To Tell or Not to Tell?

"WHAT! Dad! You can't possibly be considering me!" Mandy protested. "I just started working there. It's just been a week! I don't know anything yet! I'm not ready!"

Mandy grabbed the bed's railing at the foot so hard that her fingertips were white.

"Will you please keep your voice down. Or somebody might hear you," said Donald calmly. He turned to William.

"William, will you lock the door please before Mandy sends all the nurses running in here."

"Yes, Sir," obliged William. He went to the door, took a peek outside, and then he closed and locked the door. He stood beside the door in case somebody knocks.

"Mandy, you must understand that there is no other person I can trust the company with. You are the only one I can hand it over to — completely and without doubt. I know you can do this, Mandy. I have full confidence in you."

"But, Dad…" Mandy continued to protest, "I really don't think I am qualified for the job. I don't have a background in running a business. I didn't even take a business course in college. Dad, please, pick another one — anyone! Just don't pick me." Mandy was begging her father and she hoped it worked.

Donald was quiet for a few seconds. He didn't speak a word and it even looked like he was holding his breath. He just looked Mandy in the eyes.

"Mandy, dear," said Donald, "you will always say that you are not ready. But believe me, no one will really know if they are ready for something if they don't jump in the field and find out for themselves. You need to experience it so that you will know if you are ready. And I believe — no, I am SURE — you are ready Mandy."

Mandy wanted to say so much to her father. She had a lot of things and doubts in her mind. She doubted her qualifications. She doubted her competence. She doubted her ability to run the company. She doubted her leadership. She doubted her people-skills. At that moment, she basically doubted herself. She felt like she was a toddler still learning to walk, much less to run. She felt that whatever she learned from school up until the university she came from, all those years of studying, were not enough to prepare her for running their company.

But like before, she could never find the guts to say "no" to her father. She remained quiet, bottling all emotions within her. She has never denied her father's requests or commands before when he was at the prime of his health. There is just no way that she will deny him now that he is physically weak.

"Mandy?" Donald was waiting for her answer.

"Okay, Dad. Just let me know what I need to do. Just promise me that when you're okay and you've fully recovered, you will run the business again, okay?"

"Well, you know me, Mandy. I don't make promises I am not sure I can keep."

"DAD!"

"I'm just saying that maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe this is really the way it's supposed to be. I planned that you work undercover for you to learn the business from an employee's perspective but look what happened. I am lying on this bed and you are the only one I trust enough to hand over the company to. You are destined to be here, Mandy. You are destined to run the company — and it is an obligation I hope you will not run away from."

. . .

Mandy lay on her bed. She looked at the clock. It was already past 3 in the morning but she hasn't slept at all. The scene at the hospital kept playing back on her mind. The last conversation with her father was so unreal to her. She was hoping maybe she had dreamt about it. She hoped that her father was well, and was at their mansion sound asleep by now. She hoped that on Monday, she will not be taking over their company. She hoped that it was all just a dream and she will wake up any moment now and find herself on her bed with the bad dream gone and never to return again.

She tossed and turned on her bed. She just couldn't get herself to sleep. She kept looking at the clock which somehow was going too slow yet too fast at the same time. She felt trapped in a world where she had no mind of her own — one where she couldn't decide for herself. She sat up on her bed and decided to take a shower.

. . .

Mandy stood outside a door. She kept pacing the hallway, thinking if this was the right thing to do. But every time she was going to ring the doorbell, she would change her mind and pace again. She'd been doing this for a couple of minutes now.

She looked at herself. She was dressed so casually, like she would just be doing the groceries. She thought of changing into something nicer.

"No, wait. I don't need to look pretty. I just need to look decent."

She placed a finger on the doorbell again. She kept it there for a few seconds, her head bowed down as if saying a silent prayer. Her lips moved but there was no sound coming out. She looked at her wrist watch — almost 5 in the morning. He must be awake by now. She pressed the doorbell.

No answer.

She pressed again and then waited a few seconds.

No answer.

"Last time. If he doesn't answer, I'll go. Maybe he's not home."

She pressed the third time and waited a couple of seconds.

When the door did not open, Mandy started to walk away. She was about 5 steps away when she heard the knob turn. She looked back and saw the door slowly open.

"Yeah?" A hoarse, male voice spoke.

"Xander!" Mandy came running back to the door.

"Mandy! What the heck! What are you doing here this early? AND IT'S A SUNDAY TODAY! Or have you forgotten?"

"Of course not! I, I just needed to talk to somebody. May I come in?" Mandy tried her best to look pitiful.

Xander let out a sigh. "Fine. Come in." He then made way for Mandy to pass.

"Thank you, thank you!" Mandy said gratefully.

"Have a seat. Do you want something to drink?" Xander, still feeling sleepy, rubbed his eyes.

"Uhm, I would love to have some coffee, please."

"You don't have to be so polite, Mandy," Xander said. Mandy wasn't sure if he was joking or being sarcastic…

"I know." Mandy smiled.

"So," Xander began, "what is so important that it couldn't wait until the break of dawn?"

"Tomorrow, my life as I know it, is about to change."

"Really? And how may I ask is it going to change?" Xander sat beside Mandy after he set the coffee maker.

"Tomorrow, I will be taking over the Enriquez Group of Companies."

Xander's jaw dropped. He was suddenly fully awake.

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure I heard you right. Did you say you're taking over EGC?"

"Yes, I that is what I said."

"And this happens tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Tomorrow, as in Monday?"

"Yes, unless today is not Sunday. But you already said today is Sunday the minute you opened your door to me. So, yeah, tomorrow as in Monday tomorrow."

"And may I ask why you're taking over EGC? Why so sudden?"

"Well, my dad thought of it."

"Okay," said Xander, saying the words as slowly as possible, as if digesting every word that Mandy was saying. "And why, may I ask, did President Enriquez suddenly decide to let you be the driver of EGC?"

"Well," said Mandy thoughtfully, weighing if she should fully disclose to Xander everything that was happening.

"Well what?" Xander sounded impatient.

"Well, my dad suddenly decided to go on a business trip," lied Mandy.

"Business trip? Why so sudden?"

"Uhm, it's kind of like an emergency business trip, you know?"

"An emergency business trip?"

"Yeah. Why do you keep repeating everything I say?"

"Nothing! It's just that…"

"Just what?" Mandy hoped Xander wasn't getting suspicious.

"It's just that everything seemed so sudden. Like something was out of place."

Mandy gulped.

"What do you mean by 'out of place'? There is nothing unusual with emergency business trips. It happens all the time."

"No, not the business trip! I mean, I thought he was still preparing you to take over the company. And then all of a sudden he wants you to take over after just being a week of working there?"

Just then, the coffee maker turned off. Coffee was ready. Xander stood up to get coffee for him and for Mandy.

"Well, whatever the reason is, I'm sure your dad has taken everything into consideration. I mean, he wouldn't let you run his company if he didn't think you were ready for it, right?" Xander placed the mug of coffee in front of Mandy. Mandy took the cup, blew on the coffee and sipped.

"Hey, careful! That's hot!" Xander warned her.

Xander's warning came too late. The coffee was indeed too hot it burned Mandy's tongue. She coughed a little.

"So, you think I can't do it?" Mandy couldn't help but ask.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I know you'll do well. Your dad's been running the company very well for decades. I'm sure you'll do just fine. But…"

"But what, Xander?"

"I'm not sure. Something's off. I'm just not sure. I can't put my finger on it."

Mandy wanted to tell Xander the real reason why but she realized, she didn't trust Xander as much as she thought she did.