Chapter 2

"My son Augusto!    Where is Ana?" Diana cried to her husband while lying on a stretcher in a hospital in Quezon Province. They were on their way to Manila carrying their father's Pajero when the vehicle collided with a Manila-bound bus. there was a traffic jam on the zigzag road that he suspected Octavio's half brother was involved in. Even the accident in the mine owned by the family in Camarines Norte is suspected to be the work of his brother - though he still needs to prove his claims.

"I will find Ana, Diana.    I promise." The husband quickly nodded while still crying. He left her and went to some rescuers but the son was not there. He prayed constantly that his son would not be among the bodies recovered. the concern did not go away because since the people rioted and the son was released, he has not seen him again.

There were seventy people on that bus, so it was difficult for him to find his son now, especially since others had relatives who had arrived. he came out of the hospital and there were several bodies that were declared dead. His chest was constantly beating as he looked at those who were there one by one. The last thing he saw was the corpse of a woman almost as old as his son.

"Anikka.."    a young woman who was probably his mother cried continuously while holding the child's hand. He couldn't bear that scene because he was thinking about his son and he couldn't imagine what happened to him. He cannot afford to lose his only child.

he circled again to keep looking for Ana but he was disappointed. He also can't face his wife because she will cry even more. He sat in the waiting area of ​​the emergency room for a while while his eyes were still wandering.

"Papa..." said a small voice that immediately made his chest pound.

"Ana?" He looked around where the son's voice was coming from and saw that the woman who was crying holding the corpse of a girl was holding it. "Ana!" he immediately hugged his son and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up at the woman and she smiled slightly.

"Thank you very much," he said to her. "I'm sorry for what happened to..."    He nodded to her while his face was still covered in sadness. "If there's anything I can do to help, just say so."

"I just need to bring Anikka home with us," she answered between sobs. He felt the pain she was feeling.

"I will help you.    Where do you live?"

"In Nueva Ecija.    My son and I just visited a relative so we are here. I wish I didn't take him with me."     She started crying again and she let him release her painful feelings.

"I will take care of everything.    wait for me here, I just have to go to my husband because he's worried about Ana."    The woman nodded.    "I'm Agusto Mondragon. And you are?"

"Lucila Merced," she answered. He nodded before saying goodbye for a moment with his son.

after he brought the child to Diana, he immediately called a friend who would help them get out of that place. Octavio doesn't need to know what their situation is now. He needs to keep his family away from his brother's evil.

"I can't be away from my son, Augusto," the husband said when he revealed his plan to stay away from Ana at Rancho Mondragon.

"We've got to get Ana out, Diana. Octavio won't stop until he gets his revenge. He'll be safe away from Octavio. I will take him with Mother Tina. We will not let her perish." The Mother Tina that Agusto is referring to is the mother who now lives outside Hacienda Mondragon because she has stopped working at the mansion. She is Agusto's father's sister.

Diana didn't answer because she knew why her brother was so angry with them. This was Diana's first boyfriend and she got him pregnant when they were children. But because it hurts a woman, Diana decides to stay away from it. when he found out what happened to the two, he offered the woman in marriage and was responsible for what she was carrying. It was then that he began to develop a liking for the girl. That angered Octavio so much that it gave more reason to hurt Diana again which caused the child to miscarry in her womb. He promised that they would never be silenced for betraying him.

it was just one of Octavio's grudges against him after all. Another serious reason for this is the loss of its inheritance in Rancho Mondragon. that land belonged to the mother, Manuela Mondragon, and when her Papa died first, the mother made sure that Octavio had no rights because he was the son of her Papa Roman by another woman. a year ago the mother died and that's when his gradual revenge began after learning about the will from the family's lawyer.

"Promise that no one will know about all this, Diana.    Ana's safety depends on it.    you wouldn't want to lose a child a second time, would you?"

It let out a gentle nod. He led his wife away from that hospital without Ana's daughter.

APRIL 2018

"Maybe I can take you home, Nikka," Jude's boyfriend said when he picked her up from school one afternoon. It's been a year since he answered it after eight months of courtship. but it seems that he is not yet ready for their relationship to go to a more serious state especially and he still has many secrets that he has not told here. Today is also the day when his father came to talk about something important.

"I can't now, Jude.    next time," he excused himself.

"You're always making excuses.    Are you not serious about our relationship?" it seems to have a strong language. His head suddenly hurt during their conversation. After all, Jude is kind and a gentleman. not once did he force her to go beyond kissing. This is a call center agent and twenty-five years old.

"Papa is at home now and waiting for me,"    was another excuse. "Let's just set it up for another day."

"I want to ask you to marry me, Nikka. You're done with college."

He quickly stared at it before quickly looking out the car window to see his girlfriend staring at him. he is not even ready to introduce her to her parents let alone marry her. He has not even experienced working and having a career in his chosen AB in Mass Communication course.

He let out a deep sigh while still looking at what they were going through. When he reached their house, he saw his father's car in front of the gate. The father was outside talking to his Mother Lucila as if he was just waiting for her to come. he immediately said goodbye to Jude and kissed his cheek but instead the young man leaned forward to kiss his lips. He immediately moved away for fear that his father would see it.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your Papa?" he asked as if waiting for a good answer. His face darkened when he couldn't speak. "Goodnight," he said without looking at her. He quietly got out of his car and quickly entered the gate.

"Anikka is already there," said his mother Lucila and his father immediately turned and greeted him when he saw her.

"Hi, Dad!" He kissed her cheek and smiled.

"Good and there you are.      we have something important to talk about," he said as he accompanied him into the house. Their house was small with only three small rooms. He placed the bag on the study table. The father just remained standing at the door and frowned. the hands.

"It's time for you to go back, Ana.    I will give you an hour to pack your things."

"W-what?" he asked his father in surprise. he knows that they used to live in Camarines Norte because he was eight years old when they left that place and there was an accident where his mother Lucila's real daughter, Anikka, died. he was too young to understand things in those days; why he had to go with a woman he didn't know and change his true self.

"You graduated from college, Ana," the father said. calling her by that name seems like a stranger to her because she grew up using Anikka. Although at school he was asked to use his real name. Anastasia Mondragon.

"I'm fine here, Pa," he said while taking off his sneakers.

"You need to face your real life.     You need to study the ins and outs of our business as well as ranch management.     I'm sorry, Son, but you're the only one I can count on because you're the only one - we are your Mama's son," the father continued. once he drew in his mind the vast land covered by Rancho Mondragon as well as several companies founded by his Grandmother.

"Aren't our lives in danger, so you kept me away from there? Why do I have to go back?" the nervousness in his chest gradually rises.

"Because your Uncle Octavio wants to claim half of the ranch as well as the income of Golden Land Mining Corp."

"If that can calm him down why don't you just give it to him?    maybe he also has rights as Lolo's son,"    he further reasoned.    The truth is that he doesn't want that much responsibility.      The simple life here in Nueva Ecija is okay with him.

"If only it were that easy, Ana.    but your uncle is contesting his inheritance because he needs a large amount. He will sell that land just in case. We are suspecting he is a drug lord and having that piece of land will make him rich and powerful."

"The more I shouldn't go back there, Papa.    My life was in danger thirteen years ago, it will be in danger now.      Won't you declare me dead?"

"We never declared you dead, Anastasia!" hostile language of the father. "Missing, yes.    but there is someone in the mansion pretending to be you."

He stared at his father in confusion at what he was saying now. "W-what do you mean?"

"Five years after that accident and we announced that you have not been found yet, Octavio brought a girl to the house who is your age.     She was claiming she was our daughter.       We accepted her anyway because your Mama misses you. "

he could not believe what the father had confessed. He also couldn't stop crying at the thought of someone else claiming his identity and this being the company of his real parents. even though Lucila did not fail to give him attention, it still could not fill his longing for his true family.

"So, he's using my name?"

"No.    I will never let others use your and your Grandmother's name.    She's simply Ana Mondragon.    where Octavio found him or what was his reason for bringing the child to us we do not know. But now everything is becoming clear. We suspect that he is Octavio's son by another woman. Since we only have one child, there will only be one heir. if it's true that we can't find you, Ana will be the heir to everything – which will all be in favor for Octavio."

"And now that your real son is coming back, how do you think he will feel?"

"He lived a rich life, Ana—"

"Anikka, Papa," he felt guilty for calling her Ana. "Let her use that name.    I'm a different person now."

"You will always be my Ana," the father said passionately but she ignored him. "He won't suffer because we legally adopted him from your Mama."

"Then Uncle Octavio still wins, Papa, if your adoption of him is legal."

"No.     Rancho Mondragon has been in your name since you were only eight years old.     If he gets anything, it's the shares in the company, but it's enough for him to live luxuriously."

"I didn't prepare all this, Papa. I didn't even expect it. I wanted to think about it first."

"Sooner or later you still have to claim what is yours, Anikka."

"But like I said this is the life I want.    I have also applied for a job here at a local radio station. My friends are here and I also have a boyfriend here," she confessed.

"I am also set to marry you to the daughter of a good friend, Anikka."

"What?!"