Chapter 4
780 Words
That evening, after the meeting with Lockthan and the Derantos, Bianca sat motionless in her room, her mind reeling. Her father had been gone for barely two months, and now this? A marriage alliance to save a company?
What am I, a pawn on a chessboard?
The proposal echoed in her ears: Merge. Marry. Smile for the press.
She couldn’t bear the weight of it alone anymore. She stood, wrapped a shawl over her shoulders, and stepped out onto the hallway. The Rogadona estate was too quiet. Too heavy with things unspoken.
She found her mother exactly where she suspected—in the garden.
Eve Rogadona sat on the stone bench beneath the lemon tree, her hands clasped in her lap, eyes fixed on something Bianca couldn’t see. The twilight breeze tousled her hair, but she didn’t seem to feel it.
“Mama?” Bianca called gently.
Her mother blinked, slowly turning her head. “Bianca.”
“I need to talk to you.”
Eve sighed, as though she already knew what this was about. “Come. Sit.”
Bianca sat beside her and wasted no time. “Did you know about the marriage proposal?”
A long silence.
Then Eve nodded.
Bianca’s chest tightened. “You knew?”
“I did.”
“And you didn’t stop it?” Her voice cracked. “You didn’t even warn me?”
“I tried,” Eve said softly. “But your father was... determined. He believed it was the only way to keep FLANTEE alive.”
Bianca stood, pacing now, heat rising to her cheeks. “So you just let him sell me off to the Derantos like I’m part of the inventory?”
“It’s not like that,” Eve said, standing slowly. “We were running out of options. The debts... the lawsuits… FLANTEE was bleeding, Bianca. Your father didn’t want you to know. We thought... we hoped this partnership would be the safest way out.”
Bianca turned away, her fists clenched. “Safe for who, Mama?”
Her mother had no answer.
Bianca stormed off. She couldn’t even remember if she said goodnight.
The next morning, Bianca didn’t waste time.
For the next week, she dressed in sharp suits and showed up at FLANTEE headquarters like clockwork. If no one else would save her family’s company, she would.
She met with the staff, quietly pulling insights from department leads. She asked questions no one had dared to answer honestly for years. She reviewed reports, internal memos, and every audit she could dig up.
Most importantly, she went to Lockthan Emerge, the company's CFO and her father’s childhood friend.
Uncle Lockthan.
At first, he greeted her with surprise and feigned warmth.
"Bianca," he smiled that politician’s smile. "You're taking quite an interest in the company all of a sudden."
"I’ve always been interested. Now I’m taking responsibility,” she answered coolly.
But as the days passed, Bianca noticed something off in his responses. He dismissed some of her questions too quickly. Shrugged off real concerns. And when she asked for specific numbers, he deflected with vague excuses.
Still, she didn’t stop.
By the seventh day, she had crafted a comprehensive five-year revival strategy a detailed plan covering restructuring, strategic partnerships, employee retention strategies, and cost-saving measures. It wasn’t just theory. It was practical. Possible.
She scheduled a meeting with Lockthan Emerge.
He welcomed her into his office, distracted, swirling a glass of sparkling water.
Bianca handed him the folder. “This is a five-year plan I’ve put together. I’ve spent the last week with department heads, studying the books, and listening to the staff. This is a way to save FLANTEE. Without any marriage. Without selling our name.”
Lockthan took the folder but didn’t open it. He leaned back, smiling faintly.
“That’s ambitious,” he said.
“It’s realistic.”
He chuckled under his breath. “Bianca, I admire your passion. But the deal with ListBUI is already on the table. We’re too deep in.”
“You haven’t signed yet,” she pressed. “And this plan is strong. If you let me present this to the board—”
“You won’t,” he said sharply, then softened his tone. “This is bigger than you, sweetheart. Bigger than ideals. Your father trusted me with this company. I intend to carry out what’s best for it. And for him.”
Bianca’s voice trembled, but she held her ground. “Is selling the only solution, Lockthan? Or just the most convenient?”
He gave her a look that said the conversation was over—even if it hadn’t really started.
- Writer
