"WHO ARE YOU?" Martin asked a man who was wandering around the mansion owned by Sharlene's grandmother.
He even looked him up and down. "I should be the one asking you. Who are you?" he asked back.
He furrowed his brow. He thought of going now because he heard that Sharlene was also here.
"Who welcomed you here in this house?" Martin asked the man.
"I should be the one asking you why you entered this mansion." It responded to his questions.
He was annoyed with the person in front of him, so he just laughed.
"Do you want me to have you arrested?" He challenged the man in front of him.
"Go on." The man didn't back down from what he's saying right now.
Another reason why he is here in San Mateo is to visit Sheila at the mansion she inherited from her sister. He needs to keep an eye on her actions, he needs to swallow his pride, and when he meets Sheila, he needs to act normal so that Sheila won't notice it.
"Whatever. Leave now, while I'm still being nice," Martin simply said.
"Why should I leave if the owner invited me here in the first place?" The man asked him again.
"Invited? Who was the person who invited you?" He questioned the man.
"Oh, you should really leave if you don't know the owner here." The man mocks him to his face.
He stared at the person he was talking to. "Who the heck invited you here?" Martin asked, frowning.
Martin heard footsteps coming from upstairs.
"Lawrence, we need to leave now."
That's all he heard; he was surprised who it was. Sharlene wasn't looking at him; she was carrying items that had been rummaged from inside.
"You need to know something." This was all he heard from the woman.
His eyebrows met in confusion at Sharlene's actions; the man he had spoken to earlier also ignored him.
He took a deep breath first.
"Is there something else I need to know, Sharlene?" He interrupted and caught her attention.
He succeeded, and Sharlene turned toward him.
"Martin," Sharlene called out to him, surprised. "What are you doing here?" She asked, looking at him intently.
Sharlene thought for a moment. "Oh, I guess I shouldn't have to ask what you're doing here anymore, because I already know the answer." Martin heard Sharlene's sigh.
"Yes? Why are you here? Instead of watching over Ashley, you are here with another person." He just smirked at Sharlene.
Sharlene's eyebrows suddenly arched. "What are you talking about?" she asked him.
He laughed at Sharlene. "You're just like me. Before you married me, was I really Ashley's father? Or maybe that man?" He pointed to the man standing at the back of Sharlene.
"Stop it, dude. Sharlene and I have never been together, and you didn't know her back then." He stared at him intently. He saw the threat in his eyes if he spoke against Sharlene again.
"Don't pass your sins onto me, Martin." That's all he heard from Sharlene.
He didn't say anything more.
"By the way, nice meeting you here, Martin Chris Francisco. I mean, ex-husband of my childhood friend." The man mentioned his name.
"Why do you know my name?" He asked the man.
"Why not? This must be one of the wealthy families here in San Mateo, correct? Lawrence Dennis Salazar." Introduce this to him.
He furrowed his brow and stared at the two.
"Come on, Sharlene." He heard him say it and dragged the woman out of the mansion. The incident left Martin stunned.
Salazar? He was a close relative of Martinez. He said to himself.
He could only shake his head now. He became even more interested in what Sharlene was doing in the town of San Mateo and why she was so busy.
Does that woman also have something to hide? He wondered in his mind.
He smiled. Well, let's see what I can discover, but I will focus on that bitch. He curses the woman he loved deeply.
He also needs to leave the place now. He immediately started the car and drove towards the distant mansion of Sharlene's grandmother. He didn't understand why Sharlene's grandmother didn't inherit the Rosario property.
He heard that none of her grandchildren inherited the properties. This is not like the clan he grew up in; it suddenly emerged and became famous in the town of San Mateo, as well as in Atienza, where his girlfriend's brother married a Martinez.
The Francisco family no longer interferes in the conflicts of other clans, just like what happened with the Santiago – Gonzalez feud that caused a significant rift.
He only married Sharlene because he didn't want their family name and identity in the town where he grew up to be tarnished.
He really didn't care if Sharlene had a male lover; what he couldn't accept was the thought that the woman he had been with for almost five years, whom he was trying to support, might also be deceiving him.
He suddenly remembered that he was the one who first took her virginity when they both got drunk back then.
What if I really didn't get her pregnant? Could it be that the man was the one who conceived her? He couldn't help but wonder.
But his mind says that Ashley is truly his child. Martin just sighed. He noticed the vehicle stopping in front of the old warehouse, saw Sharlene hurriedly get out, and paused to see what would happen.
The man just followed Sharlene and immediately entered the warehouse. Puzzled at that moment, he parked his car in a location that would be difficult for others to see. He listened to the surroundings to see if anyone was still following him.
There are two people talking.
"Sharlene, what are we doing here?" He heard her question the man accompanying her.
Martin just listened to the conversation between the two.
Sharlene didn't answer right away; it seemed like she was looking for something. It saw an old cartoon from before and suddenly approached.
"Sharlene?" Lawrence asked with concern.
"Carmela and Donald have a child, don't they?" asked one after another.
Martin frowned at what he heard.
That happened two decades ago, huh? That's why the Santiago-Gonzalez family got into a mess back then. He could only think to himself.
Sharlene was holding a bracelet in her hand.
"Lawrence, I found this in my grandma's cabinet."
"Is there a name written on it?"
Sharlene immediately looked at it. "S.E.," she read aloud.
"W—What does that mean?" her companion asked in surprise.
Sharlene didn't immediately respond; Martin was just listening to what they were discussing.
"E – Ellena, E – Ellena, that's the name of their child." T— that's all I hear when Carmela calls the child." Sharlene said.
"Ouch," Sharlene weakly groaned, holding her head.
"Sharlene, hey, are you okay?" Lawrence asked as he supported the woman.
Suddenly, she lost consciousness while holding her bracelet and what he estimated to be important documents she found at home.
He was about to leave when the man who was just assisting Sharlene called someone.
"Hello, Drake." It's obvious from his voice that he's in a hurry.
"Yeah, let's meet later—soon. I have important documents that I need you to look at," he said.
"Also, your search for your missing cousin might help." He said seriously.
He became even more curious about what trouble Sharlene had gotten into this time and why she knew the couple.
Martin just shook his head; he hid first, letting the two go out first while carrying Sharlene, and then he followed.
The vehicle immediately left, and he also left that place. The conversation of the two earlier is still playing in his mind