Forced to the Altar

*Forced to the Altar* _by ReymikeAmante_ *Description:* Elena Cruz, 23, pandesal vendor from Tondo. Pangarap maging teacher. Virgin. Inosente. Mabait. Adrian Montenegro, 28, Billionaire CEO. Cold. Arrogant. Devil in a black suit. 50 Million debt. One marriage contract. One year. She sold herself to save her family. He married her to please his dying grandfather. But what if one year is not enough? What if the devil falls in love with the girl he called "pandesal girl"? --- *Chapter 1: The Girl Who Was Sold* *ELENA CRUZ POV* 4:00 AM. Yes, 4 AM, gising na ako. While everyone in Tondo is still sleeping, ako, nagmamasa na ng harina. My name is Elena Cruz. 23 years old. 5'4. Morena. Mahirap. Pandesal vendor. Sounds boring, no? But this is my life. "Pandesal! Hot pandesal kayo diyan!" Every morning, bitbit ko yung bilao with 50 pieces of pandesal. Lakad ako sa maputik na eskinita ng Tondo with my pudpod na tsinelas. My feet have calluses na. My hands are rough because of kneading flour everyday. But I don't complain. Kasi ito lang yung alam ko. I'm beautiful daw. Sabi nila. But I don't believe it. Wala kaming salamin sa bahay eh. Yero lang ang dingding namin. Butas pa yung bubong. Umuulan sa loob pag umuulan sa labas. How can a girl like me be beautiful? I'm also kind. Like, super kind. Kahit wala na kaming makain, I still give. Like kanina, I saw Aling Nena, walang benta yung sampaguita niya. "Nay, here's pandesal. No need to pay," sabi ko. That's me. Elena Cruz. The girl who gives even when she has nothing. I'm also a 4th year college student sana. Education course in Manila University. My dream is to become a teacher. Gusto kong turuan yung mga batang mahihirap like me. I'm a scholar. Top 1 ako nung elementary and high school. Pero now? Hindi na ako makapasok. Because my family has a secret. "Ma, why are you crying?" tanong ko one night pag-uwi ko from selling pandesal. My Mama Linda, 48, labandera, was crying while holding a letter. "Elena... your Papa has a debt..." "How much, Ma?" She looked at me with tears. "Fifty million, Anak. Fifty million pesos." I dropped my bilao. Fifty million? My Papa Roger, 50, tricycle driver lang, may utang na fifty million? Paano? "Na-scam si Papa, Anak... kay Alejandro Montenegro..." Alejandro Montenegro. The name that everyone in the Philippines knows. Billionaire. Owner of Montenegro Group. Isang salita lang niya, he can make you or break you. And my Papa owes him 50 million. The next day, 7 PM, it was raining hard. Kumakain kami ng kanin at sardinas with sabaw para dumami. Tumutulo yung bubong namin. My brother Junjun, 10, was sleeping sa basang papag. Then, may kumatok ng malakas. Three loud knocks. "Roger Cruz! Come out!" Nanginginig si Mama. Si Papa, namumutla. I opened the door. Two men in black suit with guns. And behind them, two men who should not be in Tondo. First, Alejandro Montenegro. 75 years old, barong Tagalog, golden watch, golden cane. Matanda na but still powerful. Second, Adrian Montenegro. And when I saw him, my world stopped. Adrian Montenegro. 28. Billionaire CEO. 6'1. Guwapo na parang hindi totoo. Black suit. Cold eyes. Laging nasa magazine. And now, he's standing in front of our shanty, looking at me na pawisan, naka-old pambahay, may hawak na sandok, amoy sardinas. "So, this is Elena Cruz?" Alejandro asked, looking at me from head to toe. Adrian looked at me too. But his look... it was full of disgust. "Lolo, are you joking?" Adrian said coldly. "You want me to marry her? Look at her. She smells like sardines. I have Sophia. She's a model. Beautiful, sexy, classy. And you want me to marry... this?" Every word was like a knife. "Adrian!" Alejandro shouted. "I am 75! I have heart disease! I want a great-grandchild before I die! That Sophia of yours doesn't want to get pregnant because it will ruin her figure! But Elena... she is innocent. She has a good heart!" Then Alejandro looked at me. "Elena, hija, I have a proposal. Your Papa's debt is 50 million. You cannot pay it. Tomorrow, I will take your house. Your family will sleep on the street. But I will forgive the 50 million. I will give you 10 million cash. I will pay for your college. If you marry my grandson. One year. After one year, divorce. You will be free." Marriage contract. Me, Elena Cruz, 23, virgin, never had a boyfriend, pandesal vendor, will marry a Billionaire CEO. I looked at Adrian. He came closer to me. So close that I can smell his expensive perfume. "Listen, Elena," he whispered, but his voice was so cold. "I am Adrian Montenegro. I own 50 companies. I have mansions, sports cars, private jets. You have nothing. You live in a leaking house. You eat sardines. You sell pandesal. We are not the same." A tear fell from my eye. "So if you marry me, remember. I will never touch you. I will never love you. You are just a contract. A poor girl selling herself for 50 million. You are a gold digger. You are just my maid with a marriage certificate. Understood?" I wanted to shout. I'm not a gold digger! I'm doing this for my family! But I cannot speak. Because I'm crying. Alejandro put a black folder on our broken table. "Marriage contract. One year. Sign it, and your family is saved. Don't sign it, and tomorrow, you will have nothing." I looked at my Mama kneeling and crying, "Anak, please..." I looked at my Papa crying with heart disease. I looked at my brother sleeping on a wet papag. I have no choice. I took the golden ballpen. My rough, wounded hands were shaking. And beside the name Adrian Alejandro Montenegro, I wrote... Elena Santos Cruz. One signature. I sold myself. "Good girl," Alejandro smiled. "From now on, you are Elena Montenegro. Wife of a Billionaire." Adrian signed too. Hard and angry. Then he whispered in my ear, only I can hear. "Congratulations, Mrs. Montenegro. Welcome to hell. You just sold yourself to the devil. And I will make sure that for the next 365 days, you will regret signing that paper. I will make your life miserable, pandesal girl." And there, in our small house in Tondo, under the broken roof, while raining hard outside, while smelling sardines, while my family is crying... My hell started. I am Elena Cruz. The girl who was sold. The girl who was forced to the altar. *- TO BE CONTINUED -* ---