couldn't take her eyes off her parents' graves, so Manang Mina often answered for her until only

she and a few household staff remained.

The rain continued to pour harder, and Manang Mina

was worried about her. So, against Cyan's will,

she allowed them

to help her get into the car and back to the mansion. "You're soaking wet, miss," Celso said, concern evident on his face.

"I'm okay," she replied and went inside the car.

The gloomy days continued to pass. Cyan still had no idea what would happen next. She carefully considered what needed to be done. But it seemed like she had no courage after a week of being locked in her room. The next day came, and she finally decided to go to their company and take charge of

everything, ready to face forward and meet her new challenges.

Cyan thought there was nothing worse than her situation. But the very day she arrived at Salvatore Enterprises' main company building in Metro Manila, she was confronted

with another bad news. She didn't know what to expect once she got there. But one thing was for sure: it wasn't the accusations being thrown by the members of the board,

business partners, and even their employees about her father's supposed wrongdoing.

"What do you mean that I need to pay these ridiculous amounts written in these stupid papers?" she exclaimed when she came face to face with the now officer in charge, the new CEO of what was supposed to be her own company.

She immediately went to her father's former office, which was supposed to be her office now to face Mr. Evan Chua

after coming from the conference room. The board members laid out the evidence before her and she wanted to confirm. those from the man. He was one of the major stockholders who

had a large stake in the company. He was supposed to be his father's best friend and expected him to at least defend his father. But he thought wrong.

She found Mr. Chua sitting in a swivel chair holding many papers. The old man gave her an innocent look as she stated everything.

"Come on, sweetie," said Mr. Chua mockingly, putting his feet on the desk and clasping his hands on his lap. "Don't be so angry about this. These numbers are the debts Marco has to this company. He gambled all his fair share and still took more money just to spend it at the casino with his sluts the day before the accident. And to tell you the truth, there is no longer a percentage left for you because all of your Daddy is gone. Didn't you know the real reason your parents left so suddenly?"

Cyan stared at him with a stunned expression. She could see

he could see the fear beginning to show in her eyes with

the truth he was unfolding before her. He smirked nastily, enjoying his expression.

"They were running away, sweetums. Running away from the responsibility of paying all that money they had spent. And do you know where it led them? To their death, paying the price with their

own life."

"No!" yelled Cyan and slammed her hands on the desk. "My dad can't do that!" Mr. Evan Chua chuckled, shaking his head at her clear

stupidity. "Of course they did. Your mom was too scared to admit the truth when she learned about it too. And I'm so happy to tell you, Cyan, that it was actually your mom who suggested that Marco leave the country," he sneered. Cyan shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want

to believe that her parents could do that. They were good people. They couldn't do such a thing, could they?

"Stop denying the truth," he said and gave her a fake look of pity before sighing. "I'm going to be very good to you. So you don't say

I have no heart."

Cyan narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she looked at him. She might be young, but she knew when she was being fooled.

"You can still be part of this company, with all your shares and everything. But," he said, giving her a appreciative look, "as payment for the money your father stole, you will become my property, and I will have all the rights to do anything with you," he finished.

His eyes then fell on her body, dressed in a black formal dress, giving her a dirty, appreciative look with an unusual hunger in his eyes. Cyan gave the man a very disgusted look. She couldn't

even describe how repulsive this man could be.

"Really, Mr. Chua? Do you really think I would stoop that low just for your

own benefit? You can have your shares and this company,

but I won't agree to give you myself. Are you crazy? What are you, sixty-eight?" She gave him another disgusted look.

His face suddenly darkened as he glared at her, but quickly recovered and smiled nastily as if he knew something she didn't. "Oh, well. I really didn't expect you to accept my generous offer

anyway." She mentally gagged at what he said. Generous?

Stupid perverted old man.

""But," he stopped and gave her an evil smile. "There’s nothing you can do.

Sell all your shares as payment. But that still won't be enough, so you'll have to sell all your other properties too." Her heart sank heavily as she thought about this. Nothing would be left for her. Her parents' debts had reached billions, and they even tried to escape them. A sudden surge of undeniable anger rose within her. Didn't they realize their actions could put her in danger? But she couldn't stay angry at them, especially since they were no longer in this world, her mind answered. She loved her parents too much. No matter what this man said, she couldn't believe him. She couldn't help but find the situation suspicious. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I will talk to a lawyer," she said in a firm voice.

Evan laughed and even clutched his surprisingly flat stomach. "Go on, child. That is, if you can find a lawyer willing to defend you and your parents. I’m very confident that once they see Marco’s billion-peso debt, they’ll run away from you." She pursed her lips. But she couldn't let go of this matter so easily. She had to fight. Her eyes went to the list of debts her father had made. Anger filled her heart again. She looked up at Mr. Chua once more. He was grinning, clearly thinking she would give in to him. Well, he was stupid to think she would do such a thing.

"Fine," she said with her head held high.

His smile grew but was quickly wiped away when Cyan continued to speak.

"The company is all yours. Stick it where the sun doesn’t shine! I'll find a way to pay off all the debts you’re talking about," she said in a cold and firm voice. Then she quickly turned and stepped away, even though her legs felt heavy with reluctance. She was heading towards the glass door when the man spoke again, clearly not wanting to give up. "We want the money within three days," said Mr. Chua. And by his tone, he was smirking again. "In full."

Cyan tilted her chin up as she looked back at him with a cold glare of her own.

"Then expect the money within three days," she answered coldly and left after being satisfied by the glare he sent her way.

The employees were watching her with clear pity as she walked out of the office. They knew what was going on, but she kept her head held high. She didn't want to show them that she was hurt and struggling with her situation. She had to move quickly. She only had three days to sell some of her inherited properties and gather the money. And she didn’t know how she would do it so quickly. She was only twenty and a fourth-year college student. She hadn’t even finished her studies, but this was what she was facing. As she left the tall building her parents had worked hard for, she glanced at the large white letters displayed in front of it. Soon, it would no longer be called Salvatore Enterprises. It would surely be replaced by the new owners' name.

She drove away from that forsaken building with a heavy heart.

It was seven in the evening when Cyan arrived at the mansion in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. She immediately ran towards her room as soon as she entered the mansion with Manang Mina on her tail. The old woman had a very worried expression on her face as she followed Cyan to her room. "What happened, Miss? How did your meeting go?" asked the old woman, concern lacing her voice. Cyan sat on the edge of her bed after grabbing her laptop from the table beside it and turning on the Wi-Fi connection. She recounted everything that had happened, including her father's hidden squanderings that led them deep into debt. Even the old woman was shocked by what she discovered. She probably didn’t expect that her good employer could do such a thing. "Are you sure about this, dear?"

"Yes, Manang Mina. And I couldn't find a hole. They laid out all the evidence in front of me, where the money went, and it was all in Daddy's name," she replied. The housekeeper was left speechless.

"Please leave me for a while, Manang. I have to work fast," Cyan instructed.

"Why don’t you have dinner first, dear? You haven’t even rested yet," the old woman suggested.

Cyan shook her head, not taking her eyes off her white laptop. "I need to hurry, Manang. I'll go down later once I'm done."

"It’s better if I just bring your food here," Manang Mina insisted.

"Alright, Manang," the young woman replied, not wanting to argue and delay what she needed to do. The next day, the bad news quickly spread to their workers at the ranch, and even to the gossiping neighbors. News really does travel fast. Various rumors were added to the gossip. Not only was her father's actions exposed, but also suspicions about the real reason behind her parents' attempted escape and the sudden accident.

"They probably wanted to escape the debts."

Cyan once heard one of the housemaids say. She had been looking for a buyer on various websites all night. She was heading to the kitchen that morning, having not slept at all.

She glanced at the source and saw three housekeepers and a cook whispering and gossiping at the bottom of the stairs. "With that huge amount, I heard it reached billions. Maybe it wasn’t really an accident," said Torya, one of the housekeepers.

"Oh, they were probably killed when they were found out they were going to escape," replied Dona, the cook.

"We should leave. We won’t be paid properly now," added Trining.

"Yes, the master was quite unusual. He had a beautiful wife, yet he still had an affair."

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Blood rushed to Cyan’s head upon hearing this. How dare they gossip about her parents when they had done so much for them. But she couldn't blame them. She just ignored them and continued towards the kitchen as if she hadn’t heard anything. Cyan couldn’t do anything when the workers started leaving one by one, fearing they wouldn’t be paid properly.

She didn't stop them, as she really didn't have anything left to pay them with. She would have to sell almost all of her belongings just to pay off the debts. Fortunately, Cyan quickly found buyers with the help of some professional acquaintances. She immediately sold some of their properties online and handled the necessary documents.

However, by the second day, she still hadn't gathered enough funds.

Almost in tears, she offered the ranch to a very wealthy family looking for a large piece of land. She first took care of the animals on the ranch before the land itself. That night, she couldn't sleep and cried through the night. The events replayed in her mind. She glanced at the photo of her parents on her bedside table.

"Why did you do this to us, Dad?" she asked, her body trembling as she cried through the night.

The next day, the person interested in buying the ranch arrived.

She accompanied them around the property, despite how much it pained her. "This land is beautiful and vast," said Gian Roberts approvingly. "But why would you want to sell this land?" she asked, clearly noticing the bitterness and sadness in Cyan's eyes during the tour. Gian Roberts was the sister of the person buying the ranch. She happened to be in town and staying at Highland Ball Resort while looking for large properties to buy, so she arrived quickly. She mentioned that her father was half-British and half-Filipino, explaining her foreign looks, beauty, tall stature, and slender build that showed she worked out regularly. If they weren't on horseback, Cyan would probably have to look up to her. The woman's beauty was enviable, with long chocolate-colored hair and large green eyes framed by long, thick lashes. Her skin was tanned, suggesting she spent a lot of time in the sun, but that didn't detract from her beauty.

Cyan shrugged her shoulders, feeling uncomfortable answering the woman's question. "Just for some important purposes," she replied.

Gian smiled. She didn't pry further and said they would buy the ranch.

As soon as Cyan received the check, she immediately deposited the amount to the company along with the money she had earned. Almost nothing was left, leaving her to sulk in her room. The mansion was the only remaining memory of her parents, and she didn't want to lose it too. Almost all the household staff had left except for Manang Mina, even though she had told them she couldn't pay them anymore.

"It's alright, dear. We won’t leave you alone here. We’ve long considered your family as our own, especially you," Manang Mina said in a sad voice, watching her.

They were sitting on the sofa in the living room. She had called the remaining staff to talk.

"But what about your children?" Cyan asked after glancing at Dina and Celso, two of the remaining staff.

"They're grown up. But you, you have no one else in your life. You need company, and we’re here for you."

Tears started to brim in her eyes. Dina and Celso also nodded in agreement, offering her a warm smile. They were really kind to her.

"Don’t worry, miss. We won't leave you," Celso, who was only five years older than her, said.

"Yes, miss. Your family has done so much for us, so we won’t just leave you like that," added Dina, Celso’s wife.

She couldn't do anything because they were right, so she let them stay. She also told them not to call her "miss" anymore.

More than two weeks passed, and finally, the new owners of the ranch, which was not far from the mansion, arrived. Manang Mina wasn't there because she was at the market. Celso and Dina had gone to the stream, not part of the ranch, to fish.

Cyan was sitting on a bench near the garden when she saw a fancy black car stop in front of the tall white gates of the mansion. Curious, she went over, leaving her book on the marble table. The new owners were already at the ranch, and there were a lot of them. She couldn't help but notice the series of fancy cars arriving while she was reading a book for her upcoming presentation. So who could this person be?

Maybe they were just lost and didn't know how to get to the ranch.

Cyan went outside the tall gates, only to see a man with a large build, wearing a black slim-fit shirt that perfectly showed his muscles and a pair of black jeans, get out of the black Aston Martin. Her mouth almost dropped, not because of the expensive car but because of the gorgeous sight before her. She pulled herself together immediately. She reminded herself that she was not the type of woman who ogled a complete stranger, no matter how handsome he was. The handsome man also stopped when he saw her standing in front of the gate, also looking surprised by her presence.

Their eyes met.

Cyan could have sworn her world had suddenly stopped revolving as soon as she gazed into those forest-green eyes. She composed herself as she looked up at the inexplicably gorgeous man in front of her. He was so tall and muscular that she felt even smaller in comparison. He reminded her of the actor who played Thor in the Marvel movies. At five feet and two inches, she barely reached his shoulder.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked politely.

For some unknown reason, her heartbeat seemed to quicken the longer they locked eyes. Those piercing green eyes held all the mysteries she would be eager to learn but not brave enough to unfold on her own. He was probably a foreigner, given his green eyes, height, and sinful good looks. He wasn’t as pale as other foreigners she had seen.

"I think it is me who is supposed to ask that question," he replied coldly. His deep manly voice was very pleasing to her ears, but not what he said.

In an instant, any attraction Cyan felt for the man vanished like a bubble. She crossed her arms, as if defending herself from his dominating aura.

"And why is that?" she asked challengingly.

The man raised one perfect eyebrow. He then narrowed his gaze at her, clearly not pleased with her behavior.

"Well, as I am the new owner of the land, I should ask any stranger what they are doing on my property without my notice," he stated and fixed her with a cold penetrating glare that sent an unwanted shiver through her being.

She straightened slightly, realizing this must be the brother of Ms. Gian Roberts who had bought the ranch. She spoke again, feeling a bit embarrassed by her behavior.

"I apologize, Mr. Roberts," she said. "But what can I help you with? Your companions are already at the ranch. They arrived here earlier with your sister," she explained.

The man frowned in confusion. "I already know that as I am the one who sent them here," he said.

"Then, why are you here?" Cyan asked, confused. She didn’t understand why the man had come to her.

Judging by his handsome face, he also didn't seem to understand her question, so Cyan spoke again, more calmly.

"Mr. Roberts. Do you want me to call Ms. Roberts to inform her that you are here in front of my house?" she asked, completely confused but still trying to sound polite.

"What?" he asked in both surprise and confusion.

Cyan sighed. "I said, do you want me to—"

"I heard you," he cut her off. His deep voice, even though laced with irritation, still caused a strange sensation in her stomach.

"What I want to know is what you are doing here on my property. And what do you mean by 'it's your house'?" he asked, gesturing at the mansion behind her.

Cyan stared at him and then smiled.

"Oh, I see where we're going now," she chuckled in amusement. "Mr. Roberts, the mansion is not included in the properties I sold to you," she explained calmly.

The man stared at her as if she had grown a second head on her shoulder. Then out of nowhere, he smirked, and it almost turned her legs into jelly. Why did she feel this way about this man?

"I think you have made a huge mistake, Ms. Salvatore," he said, his deep baritone voice penetrating every nerve in her skin. "It is clearly written in the title that the mansion and the nearby stream were included in the ranch you sold."

This time, it was her turn to frown at him, although she was suddenly feeling unsure.

"Maybe you read it wrong, Mr. Roberts. The mansion is not included in the property I sold to you. Especially the stream, since it’s unmarked territory and belongs to the government." The man considered her for a few minutes, studying her facial features.

The way he looked at her made her heart beat faster. The temperature seemed to rise even more.

"Are you sure you read the property documents thoroughly before handing them all to my sister?" he asked.

Cyan stared back. She wasn’t sure. She knew she had read the titles and all the documents she signed, but she might have missed whether the mansion was indeed part of the property she sold. Perhaps because she was in a hurry to get the money and pay Mr. Chua, and because she was still not okay.

Mr. Roberts gave her a satisfied look. He probably read the uncertainty in her expression. And if he was right, that she had indeed sold the mansion, where would she go? The remaining money wasn’t enough to buy land and a house. It was just enough to support her remaining months in college. In two months, she would graduate and find a company to work for.

"I want to see the papers," was all she said to him.

Mr. Roberts nodded, still not breaking eye contact. He moved towards her, causing her to flinch.

"I'm going inside my house," he answered simply.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked, surprised and suddenly nervous. But Mr. Roberts only went to the open gates and gave her a look.

"What?" she protested, both embarrassed and angered. "But I haven’t seen the documents."

Mr. Roberts smirked at her, and the effect of that smile on her body was astounding. "You are very much welcome to join me inside, Ms. Salvatore," he said and went inside the gate.