Chapter 4

(Clarice)

“Hello again, dad, Auntie, and uncle. It’s been so long,” I whispered while looking at the three tombstones in front of me. For the hundredth time, I felt like my heart was being squeezed. The two tombstones near my father’s were Maggy and Yalena’s parents. The three of them died fifteen years ago.

We made a vow back then that we would only visit their graveyard the moment we succeeded in taking down Benedict McClennan. But I couldn’t stop myself from visiting them. My eyes began to water. Then and now, only my parents could break down my defenses like this.

The twins and I were of the same age when the tragedy in our lives took place. We were thirteen when our worlds crumbled. The car my dad was driving at that time exploded. And the twins’ parents were in the same car, too. They were about to go to the police station to file a case against Benedict McClennan.

Benedict used to be my mother’s persistent suitor, but mom rejected him and chose Roman, my dad. When my parents were already married, Carla and Benedict met again in an event. I was ten years old when it happened. Benedict also had his own family then that’s why my parents accepted the friendship he offered. Benedict showed an interest in ADLC which stood for Alvero-De Lara Oil and Mining Corporation, the company that dad managed along with Vincent, his best friend. He was also Maggy and Yalena’s father.

At that time, Benedict also had his own company which was the McClennan Power Corporation. He offered a merger. And as businessmen, Roman and Vincent saw a major potential in Power Corporation. They knew that Benedict was also exceptional when it came to business, that's why the two men accepted the offer. They were sure that with the merger, their business would bloom even more. Later on, it became ADM; Alvero, De Lara, and McClennan Corporation. And just as they predicted, ADM became a massive success in the following years as the three men became the best of friends.

It was politics that destroyed their friendship. One day, dad and uncle Vicente ran for a government position. It was in their blood. Their fathers worked in tandem in the past, too. Both of them knew they had a big chance of winning because they had lots of supporters in their province. That's why Roman ran as the mayor and Vicente as his vice.

Everything was going smoothly until Benedict announced his candidacy as a mayor in the same town as my dad. That was when things began to get messy. The two opposing camps started having heated conversations even in their office and in campaigns to the point that Roman wanted to buy Benedict’s share in ADM but the latter rejected it.

It was true that the moment the best of friends fought, they became the best of enemies. But Benedict played dirty.

Vicente’s house suddenly burned down one day. The twins were lucky that they were at the school with me at that time. Their parents also survived the fire. But there were witnesses who saw Benedict’s men cause the fire. The day after, the De Laras along with Roman drove to the nearest police station to file a case against Benedict. But before they could reach their destination, their car exploded. They died a few days before Benedict was declared the winner of the election.

Everybody knew that something nasty happened, but the people who used to support our parents were suddenly quiet as if their lips had been sealed. Only one man had a motive to kill them because aside from Benedict, our parents never had any other enemies. But we had no solid evidence against him.

A month after their death, my mother went to ADM and brought me with her. I could still remember it clearly since it was my birthday. I just turned thirteen then. The guards did not allow us to step inside the company. Benedict said that Roman and Vicente sold their shares to him which made him the sole owner of the company. I was young but I knew that was impossible to happen. Dad and uncle Vicente loved the company so much. They were the founders of it. Even if they decided to sell, they would never consider selling their shares to the person they hate.

But there were documents that he shoved to my mother’s face which were signed by both Roman and Vicente.

‘I can give you back your family’s shares, Carla. Just live with me. Alexandra and I had been divorced a long time ago,’ I heard Benedict tell my mother. ‘After all, I did all these for you. You will have everything again, Carla, once you come with me. I still love you so much. I’ve never stopped loving you. Roman is dead. This time, no one would hinder our relationship. No one would come between us now.’ He laughed. “I didn’t even know what you saw in Roman. He was a complete failure. He lost. He even died!’

Mom’s tears fell as she slapped Benedict. ‘That’s because you killed him, you sick bastard! You are greedy, Benedict! You are a monster!’

‘And whose fault is this? If only you chose me before, then none of these would have happened!’

Those words were more than a confirmation that he was the one behind the death of my dad and the De Lara couple. I was raging inside but I could not do anything at that time. When my dad died, I lost my mother, too. A few days after her conversation with Benedict, she became hysterical. She had a major depression until she slowly lost her sanity. The remaining money we had in the bank was used to treat her in a private institution in Candaba, Pampanga.

It was uncle Harry who helped us. He was a nurse in Nevada and was also Vicente’s younger brother. Back then, the twins and I had no one but Harry. Since we became poor, no relatives were willing to take us in. Benedict became the most powerful person in our province. There were rumors that even the other officials sucked up to him in order to be on his good side. The people were afraid that Benedict might take it against them if they would side with us that’s why they avoided us.

The De Laras had no money left because it was used for the campaign fund. When their house burned down, they could only sell the land and a few pieces of jewelry that their parents were able to save. We would have managed to live comfortably but our family investments were all in ADM.

We were just little girls. None of us could fight against Benedict.

We entrusted everything to Harry. Some took advantage of what happened to our families and bought our properties at the lowest price. And we had no choice but to suck it up because suddenly, my parents’ friends disappeared and we had no one else to count on. We used the money we got to start anew in another country because we were afraid that Benedict might do something to us again. That’s why together with Harry, we flew to Nevada. We were desperate to go away. But before we left the Philippines, we heard how Benedict changed the ADM’s name into McClennan Power, Oil, and Mining Corporation.

While we were away, the twins and I did everything in order to succeed. We used our hatred as our driving force to be where we were now. We all graduated with honors in Nevada. Maggy studied Business Management while I studied Business Administration. We both graduated Magna Cum Laude. Yalena, on the other hand, took up Law and was a bar top-notcher.

A few weeks after I graduated, a talent scout approached me and offered me to become a model. I agreed right away because I thought it was the fastest way to gain money and connection. I strived to be known because it meant an increase in talent fee. I’d been to many countries afterwards. The money I earned went to the facility where my mother was staying. I also saved the remaining half of my salary.

Two years ago, the twins and I combined our savings and started our own business: the YCM hotel and resorts. The name came from our initials. We also loaned from a bank which we were able to pay back after a year. YCM hotels and resorts were now known all over Nevada. Maggy was hands-on when it came to managing it, but Yalena and I were still involved in all of the decision-making process. My job as a model also helped a lot because I was the one who endorsed it and the public patronized it.

When our resources were enough, we planned our revenge. A part of us wanted to fight for our stolen rights in the McClennan Corporation but more than that, we were fighting for the loss of our loved ones.

And since my contract with the agency was over, I was the first to execute the plan. The twins still had businesses to attend to in Nevada but they would return to the Philippines soon. If uncle Harry was still alive, he would have been against this plan. He had become our second father. He had no family. He chose to remain single because he became too busy raising three girls. Sadly, he died due to a heart attack four years ago.

I was forced to stop reminiscing when my phone rang. It was Alano. We exchanged contact details last night after he took me back to the resort.

I just let the phone ring as I wiped my tears. I clenched my hands tightly when I remembered the kisses Alano and I shared. My mission was just starting. I must not ruin things because of that damn kiss no matter how incredible it felt.

The plan was set. We will capture the McClennans’ hearts. Once they fell in our trap, we would make sure to retrieve everything that belonged to us, including our rights in the company that our fathers worked so hard for. But more than that, we would make sure to get the justice that had been denied from us.

That’s why I will never allow myself to be swept away by the enemy’s kiss.

(Alano)

OUT of boredom, I tapped the conference table with my fingers while listening to Ansel’s report about the power plant in Iloilo. We had a technical problem. As a result, we were forced to shut down some of our power plants there.

Frankly, Ansel didn’t need to report these things to us because I knew that he could fix the problem just fine. But we had no choice when he called for a meeting since he was our eldest brother. He was two years older than me.

I breathed sharply. My work was done so I planned to leave the office early. I’d been aching to see Clarice again, especially since she hadn’t answered any of my calls and text messages. Even if I knew where she was staying, I was still worried that she might disappear on me anytime.

There was something about Clarice that made me want her more. It could be because of the mystery in her eyes or the sweetness of her lips. But it could also be because of how divine she smelled or how good it felt when our skin touched. Her looks was just the cherry on top. There was something about her that drew me in, something that I could not even describe.

I unconsciously smacked the table at the thought. Ah, there were countless reasons. And I will surely yearn to see her more if I were to enumerate more.

Renato Alejandro glared at me but I ignored him. He was Russel’s father and he owned twelve percent of the shares in our company. Just like before, there were only four of us in the board room including Austin, our youngest brother. Ansel stopped talking for a minute and scowled at me. I shook my head and just looked at him innocently while twirling my pen before he continued with the report.

But I dropped the pen when my phone suddenly rang and Clarice’s name popped up on the screen.

“Turn off your goddamn phone, Alano,” Ansel warned. He looked at me as if he wanted to murder me.

“I can’t.”

“Why? Who’s that?” Austin butted in.

I smiled sheepishly. “My girl. Please excuse me for a moment,” I said before hitting the answer button. “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“Oops, forgive my innocence. I didn’t know I was required to call you back. What’s the matter? You called a couple of times but I noticed it just now. My phone was on silent. I went to a friend’s house and just got home.”

“Friend? Was it a male or a female?”

Ansel’s eyes narrowed. Still, I made sure to listen attentively on the phone. I didn’t know I was the jealous type until I met Clarice.

“It’s a female. So, do you have anything else to say? I’m about to take a shower. I’m done taking my clothes off-“

“All of it?”

My throat went dry. I loosened my tie when I suddenly felt hot.

“Yes, all of it,” she replied in a seductive voice. “I’m actually dying to feel the cold water against my skin now.”

I swallowed hard. My thoughts started to run wild. And only Clarice can make me do that. “I envy the water.”

She laughed softly. “’Wanna join me?”

“Oh, please. Don’t tempt me.”

Clarice just giggled. I groaned when she ended the call. I quickly rose from my swivel chair and met everyone’s raging eyes.

“Look, I’m sorry about this, Ansel, Austin, and Mr. Alejandro. But come on, people. We actually don’t have to meet if it’s just about this. The power plants repairs are now on-going. Besides, I do trust you, Ansel.” I glanced at Austin and Alejandro. “Don’t we all?”

Ansel looked like he was about to snap anytime soon. Fortunately, I was not like the employees who would tremble at the mere sight of my brother. I was immune to this side of him. Besides, I was aware of my brother’s caliber when it came to women. He also knew that I’d never half-assed my job, that's why he was letting me off the hook.

“Where the hell are you going?” Ansel asked.

“To Clarice.” I smiled mischievously. “If I’m fast enough, I might be able to arrive before she finishes showering.” I snatched my coat from the chair. “Goodbye and thank you, gentlemen.”

I stormed out of the office and drove as fast as I could. I knocked numerous times on Clarice’s door when I was finally in front of her room. It took her a few minutes before she opened the door.

She didn’t seem surprised as if she was already expecting me. “That was quick, McClennan.”

“Even I, myself, was surprised. I didn’t know I had it in me to drive that quickly,” I answered while staring at her angelic face.

Her hair was wet and there were droplets of water falling on her bathrobe. I was mesmerized. It was hard to think rationally whenever she was in front of me. She was the only woman who had the power to make me lose my composure and she knew it.

But it was still a win for me since I knew I was the only man who had ever been this close to Clarice. She may have the softest and the sweetest lips I’d ever tasted but I could tell that she didn’t have much experience when it came to kissing.

It would be my pleasure to teach her everything I knew.

When Clarice smiled and her dimples appeared, my stomach flipped. My eyes feasted on the lovely sight in front of me for a few seconds and when I could no longer restrain myself, I stepped towards her and did what I’d wanted to do since I woke up this morning.

I kissed her.