Chapter 53 - 53

"Oh right." Marco suddenly said with a laugh as he shook his head.

"I think you've finally driven Marco crazy, Emilio." The woman who Ian assumed to be Emilio Reyes' wife said as she shook her head.

"What are you talking about auntie?" Marie Mendiola asked. "He's always been crazy." She said with a laugh as Marco glared at her.

"More like crazy in love with you." Hank, who was seated next to her, teased.

Marie was so pissed off with his comment that she elbowed him on the ribs, making Hank grunt in pain.

"I'll tell you later." Ayanna whispered to Ian and Camilla as she winked at them.

Marco remained unfazed by Hank's comment as he simply shook his head.

"I just realized I didn't introduce Ian and Camilla to Mrs. Reyes." Marco explained with a smile.

"Oh, right. I know Ian though." Mrs. Reyes said as she pointed at Ian.

"You do?" Ian said as he reacted in shock. "Ma'am." He quickly added, he wasn't exactly sure how to address the CEO's wife.

"Please, you can call me auntie Priscilla for all I care." Priscilla Reyes said as she laughed at Ian's and Camilla's stunned expressions.

"I don't think that would be appropriate ma'am." Ian said in a respectful tone.

"She isn't lying." Emilio Reyes said with a laugh. "She was at your baptismal, I think. Then she would see you in school when we would drop our son off."

"Oh." Ian said in surprise.

"Fine, call me auntie in private but you can call me Mrs. Reyes in public, none of that madam madam nonsense." Priscilla Reyes said with a smile. "The same goes for you Camilla, I don't want you to think that we are giving Ian preferential treatment."

"Yes, ma'am, I mean, auntie." Camilla said in a shy tone.

"Awww, they are shy." Priscilla Reyes said as she observed the two assistants. "Don't worry, you will be as shameless as Marco in no time."

"I'm not shameless." Marco grumbled in a low voice.

"Did you say something, Marco?" Priscilla asked despite knowing what he might have said.

"Nothing madam." Marco said with a grin.

"See, shameless." She said as she shook her head.

"Mrs. Reyes, with all due respect -" Marco began to say before Priscilla Reyes raised her hand mid sentence making him stop.

"You really need to stop calling me Mrs. Reyes or Madam or Ma'am. How many times do we have to have this conversation, Marco?" Priscila Reyes asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Apologies, auntie." Marco said with a frown.

"Anyway, what do you know about this family Ian?" Emilio Reyes asked as he showed Ian the document again.

"You really want gossip?" Ian asked as he looked at the name Derrick Lopez again.

"Yes, I do." Emilio Reyes said with a nod.

"Well sir, I mean uncle Emilio, Derrick Reyes is known for his tendency to have multiple women." Ian said as he tried to recall the latest gossip. "But from what I've heard it's never gotten in the way of his business skills."

"Like Alexi." Ayanna mumbled.

"He isn't married?" Hank asked Ian.

"No." Ian said as he shook his head. "He is quite young. He was forced to take over the family business at eighteen. He had some blunders at the start, but since then they have been growing quite steadily."

"Why do you know this?" Marie asked Ian as she eyed him curiously.

"Well, people tend to ignore the son of a no longer influential family." Ian said with a shrug. "We get the invites, my parents go to see their friends, but I just stay in a corner most of the time listening to the old ladies talk."

"But I've seen girls approach you." Hank pointed out.

"That's before they realized that I'm a Lim." Ian says with a laugh. "The moment they realize that I am invited for courtesy's sake, they all run for the hills."

"Not all women are that shallow." Camilla pointed out. "I doubt they only look at you for your financial value."

"Correction, they only look at him for his current financial value." Priscilla Reyes said as she emphasized the word current.

"Some families, no matter how low they fall, find a way to get back up." Emilio Reyes said with a nod as he agreed with his wife. "Just like the Lims. They have such a strong foundation that earthquakes and tornadoes may come, they may fall for a moment, but eventually they get back up."

Ian smiled at the praise the Reyeses had showered on him. He didn't expect them to speak so highly of him.

Even his own family and friends had been ashamed of the Lims when they became poor. But the Reyeses, who were complete strangers, praised him and had faith in him.

"So Ian's family is that influential?" Ayanna asked her father as she looked at Ian in shock.

"Yes." Emilio Reyes said with a nod. "Before they lost everything, they were one of the richest and oldest families in the country. As a matter of fact, their ancestral home is just at the other end of the old city."

"So we are neighbors." Ayanna said with a giggle.

"With all due respect, uncle, our house is nothing like yours." Ian said with a frown.

"As much as it saddens me to hear about what happened to your family, we are lucky to have you Ian." Emilio Reyes said with a proud smile. "If it weren't for you I would have flat out thrown any contract from Derrick Lopez in the trash."

"Yes, the only thing we knew about him is that he liked women and to gamble." Marco pointed out.

"I even thought he was married and cheating on his wife. If he is young and dating I don't have an issue." Priscilla Reyes added.

"As long as he has good business sense then I don't care if he gambles. If he were bad at it, he would have lost everything by now." Emilio Reyes said with a nod.

"I wonder why he is still single though." Hank said as he thought of Derrick Lopez. "He is in his thirties and unmarried, that is quite odd for someone in his position."

"Marriage is not a requirement to be successful in life, Hank." Marie said as she glared at her cousin. "Uncle Emilio and Aunt Priscilla weren't married till they were thirty two." Marie pointed out.

"That's different, it's because of, ummm that thing." Hank said as he realized he had almost spilled a secret.

"At least you have the sense not to blabber, which you shouldn't even have reached." Marie said as she rolled her eyes at Hank.

"Ian, Camilla, there are a few more people I'd like you to go through with Ayanna." Emilio Reyes told them. "Do you mind heading to her office and going through them?"

"Sure." Ian and Camilla both said with a nod.

"Perfect." Emilio said as he smiled proudly. "Ayanna, we only have a few minutes, go through them quickly with Ian and Camilla. I don't want you to be distracted by these gossips." Emilio told his daughter as he looked at his niece and nephew.

"Alright dad." Ayanna said with a smile as she led Ian and Camilla out of her father's office to a room across the hall.

It had a much lighter feel than Emilio Reyes' office. It was more modern and had a more feminie touch to it.

"We need to go through this list quickly, we only have a few minutes before the guests arrive. You guys will have to welcome them." Ayanna said as she pulled the pair into the office and walked over to a coffee machine.

She quickly whipped some up for the three of them, shocking Ian and Camilla. It was their first time seeing the daughter of a rich family taking care of the assistants.

That was not how things worked.