“D**MIT, Andrea!” Sebastian Monte Bello yelled violently while

on the phone. “Do you want me to tie your feet up just to get you here!?” He

spoke, gritting his teeth.

The other

end of the line remained silent. There is only stern breathing audible.

Sebastian

ran his fingers through his thick hair in frustration. “This is my last

ultimatum, Andrea.” He got up. His anxious steps made a faint creaking sound on

the polished oak floors. “I am giving you three months. . . three months,

Andrea. Do you understand? And if you don’t come back here by then, you know

what will happen. Because even if I have to chain you up, I’ll do it! I’ll do

it just to get you back!”

With that, he firmly pressed the end

button on his phone, almost crushing it in his grip. He stared into

nothingness. His thoughts drifted to his family and the burden that had been

placed on his shoulders. Hacienda Monte Bello was an extensive property he and

his siblings inherited from his late father, Don Federico Monte Bello. The vast

expanse of land that was passed down through generations. It was located in

Puerto del Cielo, a place in southern Luzon known for being the country’s top

coconut exporter. Besides copra, they had other produce sent to various

countries, like bananas, corn, sugarcane, and more.

Sebastian had three siblings.

Antonio, second to him, managed their businesses in Manila, diligently

overseeing their affairs. Aurora, on the other hand, was the hardheaded type,

now residing in the US. Then there was Andie, the free-spirited one who had

chosen to traverse the globe, leaving her family behind in pursuit of her own

adventures.

Sebastian paced around the library,

lost in thought, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. He furrowed his

brows, wondering who it could be. He saw their elderly housekeeper, Nana

Andeng, standing there. He composed himself before letting her in. “What is it,

Nana?”

The old woman seemed uneasy,

avoiding direct eye contact with hi . “Señorito. . .”

“Say it, Nana.” He sighed, glancing

at the papers on the table. Their workers would be paid today, and he knew many

were waiting for him at the plantation. That’s one of the reasons he never gets

tired. And that was also the exact reason why he had dedicated his entire life

to this place, leaving little time for his personal life.

“It’s because of Bella, Señorito,”

Nana Andeng agitatedly said, facing back and forth between him and the floor.

“Yeah. What about her?”

Nana Andeng didn’t reply.

Sebastian stopped what he was doing

and looked at her. “Just spit it out, Nana. I have a lot of work today.”

With shivering lips, she replied,

“Bella is missing, Señorito. . .”

He abruptly turned toward her and

asked, “How did that happen?! Where is her nanny?!”

“That’s the problem, Señorito. . .

Her nanny is missing too,” she said, her voice still soft.

“What?!” he exclaimed. His voice

thundered through the entire house.