A luxurious evening in Forbes Park, Makati.

Luxury cars were parked in front of the Villareal family mansion.

Birthday of Donya Stella, the famous socialite and matriarch of the family.

All the guests were wearing sparkling gowns and tuxedos, drinking champagne, and talking about business and travels in Europe.

In the midst of the celebration, Donya Stella’s youngest son Marco arrived.

With him was Anna, a simple young woman wearing only a floral dress that was clearly bought at a department store.

No jewelry, no heavy makeup, but natural beauty.

Anna was carrying a bag full of fresh fruits and vegetables from their province.

As soon as they entered the gate, Donya Stella’s ‘friends’ were looking at them.

The whispers were loud.

“Oh my gosh, is that Marco’s girlfriend? Why does she look like she came from the market?”

“Is that a nanny? Why is she carrying a bag?”

Donya Stella greeted them, and she looked at Anna from head to toe with a mixture of disgust.

“Marco,” Donya greeted without even looking at Anna. “I thought you were bringing a date. Why did you bring your… helper?”

Anna blushed with embarrassment.

Marco’s grip on his bride’s hand tightened. “Mom, please. This is Anna, my girlfriend. She’s all from Batangas to greet you.”

Anna reached for the bag with a shaking hand. “H-happy Birthday, Ma’am Stella. All that is fresh, from our garden. Those mangoes are sweet.”

Instead of accepting it, Donya Stella pushed the bag away.

The fruits spilled onto the expensive carpet.

The mangoes and atis rolled at the guests’ feet.

“How dare you bring that trash into my house!” Donya shouted, echoing throughout the hall. “You smell like dirt, you’re bringing me food for the poor? Do you know that all the food here is imported? Your filth is not appropriate in my mansion!”

Anna knelt down to pick up the fruits while tears flowed down her face.

Marco tried to help her but his mother stopped him.

“Don’t touch that filth, Marco! Get rid of that girl. She’s clearly after our money. A gold digger who roams the streets!”

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story.

Marco couldn’t hold back any longer. “Mom, that’s enough! We’re leaving. You don’t know Anna.”

“Yes, go away! And don’t ever come back here with that trash! Remember, Marco, you won’t inherit anything from me if you choose her!” Donya Stella threatened.

Marco was about to lead Anna out when the main door suddenly opened.

The Villareals’ family lawyer, Attorney Go, entered, along with several bank executives.

“Attorney? You’re late for the party,” Donya Stella said firmly, trying to compose herself. “And why are the bank representatives here?”

Attorney Go’s face was serious.

He did not approach Donya Stella.

Instead, he went straight to Anna, who was currently wiping away tears while holding a ripe mango.

The Attorney bowed in respect.

“Good evening, Ma’am Anna. Sorry for the delay. I have the papers you were preparing,” said the lawyer.

The entire party was stunned.

Donya Stella’s eyes widened. “Attorney, why are you bowing to that peasant? Are you insane?”

Attorney Go turned to Donya.

“Stella, I think you are mistaken. This ‘peasant’ implies Ms. Anna Consunji. The only child and heiress of the Consunji Agricultural Conglomerate—the largest supplier of agricultural products in the entire country.”

The guests gasped.

The Consunji family is known as “old rich” and “silent billionaires” who own thousands of hectares of land.

The lawyer continued.

“And that’s why the bank is here, Stella, is because Ms. Anna has bought all the outstanding loans of the Villareal Corporation. Your company is bankrupt. The bank was going to take everything, including this mansion, but Ms. Anna took over your debt because of Marco.”

Donya Stella turned pale.

The woman she called “smells of soil” and “gold digger” was the one who had their family’s neck in her hands.

The fruits she had rejected and called trash came from land that was larger than the entire subdivision they lived in.

Anna slowly stood up.

The shame on her face was gone. It was replaced by a dignity that money could not buy.

She looked Donya Stella in the eye.

“Ma’am Stella,” Anna said calmly but firmly.

“I brought those fruits not because I had nothing to buy as a gift, but because that’s what our farmers worked hard for. You say I smell like land? I honor that. Because of that land comes the wealth you are so proud of.”

Anna turned to Attorney Go. “Attorney, cancel the bailout. I don’t partner with people who don’t know how to respect others. Let the bank foreclose the property.”

“No! Please! Anna, hija!” Donya Stella suddenly begged, right on cue.

holding Anna’s hand, which she had been repulsing just now. “I was just kidding! Marco, tell her!”

Marco just shook his head and held Anna’s hand.

“You promised to respect her, Mom. But you broke it. Let’s go, Love.”

They left Donya Stella kneeling in the middle of the scattered fruit, while the guests left one by one because they didn’t want to be involved in the scandal.

That night, Donya Stella learned the most painful lesson: a person’s worth is not measured by the clothes they wear or the glitter of their jewelry, and the person you step on today may just be the owner of the land you stand on tomorrow.