The CEO's Painted Skin

"Actually, my father"s secret isn"t that hard to emulate by ordinary people. Growing up as the youngest of five siblings of a poverty-stricken couple. He witnessed how his four siblings married one by one at such a young age and stay poor along with their husband, wives, and children. So he decided to just do it the different way. He works in different jobs just to finish his college course. He didn"t enter into a relations.h.i.+p with any woman because he was afraid that he will fall in love hard, got his girlfriend pregnant and married at such a young age just like his siblings. He realized that if you are poor and having children and a wife to feed is very hard and very challenging since you have to provide food to an extra mouth other than yourself. So, he began saving his money after graduating college, he works hard nonstop, always saving money. He doesn"t buy things that he doesn"t need. He is very frugal. He doesn"t smoke or drink liquor, he has no vices, only pure healthy living. He has this insane goal to save PHP 2 Million at the age of 30 years old and 5 million at the age of 40. With no extra mouth to feed, he was able to save that huge amount and start growing a business. One business first, then another and so on. By the time he was 40 years old, he was ready to marry, cause he was already rich and successful in his own right. And during that time, the first woman that made his heart beating so fast became his bride, your grandmother was 30 years old that time. The rest is history, I am the only child. That is why my father become richer because there are only two mouths to feed," he explained.

Oscar paused a bit and continue...

"Let"s face it. If you are poor and you marry too young to a poor partner, then the cost of living and the cost of raising a child will drag you down six feet under the poverty line. When the child starts going to school, another baby will come out and the cycle repeats itself. First and foremost, getting married without giving big importance on having big savings, owning a house and acquiring a stable job, is a pure recipe of disaster. That"s pure common sense. I don"t advice any man to marry if they are not yet financially stable. But sadly, the majority of men marry too young that is why only a few people are successful and become wealthy on earth. Majority of men think with their heart and d.i.c.k, only a few men think with their mind and intellect and my father is one of the few men who was using his mind and wisdom to the fullest, that is why only a few people are wealthy in this world, the rest were poor."

Ella smiled a bit. "Why did you marry too young at the age of 25 years old, then...Dad?" she asked amused.

Oscar looked at her daughter grinning. "I fell in love with your mother at first sight. And during that time I already have my own house, my car and working at my father"s business as his right man. I have to say that I owe it all to your grandfather for building a good foundation for my bright future. Marrying young is something he was not able to do in his lifetime, so he allowed me to marry young to make it up for what he was lacking in his early days. He demanded that I will give him three grandchildren before he died and I did. He died rich, happy, satisfied and a contented man because he sacrificed too much when he was still single."

Tears shone in his eyes remembering with great fondness how his father thought him well the ways of good living and attaining success without hurting anyone in the process.

Ella rubbed her father"s back lovingly. "Your father is very lucky to have you as his son and you are very lucky to have him as your father. And I am also very lucky and proud to have you as my father. Am proud of him as my grandfather as well. Thank you, Dad, for taking good care of my bright future!"

Oscar squeezed his daughter"s hands. "The people in the slum area still have a little hope left, yet, their situation needs thorough study, attention and meticulous planning on how to get them out of their dest.i.tute living conditions. The question left is---who is kind enough to help them when everyone is busy facing their problems and saving their own miserable and problematic lives?" he said.

Ella grinned.

"We need an angel from above to do the impossible task, Dad," she said jokingly.

"You are right, and don"t tell me you are going to play a hero? Because it"s gonna be hard!" said Oscar.

Ella was nodding agreeing with his father"s opinion.

"I still want to save and help the children in this slum, Dad!" she declared out of the blue.

Oscar raised his eyebrow. "Since when did you become a charitable person?" he asked.

"Since I meet, John. He showed me the way and he inspired me, but let"s not talk about him, Dad. I"m in the process of forgetting him," she said sighing deeply.

Oscar was getting curious who was this guy that influenced his spoiled brat daughter. "What is his name? Give me the complete name! I will run a background check on him," he demanded.

Ella pouted. "No need to check his background father. I"m not his type and he already had a pregnant girlfriend, they are going to marry soon."

"It doesn"t matter. Just give me his complete name," said Oscar.

"His name is John Roxas, owner of Zen Garden Hotel," answered Ella.

"Okay. Let"s go home now," said Oscar.

"But Dad, I still want to discuss with you how to save the children from this slum area!" she persisted.

"Give me a concrete plan on how you plan to save them. It"s not as easy as you think it is, it"s not like you go to a mall and buy everything you like without a.n.a.lyzing or thinking first, until you can"t submit to me a concrete plan then there"s nothing to discuss about," said Oscar in a firm voice and began ignoring his daughter"s ramblings.

He lowered the car"s window and signaled for his driver to get inside the car.

A few minutes later they were already back in the busy highway.

The father and daughter duo stop by in a Michelin-Starred restaurant along the highway and began devouring their mouthwatering dinner in the lively company of each other.