The Billionaire's Secrets - Book 1 & 2

Book 1 -Casa Del Rio

The year 1996

It was a quiet morning at Casa Del Rio. The home of a wealthy shipping magnate, Theodore Del Rio, his wife Eliza, and son Allen.

Birds were flying and chirping over the Magnolia trees along the perimeter fence. Young Allen was enjoying a ride on his high-end electric scooter while his mother Liza and father Ted were eating breakfast atop the cover of a convertible swimming pool.

The Casa Del Rio was built alone in the midst of twenty acres of land located in a secluded place, away from the urban world but equipped with modern facilities. The Casa was facing a lake on the east side and a mountainous forest on the west side. Several speed boats, jet skis, and kayaks were anchored at the lakeside anchorage.

Surrounding the mansion were a playground, mini-park, clubhouse, swimming pool, mini-golf course, helipad, and underground garage that can accommodate a dozen cars.

The three-story mansion was composed of twenty bedrooms with bathrooms, a colossal living room and a dining room that could accomodate a hundred visitors, and a spacious kitchen. Every corner had circuit cameras except inside the private rooms.

Every floor had an assigned butlers and assistants to maintain the cleanliness and beauty of the place and all the expensive types of furniture.

The green lawn was neatly trimmed and surrounded by a beautiful garden of flowers. Indeed, a perfect place for anyone dreaming of a luxurious life.

The sight of armed men guarding the place was an ordinary scene for everyone who lived inside the mansion. Plenty of wealthy guests came every day.

Eight years old, Allen had been accustomed to this princely life since his birth. Whenever his mother or he went outside the mansion yard, they had bodyguards and nannies.

They even had an automated teller machine inside the mansion for Liza or for the staff who needed cash. The mansion was full of staff with respective duties.

For young Allen, life was so much easier. He knew nothing about life outside his present world.

But the peaceful morning of Del Rio’s was startled by gunfires. Guards were shouting, firing back and bullets started raining.

Surprised and scared, Allen left his scooter and ran to his parents. “Mom! Dad!”

Ted acted fast. “To the basement!” he commanded.

Liza took Allen by the wrist and they ran inside the mansion. Ted’s bodyguards went out with rifles in their hands while their frightened house employees were bumping and looking for a hiding place.

What was really happening? Who were the intruders? Questions that frightened Allen wanted to ask his parents.

Ted brought them inside the private den, which was only accessible by him. He pushed aside the roller cabinet and a secret door was exposed. Placing his five fingertips on the scanner, the door opened and they entered another room.

Ted opened a cabinet and took from inside a high-powered gun and a small cylindrical tube. He faced and talked to Liza, “Listen to me,” he pushed the button of the cylindrical tube and a green light flickered, “Take this and the cash if I fail to come back.”

Still chasing for her breath, Liza nodded. Tired and shaking, young Allen was just staring at his parents.

Ted c0cked the gun and quickly turned away.

Liza sat down on the chair, feeling weak and trembling. She then cradled and hugged her son. “Don’t worry, Allen. We can get out of here.”

Frightened and shaking, young Allen hugged his mother tightly. “What’s happening, Mom?” He asked, then bit his trembling lips tightly.

Liza was also trembling but she breathed out and trying to be brave. She did not want to show fear to her son. “I really don’t know, Allen, but this will be over soon.” Again, she hugged Allen tightly. She didn’t even know how they could get out of the place they were in.

Ten hours had elapsed already, but no Ted came back. Liza looked at the time on her wristwatch. They were already starving and thirsty.

“I’m hungry, Mom,” Allen was complaining. He had fallen asleep on the chair for long hours.

Liza stood up and tried unlocking the door knob but it would not open. Only Ted knew the passcode of the door. The lights inside the room began to flicker and Liza started to panic at the thought that the place they were in would lose light. She looked around the room they were in and she just realized that the room was an armory, full of weapons she could hardly identify.

If she could not open the door or Ted would not come back, they would certainly starve to death. She looked worriedly at Allen, who was still sleepy and already hungry. Liza dug inside the drawers and cabinets, hoping to find keys, but she found nothing except different kinds of ammunition.

She opened the last cabinet where Ted got the cylindrical tube and she was surprised to find several bundles of money. She remembered what Ted said, she had to take the metal tube and the cash if he failed to come back. Without hesitation, Liza searched for any pouch in the room. She found a backpack full of ammunition inside the cabinet, took it out, and then poured all the contents on the floor. Immediately, she took and put all the money inside the bag and put down the bag on the table.

She picked up the blinking metal tube from the table and touched the five different letters on its circumference. She thought that there might be a code for the door to open. Several buttons on each end in different colors and a small push button on the body which Ted pressed a while ago.

‘What is inside this metal tube?’ She asked herself. Still holding the metal tube, she touched and pushed every inch of the wall, trying to find a secret door. She reached the far side of the wall, touching and pushing the wall inch by inch. She was startled by the sound coming from the tube like a tic-tac sound of a clock.

She stood still and listened to the sound. She pointed the tube end just like a flashlight to the wall and the tic-tac sound became louder. She called her son in a low tone, “Allen. Come here.”

Allen came forward sluggishly.

“I think there’s a secret door here. Get the bag from the table,” She commanded Allen, who was already standing beside her.

The child immediately complied and carried the heavy bag on his shoulder.

“How can we get out of here?” Allen asked while looking around the nearly darkened room.

“Shhh,” Liza warned her son. She was listening carefully to the sound. Her hands were trembling. The sound was getting louder and faster, like the ticking of a clock. They were startled when the wall separated and a tunnel was exposed. They were both stunned and staring at the dark tunnel.

“A secret passage,” Liza whispered.

“Are we going in there, Mom?” Allen asked in a low tone.

Would they go in? Liza could not decide. She heard a noise from the door they entered first. “Oh, my God.” Liza was terrified. Somebody was trying to get in. Was it Ted? But Ted knew every access code on every door in the house.

The door to the dark tunnel started closing. She grabbed Allen’s hand and ran inside the tunnel. They smelled the stenchy odor when the door closed completely and the tunnel was in total darkness.

“It’s so dark, Mom.” Allen clung tightly to his mother’s hand. His words echoed inside the tunnel. The darkness was so frightening and they didn't have any idea where the tunnel was heading. Liza hugged Allen. She, too, was afraid.

Again, the metal tube in her hand started a tic-tac sound and there was light appeared in the tunnel wall. “My God,” Liza whispered, “this tube is like a remote control.” She pointed the tube upward and another light appeared. “Let’s go, Allen. We can get out of here.” Her voice echoed inside the tunnel.

Liza got the bag from Allen's shoulder and put it on her back, then tightly held Allen in her left hand and the tube in her right hand. As they walked through the tunnel, another light in the tunnel wall switched on and the lights they left behind were shut off.

They were pacing hurriedly. They felt the dusty floor on their shoes and the level of the floor was heading downward. They were both breathing heavily due to a lack of air. It felt like they were heading toward an endless tunnel.

Suddenly, Allen stopped. “Mom, I can’t breathe.” Then he slowly fainted on the floor.

Liza was even more terrified, trying to hold Allen in her arms. She was also gasping for air. “Breathe, Allen. Breathe!” she said loudly while shaking him. Out of fear, she pressed the metal tube several times and screamed. “Please open! We need air!”

Followed by a tic-tac sound, a door opened and moistened air came in. “Allen, a door opened! We can now get out of here!” Liza exclaimed.

Still feeling dizzy and gasping for air, Allen clung to his mother’s arm. “Where are we, Mom?”

“There’s water in the doorway, Allen.” Liza was thinking and figuring out what they would do next.

They both stood still while observing the waterfall. Water drizzling from above looked like a small waterfall and they were trying to assess what was beyond it. The door began closing and, without a second thought, Liza grasped Allen’s hand. “Allen, we will jump.”

“Jump!”

They both landed on a shallow pond. Holding hand in hand, they walked through the waist-deep water. The whole place was dark and partially lit by the moonlight. They were out but Liza could not figure out their exact place.

Allen tried to visualize the place. “Mom, this is a pond. We are on our horse farm,” he said as they climbed to the solid ground.

Liza realized where they were. They were at the far end of Casa Del Rio but they could not come back. Not anymore. The surroundings smelled like smoke from something that had been burning, but she didn't know where it was coming from.

“We must get out of here.” She firmly held Allen’s hands. They should get away before sunrise.

Allen hesitated. He was worried about his father. “What about Dad? We must wait for him.”

“Allen, did you hear what he said? We must get away from here and not wait for him to come back.” Liza was pretending to be angry. She herself was worried and afraid. Whatever happened to Ted? They would never know. Getting away from the place was her utmost priority.

Despite Allen’s persistence to wait for his father and fear about losing Ted, Liza decided toughly. They would leave the kind of life they used to live, away from danger and unknown enemies. They would leave the paradise of abundance but full of secrets that no one dared to conceal.

They arrived in a neighboring province. Young Allen was observing his new surroundings. The place was far from the mansion they used to live in. Liza rented a small apartment, with a one-car garage and a not-so-spacious living room, a tiny dining room, and a kitchen in one room beside a small bathroom. They shared one bedroom with two single beds on the second floor. Liza bought everything they needed to furnish the empty apartment.

“Mom, why?” Allen asked. Her mother was wiping tears while reading a newspaper.

“He’s gone. Your father is dead. The intruders burned down the mansion and your father was found dead inside it,” Liza said, crying. She never thought that what she feared would happen because of the type of people her husband was dealing with.

“What shall we do, Mom? Can we see him?” Allen started crying.

“No, Allen. We will not go there. I don’t want to step into danger again. Bear this in mind, Son. From now on, we must not trust people around us." Liza wiped the tears from her son's cheeks.

“Why, Mom? Why do they want to hurt us?” Allen asked, still confused about their sudden displacement. The memory of the happy days with his family brought him to tears.

“Son, there are things that are better left untold and unknown. I want you to be safe. Away from danger.” Liza hugged Allen. She was too afraid but trying to be brave. “Don’t worry, Mommy is here.”

Young Allen also hugged his mother tightly. His one and only protector. He was frightened and distraught. Their lives were in danger, hiding from unknown enemies.

Because Allen was told to be discreet, he rarely went out and just stayed inside the apartment all day. His mother bought him a PSP to keep him entertained and to forget the boredom. He was enrolled in home schooling and Liza became his tutor. Liza became so cautious and careful that she even dyed her short almond hair black and used hair extensions. Her dresses became simple and she always wore dark glasses.

But, their stay in the apartment did not take long. They moved again to another apartment. Because of fear of unknown enemies, they moved and lived in different apartments several times. Two years passed and they had already spent the money they had. Liza avoided going out by day but when they ran out of money. They moved to Milana and Liza landed a job as a club waitress.

Allen was always left alone in the apartment and, since then, he had learned to become independent. He did the cleaning and cooking and when he was done with his household chores, he read books or entertained himself by playing video games on his PlayStation. But gradually he got so bored that he preferred to go back to school. He decided to tell his mother and perhaps she would agree.

He was waiting for her to come from work but he was startled when his mother came in rushing from the main door.

“Pack your clothes, Allen. Quick!” Liza told young Allen.

“Why Mom?” Young Allen asked confusedly as he followed his mother toward the bedroom.

“Just do what I said!” Liza shouted, trembling while packing some of their things.

Without further questions, young Allen hastily got a handful of clothes and put them inside his bag.

“Hurry up!” Liza grasped Allen’s hand and hauled him in haste towards the door.