16. The Happy Luz Family
766 2 15
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

 

Evening in the Luz mansion. 

Father Luz was watching business news when his daughter and niece came back from shopping. The girls had a rare break from school exams today so they made plans to make a trip to the spa and shop for a few articles before the next semester starts.

“Did you guys have fun?” he asked in a business-like tone looking at the heap of things the two maids are carrying from the car. 

“Daddy.” his daughter Maya called in a soft tone. 

“Good evening uncle.” Meribeth greeted coyly. “We did find a lot of good things today plus the mall is not too crowded so we did enjoy ourselves.” 

While saying so she occupied the seat on the right of the long couch and crossed her legs. Her shopping bags were placed on another couch treating them like treasures. 

“Maya wanted to view the pre-launch items but the staff said it would only be shown to top clients. How annoying!” 

She was also dying to see those limited items but the brand has rigid rules. 

“Clients? You’re still not one after spending this much?” Mr Luz asked. He had little interest about this fashion and brand things the juniors like. 

Meribeth rolled her eyes, “It means their VVIPs who can directly get access to the pre-launch items.” But aren’t they also paying for their product, why can’t they have first look in it? The staff did not elaborate but she guessed it must be those big spenders with long-term relationships with the brand. 

Isn’t Maya enough? She entered Asia’s top twenty prettiest wealthy young ladies of Ruche Magazine and gained fame in such a short time. They even made a special segment of her closet collection, if their clothes were seen hanging on Maya’s closet it would boost up sales. Don’t they want exposure?       

So fuzzy with the rules, what happened to luxury is art? They have money and they can pay for it too! Aren't these brands only after sales? 

--or so Meribeth thought. 

Mr Luz felt his head sting a little. This niece of his grew opinionated upon mixing with the lot of her generation, she only looks at things on the surface refusing to understand the nuances of conventional rules. The reason why he sent her to an etiquette school is to grind away that crass mentality, teach her values that accord to society and help her cultivate her taste towards finer things yet to no avail. She is yet to understand how the real world works. 

On the bright side, his daughter readily absorbed the lessons he wanted her to accumulate.

However, the magazine Maya guested in only caters to a niche of people who wanted to see how the wealthy surround themselves with beautiful things. It’s not much, it has given her a bit of fame and also gave him an advantage. However, this kind of method though praised outwardly it is being ridiculed by many privately. 

If Maya wanted to establish herself as a proper young miss, Legacy Magazine is the best one to appear in. Even those hard-headed old families would want their youngsters to be interviewed by the world-renowned editor in chief. 

Maya was about to ascend the stairs when she heard her cousin speak again. 

“Uncle, a few days ago I met Sena in the café and had a confrontation with her.” 

Mr Luz knitted his eyebrows tightly upon hearing the name of his ‘other’ daughter. He did not expect to hear about her tonight and has no intention of remembering it even because it would only bring out unpleasant reminders. 

“Hmm, what about her?” He asked in an uninterested tone. 

“Nothing much actually, it’s just that lately, I heard people gossiping about her being depressive and short-tempered. She had gotten worse since selling their house and no one knows where she is staying now. I saw her but she flared up and even slandered me for bribing a professor.”

She made many innuendos in her sentences, she made it appear that Sena is rude and uncontrollable. Her behaviour is abhorrent. Meribeth also implied that she sold the house to live with someone else. As for who it is, it’s up to one’s imagination. 

“You argued with her?”

“She started it! The slu-- Sena resents me because we bought their former home.” 

Mr Luz leaned back and looked at his niece briefly, “You shouldn’t have confronted her. She’s just like her-- nevermind. Anyway, you will only be at the losing end.”

“But uncle she was so mean. She did not care if other people heard us at all. It was embarrassing. How can I walk around the campus if people listened to her?”

Maya who stopped in the stairwell had her eyes fixed on her father’s reaction. The first daughter from the celebrated heiress and socialite. All the things associated with her name had more weight than the other.

“It’s unfair,” Meribeth started to tear up. “Is it because she was born rich and her family’s name is prestigious? How are they different from us? Look, her attitude is very proud she did not even consider my feelings when telling me off, it was humiliating. She’s very arrogant just because she has a lot more money. She looked down on me when we were poor but she still looks down on me until now.” 

If Sena was here she would probably wonder why until now the shameless girl hasn’t won any Oscars for portraying the perfectly oppressed heroine. She thought herself pitiful and that the world should unconditionally side for the weak. 

Meribeth’s mother is the only sibling of Mr Luz. Their background was humble when Mr Luz slowly accumulated wealth he did not forget his sister even though she already married. He loved his sister and of course his niece as well because they are family. His second wife is a woman of humble origin as well, she worked in the yacht club’s gourmet catering service when Mr Luz met her. After his divorce with Sena’s mother it only took a month for him to bring home his woman.  

A quiet simple wife who gave him an excellent daughter like Maya. Father Luz believes his life is content. 

Naturally, he takes good care of the women in his family, his daughter and niece were given the best education and trained by excellent tutors in social etiquette so that someday they can have good prospects for spouses. This talk about Sena reminded him of the wide gap not only in their upbringing but in their statuses as well.  

“How is she different from us anyway? She pretends to be high and mighty when she herself just got her money because her mother has plenty but there was no elder to watch over her. She’s living alone.” Meribeth continued, “It’s because of that her attitude is getting more outrageous.” 

Having been taught a few social lessons, Meribeth’s head has grown an enormous size. She thought Sena who lives alone does not conform with how the upper circles move, and that she is unlucky to be unwanted by her father. Compared to them, she is bound to be miserable. 

“You know that I cannot deal with her. She’s of age and can make decisions for herself.” 

She didn’t get the response she hoped for since the beginning and Meribeth is very upset. It could have been better if uncle calls and reprimands her. What is so wrong about that? She wanted Sena to taste the kind of humiliation she suffered that day. 

“So she’s too stubborn to listen even to her own father?” she scoffed indignantly. Her words aimed to agitate her uncle to push him to make the phone call.  

“Just avoid her in the future.” Mr Luz did not want to pursue it. He is sure he is being watched by many. If he gets involved with Sena they will nitpick on him. Dammit, he cannot even reprimand that rebellious daughter! It’s that damn woman’s fault. 

Maya knew her father was growing tired of this conversation so she shot a warning glance at Meribeth. The other bit her lip and conceded. Though bitter, she also did not want to push too much or else she will lose a lot.

Uncle is very fond of her going as far as giving her a credit card and letting her join in Maya’s etiquette classes. It’s a very rare chance not anyone can just have and she did not want to lose all these benefits. Guess she will have to deal with the bitch Sena by herself.

When the two girls went upstairs, he went out to the garden to dial a number. 

On the other line is a woman’s hoarse voice that just came out from sleeping. “Miss me?”

Mr Luz kept a straight face but his eyes kept watch on his surrounding “I call to check about the business.”   

“Oh~ you’re not even going to ask about me?” there was husky laughter on the other line.

The middle-aged man felt his blood turn hot the moment it blew on his ears, he was tempted to reply but he is currently home and he needed to keep a facade. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of a shadow on the terrace of the second floor.

“How are things in your end? Is the deal closed?”

“Sure, sure, my best agent is on it. Thankfully I did not choose wrong and the seller chose us. Tomorrow we will be contacting the buyer’s agent to give him a tour.”

“Excellent. Once that deal went through, it can lead to five more high profile deals from abroad,” he said pulling on the collar of his shirt. The hot breath of the woman on the other side seems to travel on the device hitting him directly.

“I can close them all, I assure you. Meanwhile… when are you coming to my place?”

“It’s inconvenient right now.”

She laughed, “I get it. Your new wife is watching. I’m amazed how that shy obedient lass keeps you on a leash. I mean she’s not as bright as the first one.”

“Don’t mention that.”

“Oops,” a throaty laugh then teased his ears. “I almost forgot about my place. Hehehe… admit it though, you once had a taste of the best but can never have it again. That is why you have me, yeah? To satisfy your itch for powerful and smart women.” 

Mr Luz only sighed annoyed. “Enough of this. Just work on that deal.” 

“Fine~”

The conversation ended and he went back inside only to find a gentle-looking woman sipping tea while watching TV. 

“Having work problems?” Her voice was as soft as a cloud.  

He nodded tiredly and sat on the opposite seat. 

“Don’t worry, with your abilities you will win over it soon. You have been in this circle for so long. Of course, my husband is the best.” his wife said with a warm smile. “I was passing by Maya’s room and heard Meribeth complaining about…”

She did not mention a name, Mr Luz is also aware of what she wanted to say. 

“Even if that girl didn’t want to be supported by you, she is still your flesh and blood. When you divorced her mother didn’t you follow through your legal obligation and gave them financial settlement? Even if her mother stubbornly did not want it, she as your daughter still had to use it or she won’t have any money now.”

That year, she won over Paula. A high society lady with worth incomparable to her own. But so what? She managed to steal her husband away when she was busy attending her parties and business deals. A rich life has its downsides. 

She was just a server girl, in that yacht party. When she saw the glamorous Paula in her designer clothes and jewellery her heart felt empty. Why are some people so lucky? They only need to open their mouth and all the privilege in the world opens for them. How can someone just be born into riches and inherit everything easily while others have to scrape and fight for it? Including her…    

She looked at Paula’s bulging belly. Even when pregnant she is still a gem and her worth even doubled. As for her? Her advantage that time was her innocent face and curvy body. She knew Mr Luz had his needs but his wife could not fulfil it for the time being so she gambled against fate, Paula was her opponent and Mr Luz was the prize.

That night in the yacht, she won and a few weeks later she was assured that her life would change forever. 

Not many knew who Paula Erde except those who are old friends and business partners of their family. Strange enough, until now Mr Luz is still unclear which family his ex-wife came from. The Erde clan is very discreet and even with Paula’s scandalous divorce, their family remained silent. People like Mr Luz and his new wife assumed that her glory days were over. 

Mrs Luz particularly believed that the reason Sena was able to get by was because of the money Paula left for her, however, with the way she recklessly ventured on business it won’t be long until it is spent.  

Mrs Luz is the most content of this news among all. To be able to see that proud woman’s offspring deteriorate to such a degree is oddly satisfying. 

But then Mr Luz dropped her a bomb. “The amount of money her mother left her was enough to support her for three lifetimes not to mention the assets which include that luxury apartment downtown.”

Apartment? She scoffed. Aren’t those small little rooms with bad ventilation and noisy neighbours? She used to live in one back in the day. 

But the money though…  

 

15