The sun had barely risen when Matthew found himself standing in the center of his empty mansion, hands in his pockets, surveying the vast, silent space. The house had everything—elegance, history, and privacy—but right now, it lacked one important thing.
It didn't feel like ho yet.
No furniture, no appliances, not even curtains. It was just a beautiful shell, waiting to be filled.
He could have sent his assistant to handle everything. Hire an interior designer, send a team to furnish the house, and be done with it.
But this wasn't just another project—this was personal.
And for the first ti in years, he wanted to do things differently.
He pulled out his phone and dialed.
The line rang twice before his mother's voice ca through, groggy but alert. "Matthew?"
"Good morning, Mom."
"Matthew! It's so early! Is sothing wrong?"
Matthew chuckled. "Relax. Everything's fine. I just need your help."
Teresa paused. "Help? With what?"
"I need to buy appliances for my new house," Matthew said simply. "I figured you'd be the best person to co with ."
Silence. Then—
"You're finally buying a house?" Teresa asked, a mixture of surprise and excitent in her voice.
Matthew smiled. "Yeah. I closed the deal yesterday."
"Oh, hijo!" Teresa gasped. "That's wonderful! Where is it?"
"Forbes Park."
Teresa let out a breath. "Dios mío. That's… that's incredible, Matthew."
Matthew chuckled. "So? You in?"
"Of course, I'm in! Wait—does this an you're moving out of that cold penthouse of yours?"
"That's the plan."
Teresa laughed. "Finally."
Matthew smirked. "I'm picking you up in an hour. Bring Dad too."
A long pause.
Matthew waited. His father was a tough subject—things between them were better, but not exactly perfect.
Then, Teresa said, "I'll convince him."
Matthew nodded. "Good."
By mid-morning, Matthew pulled up in front of his parents' house in Quezon City. The familiar place where he grew up looked smaller every ti he visited, but it still carried a warmth that no mansion ever could.
His mother stepped out first, wearing a simple yet elegant beige blouse and black slacks, her hair neatly tied back. His father followed, dressed in a plain polo shirt and jeans.
Matthew noticed the way his father hesitated before getting into the car, like he wasn't used to accepting rides from his own son.
But he got in anyway.
Progress.
The drive to Abenson's, one of the country's biggest appliance stores, was quiet at first.
Then, Teresa spoke.
"So, what do you need?"
Matthew smirked. "Everything."
Teresa raised an eyebrow. "Everything?"
"I an, yeah. The house is literally empty."
His mother sighed. "Ay naku. If I had known earlier, I would've planned better."
Matthew chuckled. "That's why you're here. You know this stuff better than I do."
Teresa's face softened. "That's true."
Even his father let out a small grunt of amusent.
The automatic doors slid open as they stepped into Abenson's, the cold air-conditioning blasting against their faces. The store was massive—endless rows of TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, ovens, and everything in between.
Matthew glanced at his mother. This was her battlefield now.
Teresa clapped her hands together. "Alright. We start with the essentials!"
Matthew smirked. "Lead the way."
She pulled him straight to the refrigerator section.
"Your kitchen is big, right?" Teresa asked, already inspecting the models.
"Yeah," Matthew nodded.
"Then you need sothing big. And not just for looks—you actually need proper storage."
She stopped in front of a Samsung 30.5 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator, tapping the sleek stainless steel surface.
"This one," she declared.
The sales clerk imdiately stepped forward. "Ma'am, sir, this is one of our top-of-the-line models. It has a digital inverter compressor, a twin cooling system, and—"
"I'll take it," Matthew cut in.
Teresa blinked. "You don't even want to compare?"
Matthew shrugged. "I trust you."
Teresa smiled. "Hijo, you're finally learning."
His father let out a quiet chuckle.
One item down.
"You don't want to be sending your clothes to the laundromat forever," Teresa said, dragging him to the washing machine section.
Matthew sighed. "I barely do my own laundry."
His father scoffed. "Figures."
Teresa ignored them both, pointing at an LG Front Load Washer and Dryer combo.
"This one. No more excuses."
Matthew smirked. "Fine."
Two items down.
"Now," Teresa continued, "you need a good TV."
Matthew led them to the ho entertainnt section, where the latest OLED and QLED TVs were displayed like pieces of modern art.
"Which one do you want?" Teresa asked.
Matthew glanced at the LG 88-inch 8K OLED TV with a Dolby Atmos surround sound system beside it.
"I want that one."
Teresa's eyes widened. "That's… excessive."
Matthew smirked. "I know."
Even his father looked impressed. "That's bigger than our entire sala."
Matthew grinned. "Perfect."
Three items down.
"This is where things get serious," Teresa said, leading the charge once again.
Matthew simply followed.
Built-in oven? Check.
Microwave? Check.
Induction cooktop? Check.
Espresso machine? Absolutely.
By the ti they finished, Matthew had practically outfitted an entire luxury kitchen.
His father shook his head. "I don't know if you're preparing for your own use or for a restaurant."
Matthew laughed. "Why not both?"
"You need a good bed," Teresa insisted.
Matthew didn't argue. A bad bed ruined everything.
They picked out a king-size Sealy Posturepedic mattress, ensuring maximum comfort.
Then, just for good asure, Matthew added a full-body massage chair to his list.
"Are you even gonna use that?" Marco's voice suddenly ca from behind.
Matthew turned, surprised to see his younger brother standing near the checkout area.
"Marco?"
Marco smirked. "Mom told where you were. Thought I'd see the madness for myself."
Matthew chuckled. "What do you think?"
Marco scanned the ridiculous amount of appliances in their carts. "Looks like you're building a tech fortress."
"Sothing like that," Matthew admitted.
As they reached the checkout counter, the sales associate looked nervous.
"Sir, your total bill is… ₱6.8 million."
Silence.
Matthew pulled out his black Ax card. "Charge it."
The clerk nodded hurriedly.
As the delivery was scheduled for the next day, Matthew drove his parents ho.
His mother bead. "I can't wait to see the house once everything's inside."
His father, ever the quiet one, simply said, "You've built sothing real, son."
Matthew smiled.
He had spent years chasing money, power, and influence.
But tonight?
He was just a son, driving ho with his parents.
And sohow, that felt like the biggest success of all.
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