Chapter eight
Serena walked alongside her mother to the center of the room. Her eyes scanned the room, she noted all the important names that came for her birthday.
To think sometime back, she had taken for granted what it meant to be a Delarosa and chased fake dreams. Believing that she was in love.
Her mother picked up a glass of wine in her and a fork. She tapped the glass lightly with the fork to catch everyone's attention.
"May I have your attention please," she requested of the guests.
The guests came together around the two of them. They got a chance to see the birthday girl. Most had only heard about her but had not gotten the chance to be in close range with the heiress of the Delarosa family.
"I know that it is early but I would like to have the cake cutting ceremony done. After which everyone can mingle freely without any disturbance," Ivy spoke out.
Serena got a warm fuzzy feeling inside her, her heartfelt light knowing that she was going to get her first wish.
Her father walked over to her, he took Serena's hand and flashed her a warm smile. Excitement raced through her, she was speechless at that moment.
Before she had taken advantage of her father's affection for her that she failed to let him embrace her. She was always in a hurry to feel the warmth that the man had for her.
One more thing that Marga and Alex took away from her by manipulating the things she did and the people that whom she maintained ties.
"Before we cut the cake I would like to make an announcement," her father uttered loud enough for all the guests to hear him.
"As do I," her mother let out.
Serena was confused, she knew what her mother wanted to say. It surprised her to see both of them having an announcement to make and felt her nerves shake.
Whenever the two of them were like that, the daughter's disappointment always follows and today was not the day she wanted to hear any bad news.
"I would like to announce my darling daughter Serena's engagement to Damian Delgado, instead of Sophia as originally planned," Ivy spoke out.
Serena's lips curled up in a knowing smirk. Her eyes met with Sophia's. She winked at her stepsister and blew a kiss on her.
"Not tomorrow or next week but right at this moment," she added.
Gasps followed, the guests were shocked by the news but not at all that stunned. Everyone knew that Sophia was adopted, there was no way that a family such as the Delarosa's would throw away a perfect proposal to an adopted child when their flesh and blood were alive and well.
It was a given that they would use Sophia to secure the alliance and save it for Serena until she becomes of age.
"Rings please," Ivy asked and nanny Fee walked in with the rings in her hand.
"Mother!" Sophia let out in a weak voice, she was stunned beyond words at the announcement.
She paled on hearing what her mother had to say, a vein almost popped out of her head when Serena blew a kiss on her.
Sophia could tell that the idea to snatch her man from her came from Serena, the girl had suddenly started acting up in the morning and it surprised her.
She didn't expect Serena to have it in her to take Damian away from her.
Ivy stared at her, she didn't like to see her daughter unhappy but was also fuming. It was Sophia's fault that she had to do that. She was forced to choose between her children because Sophia dared to feed Serena lies about her love.
"As the engagement happens, I would like to formally give my child her birthday/engagement gift," Serena's father spoke out.
He lifted his hand, his secretary walked into the room with a file in hand. Serena stared at the file wondering what it was, no such thing happened on her previous birthday so she was in the dark about it like everyone else.
He picked the file from his secretary and opened it, "From this day going forward, Serena Delarosa will own 30% shares of Delarosa group of industries," he announced and handed the signed papers to his daughter.
Serena hesitated to take them, not even in her past life did she get so many shares from her father. Joy bubbled up inside her, she was overwhelmed by everything.
"Let me top that by giving my gift to my granddaughter," Serena heard her grandmother speak up from the crowd and looked in her direction.
She walked over to them and handed her box to Serena, "Open it dear," she let out with a soft smile plastered on her lips.
Serena placed her hand on her mouth, she had no idea that her grandmother was coming home for her birthday and it scared her to think of what was in the box.
"I will help her," her mother said and took the box from her mother-in-law.
She went ahead to open it with all the guests watching keenly, the coming of age birthday was turning up with more surprises. With the 30% shares she got from her father, she was richer than most of the guests in th room.
They waited to see what more surprises they would get. Serena eyed her mother to try to guess what the gift was from the look she gets after seeing it.
Ivy had shock written all over her face, she couldn't believe what she saw. This made the guests and the birthday girl nervous about the gift that Serena's grandmother was giving her.
"Let me see," Serena's father snatched the gift from his wife and took a look. After reading it, the shock in his eyes surpassed that of his wife.
Marcel Delarosa was tongue-tied by the gift that his mother was giving to his daughter. He stumbled back and dropped the papers on the ground.
His mother picked them up and handed them over to Serena, she took her granddaughter into a deep hug.
"Never forget that I love you. There isn't a soul in this world that should ever hinder you from living the best life for you," she whispered to her.
Serena took her words to heart and returned the hug. In her past life, she didn't give anyone a chance to wish her and simply did as she pleased.
She wondered if her grandmother had come but she was too occupied with foolish things to see her and receive her heartfelt gift.
But this time around, she refused to deny herself happiness. She refused to deny herself the love of her family, they were hers and only hers.
"I am old and in need of retirement and hence, I have handed over all my properties and shares to my darling to celebrate her coming of age," she said revealing the contents of her gift.
Everyone including Damian went pale, everyone was away from Betina Delarosa, the fierce business tycoon that had a hand in every profitable establishment in the country.
No name or company wasn't in the woman's pocket. She practically owned the business world and she magically handed all that wealth and power to an eighteen-year-old.
The guests were awed at Serena's luck. Sophia turned around and left the room.
Without her doing anything, Serena felt victorious at that moment.
She could feel one of her revenge plans being successful. Her eyes moved to her ex, he was the reason that she missed so many blessings from her family, and at the end of it, he wasn't even worth it.
Alex smiled at her, the fake smile gave her a chill in her bones. He wasn't smiling at her bit at the wealth that she had received from her family.
"Thank you, dad, grandma," she cheerfully let out. She hugged her father and grandmother in happiness, her mother joined in the hug unable to hold back.
"I won ever forget how much you love me," she vowed to them.
The guests clapped their hands together for the birthday girl. It was hard to believe that the young lady was now richer than all of them combined, she even surpassed the Delgado family with her grandmother's wealth taken into consideration since the woman happens to be a shareholder in the Delgado group of companies.
They all were in regret for not proposing a marriage between their children and Serena. They could have landed a fortune if they had done so.
They could only imagine what will become of Damian and Serena being that they both are heirs to the richest families in the whole country.
Their marriage would drive the whole country into a frenzy. They both would be untouchable.
Serena broke the hug, she excused herself to go and retouch her face, all the tears of joy had ruined her makeup.
"Ahhh," she gasped in shock when someone grabbed her and pinned her to the wall.