"Come here and don't make a scene!" the man dragged Natalia back into the private room of their loved one.

"Do you want your mother to die then? Is that it, Natalia?" Natalia's father asked in a hushed voice. There were tears brimming in his eyes. Not out of anger but of shame.

​​

He was just a small restaurant owner and the competition was steep because of the several rising eatery near them.

If only he had been a lot smarter in life then he could have amassed wealth and provided a better life for his family. And today, pay the bills for his wife's medication.

Seeing the teary eyed face of his father, Natalia could not help but drop the precious tears from her eyes before her father could even do so.

She hugged the emaciated man and thought of all the sacrifices he had done for them. It took her a minute or so to calm down before she could speak another word out.

"Okay. Let us meet with them." Natalia determined.

* * *

"I won't accept the deal, mother." a handsome man said firmly. He was tall and had an aristocratic air around him that bordered slightly on arrogance.

This was a man who knew what he wanted in life and was secure in his abilities in order to make his dreams come true.

"Paulo, DO THIS FOR THE SAKE OF THE FAMILY!" a lady roared towards the handsome man.

She was already mature in age but that fact was hidden behind her sophisticated dress and the expensive body care technology that she had regularly availed to.

The woman looked 20 years younger than her actual age of 50. This was Donya Nelia, the Matriarch of the Agustin Family. One of the richest families in the City of Migan.

"We've already been over this before, mother. I will not abide by a dead man's will even if you disown me as your son." Paulo remained calm but his words held his extreme resolve on the matter.

"Then so be it. If you can harden your heart to forget all the sacrifices I've done for you in the past, go. And never come back again." Donya Nelia finalized before turning her back on her son.

"FUCK!" Paulo could only curse inside. They were a good pair of mother and son indeed. Both were hard headed and determined in their decisions.

In the end, he could only sigh before retracing the steps of his beautiful mother.

* * *

"Why are they still not here?" Natalia asked in annoyance.

She and her father had been waiting at a well known restaurant for 30 minutes already and they had yet to see even the shadows of their would be saviors.

Not that she especially loved the idea of owing anything to someone else but she really had no choice at the moment. Natalia would even swallow her pride just to save the one who bore her into this world.

Her mother's love and affection was a priceless thing indeed. And her doing this at the expense of her happiness and future was a paltry thing compared to the sacrifices of her mother.

But Natalia would not give up that easily though. If one wanted something, then there were lots of ways to get it. Now she only needed to see her pair and strike a deal that would benefit them both.

"They said they'll be late for at most an hour, Natalia. Why don't you order for something to eat again?"

Simeon, the father of Natalia suggested. It was good that a relative of theirs was kind enough to stay at the hospital in their stead.

But he still could not stop himself from checking his watch over and over again. He did not want to let it show but he was much more impatient than his daughter ever was.

All he ever wanted was to stay beside his wife in her weakest moment and he would never be settled unless he was beside his beloved wife Maricar once again.

"I'm okay, father. Let's just hope they won't waste anymore of our time." Natalia frowned. To while the time away, she checked with her co-workers in the hotel she worked at.

When her mom got sick, Natalia decided to take some time off from work to better take care of her mother. That was 2 months ago and she realized that she might not have a job to come back to.

But Natalia could not care less for that anymore. After all, how could that compare with the life of her mother?

20 minutes passed by quickly.

"Mr. Santa Cruz? I apologize for us being late. My son and I had an important business meeting earlier." Natalia heard the introduction of a woman's voice.

She raised her head from her cellphone and her expression changed from irritation to shock in the span of a single breath.

"Arrogant Prick?" Natalia whispered. It can't be!

"Ugly Witch?" an amused voice echoed her words.

"Oh... So you both know each other? Then this will be easier." Donya Nelya commented on the side.

'FUCK' Natalia could not help but curse inside. This was the man that was tattooed on her mind for the longest time to date. But it was the kind that she would rather forget than remember.

The reason behind the experience was definitely not a good one.

"I agree to the last will of my grandfather, mom. Let the wedding take place as soon as possible." Paulo seconded his mother's supposition with these words.

"Okay then, it will happen at the end of this week at the latest." Donya Nelya said in a happy voice. What do you know, it was over before she could even take a seat. The pleased older woman thought inside.

Paulo pulled a chair and assisted her mother at the luxurious table.

The talks began and it was only 5 minutes into the discussions that Natalia had finally got over her shock and inner musings.