Capítulo 9: A Riddle Without an Answer
She says that she has no one in mind. I know that there must be someone. How could she deny a marriage that would suit her family? I have known her since we were in Elementary School. She would do anything that would benefit her family, but refusing a marriage with a man that she could love is something she would do but did not. That was her first act of open defiance. Now, I truly saw what love could do to a person. She became an utter fool for that third man. I have to know who he is.
I am currently writing another article concerning Emma's illness. I cannot bear to recall every memory I have of the day her illness was announced. I cannot take my boss's blackmail. This would be a danger to the economy once they learn about Emma's illness. Goodness knows that almost every close relative of the Concepcion family has been either dead, indisposed, or disinterested. No one would be willing to take the company. Sure, a regular person would want it, but any close relative of the Concepcions seem to be unwilling to take it.
And now, I think I should know who the mystery heir would be now that Emma will be gone. When I finished writing the article, I felt a pang of pain that would never go away. I printed the article and set it in one corner. I just took a second to take the flash drive containing the article, when suddenly, I saw Mateo reading the article. I do not even try to take it away from him. I am still furious with everything he did.
And suddenly, I did not expect that he would split the papers in half. He tore it to shreds. I did not flinch with what I saw. I have a soft copy on my computer. I can just reprint it.
"Really?" he says in disbelief. "I tore the article to shreds and you did not even flinch."
"I have a soft copy," I say steadily.
"Rose, as I said, you do not have to write that article," he says. "I already explained to the boss that Emma did not agree with an interview concerning her life, so as to respect the rules of journalism, we are not going to do that. This is both libel and slander. We need to keep this a secret until the RSC releases a statement on their own with a legitimate heir they could name."
He has a plan in mind. I know it. If a journalist has to give up a story, the journalist must be prepared to replace a story he/she can gather.
"Well, what do you have in mind?" I ask.
"Look, I have a new story to the boss and it suits both our business to attend to it," he says. "In exchange for the slandering article about Emma, I gave him a substitute and he approved it."
"Well, who are we going to interview this time?"
"Carlos Jonathan Suarez," he says. "You might remember him as your friend's second lover."
Yes, I remember him. As far as I remember, her relationship with him lasted only for a few weeks. I do not know why her relationships never seem to be stable. At the end of the day, I do not see her crying or sobbing whenever I hear that her relationship is over. It was as if she did not care about the relationship in the first place, but what I heard that night was different. It seems that whoever her third lover is, she loved him truly.
"Why would we interview him?" I ask.
"He is an economist," he says. "We shall ask his opinion about the rising economy of the city of Lucia and along the way, maybe we can ask him about his opinion on the betrothal of heirs to keep the fortune in the family. And, after the interview, maybe we can ask him about what he knows on your search."
He made a pretty good bargain. We have a story that will replace a story that will disrupt the economy and I shall get the answer on the search. This sounds like a great plan and I am impressed by how he managed to fix his mistakes.
We arranged a meeting at Carlos' home. He is no heir like the rest of my friends. In fact, he is a self-made person just like me. He got his degree quickly due to his intelligence. He already graduated college when we were only beginning to take it up. In fact, he is one of the most recognizable economists in the country.
"Thank you for obliging to our interview, Mr. Suarez," I say kindly to my friend's former lover.
"Please, call me Carlos," he says coolly. "Don't act as if we never had a brief acquaintanceship under a common friend."
"But we shall have to call you Mr. Suarez for the interview, so. . . we shall have to be a little bit formal for now," I say.
We interviewed him about the reason oligarchs would keep their riches by marrying into other oligarchs. This is Carlos' field of expertise as an economist. Somehow, Emma had great taste in men. First, Emma had a boyfriend that was the heir to a media company. Well, he WAS the heir until he made a grave mistake. Then, here's Carlos. He is now an economist taking up his doctorate degree. After the interview, I made the step to ask him what he knows.
"Mr. Suarez, I – "
"Please, Rose, call me Carlos," he says. "It's alright."
"Alright, Carlos, may I ask a question?" I say.
"Sure," he says. "But what could I have explained that you did not understand?"
I am hesitant about asking him the question. It seems that whoever the third lover is, he is the one that broke apart Carlos and Emma's relationship. He might get offended. If we offend him, he might never agree to an interview about the economy once more. The media always interviews him as an expert and we cannot ruin this for Lucia City Times.
"It's not really about the oligarchs," I say. "It is about Emma. We chose you as our economist of choice to interview for this private question."
"Well, I am honored," he says. "You did all these just to ask me a question. You could have just called me over on the phone."
Well, if I knew that it would be easy to just ask him over the phone, I have done so, but some things must be explained directly.
"Yes, but I have to explain everything."
"Well, then, what is it?"
"Carlos, this very topic about the arranged marriage between oligarchs is not agreeable to Emma. She called me the night they were betrothed and she did not want to marry Mr. de la Rama. For me, I think she bears an unknown lover. If, by any chance, you know him, could you tell me his name?"
He is hesitant. I know it. He went silent and looked away from me. It was as if he is trying to remember something.
"He begins with a tenth and in the second he is fourth," he says ambiguously. "While all of this is all perplexing, his last is also his second. The son of the enemy, he is, but she loves her still. By this, he can face enormous foes and be a kindred spirit. With this, you shall know what this all means."
I'm stunned. He is speaking in riddles and poetry. I cannot even understand what he means. How can one begin at the tenth and on the second be a fourth? How can his last be his second? What? I truly do not understand.
"Carlos, you made a pretty good impersonation of Emma, but please, do not play the poet and cooperate with me," I say bluntly. "Please, I beg of you."
"Mistress Aguinaldo, I can safely say that I know nothing," he says flatly. "This is the very words she said when we talked about this man. I know nothing. And, after she told me that she wants to give up a well-matched relationship for true love, I let her go that easily. She loves him, but I do not know. When I asked for the name, this is what she answered. I have thought about it and I am still thinking about it after four years, and it all went to nothing. I know nothing, I assure you."
I went home thinking his words through. What does he mean? Emma is truly a clever girl to hide the truth so easily without a trace. She certainly did tell the name, alright. She remains to be as ambiguous as ever. I put my stuff down on one corner of my room and lie on my bed. As I stare at my ceiling, I think about this problem through. I live in a studio apartment a bus ride away from the office. I had to move away from my parents' home to study and work in the city. I continuously support my family by sending half of my wager to them and keep the other half to pay for my necessities and save a little for myself. As I stare into the void, I remember Carlos' words as if I played a recorded voice of his words.
He begins with a tenth and in the second, he is fourth. While all of this is all perplexing, his last is also his second. The son of the enemy, he is, but she loves her still. By this, he can face enormous foes and be a kindred spirit. With this, you shall know what this all means.
What does it mean? Alright, I can understand that Emma loved the son of a family enemy. He has faced great challenges and became Emma's kindred spirit. I understood this, but I do not understand how a person begins as a tenth then on the second becomes fourth and on the last becomes second. This has got to be the greatest confusion Emma has planted on a person. That wretched clever girl!
Do I know this man? Is he someone beyond my reach? How do I reach this man?
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