Chapter 7: Respect Comes Slowly
484 Words
Tredy sat quietly inside a small bakery in Barangay Mabunga, sipping coffee while the elderly owner, Mang Isko, nervously flipped through paperwork.
“You’re the representative of the investor?” Isko asked. “I… I don’t know what to say. I’ve had debts here for six years. Every bank turned me away.”
Tredy smiled faintly. “No need to say anything. Just keep baking your pan de sal. People around here rely on it.”
The old man’s hands trembled. “Why help me?”
“Because someone once helped me when no one else did,” Tredy said, standing up. “Now it’s my turn.”
As he left, Mang Isko called out, eyes misty.
“I’ll make you free bread for life, hijo. You saved my family.”
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Within days, two more small businesses in Gran Santiago suddenly received mysterious investments:
A struggling barbershop cleared its rental backlog.
A mini-grocery near the school campus upgraded to a full convenience mart.
No logos. No press. Only whispers:
> “Salcor Holdings is behind it again.”
“Who is this guy?”
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At the Department of City Planning, Director Eduardo Valencia stared at a file on his desk.
“Salcor Holdings,” he murmured, eyes narrowing. “Silent, smart, and fast. Whoever’s behind this is playing big.”
He picked up the phone. “Run a trace. Quietly. I want to know who’s really behind this name.”
---
Back at Gran Santiago Tech, Leira watched Tredy from afar.
He was in the study hall now, tutoring a few freshmen, speaking softly but confidently.
> “He doesn’t even act rich,” she thought.
“No car. No flashy clothes. No arrogance. Just… power.”
She approached him slowly, rehearsing her lines in her head.
> Be casual. Be kind. Maybe even… flirty?
“Tredy,” she said, sitting down beside him.
He looked up, surprised but calm. “Leira.”
“I heard about what you did for Netzone,” she said. “And Mang Isko’s bakery.”
“Oh?” he replied. “Small stories travel fast.”
She smiled sweetly. “You’ve changed a lot. I mean… in a good way.”
Tredy studied her for a moment. “Have I? Or are people just seeing me for the first time?”
Leira blinked. “I… I guess both.”
He nodded. “Maybe.”
Before she could say more, he stood up.
“Take care, Leira. Some people don’t like the new me.”
She watched him walk away, unsure if she felt curious… or nervous.
---
Later that night…
Marco sat in his dark room, scrolling through online forums.
> “Salcor Holdings saves bakery in Mabunga.”
“The new silent king of Gran Santiago?”
He threw his phone across the room, breathing heavily.
“This is war.”
---
© Treloce Amaris
- Writer
