A Tech Billionaire's Love

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

A Father's Pain

As soon as Callix had called Andres Zaragoza that Saturday morning regarding his intention not to buy the shares anymore because of Penelope's blackmailing, he confronted his younger daughter.

"Callix Valderama already decided not to buy our shares. He just told me you're blackmailing him. What is this all about, Penelope?"

Penelope answered, "Can't you see, Dad? He and Calliope are conniving to bring us down. I humiliated him back in college and Calliope is angry at us because Mom stole you from her Mom."

Andres defended his older daughter, "Your sister won't do that. She even allowed us to live at the ancestral mansion. She also helped me out in settling my credit card accounts. If she hasn't invested all her money in this perfume business, I'm very sure that she'll help us out at ZTC. She hadn't been receiving her annual dividends for quite some time but she never complained. I have wronged her so I don't expect her to sell all her properties just to save me from this mess which was brought upon by the overspending you and your Mom did all these years."

Penelope expected her father to side with her, but he didn't. "Then why Callix doesn't want to buy her shares? Why our shares only?"

Their father answered, "He considers Calliope as a very good friend. Besides, I cannot see Callix Valderama buying us out as a form of revenge on you even if you had humiliated him in the past. That young man will pay all our debts in the banks and will even give an additional amount for Andrew and me to startup a new business. He can just let us face the bankruptcy and got nothing. He can just buy all our assets from the banks. Why are you blackmailing him then?"

Penelope wasn't able to further explain her reasons. She just said, "I hate them both."

Their father said, "Calliope didn't do anything wrong to you, Penelope. I was the one who wronged her but never did she show any disrespect to me, to your Mom, to you, and to your brother."

"She inherited a lot from Lolo, while Andrew and I didn't get any," Penelope voiced out.

"I inherited a much greater percentage of my father's fortunes compared to what she inherited. You and Andrew benefited much on such inheritance. She has worked very hard to enrich her inheritance while I wasn't able to coz you and your Mom spend more than we earn," their father pointed out. "I never even supported her financially while she was growing up. All I had given her were the shares at ZTC. I feel glad that such shares I had given her won't go down in vain once Callix Valderama buy us out. Part of me will still live through her in that company which I built all these years. So, what did you tell him? Why did he change his mind on helping us out?"

"Ask him," Penelope walked out on her father.

Andres Zaragoza decided to leave Penelope's place and visit his other daughter in the farm.

When he arrived at the farm, he noticed an unfamiliar luxury SUV which didn't belong to his older daughter. Dina, his older daughter's nanny accommodated him and asked him to wait by the living room while she notified his daughter about his arrival.

After a few minutes, Dina returned and asked what he wanted to drink. He requested for a cup of black coffee.

While Andres was already enjoying his coffee, he suddenly saw his daughter and Callix Valderama going down the stairs. They seemed very comfortable with each other. He was really surprised to see his daughter with his company's prospective buyer. Could Penelope be telling the truth?

Callie paid her respects to her father by giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek while Callix shook her father's hand.

When they were already seated, Andres asked the guest of his daughter, "Why are you here, Mr. Valderama?" Callix was seated beside Callie. The two were opposite Andres.