The Billionaire In Disguise

Kirst carefully placed a paper bag in front of his mother, who was busy reading a magazine. When she looked up and saw him, surprise flashed across her face.

"Kirst, my son!" she exclaimed, quickly setting aside the magazine and standing up to give him a tight hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming today? I could have prepared your room."

He smiled at his mother. "I wanted to surprise you, Ma," he said, hugging her back just as tightly.

Kirst was currently based in Cebu, managing one of his father's major businesses, the Monzerate Ceramic Inc. Since he had a business trip in Manila, he decided to stop by his parents’ house—the house where he grew up.

"What's this, hijo?" asked his mother, Feliciana Monzerate, referring to the paper bag he brought. His fifty-five-year-old mother still looked remarkably youthful despite her age. She was naturally cheerful and a positive thinker, which, along with taking care of herself, kept her vibrant.

He kissed her cheek after taking her hand to show respect and then said, "Open it, Ma," encouraging her with a smile.

He watched as his mother opened the paper bag. As expected, her face lit up with joy when she saw the contents.

"My God! The new releases from Steffi!" she exclaimed, beaming. She immediately turned to him, giving him a tight hug and a warm kiss on the cheek. "You've really made my day, hijo. Thank you."

"You're always welcome, Ma."

He knew his mother's favorite author was Steffi, as she was often engrossed in reading Tagalog romance novels, most of which were written by the said author.

"It's heartwarming that you know who my favorite author is."

"I wonder why you're so hooked on her stories," he asked with mild curiosity.

His mother sat back down with a smile. "I get so carried away by the emotions her protagonists go through. You should try reading one of her books sometime. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, hijo. She's an excellent writer."

He shook his head. He enjoyed reading, but romance novels were not his style. His life revolved around the business world, so his reading material was typically work-related.

"Ah, that's why you don't have a girlfriend—you don't have a romantic bone in your body, Kirst," his mother said, shaking her head. "Soon you'll be past the age on the calendar. When do you plan to get married? I know so many women I could introduce you to for dates, but you always refuse. Don't you have any plans to give your father and me a grandchild? I might not live to see it happen."

"Mama," he said, cutting her off.

Every time he visited their house, this was always the conversation. "It'll happen when the time is right. There's no need to rush. You're still healthy and young."

"The right time has come and gone for Yaya Dub and Alden, and yet your 'right time' is still collecting dust. I'm getting impatient with your so-called perfect timing."

He scratched the back of his head, though it wasn't itchy. "You're still young, Ma," he repeated. "I'm sure you'll still look youthful when my time comes."

"Don't make me wait too long, hijo. You might wake up one day to find yourself standing at the altar with a woman you didn't choose," she said, widening her eyes for effect.

He knew his mother was capable of pulling something like that off. "Just wait."

"There you are, hijo."

Kirst turned to see his father, Manuel Monzerate, who managed their other businesses in Luzon.

"Papa," he greeted, immediately taking his father's hand to show respect.

"May God bless you," his father said, patting him on the shoulder. Then he sighed heavily.

"Is there a problem?" Kirst asked, sensing something was wrong. He knew his father well enough to recognize when something was troubling him.

"Not a big problem, son."

Kirst studied his father's expression, unconvinced, and shook his head. "Did something happen at the company?"

His father sat beside his wife before turning back to him. "It's about one of our subdivisions in Sto. Tomas, Batangas."

"Towns Ville or Le Moubreza?" Kirst guessed. They only had two subdivisions in that area.

"Le Moubreza."

Kirst decided to sit in the chair across from his father to discuss the matter properly. His mother, Feliciana, went to the kitchen to prepare coffee for them—something both he and his father enjoyed during their discussions, especially when it involved family business matters.

"I found out there's been sabotage in the construction of some houses there," his father began. "The row houses in Blocks Fourteen to Eighteen have drawn complaints from families who've moved in. The report says the contractor didn't pay his workers properly, so they cut corners during construction. If only I had known about this sooner..."

Another heavy sigh escaped his father's lips. "It turns out the contractor abandoned the project because of his shady practices. Even his workers left, leaving Block Fifteen's roofing unfinished."

Kirst felt a pang of sympathy for his father. He wanted to help lighten the load. Le Moubreza wasn't an exclusive subdivision like Towns Ville, which was also in Batangas and close to Le Moubreza.

He pulled out his phone and called his secretary. "Cancel all my appointments this month. I won't be returning to Cebu this week."

"Kirst," his father said in surprise.

After finishing the call, he turned to his father. "I'll check the site." He knew that half of the subdivision was still under development.

"Son, you don't have to cancel all your appointments this month."

"Papa, I'll see what I can do to help with Le Moubreza. Leave it to me," he said, effectively ending the discussion.

"This place is unbelievable," Chrislynn muttered in frustration as she stared at the leaky section of her bathroom.

How many times had she reported this issue to the subdivision's admin? Countless times, yet nothing had been done. There was a leak in the gutter, and every time it rained, water dripped inside. She had only been living in this house for a week, paying for it through Pag-IBIG, and not a single day had passed without her feeling annoyed.

"So annoying. Why am I so poor?" She asked herself.

Take the first day she moved in, for instance. Several electrical sockets weren't working—only one out of four functioned. To make matters worse, she didn't have her own Meralco meter yet, so the power supply coming directly from Le Moubreza was weak. And every time she saw the front of her house, her irritation grew. The yard was nothing more than bare dirt, looking as though it had just been dumped there.

Her neighbor's yard, in contrast, was neat and inviting, adorned with plants, while her own looked completely out of place.

She didn't have enough money yet to fix the front and backyard of her home. The kitchen at the back was entirely open, adding to her list of concerns.

Chrislynn lived alone. She grew up without knowing her parents or siblings, having been raised in an orphanage. When she was in high school, she was adopted by a woman. At first, she thought her life would finally change, but instead, her adopter mistreated her and treated her like a servant.

That experience gave her the courage to escape.

She didn't return to the orphanage. Instead, she worked as a waitress in a restaurant. With her earnings, she juggled work and studies to finish high school. Over the years, she worked various jobs before finally entering college. She was determined to graduate, fueled by hard work, patience, and unwavering faith in God.

After college, she worked for five years at a prestigious company. Her salary was substantial, especially after she was promoted to manager. Last month, she decided to resign after ensuring she had enough savings in the bank. She wanted to focus on one of her potential sources of income.

By God's grace, at twenty-eight, she had managed to acquire her own house, even though she was paying for it in installments through Pag-IBIG. However, the house she bought seemed riddled with issues, leaving her little to praise about it.

After taking a shower, she quickly got dressed. She needed to start working because she needed to save a significant amount to renovate the entire house. The walls weren't even finished yet, and she planned to add a second floor to serve as her bedroom. The only good thing about her house was that it had high ceilings, allowing for the construction of a second floor.

She decided to do her laundry tomorrow instead, hoping the weather would be sunny. Being the month of August, the rains were frequent. Adding to the problem was the fact that her home was at the base of Mount Maria Makiling. Still, the mountain was one of the reasons she chose to live there. The sight of Maria Makiling, visible from her backyard, gave her a sense of peace and motivation to keep working hard.

She combed her hair, sat at her desk, and resumed working on her laptop.

A sweet smile spread across Chrislynn's lips as she saw the clear skies that morning.

"Perfect day to do the laundry," she said, grabbing her coffee cup from her small table and heading outside her house.

She planned to take a walk while sipping her coffee. The sunlight was gentle and pleasant on the skin, not yet harsh.

“What block are you from, ms?”

She turned to the teenage boy who asked the question. “Why?”

“We have a store. If you need to top up your load or buy some food supplies, just come to our place.”

“Sure,” she replied as she walked past him. Thankfully, he didn't try to flirt with her because she had no time for such antics. One of the challenges she faced living there was the isolation. The place was at the foot of a mountain, far from the grocery store and the national highway. Luckily, there were a few stores within Block 100B of Le Moubreza.

She continued walking and took the uphill path along the subdivision's main road. The view of Mount Maria Makiling was breathtaking.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, she filled her lungs before deciding to head back home.

She found some construction workers chatting in front of her house. Remembering the broken toilet flush in her bathroom, she approached them.

“Excuse me,” she said, catching their attention. They all turned to her except for one tall man who didn't look her way. He was wearing the same uniform as the others, so she knew he was also a construction worker. His tall stature and solid build were noticeable.

She cleared her throat and looked away from the man who had caught her attention. “Who can I ask to fix the toilet flush? It's not working.”

“I'll take care of it. You guys focus on what you need to do,” said the man who hadn't turned earlier.

She was about to head back inside when the man finally faced her. If she hadn't been holding her coffee cup tightly, she might have dropped it.

She was stunned by his appearance. He didn't look like a typical construction worker or even a site engineer. Even though he was wearing the uniform, it was hard to imagine him as just a laborer. He looked like a god who descended from the heavens—far too handsome for a job exposed to the sun all day. He seemed better suited to be a model or an actor.

She couldn't help but stare at him. His face seemed too perfect to be real, and even he seemed momentarily amused by her reaction before it quickly faded.

Before he could notice her observing him, she quickly masked her expression. She wasn't one to make her interest obvious, especially in front of a man who had clearly grabbed her attention—like this man. She cleared her throat.

“Please fix the toilet flush,” she asked politely before turning away.

She closed her eyes briefly and smiled to herself before continuing her walk.

“I'll just get the tools I need to fix your bathroom,” the man said before leaving.

Where had this man worked before? The question lingered in her mind.

Although she knew he already knew where the bathroom was, she still pointed it out to him.

“Did you just move in, Miss?”

His smooth voice momentarily threw her off guard. “Just last week,” she replied once she recovered.

“What other issues have you encountered?” he asked while working on her toilet flush.