The Billionaire's Secrets - Book 1 & 2

Book 1-Two Orphans

After the fight, Lucas and his gang disappeared from the market. According to gossip, the small man was abandoned by his allies. Whatever the truth, the absence of Lucas’s group means peace for the group of young stevedores working in the market. Allen wasted no time. Rain or shine, he worked hard every day. Ordinary poor people like him and John who live on a hand-to-mouth existence rely on a daily income basis.

But a tragedy happened one day. It was a stormy day and torrential rain poured all day. Though stormy, the two boys still went out to collect scraps from the garbage ground. They were both soaked in rainwater and the mountain of garbage gradually eroding.

“Allen! Let’s go back!” John shouted. He was alarmed and worried about his mother who had been left at their shanty. He ran faster down the mountain of trash.

“Oh no, Aunt Terrie.” Allen, also alarmed, ran faster after John. Some roads were already flooded and the two boys were both exhausted but they kept on running and praying for Terie’s safety. But they were shocked when they reached the bridge.

“Mama!” John cried hysterically. The river banks were overflowed with floodwater and everything under the bridge was washed out.

“Aunt Terrie!” Allen cried loud too. They could do nothing. The rapid floodwater almost covered the entire bottom area of the bridge.

“We can’t find Terie.” One of their neighbors announced sadly.

Both boys cried hard and blamed themselves. If they had only listened to Terie, who told them not to leave because the weather was bad, they could have saved her from drowning.

The two boys waited the next morning for the flood to recede. They went along the river dike to find Terie’s body. They swam the river and checked for anything floating and drifting in the water. Both were crying while searching, they felt the weight in their chest that they were not able to protect the person who stood as a kind and caring mother to them.

After two days, Terie’s body was found by the fishermen at the distant river mouth. The funeral was so pitiful. The small woman’s body was buried immediately without any funeral ceremony. After Terrie’s burial, the two young boys were moved to a temporary shelter. The squatters were prohibited from returning and occupying any space under the bridge.

“We can’t go back under the bridge,” Allen was trying to pacify his friend.

“I will go back there.” John was crying and kicking the ground.

“But it was closed. The place was prohibited to squatters. And tomorrow, we will leave for the orphanage,” Allen said.

“No! I'm not going anywhere!” John's words were full of bitterness due to the loss of his foster mother.

When night came, two shadows were sneaking out of the temporary shelter. Allen would not let John be separated from him. They were brothers already. If they were both sent to the orphanage and adopted, they would probably be separated from each other.

They went back under the bridge. The two boys were both staring into the dark river, dumbfounded and crying. No more Terie to serve them food. No more Terie to preach them good moral values. They were both orphaned again and they were dependent on each other. The loss of a mother and a guide was excruciatingly painful for the two boys. Before sunrise, the two boys had gathered old wood and straw sacks for their new shanty.

“What are you doing?” John asked when he saw Allen trying to locate something.

“I’m sure this is the spot. I think it is here.” Allen started digging the ground.

“What are you looking for?” John helped to dig the ground.

“My tin can. My things,” Allen replied. Then he poked at something. “Yes. It’s still here,” he said excitedly.

Allen opened the tin can. The things he put inside were still intact. “Thank God. It wasn’t wet.” He picked up the picture frame of his mother and him and kissed it gladly.

“You’re lucky. You saved a picture. While me? I lost everything.” John said emotionally.

“Don’t worry. I still have pictures here. Our graduation photos.” Allen showed the photos of them to John.

“I missed you, Mama. The only mother I got.” John burst into tears while looking at the proud picture of Terie. He remembered how happy and proud she was when he and Allen graduated together.

Allen patted John’s shoulder. He knew the feeling of losing loved ones. “I also missed her. You could still visit her at the cemetery, while me-” he paused and took a deep breath sadly, “I can’t visit my mom’s tomb.”

“Was it because you’re afraid?” John asked.

Allen nodded. It was more than a year since his mother died and he had not paid a visit even once.

Seeing the sadness in his friend’s eyes, John declared, “We will visit your mom’s tomb. I will accompany you.”

John fulfilled his promise. At midday, the two boys were crossing the high fence of the cemetery.

“Why don’t we go through the gate?” Allen asked while climbing the wooden stairs.

“You said before that you might still be in danger, so, we must strategize,” John replied. He jumped and landed on top of a tomb.

Allen also jumped and landed beside John. “Do you think someone is still hunting me?” he asked.

“We have to make sure. Come on. I’ll go first and locate your mother’s tomb. I will check first if the surroundings are safe, then I will call you.” John jumped again and landed on the ground. Allen followed him. “Stay here for a while,” John said. He walked slowly to each side of the tombs and read each tombstone.

Allen observed the vicinity. He saw John make a hand signal for him to come.

“Look, no one ever visited the tomb.” John declared. He found the tomb that was almost covered by weeds.

Allen knelt beside the tomb and his tears rolled down his cheeks. The sad fate of his mother recurred to him. “Mom, I missed you so much. I have graduated already. Next year, I will be in grade seven.” He talked while pulling out the weeds surrounding the tomb.

With John’s help, they removed the weeds and cleaned up the tomb. Allen left a promise when he said goodbye to his mother’s tomb. He would do his best to achieve her dream for him. He would finish his studies, have a peaceful life, and be rich the clean way.

When night came, Allen could not sleep as the tragic memory that happened to his parents recurred. He felt so sad and cried silently. He missed his family, especially his mother. They could have been a happy family if they were still alive. He opened the secret hiding place of his tin container where he kept the little memories of his family and his savings.

He cried even more as he looked at the picture of his mother. He took the cylindrical tube that had been given to them by his father. He rotated it in his palm, absentmindedly. Perhaps the sensor was already defective because his mother dropped it into the pond. But he kept the cylindrical tube because it came from his father. He wiped his tears with his knuckles and tried a new five-letter combination again. He might be able to open it.

He tried his name A-L-L-E-N again but, as usual, he failed. He tried Mamba, Trump, Pippa, Poopo, and several other names. But again, it ended unsuccessful. He did another round of names and he wrote down on the paper every name he could think of until he felt drowsy. “One last try,” he told himself. T-I-G-R-E.

Allen was surprised. He heard a clicking sound after the last letter E. He suppressed his laughter because John was fast asleep beside him. The inside part was exposed when he separated both ends and a nano Universal Serial Bus, just half of the regular one, was attached to the center slot. Allen took it with his two fingers, then put it in his palm. He had no idea about the USB. Perhaps it served as the control or the sensor of the entire electrical system inside the tube. He returned the USB to the slot and reconnected both ends. He returned the cylindrical tube and his belongings inside the tin can. For the time being, he would not think about what the USB is for. He yawned and fell asleep like a log.

The year 2005

Years went by. The two boys lived under the bridge until their adolescence and they both finished their senior high school. Allen’s non-stop work in the market made his skin much darker and his body became more muscular, which matched his six feet height. His shoulder-length hair was rarely cut but his handsome face was still prominent, which always mesmerized the sales staff in the market.

When Miss Mortem closed the car wash shop, Allen lost a job and the chance to enter the subdivision. Security in the place became tight and strict and non-residents were not allowed without appointment or permission.

But he still had Sundays to see Angela, who had grown into a very beautiful lady. He would always stand at the church entrance waiting for them to pass through. The mere sight of her would always make his heartbeats turn to drumbeats.

For years, he had been wishing to talk to Angela personally, but by mere sight of her parents and the two bodyguards would make his heart falter. They were rich and he was poor. Life status was a giant barrier between them. How he wished he could express his feelings for her. ‘In your dream,’ his mind scolded him.

“Allen, you have been doing this for years. Aren’t you getting tired? She didn’t even look or smile at you. Believe me, she’s kind of snobbish.” Annoyed John, always preaching at his back.

Allen pretended not to hear John’s comment, “Let’s get inside before we run out of seats.”

Allen’s hard struggles gave him more courage. As he grew up, he learned and accepted the fact that success was affiliated with hard work and perseverance.

He ventured into buying and selling scrap business and found it profitable. The only problem with his kind of business was space. He needed enough space because his irate neighbors under the bridge kept on complaining.

“Allen, I saw an exact place where we can store the scraps.” John arrived with the news. He became a broad and muscled person too, but shorter than Allen.

“How much would be the monthly rent?” Allen asked while sorting a scrap of cardboard boxes.

“Five thousand pesos,” John answered.

“Five thousand?” Allen muttered while trying to figure out the big amount. “I’ll think about it,” he said, contemplatively.

"Do you know the popular news today?" John asked. He helped Allen with stacking the pile of cartons.

"What?" Allen asked while tying a pile of cartons.

"Many professional men went missing. They are engineers and chemists. They are young, newly graduated, and they all disappeared."

Allen's brow creased and stopped, “How did they disappear?"

"They all left home to apply for jobs. Then they didn't come home. It's like... I don't want to go to college. It's dangerous," John said as he felt reluctant to pursue his studies.

"John, let's just be careful. Nothing will happen to our lives if we all live in fear. We've been through a lot." Allen went back to stacking the scrap cartons. "Just help me tie these."

But at the back of Allen's mind, he knew that sometimes danger comes unexpectedly. Just like what happened to his family.