The Hottie Billionaire Series: Romancing A Banking Magnate (The Billionaire Meets The Damsel In Distress)

by Sharon Rose

  She had no idea that they were already facing bankruptcy. She was busy with her studies, and so was Brenda. They would usually stay and spend most of their time in their rented apartment that was located in the downtown area, near their university, busy with their affairs at school. They would only get to go home during weekends. Sometimes, even the weekends would be consumed by extra-curricular activities. That was the reason why she and Brenda had no idea that their father was already addicted to alcohol and gambling.

  Six months ago, she discovered the problem on their farm when she took sa stroll, just to see what was going on. She happened to talk to one of their employees, and she was told that the farm was suffering from bad business decisions and dire neglect. The produce wasn’t aplenty anymore, and of low quality. Fertilizers and pesticides that were needed to maintain the farm weren’t properly provided.

  That discovery came as a total shock to her. All the while she thought that everything was in order, that their life was in order. So she started to dig for more information. And that was how she discovered her father’s vices. She was really surprised to know about it.

  She never thought that her ever responsible father would turn out to be a drunkard and a gambler, and worse, a lenient head of the family, by dipping them in debt just to sustain his vices. She was told that her father would usually splurge hundreds of thousands of pesos from his gambling and cockfighting habits, that he lost significant amounts of money for the last two years.

  She thought that they were already recovering from her mother’s sudden death, but here they were now, facing another storm in their lives.

  Then, they started receiving letters from the bank. That was when she realized that her father was already deeply entangled in his bad habits, that he had spent millions of pesos just to indulge his vices, that he loaned their farm in the bank just so he could support his gambling and alcohol addiction.

  She was shaken by the realization. She knew that her father was problematic, that he was dealing with a dilemma that was hard to fight, but he just couldn’t do this to them – betray her and Brenda, and put the family’s future in jeopardy.

  She bravely confronted her father one day, but she couldn’t talk to him properly as he was always drunk. If he was trying to hide his drinking habits from them before, lately, he wasn’t anymore. He already would drink in the open, even if his children were at home.

  She knew something was bothering him. He would show desperation everytime a letter from the bank would arrive. Of course, he was the only one who knew the severity of their financial crisis, and it was his own undoing.

  For the sake of their family and their future, she dared to have a heart-to-heart talk with her father. She was angry that he had been gambling and drinking for the past two years. She wanted to berate him for the bad person he had become, but when he started confessing to her, telling her how he had been miserable after the death of his wife, her anger melted.

  She couldn’t help but pity her father. That was how she realized the extent of the effects of her mother’s death to him. He died, too, along with her. He suffered from trauma and devastating depression, critical factors why he turned to drinking and gambling.

  She felt so sorry for her father’s misery. She, too, was deeply saddened by the untimely passing of her mother. She had been crying for months after her death, but she had realized that life must go on. She wouldn’t forget her mother, of course. She would forever be dear in her heart, but she had her own life to live. So she focused her attention to her studies.

  And in her pursuit to please her mother, wherever she was, she studied diligently. But she was just so sorry that by doing so, she had unintentionally neglected her own father. She wasn’t there to help him get through the tragic loss of her mother. She didn’t help him recover. She didn’t share his pain, misery, and regrets.

  And she felt guilty. Maybe, if she had been there for her father during the crucial moments of his struggles, he wouldn’t turn to alcohol and gambling. He would have someone to be with him, to share his struggles, and someone who would lift his down spirit. Maybe that way, they wouldn’t have this kind of financial dilemma right now. Most of all, his father wouldn’t suffer from a stroke and fight for his life. Oh, if she could just turn back time!

  Her tears streamed profusely, drowning the glow of hope in her eyes. The fear that she would lose her father any time was haunting her. She was slowly getting desperate, but she knew that she had to remain strong. Someone should stand for her family, and fight for them. And she had to do that. She was the eldest child. It was her responsibility to take good care of her family now that her father was on the brink of death.

  She composed herself. She wiped her tears that were abundantly spilling from her grief-stricken eyes. She stopped herself from crying. There were important things she needed to do aside from crying a river of tears.

  She had to remain strong. Her father and her sister were now depending on her. What would happen to them if she would let devastation wreck her? No, she would never succumb to devastation. She would never surrender. She would fight for her family. She would fight for her father. She would do her best to keep him alive!

  “Pa…” She reached for his hand. She held his limp hand very gently, with full of love. “Don’t give up, please…” her hoarse voice sounded begging. “We still need you here. Don’t leave us yet. Don’t be with Mama yet…” She choked a sob. The dreadful thought scared her big time.

  “Please… hold on, Pa. Brenda and I love you so much. You’re the only one we’ve got. I can’t afford to lose you, you know that. Please... I won’t bear it. Papa…” Her eyes stung once more, and tears started to well again. “Please fight for me… for Brenda... We love you so much, Papa… We care for you… We really do…” She choked another despondent sob. “We love you, and we need you. Please stay alive… for us…”

  How she wanted to touch her father’s face, but he had an oxygen mask. His head was carefully wrapped in a bandage. And her heart bled at the sight of him. It was painful to look at her father when she knew that he was fighting for his life.

  But aside from her father’s medical condition, they still had another big, pressing problem. There was their farm, which was facing foreclosure from the bank. Like her father, the farm was also important to them. That was their source of livelihood. If it would be sequestered by the bank, where would they get money if ever? What would be left of them? She couldn’t even answer the question herself. The farm was something that all of them couldn’t afford to lose. Without it, they would all be thrown in a stinky dumpster.

  She knew that her strength would really be tested during these hard times, but she wouldn’t buckle. That was for sure. She would fight to the very end, as long as she had her family by her side. She would try to find ways to provide solutions to their immense problems. But how?

  She sighed desperately. She needed to think fast, before everything would be too late!

  “I will do everything, Papa,” she fervently whispered. “I will do everything to fix the mess that we are now in. Just promise me that you’ll hold on, that you’ll fight with us. Be strong, and please, hang on to your dear life. You are my strength, please know that. If you’ll leave us, too, just like what Mama did, I won’t bear it… We won’t bear it…”

  Her chest constricted. Devastation was starting to crawl in her heart again, but she instantly threw it away. She didn’t need that in her life. All she needed was the strength and the will to fight. This was just another trial that they would surely recover from. This, too, would pass.

  She kissed her father's hand lovingly. “I’ll go in the meantime, but I’ll be back the soonest. I just have to do something very important. This is for us, Papa. For us.” She held his hand again, and after a brief moment, she stood up. “See you later, Pa.” She tenderly kissed her father goodbye, and walked to the door, leaving him in the ICU.

  She was walking in the hallway of the hospital when she called Brend
a. She instructed her to go to the hospital after she was done packing some of the things that they would need in the hospital. She told her sister that she had to attend to their father because she had to leave to do something very important.

  She would go to her godfather, Christopher Maraullo, to ask for help. Maybe he could lend her some money that she could use to pay off their debt to the bank. That was her initial plan. She would resort to plan B, if plan A fails. And then plan C, and so on, and so forth. She would gladly use all the letters in the alphabet if she needed to.

  She was also thinking about postponing her studies, and to find work instead. She needed a source of income, especially during these troubled times. And she couldn’t think of anything else, but find a decent job.

  She needed to think of other alternatives, too, that she could exploit. She had some rich friends, but she knew that she couldn’t really borrow big amounts from them, though she could try.

  Ah… she really had to exhaust her options. The bigger amount of money she could raise, the better.

  As far as she knew, his father’s debt already amounted to a staggering five million pesos. She had no effing idea how to raise such big amount of money, especially now that her father had depleted the balance in their primary bank account.

  But she wasn’t losing hope. Maybe somewhere, somehow, a solution was waiting for her. She just had to find it. But right now, she could only turn to God.

  Lord, please… give me miracles! she murmured and sighed.

  Yes, that was what she really needed. Miracles! A lot of them!

  Chapter 4

  “I am so sorry, hija, but this is just what I can lend you. You know, business is not really doing well at this point. Pardon my limited help.” Christopher Maraulo, her godfather, was apologetic when he signed the check.

  But she could only sigh in relief. At least, he was lending her some amount. And that was more than enough.

  “Thank you, ninong!” She was emotional when she accepted the check he handed her. Her eyes shone with gratitude. “This is already a big help…” She looked at the check with a written amount amounting to six hundred fifty thousand pesos. It already meant a lot to her. Six hundred fifty thousand pesos. It was way better than receiving nothing.

  She brought the check to her chest as she closed her eyes, trying to contain her emotions. Her eyes were stung with tears when she looked at her godfather. “Thank you very much, Ninong Chris. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you the second I have the money-”

  “Please don’t think about paying at this moment, Kat,” he interrupted. “You have a lot of more important things to worry about than that. I won’t get back the money sooner. You can take your time. I understand.”

  Her eyes watered more. She was deeply touched by her godfather’s concern. She was right. She could run to him. He would never let her down.

  “I am so sorry about what had happened to Ronaldo. I wish him a fast recovery. Regina and I will go to the hospital for a visit one of these days.”

  “Thank you, really, Ninong Christopher.” She couldn’t thank him enough. With teary eyes, she hugged him. Gratitude was overflowing in her chest.

  He was her only godparent. And she was lucky to have him. Christopher Maraullo was one of the most generous people she had ever met. In fact, every year, during her birthdays and Christmases, she would always receive a gift from him and his family.

  “You’re already like my biological child, Katrina,” he answered her hug and comforted her. “Your Ninang Regina and I will always be here for you, should you need help.”

  A sob escaped from her mouth. The tears that she was trying to hold back slipped from her eyes. She cried as she hugged him tight.

  In the midst of the tribulation that her family was facing right now, she was just so thankful that there were people like her godfather who was there to lend them a hand. And that was more than enough to nurture the tiny spring of hope in her heart.

  She should not feel helpless. She must not feel hopeless. Whatever problems they were facing right now, they could get past through it. They definitely would.

  She went to her apartment after talking to her godfather. Then, she called her friends in ADDU Law School and told them about her ordeal. They didn’t disappoint her, much to her relief. She was able to borrow a total of two hundred fifty thousand pesos from her friends. Now, she was able to raise nine hundred thousand pesos.

  She checked her bank account. She had half a million pesos as a remaining balance. But of course, she couldn’t use the full amount to pay for her father’s debt because they still had to pay for his hospital bills. She knew that they would spend a considerable amount of money for her father’s hospitalization, especially after his brain operation.

  Brenda had money of her own, and she would check if she could ask some amount from her sister. She had to check their family’s several bank accounts, too. She was just hoping that her father didn’t zero out the balance in their four, family bank accounts.

  She also had to sell their cars. Her father’s Pajero, her Honda City and Brenda’s Mitsubishi Lancer. She wasn’t sure if her sister would agree to her plan though.

  Five million pesos. She needed to raise five million pesos in order to save their farm from forfeiture. But what she had in her hands was not enough to cover even half of the huge debt.

  Don’t lose hope, girl… she told herself. You’re one brilliant woman, and you can come up with a solution to any problem. Just stay focused! And think hard!

  Positive thinking… positive thinking… she was repeating that in her mind like a passionate mantra. And it helped her a lot. It gave her assurance that she really could find ways to fix her family’s dilemma.

  She went to the bank the next day to negotiate about her father’s debt with the Branch Manager. She would ask for an extension, and she would pay in partial. She had to come up with any arrangement that would allow them to keep their property. But she was crestfallen to know that the bank couldn’t give consideration anymore because her father neglected the last two final notices they sent.

  She did her best to beg, but her father’s case was already escalated, and the forfeiture was up for execution. She felt as if the world ruthlessly crashed on her shoulders, but she didn’t lose hope. So she went to another branch, and luckily, she was able to come up with an arrangement.

  Fortunately enough, the Bank Manager in another branch was a middle-aged man who looked smitten by her beauty. So she did her best to use that to her advantage. And her charms worked on the middle-aged man, much to her delight. He granted her request. And she almost jumped in joy.

  She paid the bank a sum of one million two hundred fifty thousand pesos, and the deadline to pay the remaining balance was agreed to be extended to six months. So she had six months to look for ways to raise three million and seven hundred fifty thousand pesos. If she could do that, she could pay their debt in full, and their farm would be saved from forfeiture.

  She knew that her family’s future was still on the edge of uncertainty, but at least, for now, she could take a full, deep breath. In the meantime, she would put all her energies dedicated to her father’s fast recovery.

  Thank God! One problem down, one left. She was doing fine and she was pleased.

  Chapter 5

  Xavier was damned pissed off. He almost wasted his entire day interviewing numerous women who applied to the foolish advertisement that he stupidly ran in the Daily Inquirer.

  He was laughing at his own ad, and he goddamned knew how stupid it was, but he took a risk. His impotency dilemma had come to a point where it already got under his skin. Now, more than ever, he realized how serious his dreaded problem had become. It has already affected his whole fucked up life.

  And to make matters even worse, they ran his mother to the hospital a couple of days ago. Again. Her blood sugar rose to a dangerous level. Again. The doctor had to administer an emergency insulin shot just to stabilize her condition.

  His m
other had been suffering from a serious case of diabetes for a long time now, and a few years ago, it developed some severe complications. Her health was slowly fading away. She had lost a lot of weight since her sickness worsened. The doctors, who were attending to her, were now alarmed and even warned him of the worst case scenarios.

  He was worried sick of his mother. She was the only parent he had after losing his dad ten years ago. And they were close, really close, that he was actually a closet Mama’s boy. He treasured his mother in his heart more than he could show it in his deeds. But for the past weeks, he took advantage of the opportunity to bond with her. He just wanted to let his mother feel that she was dearly loved and cherished.

  But his mother would always push him to get married and start a family, a topic that he always evades, but she would always love to bring up. She would always tell him that she wanted grandchildren who would fill their huge mansion with giddy laughters. Her fervent wish was to see just one grandchild before she would pass away, something that he had difficulty digesting. He loved his mother, and losing her was unacceptable. He didn’t even want to think about it.

  His mom would always tell him that she was already getting old and really sick, but she couldn’t leave in peace thinking that her son’s life was not yet in a straight path. He was a filthy, rich banker, being the CEO of UNB, yet he was unfulfilled. Well, his mother’s definition of fulfillment inclined to having a happy family life, and despite of his huge success in the business, he didn’t have that kind of credentials yet. And his mom was getting frustrated. Sometimes, he would feel guilty because in a way, he would make her illness worse by aggravating her.

  But as much as he would just want to indulge his mother’s wish, so as to make her finally happy - he actually wanted to cave in to her prodding already, he simply didn’t have the balls to tell her straight in the face that he couldn’t grant her request. His erectile problem continued to persist, despite of his efforts to cure it with the help of a lot of fantastic women. And he had never been as frustrated as this all his life.