To Have and To Hold (complete)

Chapter 2

“Louisa, you’re aware it was your Fernan who helped us get back on our feet after our disastrous contract with the Belgians, right? “

Of course, she was. Louisa was still quite young when it happened but she knew about the ‘Belgian Tragedy’. It was what had drastically changed their lives. He and Consuelo had been in the import-export business back then. One fateful summer, they met a visiting Belgian businessman and was offered a multi-million dollar contract. The man agreed to import coconut and banana products from Ramon for a period of five years. The prospects were encouraging enough to make Ramon and Consuelo invest heavily in the said venture. Unfortunately, when the President and CEO of the company, who was the only one they had been in direct communication with, had a fatal accident, things went belly up. As it turned out, the Board had not approved nor signed the contract yet. It took months to renegotiate the deal, but in the end, the Belgian company decided to renege on the previous President’s proposal. Eighty percent of the products, mostly perishable, had already been shipped to their warehouse, left to rot. Unable to recoup their initial investment, the Almendrezes were forced to close shop.

When his best friend, Don Fernando Montoya, learned of what happened to their budding business, he did not hesitate to offer assistance. Fernando provided the capital to start a new enterprise. Soon enough, they were able to put up ‘The Furniture Shop’, a company that designed and manufactured world-class furniture. Ramon was done with perishable goods.

“Si, Papa. I remember.” Louisa said, nodding, probably wondering why he was bringing this up now.

“We practically lost everything then. I was forced to sell our house and other properties in Cebu. We also had to mortgage the house in Manila just to pay off all our suppliers and contractors. That Belgian deal was a mistake, yes, but my biggest mistake was putting all our eggs in one basket,” he said, watching his daughter’s reaction cautiously.

When she didn’t say anything he took a deep breath and proceeded to reveal the secret he had been harboring since the day ‘The Furniture Shop’ was concocted.

“I was so afraid of going back into business. I did not want the sole responsibility of running a company anymore. I feared a repeat of the Belgian tragedy and I couldn’t afford to make such a big blunder again. When Fernan approached me and offered to lend us money to start over, I refused. I couldn’t. I was too scared to take the risk. I asked him if he could just sign me on as an employee. He wouldn’t, said he had too much respect for me to demote me to such a position. He offered me an alternative instead.”

He paused to sip his coffee, barely noticing how cold it had become. It was just a distraction to help prepare himself in broaching the real subject of this conversation with his daughter. His baby girl was different from the ladies of his time —docile and completely subservient to their father’s will. Louisa was smart, strong-willed, and very capable of handling herself. Had Consuelo not succumbed to cancer, he wouldn’t have indulged Louisa so much. However, Louisa was blessed with a soft heart, indulging her aging father’s every whim. Hopefully, she would understand why he had to do what he did.

“Fernando and Aurora never had any daughters, but not by choice. After Gabriel, they longed to have one. They had three boys one after the other precisely because they were hoping the next would be a girl. It was only when Aurora was diagnosed with a heart condition that they stopped trying altogether. Neither Aurora’s sister nor Fernando’s brothers had any daughters either. You must have noticed how they doted on you so much when you were little. Fernando often said you were the daughter they never had.”

Ramon’s aim was to clarify the situation with his declaration, but Louisa’s furrowed brows proved she was even more confused now.

“Papa, I don’t understand. What are you trying to tell me?”

Ramon sighed. He was bungling this. He thought he had more time to prepare her for this inevitable event. Yet, with Fernando’s health waning fast he was left with no choice but to blurt everything out.

“The Furniture Shop is not really ours. Yes, we manage it, we have full control over its operation but we’re just caretakers of that company. It actually belongs to Fernan’s eldest son, Gabriel. When I accepted his proposal back then, it seemed like a really good idea. I never thought your mother wouldn’t be here to guide and instruct you on the intricacies of our contract with the Montoyas. We had planned on waiting until you were old enough. But, alas, she had to leave before we had the chance. Believe me, my love, when I say that we both had yours and Gabriel’s best interests at heart when we did it.”

He paused, gauging Louisa’s reaction. She was glaring at the floor. Not what he had hoped for, but there was no turning back now.

“Due to my reluctance to handle business matters on my own, Fernan agreed to be my partner, but only until I gained confidence. When the Shop took off, before it became the huge success it is today, he also partnered with me in other business ventures, as you well know. However, the Furniture Shop remained our ‘baby’. It had a special place in our hearts because it brought our two families together, permanently,” he paused, absently taking a sip of his coffee. He grimaced. It was bitter and cold. Just like his daughter’s face.

Crossing her arms on the table, Louisa leaned towards her father and asked the one question Ramon had been dreading.

“What was the contract about, Papa?”

“Hmmm?” Don Ramon said, pretending to take another sip of the dreadful coffee.

“Quit stalling, Papa. What was the contract about? Are you saying we have to turn-over everything to Gabriel? After all these years? The Shop is my heart and soul, Papa!”

“I know, dear. But we are not going to turn it over to Gabriel. You will not lose it because the Shop legally belongs to Gabriel and his future wife,” Ramon said carefully, hoping his daughter would get his meaning.

An awkward silence followed, the lull before the storm. Ramon almost flinched when confusion, shock, and finally understanding flashed, one after the other, on Louisa’s face.

“Please don’t tell me I have to marry that arrogant, self-important, narcissistic ass just to gain control of the company I had nurtured half of my life. It wouldn’t be in its current position in the world market if it weren’t for me, Papa. You know how I’ve bled and sacrificed for that company,” she spat through gritted teeth, as if summoning fire and brimstone to rain down from heaven.

“I know, dear. That’s why I gave you a free hand in managing the Shop. I knew it would eventually be completely yours. As you are well aware, it's the only one not included in the merger we had with the Montoya Group of Companies last year,” Ramon answered calmly, refusing to be drawn into the maelstrom of Louisa’s wrath.

“I did not know that! I thought part of the deal was to grant us full control of the Shop.”

“Did I not tell you? Oh, well, now you know,” Ramon said sheepishly, mentally beating himself for forgetting to divulge that tiny tidbit. “Fernan did not want it to be part of the merger because he said it was not rightfully his or mine. By all intents and purposes, The Shop belongs to you and Gabriel.”

“It will never be mine, Papa. You just said it belongs to Gabriel and his ‘future’ wife. It means whoever he would condescend to marry. And, sorry to disappoint you, Papa, but I’m pretty sure I’m not even on that overbearing oaf’s list of ‘suitable wives’.”

“Really, dear? Did you think we'll leave any bit to chance? The contract is very specific. It stipulates that the only way Gabriel will gain control of The Shop is if he marries a girl named Maria Anna Louisa Almendrez y Cortez. Fernan even added another stipulation to his inheritance.”

“What stipulation?” Louisa’s eyes were like shards of glass. It made Ramon wish he was somewhere else, in Mars, if possible.

“Well, only that in order to get his full inheritance, including control of the Montoya Group of Companies he must marry this Señorita Almendrez before his thirtieth birthday. Otherwise, he'll  receive a yearly allowance and a very minor company in their empire to play with,” Ramon said, smiling at the slight misinformation.

Fernando truly wasn’t heartless. Gabriel would never be ‘disinherited’ even if reneged on the betrothal. However, Fernando wanted the marriage between their children to happen and he was shrewd enough to make that provision in Gabriel’s inheritance believable in order to push him in the right direction.

“If this is a joke, Papa, it’s not funny.”

“Do you really think I will joke about something like this?”

“Why does it have to be Gabriel? Of all people? He barely notices me. The few times he deigns to even look my way, he makes what he thinks of me perfectly clear—nothing more than a nuisance. Do you think his views about me will change if you force him to marry me? Boy, I bet he’s consigning me to the devil just now. Not that I haven’t done it to him myself, mind you. And you expect us to get married? To each other? Unbelievable.”

Ramon was taken aback by the venom in his daughter’s voice. One of the reasons why he agreed to the betrothal was because he thought Louisa had a big crush on Gabriel and would, therefore, not disagree with marrying the Montoya heir. Sure, she would rage at being forced into an arranged marriage and say it’s too archaic. But as soon as she’s calmed down her infatuation would be rekindled and would even be delighted in marrying her childhood crush. Now, Ramon was at a loss.

Trying to decipher his daughter’s reaction, Ramon barely caught the next words Louisa muttered under her breath as she stormed out of the room in a dark rage. He shook his head at the few very unladylike expletives he recognized. He knew where she was headed, to the stables to get her mount and ride her fury down. But after all the fireworks were spent, her sense of duty and honor would surface. She would come around and accept her fate. Just as Gabriel, who Fernan said had gone ballistic himself when told about the betrothal, would also come around.

Eventually.

Fernan was right, Ramon smirked, those two were made for each other.