A Fierce Wife For The Billionaire

IT'S still dawn, but I'm already up. I'm already used to it, though. It's just that... today's a little different. I tossed and turned last night. My mind is filled with lots of thoughts-about my life changing starting today.

"Cris?"

I am gazing over the dark woods from my window, waiting for the sun to come up as a sign of a brand new day when my mother came inside my room.

"Good morning, Mother," I greet with a smile.

"Did you sleep well last night?" she asks and returns my smile.

I smile curtly and shake my head.

"Why don't you go back to bed then?" she says.

"I can't fall asleep even if I try."

Mother wakes up very early every day, but she does not always check me in my room and ask how I slept. I suppose she did not sleep well, too.

"Are you anxious about what will happen today?" Mother stands beside me.

"A little."

"Are you thinking of backing out? You know we'll understand."

"It's not that, Mother," I reply and sigh. "I'll do everything for our tribe. I'm never backing out as long as it's for our tribe's future."

And I mean it. I live for our tribe, and someday, I will become their leader. It's what keeps me on holding on despite my uncertainties. It's new to me. I don't think I am ready, but I don't think I could disappoint my tribe either.

"I am so lucky to have you as my daughter." Mother carefully caresses my hair.

"Because you did a great job of raising me," I reply with a smile. "Can I just help you with the chores today?"

"If you don't plan to go back to sleep, then you can help me while your grandma is recovering." Grandma has flu since the other day.

The three of us have been living in this house for years. My grandpa died when I was young, and I never met my father. According to my mother, my biological father lives in the city. They met when Mother was in her last year in college.

To cut the story short, my father got my mother pregnant and did not hold responsible because she found out that my father was already married. Just when my mother's dream of being a teacher was within an arm's reach, I happened. She was devastated, but she did not let it destroy her future. She said she used me as her inspiration to pick up herself and dream again.

And my grandma was disappointed for the first time in her life, but she did not regret having me as her granddaughter. My mother took bookkeeping as a vocational course, and she had been helping my Grandpa Mario, grandma's brother, manage Bianon's ample vegetable farm ever since. Mother handled being a mother, a father, and a teacher all at the same time. It's not a mystery why I also dreamt of becoming a teacher-to continue the dream she once dreamt of herself.

As for my father, I never wished to meet him. I don't want to cause a conflict with his family. His absence did not leave an inadequacy in my life either. I have my mother, my grandmother, and the tribe, and they are already more than enough for me.

***

Author's Note: "Adobo" is a popular dish made of marinated meat.

***

"AREN'T you going to cook adobo for the guests, Mother?" I ask her in the kitchen.

"Oh, good thing you brought that up. Can you catch chickens in the woods if you don't mind? I think three are enough for our guests," Mother says.

"Of course, I don't mind. Would that be all?" I say with a grin. "It's been a while since my hands got tainted with blood."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Mother retorted jokingly. "Don't act like that when you're in front of your future husband. You'll scare him."

"Mother, come on," I mutter, wide-eyed. I am not very prepared to face the truth yet.

I return to my room and fetch my bow and arrow under my bed. It's my weapon of defense against wild boars that destroy our crops.

As for the members of the tribe of Bianon, our physical features are not actually different from those who live in the luxury of the city. We are not from other minority groups. Our ancestors fled here in the mountains to avoid the influence of the Spanish colonizers.

I'm not trying to brag, but we are all good-looking, too. Most of us have sun-kissed skin as a result of working hard under the sun and the rain. I am just a little fairer compare to them because my mother said that my father was a mestizo. Ah, no wonder she got fooled. Right?

I walk a couple of meters from our house before reaching the falls.

Farming is our primary source of income. We have all kinds of vegetables here. Grandma says that our tribe was really different before Don Conrado Florencio, who is our generous benefactor, came.

According to my Grandpa Mario, who is the current leader of our tribe, the rich man's chopper had an emergency landing in the woods because of engine trouble. It happened more than thirty years ago. The rich man was wounded along with his pilot, and the people of Bianon helped them.

To show his gratitude for our tribe's kindness, the rich man helped us elevate our livelihood. He gave us advanced machinery in farming. He fixed the road that led to the town and gave us trucks to deliver our harvests. It was because of him that our tribe became the official supplier of well-known restaurants and grocery stores in the city.

He even built schools for us, and those who wanted to take college in the city were offered full scholarships. And of course, I am one of those who are privileged. I've been teaching here at Bianon for three years now. The children here are enjoying free education. I dream of raising our tribe's status in the society that's why despite the tempting job offers in the city, I chose to practice my profession here.

To me, Don Conrad is indeed a blessing to our tribe. And he is also the reason why from this day on, my life is going to change. He and grandpa made a pact a long time ago to strengthen the friendship between our tribe and the Florencios. A member of our family should marry a member of his family.