The Grand Mistress

"Father that is not what I intended," Feather backed off a little when she heard her father\'s words. She surely didn\'t want her grandfather to know she was an incompetent heiress. All these years, she had worked hard to gain her grandfather\'s favor which she did so, knowing how he named her the heiress of Han\'s Scintillait. 

"Not what you intended and yet you dare to defy me!" Mauro smirked when he saw the fear that rose to Feather\'s eyes. He knew pretty well her weaknesses and as much as he too don\'t want his father, Don Benedicto to know Feather being a spoiled brat with no other desirable skills than ballet, he makes such weakness of her to put a leash on her neck and tightens it when she started barking back just like she was doing now.

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"Feather I just want you to please set up a marriage date," Feather murmured not wanting anymore to go against her father. She thought that since she was already engaged with Hawk she could go and demand everything she wanted in this family, and yet her father still makes the call.

"Enough of that, both of you," Fara gently intervened, pulling Feather back to her chair. She gave her daughter an eye, telling \'I told you so\' and turned to Mauro to appease him, "Dear why don\'t you just let this pass. Let\'s have a peaceful breakfast okay?"

"I wouldn\'t have this problem if you had disciplined that child well," Mauro barked at his wife this time. Loaded with all the problems in Han\'s Scintillait, Mauro certainly had no patience left for Feather\'s drama. Angrily, he left the table as he had no appetite to speak of after that conversation.

"I don\'t understand Father at all," Feather steadied when her father was already away. She cupped her head as if pacifying a headache that just hit her.

"Feather, when will you learn?" Fara started her reprimand. "I told you to always be  careful with your Father. You even dare to mentioned your grandfather in the conversation,"

Don Benedicto, the most powerful elder of the Han\'s and Feather\'s very own grandfather was residing abroad with almost all of the Han\'s. Only Mauro\'s family and some distant cousins of his were residing in this country and since Mauoro was Don Benidicto\'s son, Han\'s Scintillait was given to him as well as the rest of the properties of the Han\'s. This was the reason why Don Benedicto wasn\'t much aware of the things that had been going on in Han\'s Scintillait because as much as he was far too busy to even care, Mauro made sure the reports that went to him regarding their business in this country were all good. Besides, the old man rarely comes and visited this country as if he had been dreading it.

"You know very well how your father is very occupied with the Han\'s Scintillait\'s problem," Fara added trying to make Feather understand the situation. "He needs to make sure the venture takes place before your marriage with Hawk because your grandfather will surely not want to miss your wedding. Do you want your grandfather to know that Han\'s Scintillait is in a deep mess?"

Feather only sighed, almost didn\'t want to give things much of a thought. If only she could tell her grandfather anything without losing much, then she had done so a long time ago.

"If your grandfather will learn about it, then he\'ll take the company away from your Father\'s management and we will end up with nothing,"

"Mother, Father is the only son of grandfather," Feather emphasized the fact, "If he\'ll decide to give Han\'s Scintillait to someone else, we will not end up with nothing. We are still the Han\'s and we\'ll continue reaping all the benefits that come with it. Perhaps by that time, I can have a black card and buy everything I want," She was aware of how big her grandfather\'s fortune is and if only Mauro Han was being honest and confessed Han\'s Scintillait\'s predicament, then her grandfather could have taken care of everything and give her everything that she wants.

"You don\'t know your grandfather. He is a very strict person and even if you are the heiress, you cannot get anything unless you deserve it," Fara warned. Don Benedicto had only been present in their lives when Feather was still a child, probably around the age of ten. After that, he had migrated abroad and only visited the country once in a while.

"All I know is that grandfather was so pleased with all my achievements all these years," Although Feather and her grandfather didn\'t spend much time together, she had kept in touch with him. Also, when she was abroad training in Voltaire Ballet, the old man made sure she was well provided for and that she had a good sponsorship. Like her, the old man had some love for ballet for some reasons and this was the reason why he somehow doted on Feather\'s dance career, "Also he was so happy with my engagement to Hawk. If only father had been honest with him, then I could have enjoyed all the things meant for me as an heiress," 

Fara totally understood Feather\'s resentments. Her daughter had suffered thoroughly because of their company\'s problem. All her cards and allowances depended on Han\'s Scintillait as she was their heiress yet she didn\'t get to enjoy good things because they were tight. Since they had kept this problem away and hidden from Don Benidicto, Feather couldn\'t tell her grandfather about her card\'s limit and also her limited allowances. They always pretended Feather had enough and that the Han\'s household in this country was living well without much complications.

"Don\'t worry. As I told you, if you get married to Hawk. You need to think about all these anymore and he\'ll surely give you a black card," Fara promised her. "You don\'t even need to please your grandfather anymore as we all know Hawk\'s wealth was better off than all the Han\'s combined."

"Mother, I know all that. This is the reason why as much as possible, I wanted to fasten the marriage preparations. As much as I hate my life in the Han\'s already, I\'m also feeling like something is going on with President Hawk," When she said this, Fara did give her some attention and she was relieved that finally she was listening. 

"What do you mean? Things look pretty good with both of you," Fara asked.

"Things really got weird ever since that woman showed up," 

"The woman in the silver gown?" Her mother confirmed recalling the incident that caused a bit of chaos during her daughter\'s engagement party. "Is it true that Hawk chased her on the night of your concierto too?

"Yes. As for your second question,a  reporter claimed he saw them. Didn\'t you know they bombarded me with questions about her after my concert? Imagine the shame I got!" Feather replied with thorough determination. "Besides, I have this feeling that I know this woman.I don\'t know but her aura somehow seemed familiar. I couldn\'t just remember where and how I met her,"

"I too felt the same but I thought it was just me," Fara admitted. When she saw the woman that night, she was already dancing with Hawk Monsanto and something went on with Fara that time. It\'s as if she had seen the view of her dancing before and she was so intrigued to the point that she had given them her full attention all the time they were dancing. If only Feather didn\'t call on her, she might have even followed the girl everywhere. "Everything is intriguing about that woman. We have to know who she is and what she wanted from President Hawk,"

"Mother you had to do something," Feather flushed a worried face this time especially when she saw how troubled her mother had become.  The girl came as a dashing threat to her relationship with Hawk and seeing how Hawk danced with her that night was like she had seen defeat even when there was no war or competition to speak off. That kind of feeling then as well as the sleepless nights she spent thinking about it, she can\'t just let it go "I can\'t just sit here and be bothered all day. I really need to know who she is!"

"Feather I have many things in my table right now," Fara wanted to refuse but she knew for her daughter\'s sake she had to make something somehow, "I\'m not even through with that family you wanted me to take care of," 

"You mean you haven\'t checked on them yet?" Feather tensed remembering their previous predicament about the bloodied rings that were gifted to her. "I told you mother to take care of that one fast! Mother, you know how important that is!"

"I know! Shhhh! Lower your voice\'\' Fara hushed her knowing they were in the dining area and that everyone could hear them. "I\'ll take care of that first then have someone investigate that woman! I promised,"

"Mom you\'d better be on it," Feather pressed on. "I don\'t want to lose President Hawk,"

"You won\'t. Don\'t worry, I\'ll talk to you father about the marriage tonight," Fara made another promise hoping somehow Mauro understood the risk of delaying it.