Chapter 6 Bad Idea

• ( Tyron )
• The conference has begun when I entered. Wenziel caught my sight first and I was glad he made it here.
• After five years, all their distrust towards me were expressed in that meeting. They ranted about my hard headedness. How I wasn’t as level-headed as my father to even reject a few propositions that could positively boost the company. All of it boiled down to one thing: replace me from being the official CEO. The grave risk of angering the majority was the possibility of most stakeholder withdrawing their shares. But I wasn’t afraid since I knew most of those people were cowards avoiding lose-lose situations.
• After all, Zel Cantheliz was still at the top of the market.
• I laughed at all the shits coming from their mouths.
• “Tyron is legally eligible and according to the company’s succession plan he is to replace the position his father vacated,” Wenziel spoke. “Has he not proven his worth in the past five years without his father? He has tripled the stock value of the company and increased the annual sales with his strategies.”
• “That is because both Eriez and you were around. What if you weren’t? This company will be doomed to bankruptcy. Tyron was just too stubborn to think straight without parental guidance,” Chairman Do spat. I have always hated the guts of that old man.
• I suddenly bit my lip. Since it has come to the mention of family, I couldn’t hold the anger boiling inside me.
• “I don’t need people who doubt my abilities. Go pack your asses if you think I can’t, this company can’t, succeed without you. I am Tyron Zel Cantheliz! And as long as I rule, the Zel Cantheliz will not fall.”
• I caught Deo giving me a quick triumphant smile.
• “What else is there to discuss?” I sat back.
• The room was suddenly tensed and some mumbling erupted. But none of them dared to speak. Only the Chairman gabbled on.
• “The biggest project that Zel Cantheliz worked on many years ago needed huge funding. Your father invested on it but it didn’t meet his expectation of success. I’d just like to remind you that if it weren’t for the financial backing made by my connections and by the cooperation of Do Conglomerate, Zel Cantheliz Corporation is licking salt by now,” Chairman Do threatened.
• So that’s why he was so confident. The audacity!
• “Touché. Should I say thank you then?” I replied back sarcastically.
• “Your father was the guarantor of that loan worth billions! Although most of it has been paid off, there is still an outstanding balance for you to worry of. And according to our agreement, the moment he dies -which happened already- and I leave this company, the loan was required to be paid in full. You can’t ditch it either since I know you value your reputation and the company’s as well. What will the media say if that was to happen? It will be a very big controversy for you.”
• I gritted my teeth in anger.
• “Your father had been so confident he’d live long to pay it off. Although you’ve made Zel Cantheliz stay on top, it’s still just healing from the wounds of its past. Think well, Tyron.”
• He’s was irritating me too much.
• “This conference is adjourned. Dismissed,” I glared at him and he took satisfaction in knowing I was cornered. If things went astray, I might end up selling one company for good. But I promised my father that I would make both companies grow. I wouldn’t eat those words back.
• My men that stood in the corner followed me outside. Deo escorted me to the next meeting with Cryzastic Corporation. Unlike the earlier discussion, the talk with Cryzastic went smoothly. Most of the trustees were my parents’ friends so they sympathized with my recent loss.
• Eriez called me after to inform that my father’s corpse has been transferred to the mansion. I wanted to go home immediately but the crowd that was starting to gather in front of Zel Cantheliz was huge. Like in the hospital, Deo has already readied a black Limo at the back exit.
• “Looks like we need to do some cleaning about the rumors spreading around. I trust you Wenziel to do something about it,” I smiled at Wenziel who looked surprised about what I said.
• “Of course.”
• Deo, knowing what I’d ask for, gave me the car keys. Seeing that my men weren’t moving to stop me, Wenziel was worried about me planning to drive alone. The sun was still out and indeed it was more dangerous. Eyes were watching.
• “That’s a bad idea Tyron,” Wenziel said when I got inside the car. He just stood there, dazed as I sped off. Chairman Do was right. I was, in fact, stubborn.
• But one thing’s for sure.
• Those wheels were taking me to the right place again.
• (JANINE)
• “Janine!” stepmom called me in the mock name I was usually referred to by everyone when they’re annoyed or angry. Her fat body stood menacing before me. “Where did the money in your father’s purse go? There are still some cash there yesterday!”
• “Ma, I bought some medicine for Pa,” I said while brushing my teeth.
• She suddenly hit me with the broom she was holding.
• Ouch! It hurt.
• “Who told you to use that money? It’s mine. Give it back!” she ranted “And it was your payday yesterday, give me some cash.”
• “I ran out of money and the rest that I saved are for…” Slip of the tongue!
• “For what?!”
• “I’m saving it for dad’s therapy sessions,” I whined.
• Her face wrinkled. “Give it to me! Your father will heal on his own without those useless therapies. Hand it over!”
• She might just hit me again so I reluctantly agreed. I didn’t tell anybody about my fifty-peso salary increase but Ma still found out and robbed me of all my savings. She’d just be using them for gambling. I took the notebook where I hid the money and instantly, she snatched it from my hands.
• Little Lilibeth, who just woke up from sleep, approached me groggily.
• “What’s there to eat, Auntie Janine?”
• “Nothing...” I replied, still annoyed at my loss.
• “What? Auntie, go buy something!!!” She nagged in her high-pitched voice.
• You spoiled little brat! You got guts to yell at me?!
• “Well, I am not your mother. Go ask your mom to feed you,” I replied, my brows raised.
• “Mom! Aunt Janine is scolding me,” Lilibeth screamed again, snot running down her nose.
• Nadine angrily strode out of the room. She briefly looked at Lilibeth and was annoyed to see that she has dirtied her clothes again. Then she glared at me.
• “Janine!” she yelled.
• ( Janine )
• “Janine!” she yelled.
• I mentally rolled my eyes. I could’ve had slapped her already if she wasn’t my stepmom’s daughter. Lilibeth was already catching up to her bad attitude. I stood up unwillingly and stretched my exhausted body.
• “Alright. I’ll make her some coffee.”
• “Coffee?!” Nadine scoffed. “Good heavens, she’s too young to drink coffee!”
• “Then buy some breakfast,” I replied.
• My blood was boiling at her. She was about to answer back but a voice distracted our heated conversation.
• “Hey sis, where’s my phone charger?” Dexter asked Nadine.
• His hair was so unkempt and needed haircut badly. The flabby stomach he’s growing from idling around all day was bulging through his loose shirt. I rolled my eyes, for real.
• The door slammed open, its hinges creaking loudly from age. I mentally noted buying new ones but a little skeptical about squeezing the expense for it to my small weekly budget. It was already late in the morning and Amy had just went home.
• “Where have you been, Amy?” I asked worriedly “And you’re wearing a guy’s shirt. Whose clothes is that from?”
• “You don’t fucking care,” she said and went directly to our room. I shrugged my head in dismay. She’s become so different.
• I disappointedly sat in the corner and watched them whine on and on. How everybody acted towards life made me sad. I was gradually losing hope that we’ll ever leave poverty. Everybody in the household proved me right about it. Slowly, my attention was averted to the faint coughing coming from my father’s room, then back to the bunch of whiners who wondered loudly what they would be eating for breakfast.
• I sighed. Even I haven’t eaten yet.
• “There’s fried egg in here,” Lilibeth said when she discovered the Tupperware of food I saved for my father.
• “Hey, that’s Pa’s breakfast. Put it back,” I said.
• “Oh, the old man gets too eat while all of us here starve,” Dexter complained. He intentionally raised his voice for Pa to hear. “He’s just laying down all day.”
• At the corner of my eyes, I saw Pa pushed his wheelchair enough for us to see him. The face that was too thin from malnutrition looked calm but his eyes were gloomy. He used to be a cheerful person but the accident took all his joy.
• “Janine, give my breakfast to the younger one. I’ll be fine,” Pa spoke softly. His eyes grew damp but he held his tears from falling, like I did. My heart was broken a hundredfold.
• “Don’t touch father’s breakfast,” I told them “I’ll see if I can get some goods on credit from Aling Nena’s store.”
• @SenaMangampo