Seducing His Grandfather's Trophy Wife

Chapter 1

“Bye, Dad!” Sixteen-year-old Dallie bade her father goodbye when he dropped her off at school, kissing him on the cheek.

“Be careful, sweetie. Let’s celebrate your birthday later after school, okay?” Gabriel said smilingly.

“Yeah. Thanks, Dad!”

“I’ll pick you and your brother up later, okay?” He turned his head to look at his younger son in the backseat.

Mackie was busy with his iPad, saying absently, “Yeah, Dad.”

Dallie leaned forward on the backseat and smacked her brother in the head. He looked up at her with a scowl.

“Hey! This is child abuse!” he grumbled, scratching the assaulted part. “What did I do wrong?”

“Stop playing! You got addicted to that game, Mackie. You don’t even study. You’re already fourteen, and you still act like a child, you moron!” Dallie gave her brother a withering look, and he looked away.

“Hey, hey. That’s enough. Now, off you go, you two. Do great, all right?” their father said.

“Bye, Dad. Take care!” Mackie scrambled out of the car, followed by the frowning Dallie.

They went their separate ways upon entering the school gate. Mackie did not want his buddies to see them together. Otherwise, they would pester him for sure. His sister was a head turner without even bothering to look good, unlike other girls at school who wore some light makeup.

Dallie was just a simple girl, the only daughter of a tycoon in Angeles City. Their family was pretty much famous in their region, if not in the whole country. Their mother was a certified public accountant and a good housewife. Most people saw them as a perfect and ideal family⸺the Robles family.

At sixteen, Dallie was already in her senior year. She moved up two years ahead while she was in primary school, and she was a consistent honor student. She met Nyra when they were freshmen. Her friend had charms that drew Dallie to her, so they had been inseparable since then.

“Happy birthday, Dallie!” her friend greeted her.

Nyra was behind her, so Dallie had to look over her shoulder. A wide smile appeared on her face, thanking her friend, who handed her a small gift.

“What’s this?” she asked.

Every time, she was amazed by Nyra. Her best friend never forgets to give her presents on her birthday, which she did the same in return. Despite being an orphan and raised solely by her spinster aunt, Nyra was lucky she was able to attend a private school.

“Open it later. We’ll be late for the flag ceremony!” Nyra took her free hand and led her down the concrete pathway. “You’re not going to your exotic pole dancing class later after class, are you?”

She grinned. “What do you think?”

“With that appearance, I don’t think you will. You’re going to have a party at home?”

“Just our family, a small celebration. Hey! You’re invited! You’re coming with me and Mackie later, all right?”

***

Dallie was in the middle of her birthday celebration that afternoon, with her classmates and class adviser when her phone rang. It was prepared and organized by Nyra.

“Wait, wait. I’ll just go outside and speak with my mom,” she told her classmates laughingly, after hearing a joke from one of their classmates.

She picked up the call from her mother upon exiting the noisy classroom. “Mom, what is it?” she asked her mother, Eliana.

A wail from her mom and she knew something was terribly wrong. Her heart began to pound hard, her eyes wavering.

“Mom! What’s wrong?” She swallowed hard.

“Y-your dad… Dalisay, your dad…” Eliana had trouble forming the words.

Her mind automatically went to the scene this morning when her dad dropped her off at school.

“W-what happened to Dad, Mom? Please tell me!” She wanted to shout, but her voice cracked for some reason. Perhaps it was because her throat became constricted.

“H-he’s gone, Dalisay. Your dad’s gone!” Her mother sobbed so hard. “I’ve already called your brother. Makisig will be there to get you, and you two must come to the hospital⸺”

Dallie’s hands shook, and she lost the strength to hold the phone. It dropped to the floor with a small thud.

“Dallie? What’s wrong?” Nyra asked upon seeing her phone on the ground. She picked it up and saw that her mom was still at the other end, calling her name. “Thank God your phone didn’t break.”

Dallie began to sob and sway, dropping to her knees. She eventually sat on the ground to her teacher’s and classmates’ confusion. Her eyes blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. Fat liquid crystals then raced down her cheeks, hanging onto her chin before dropping to her checkered blue-and-white skirt.

“Ate!” Mackie exclaimed, calling her “older sister” when he saw her seated on the ground. He helped her up while he explained to Nyra what had happened. Even his eyes were red, a telltale sign that he also cried, but he was more composed than his sister, who was obviously devastated. After all, she was a Daddy’s girl.

Nyra was stunned, unable to speak upon hearing the bad news. All she could do was cry with them as she embraced the Robles siblings.

When Nyra collected herself, she asked their adviser’s permission to go early to accompany the two Robleses to the hospital. The adviser and their classmates expressed their condolences, sad for Dallie’s loss, especially on her special day.

They used a cab to go to the hospital, and everything seemed to go in a blur for Dallie. She had no recollection when she got there with her brother and best friend. She saw her father covered by a white blanket. She embraced his cold body and noticed a distinct hole in his temple, which made her body tremble.

She lost consciousness. But before she dropped to the floor, her best friend, Mackie, and Eliana caught her.

***

“Mom, why? Why did someone kill Dad?” Dallie’s voice was hoarse, so her words came out merely more than a whisper.

For the entire five-day wake and funeral, her tears were on and off. She would embrace the coffin now and then, as the vigil was held at a chapel in their barangay. There were even times when she asked God why her father died. All she heard were rumors, which she did not believe⸺or did not want to believe, rather. She noticed the police talking to her mom twice. Every time she asked her mother, the older woman would just say, “They’re updating me about your dad’s case.”

“Did they catch the killer?” she asked, hopeful for good news. She wanted justice for her father.

Her mother then shook her head, making Dallie’s world crumble again. She winced and closed her eyes for a moment.

Eliana led her to the sofa in their living room, together with her brother and Nyra. It was just hours after the funeral, and their mansion was so quiet. It was so different now that her father was gone. It seemed not like her home anymore.

“Listen…” her mother started.

“I will go now, Aunt Eliana. I don’t mind.”

Eliana smiled at Nyra a little. “Thank you for always being with us, Nyra, especially with Dallie. You’re a true friend to her. I can’t express how grateful Makisig and I are to you, for having such a good heart.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Aunt Eliana.” She turned to Dallie, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Dallie swallowed hard and nodded, thanking her friend.

As soon as Nyra was out of earshot, Eliana explained to her two offspring, “About your dad, I don’t think the police can ever solve his case. There’s no witness⸺”

“But that’s impossible, Mom!” Dallie protested, cutting her off. “He was killed in the company premises!”

Her mother closed her eyes for a second, nodding at her. “I know, I know. But none stepped forward to be a witness. People maybe are afraid, and that’s normal. We can’t force anyone to help us if they fear for their own lives, Dalisay. We must understand them, too.”

She felt frustrated. “So, you’re saying we shouldn’t hope anymore?” Her tears fell down her cheeks.

Their mother, who was seated between her and Mackie, took their hands and held it tightly. “We must move on. For that, we have to leave this house.”

“W-what?” Both Dallie and Mackie vociferated.

Their mother shook her head, her silent tears crawled down her face. “Truth is… your father used this house as a collateral. He had been gambling for years… I knew about it, and I never told you.” She sighed. “You know how it is. He owed people and the bank money. All our assets, in fact, were used as collateral. I’m afraid nothing’s left, Dalisay, Makisig.”

Both Mackie and Dallie could not believe their ears.

“So, we’re now… dirt poor, Mom?” Mackie’s eyes wavered as he whispered the words. He clearly tried to process all of this in his head.

“Unfortunately, but don’t worry. We’ll get through this. I just need your help, both of you. Can you do that for me, huh?” Their mother’s eyes, like Dallie’s, were hopeful, expectant.

***

And that was four years ago.

Dallie had to juggle her odd jobs, studies, and duties at home after she graduated high school. She was glad enough her mother was able to put aside some small savings for her and Mackie’s studies. But they had to enrol at a public school, not a private one anymore. The change was inevitable, and they had to adjust⸺essentially, to their life where money is tight.

“What? Are you sure about what you’re asking of me?” Nyra’s eyes turned into mere slits, looking back at Dallie, as they were seated in the state university’s cafeteria that mid-afternoon.

“I have to do this, Nyra. Mom has fallen into depression and cannot work anymore, which makes it harder for me. I have to take care of her and my brother. For that, I need another job. Just tell Aunt Dolly about me, okay?”

Nyra shook her head. “I’m in this line of job, and I already told you it’s not easy. And if we talk about morality, I’m sure your mother will be against it, Dallie.”

“I don’t care anymore, Nyra! She doesn’t need to know, anyway. You know how it is for me right now. I-it’s tough!” She said through gritted teeth, emphasizing her frustration and despair. These were reflected in her desperate eyes.

Nyra sighed and sipped her soft drink. “Fine. I’ll talk to Aunt Dolly. If she says no, then it’s a no.”

“I’ll beg her if I must!”

Nyra shook her head helplessly, sighing.