Chapter 2 The Family's conflict

Just when madam Anita was trying to suppress her emotion, she sighted another feature sitting near the pool. Her anger intensified instantly by the sight of him enjoying himself with a fresh wine. Here came another person who seemed to be a pain in her neck. Unfortunately, she didn't have the power to make him disappear from her life. Ever since he came into her family, she had tolerated him all because of the relationship they shared. And every time she remembered there was nothing she could do to make him leave, she grew impatient and frustrated.

"Gold digger," she seethed.

Her eyes were not moving away from him as she left her position, walking up to meet him. She gently took a seat right in front of him which caused an awareness of her presence.

"Grandma," Eduardo's heart skipped a bit as his eyes met with madam Anita stern expression. The old woman didn't often smile at him except on special occasions. Even after being forced to sign the prenuptial agreement, she still didn't like him one bit. He already knew she wouldn't have anything good to say the moment she appeared.

"It's so unfortunate I can't make the people I detest so much go away," Madam Anita said to him.

"I know up till now, you still hate me. But I will never stop proving myself to you how much I love your granddaughter," said Eduardo.

"I'm glad you are aware of that, and there's nothing you can do to change my perception about you," she paused for a moment and an idea suddenly dawned on her. "Actually, I think there is one thing you can do to change the way I feel about you."

A smile immediately spread across Eduardo's face as the words sank in. He hastily sat upright just to hear what her condition was all about. He had hoped for this a long time ago, when madam Anita would finally accept him. He knew her condition wouldn't be that easy, but he was determined to grant her wish at all costs.

"The only thing that can lessen my anger towards you is when my great grandchild comes out safe and sound. That's the only way I can finally reconsider accepting you into my family. But I doubt that would happen since you are not even meant to be with my granddaughter in the first place... Haven't you thought about it? You are the reason why my granddaughter keeps giving birth to dead babies. You are the one with the problem, not Vanessa. To be honest, I don't understand why she keeps associating herself with people who are destined with bad luck."

Eduardo's smile vanished after all the words that came from the old woman's mouth. It seemed she had made up her mind about him, and there was nothing he could do to change her way of thinking. "Neither of us are at fault, Grandma. We are also victims. And to tell you the truth, Vanessa and I are really trying our best."

"But your best isn't enough."

Another silence hung in the air once again before she continued. "Well I've said all I have to say. It's up to fate to decide what's going to happen to you. And just to remind you, I don't go back on my words. If the same situation ever repeats itself again, then get ready to disappear out of my granddaughter's life forever. But if it happens to be a good outcome, then I'm going to accept you regardless of how I feel. I might even decide to terminate that prenup. It's all about my great grandchild after all. I don't want him to come into this world, learning that his family isn't united."

Eduardo hadn't expected her condition to be that easy, of course, but he hadn't expected it to be too challenging either. The one thing he could never survive was being separated from his wife, Vanessa. He knew Madam Anita wasn't someone who failed to keep her promise. Whatever she said would eventually happen whether one liked it or not. All he could do was pray and hope for a better outcome, as that was the only thing that could secure his position in that house.

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(The Buenevista's Residence)

As the evening wore on, the sky grew dark and foreboding, unleashing a torrent of rain that lashed against the windows. Just then, a loud crack of thunder bombed outside, making Gloria jump. The room was bathed in a brief, eerie flash of lighting, illuminating the shadows like a photographer's strobe. Gloria hastened to the window, her heart racing with fear of her bedroom turning into a pool. She felt the storm's energy coursing through her veins like a primal force. As she reached for the louvers, a gust of wind swept in, sending rain flying across her face like icy needles. She gasped, quickly closing the louvers and yanking down the curtains to shut out the tempest.

As she turned to face her husband, Gerald asked, "By the way, how did your visit at Vanessa's go?"

"It went well." She walked over to the bed, slipped under the blanket beside him and snuggled close.

"It went well? You mean there was no argument between you and madam Anita?"

"Well, thankfully that didn't happen. But you know madam Anita, even though she didn't say anything, what she feels for me still remains the same. I can tell by the looks on her face earlier."

"Just ignore her. I know she will come around soon enough. She'll eventually see that your friendship with her granddaughter is genuine."

Gloria's eyes fluttered closed as she let out a languid yawn, her voice barely above a whisper when she finally responded; "I hope so."

"I see you are feeling sleepy already. It's fine, go ahead. We'll talk much better tomorrow," Gerald said.

"Thanks honey."

A gentle grin formed on Gerald's face as he placed his ear against Gloria's gently rounded belly. "Did you hear that?" he teased. "The baby just said 'Goodnight Daddy.'"

Gloria mirrored his smile, "Hey, come on, we are just two weeks in, and you are hearing the baby's voice already."

"Of course, that's the kind of bond we both shared. I really can't wait to become a father, you know?" he said. "Same here, I would be the happiest woman on earth if I ever become a mother."

"So shall it be! And then our love will continue to grow stronger with each passing day."

Gloria's eyes sparkled as she leaned in, her head finding its haven on Gerald's chest. "Amen," she whispered.

With a gentle squeeze, Gerald wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they basked in the warmth of their love.

9 Months Later

(The Anderson's Mansion)

Madam Anita slowly walked down the immaculately tidy living room, still wearing her pajamas. The room seemed unusually quiet which made her worried about what might have happened. It was the weekend, and Vanessa should have been awake at that hour. She had gone into Vanessa's room earlier but she wasn't there. Even the maid was nowhere to be found. Eduardo, on the other hand, had informed home the previous night that he wouldn't be able to make it to the house as he had a lot of work to deal with in the office. So there was nothing to worry about him for. She shuffled out of the living room and moved to the garage. Rico, who was known to be the driver, was already washing Madam Anita's expensive vehicle since she always wanted her car to be cleaned up first before anybody else. Her patient was wearing thin as she approached him.

For a moment, Rico's heart quickened. He initially thought the old woman had come for him. He had not gotten her car ready, and she might want to go out for an important meeting. He had known her to be a very strict woman. She was a stickler for punctuality. She didn't tolerate tardiness or excuses. "Rico, have you seen Vanessa anywhere today?"

"No madam. I guess she should be inside."

Madam Anita's frustration grew. She was actually demanding for a definite response, not a guess. "Do you think I would be here asking you if she was inside?"

"I'm sorry madam. I just felt that..."

Madam Anita cut in sharply. "I wasn't asking for the way you feel. It's either a yes or no. I only demanded a straight answer."

Rico brought his head down immediately. He dared not meet Madam Anita's piercing gaze. He knew she always got this angry whenever she was anxious about something, and anyone could be a target when her temper flared. He had seen this coming anyway– not necessarily in this situation, but he knew she would react that way the moment he saw her coming. Her angry days could never be compared to her happy days. "I'm sorry madam. I haven't seen her today."

"And Beatrice? Have you seen her anywhere?"

Rico lifted his face to look at her before replying. She was clearly tense. One could even tell by her last statement. Her words were mixed with discomfort. "Yes, I saw her going out a while ago."

"Did she tell you where she was going?"

"No, Madam. She left without saying anything. By the looks of it, I think she was out on an errand."

Without another word, Madam Anita spun around and walked back into the house, bringing Rico a relief by her exit. The old woman returned to the living room and started calling Vanessa's cell phone number. Then she heard the ringing tone coming from upstairs. She traced it back to Vanessa's room, where she found her phone lying on the bed. She walked towards the bed, and picked the phone up, only for her worry to become aggravated. She searched the bathroom, but there was no one in it.

She swiftly rushed down the stairs, and started screaming out her name, yet there was no response. The fact that her granddaughter was in a pregnant state made the situation more terrifying. Her delivery time was already closer and she was nowhere to be found. What if she needed help? Who would come to her aid? At that point, she heard some weird noise coming from the kitchen. She wondered who could be causing that sound. Vanessa wasn't someone who loved cleaning the dishes. She would rather do something else than to spend a minute in the kitchen. And Beatrice was not around either.

To get rid of her uncertainty, she walked to the kitchen and unexpectedly found her washing the dishes with a headset placed around her ears. At that moment, she felt a mixed reaction. She was relieved to have found her safe but the urge to reprimand her right there crossed her mind. However, she knew she couldn't be too harsh on her because of her condition. "So you were here all along." She knew her words were in vain since Vanessa kept shaking her head to the music. She walked towards the pantry and leaned against it with the thought that she would notice her. "Are you not seeing me, or you're just pretending?"

Her words cut through the music and Vanessa shifted her head to notice her grandmother's presence. She rinsed her soapy hands in the running water and took the headset off her ears immediately. "Good morning, grandma. I didn't notice you were awake already."

Even her jovial expression didn't move madam Anita. Her stern look still remained the same. "Come on, Grandma. Don't look at me like that. Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes," she yelled at her. "Do you realize how worried you made me because of your disappearance? I thought something bad had happened to you."

"But I didn't go anywhere. I'm just in the kitchen."

"And how was I supposed to know that? I've never seen you do this kind of chores."

At that point, Vanessa knew she was guilty of her action. She looked crestfallen, knowing that her grandmother was only worried because of her present condition. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I just want to assist Beatrice for a while since I sent her to get me some stuff from the next street. Besides, I also need to do some exercise for easy delivery. And so the baby can come out safely. I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from."

"Even so, you should have at least informed me so that I can be at peace."

"I'm sorry, I will do that next time, alright?" Vanessa flashed her a disarming smile which helped in easing the situation for the moment.

"It's fine... By the way, have you thought about the name to give the baby when he's born?" madam Anita asked.

"Well, Eduardo and I have already decided on that. If the baby is a boy then he's going to be called Michael. And if she is a girl, then we will name her Hannah."

Madam Anita's face fell. Her expression twisted into a scowl. "Michael? Hannah?" she repeated, her tone dripping with disapproval. "But why those names? They sound so... ordinary, so... low class. Why not Sebastian? Or even Tristan, that is if it turned out to be a boy. And if it's a girl, Alexandra is suitable enough for her. Or better yet, Charlotte. There are several beautiful and classy names that you can give a child, not the ones you just mentioned.

"We saw those names differently because of their biblical nature. Even the simplicity alone made us love them more."

"I already know you have such a poor taste when it comes to giving names anyway. So it's fine. You are free to do whatever you want. It's your child after all."

Vanessa couldn't help but smile at her grandma's criticism. She dug her hand into the sink again and rinsed out a few plates. As she decides to transport the plates to their rightful place, a sudden jolt of pain shot through her abdomen. She groaned, clutching her belly tightly, and in that moment, the plates slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor.

Madam Anita rushed over to her aid immediately, providing a firm arm for her to lean on as she struggled to maintain her balance. "Are you alright?"

Vanessa paused in a half curved posture. She felt a gush of water release from her body. Then she slowly raised up her gown, and realized her water had just broken. She knew she had to go to the hospital immediately before things would go wrong again.

"It's time?" Madam Anita asked her. "I think it is, Grandma," Vanessa replied, her voice urgent.

"Just hang on, okay? I'll go prepare the car right now." She brought her close to the pantry, and Vanessa nodded in a fast motion with her lips folded. Madam Anita hurried out of the kitchen and headed to the garage. She was equally astonished by her own energy. She didn't know where she got the energy from despite her old age. The last time she felt that energetic was during Vanessa's previous pregnancies, but unfortunately it didn't survive too. During those moments, she would always pray to God and hoped her effort wouldn't be in pain. But this was where she found herself now, doing this for the third time with no results. Deep down, she still hoped for a miracle to happen. She snapped her fingers at Rico to capture his attention. "Get the car ready, Rico. We are going to the hospital right now," she said before rushing back inside again.

Rico hastened up with the drying process. He instantly knew what was going on sensing the urgency in the old woman's demeanor. When the women appeared, he had already finished. He quickly opened the passenger's seats before sprinting towards the both. "I can take it from here madam." He offered a supporting hand, and gently draped Vanessa's arm over his neck. Madam Anita led the way, and she opened the door well for Vanessa to get in. Just then, Rico ran to open the gate before returning to the vehicle. He turned around to the other side, and took his position at the driver's seat before heading out.