Chapter 2 - The Empty Kitchen and the Silent Phone
At the Vance estate in San Lorenzo, the clock reached 1:30 in the afternoon.
Julian sat at the long mahogany dining table, tapping his polished leather shoe against the marble floor. The table was completely empty. No lunch had been served. The dirty dishes from breakfast—including the burnt frying pan, the coffee mugs with dried dark rings, and the greasy dishcloth sitting on the edge of the sink—remained exactly where I had left them.
Doña Victoria paced the room, her hand clutching her pearl necklace. Her husband, Eduardo Vance, sat in his leather armchair, staring at the muted television screen, his brow furrowed in growing irritation.
"Where is she?" Eduardo snapped, looking over his shoulder. "Julian, why hasn't your wife prepared lunch? The quarterly board meeting for the development group is at three o'clock. I need my meal and my tailored suit pressed."
"She walked out, Dad," Julian said, trying to sound dismissive, though his voice lacked conviction. "She’s throwing a dramatic tantrum. She took her suitcase."
"Then call her!" Victoria barked, her eyes flashing with anger. "Who does she think she is?! She walked out of this house like a common street vendor! I told her if she left that door, she shouldn't come back!"
"She'll come back, Mom," Julian scoffed, pulling out his phone. "Her parents raised her to be traditional. She’s probably crying in a café somewhere waiting for me to call so she can apologize. She has nowhere else to go."
Julian dialed my number.
“The number you are calling is currently unavailable or has blocked your incoming calls. Please try again later.”
Julian frowned. He dialed again. Same automated recording.
"She blocked me," Julian muttered, a sudden, unpleasant prickle of heat rising at the back of his neck.
"Try her father," Eduardo demanded, setting his reading glasses on the side table. "Call Gabriel Reyes. Tell him his daughter is neglecting her domestic obligations and disrespecting this family."
Julian dialed my father’s direct line.
It rang once. Twice. On the third ring, my father answered.
"Speak," Gabriel Reyes said. His voice was as flat and unyielding as cold reinforced steel.
"Mr. Reyes—I mean, Dad," Julian began, attempting to adopt the smooth, authoritative tone he used with junior associates at his law firm. "We have a bit of a situation here at the house. Sofia had a minor misunderstanding with my mother this morning regarding household responsibilities, and she packed her bags and left like a child. She isn't answering her phone. I suggest you tell her to come back immediately before my family reconsider our arrangement."
There was a long silence on the line. Julian smirked at his mother, mouthing the words, He's handling it.
Then, my father spoke.
"Julian," Gabriel Reyes said, his voice dropping an octave into a register that made the hairs on Julian's arms stand up. "Did you throw a dirty dishcloth in my daughter's face this morning?"
Julian froze. His smirk vanished. "Dad, it was just a joke—a symbolic gesture to show her that running a home requires work—"
"Did you tell her she was your family's maid?"
"My mother was simply establishing the household hierarchy—"
"Julian," my father interrupted smoothly. "My daughter’s lawyer, Attorney Sarah Lin, has just filed an emergency petition for absolute legal separation, nullification of marriage on the grounds of psychological incapacity, and a temporary restraining order."
"What?!" Julian yelled, jumping out of his chair. "A petition?! Over a domestic disagreement?!"
"And one more thing," my father added. "The six hundred and fifty thousand dollars currently sitting in Sofia's private account has been placed under an irrevocable asset shield. If your father tries to execute his corporate credit draw against those funds at BPI this afternoon... tell him the account is empty."
The line went dead.
Julian stared at his phone as if it had turned into a venomous snake.
"Julian?" Victoria asked, her voice high and fluttering with sudden panic. "What did he say? What about the BPI credit line?!"
Before Julian could answer, Eduardo’s personal phone rang loudly. Eduardo snatched it up, pressing it to his ear. "Hello? Marcus... yes, I'm heading to the bank now—what do you mean?"
Eduardo’s face went from a healthy, sun-tanned bronze to the color of wet newsprint.
"Declined?" Eduardo gasped, his hands beginning to shake violently. "How could the letter of credit be declined?! The collateral was verified last night at the reception!"
He listened for three seconds, his eyes darting frantically toward Julian, before he dropped the phone onto the rug.
"Eduardo?!" Victoria shrieked, rushing to his side. "What is it?!"
"The Reyes family didn't deposit the money into a joint account," Eduardo whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. "They deposited it into Sofia's private maiden-name trust. And three minutes ago... her attorney executed a total freeze."
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Eduardo turned his head slowly, looking at his son with pure, unadulterated fury.
"What did you do to her, Julian?" Eduardo roared. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THAT GIRL?!"
