Clara was a young woman full of dreams, but trapped behind the bars of poverty.
Her father was addicted to gambling and had sunk into debt totaling 50 million pesos.
And the man he owed?
None other than Don Sebastian “Baste” Montemayor.
Don Baste was known across the country not only for his wealth, but for his appearance.
He weighed nearly 300 pounds (about 140 kilos).
Obese, constantly sweating, with scars on his face, and always seated in a motorized wheelchair because, according to rumors, his weight made it impossible for him to walk.
Behind his back, people cruelly called him “The Billionaire Pig.”
The Deal
One night, Don Baste’s men arrived at Clara’s house.
“Pay the debt—or go to prison,” they threatened her father.
“We don’t have the money!” her father cried.
“B-but I’ll give you my daughter! Clara! She’s young, beautiful, and hardworking! Marry her, Don Baste, in exchange for my debt!”
Clara’s eyes widened in horror.
“Dad?! You’re selling me?!”
But Clara had no choice.
To save her father’s life, she agreed to marry the man everyone feared.
The Wedding
On the wedding day, guests couldn’t stop whispering.
Clara stood breathtaking in her gown—radiant and graceful—beside Don Baste, who was drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, with a spaghetti stain on his tuxedo.
“Poor girl,” someone whispered.
“She’s only after the money.”
“She must be disgusted just thinking about being beside him at night.”
Clara heard everything.
But she lifted her chin proudly.
She took out her handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from Don Baste’s forehead.
“Are you alright, Don Baste?” she asked softly.
“Would you like some water?”
Don Baste froze.
He had expected disgust—but saw none in her eyes.
Only compassion.
Only care.
“Water,” he rasped.
Throughout the ceremony, Clara stayed by his side.
When it was time for photos, she didn’t move away.
She held his hand—large, rough, and trembling.
The Test
After the wedding, they were taken to Don Baste’s mansion.
“You’ll sleep on the sofa,” Baste ordered inside the bedroom.
“I’m too big—you’d be uncomfortable on the bed. And one more thing…
Clean my feet before I sleep. And feed me.”
Baste was testing Clara.
He pretended to be lazy, messy, rude, and cruel.
“The food is terrible!” he shouted, throwing his plate.
“You’re too slow! Wipe my back!”
For three months, Clara became his caregiver.
Yet she never complained.
“I’m sorry, Don Baste. I’ll do better next time,” was always her answer.
Every night, while Baste slept—or pretended to—Clara spoke softly as she massaged his swollen feet.
“I know you’re kind,” she whispered.
“Maybe you’re harsh because people have hurt you with their words. Don’t worry. I’m here. I’m your wife. I won’t leave you.”
Baste heard every word.
And beneath his thick “skin,” his heart slowly softened.
The Ball
The night of the Grand Charity Ball arrived—the first time Baste would introduce Clara to high society.
He dressed Clara in a stunning red gown and expensive jewelry.
Baste himself wore a tuxedo, still tight on his massive frame.
All eyes were on them as they entered the ballroom.
A woman approached—Vanessa, Baste’s ex-girlfriend from before he became “fat,” according to rumors. In truth, Vanessa was the reason Baste lost his trust in women.
“Oh my God, Sebastian,” Vanessa laughed.
“You’ve gotten even bigger! And this is the wife you bought? How much did she cost? She looks like a gold digger.”
Vanessa’s friends laughed.
“Perfect match. The Beast and the Paid Woman.”
Baste lowered his head.
He waited for Clara to cry.
To step away.
To feel ashamed.
But he was wrong.
Clara released the wheelchair and stepped forward.
“Excuse me,” she said firmly.
“Don’t call my husband a monster.”
Vanessa froze.
“Excuse me?”
“Yes, he’s big. Yes, he’s not as polished as your husbands,” Clara said loudly, enough for everyone to hear.
“But this man has a heart bigger than all of yours combined. I married him because of debt—yes, I admit that. But I stayed because in three months, I saw the kindness you’re blind to because you only see appearances.”
Clara placed her hand on Baste’s shoulder.
“I’m proud to be Mrs. Montemayor. And I would rather spend my life with this ‘pig’ than with plastic people like you.”
The entire ballroom fell silent.
Vanessa was humiliated.
Baste looked at Clara—and saw courage, sincerity, love.
This was the woman he had been waiting for.
“Clara,” Baste whispered.
“Let’s go home.”
The Truth
Back at the mansion, Clara guided Baste into the bedroom.
“Shall I prepare your tea, Don Baste?” she asked gently.
“No,” Baste replied.
His voice changed.
It was no longer hoarse or raspy—it was deep, smooth, and unmistakably seductive.
“Clara… look at me.”
Slowly, Baste stood up from the wheelchair.
Clara gasped.
“Y-you can stand?”
“There’s a lot I can do, Clara,” he smiled.
He turned toward the mirror and reached behind his neck, pulling at a thin strip of silicone.
Clara’s eyes widened.
Slowly, Baste began to peel himself away.
He removed the prosthetic mask that made his face look scarred and bloated.
He took off the 50-kilogram fat suit wrapped around his body.
He removed the bald wig.
Within minutes, the “Billionaire Pig” was gone.
Standing before Clara was a man in his early thirties—tall, muscular, with sharp features and striking looks.
Sebastian Montemayor.
His true self.
Clara collapsed onto the bed in shock.
“W-who are you?”
Sebastian knelt in front of her and took her hands.
“It’s still me, Clara. Baste,” he said softly.
“B-but why? Why pretend?”
“Because I was tired,” Sebastian confessed.
“Every woman I met loved me for my looks and my money. When Vanessa betrayed me, I swore I’d never marry again until I found someone who loved my soul—not my skin.”
Tears fell from his eyes.
“So I wore a mask. I became a monster. I looked for a woman who could endure my smell, my weight, and my temper. And that woman was you. You defended me tonight. You loved me when you believed I had nothing to offer.”
“Sebastian…” Clara cried.
“You won the game, Clara. And as your reward, I give you all of me—my wealth, my heart, and my true face.”
Clara embraced her husband.
Not because he was handsome.
But because their love had proven to be real.
Epilogue
The next morning, news broke about Don Baste’s “miraculous transformation.”
The world was stunned to see the incredibly handsome billionaire standing beside his simple wife.
Vanessa—and even Clara’s family—tried to approach them for money, but were stopped by security.
“The doors of this mansion are open only to those with genuine hearts,” Sebastian said in an interview.
Clara and Sebastian lived happily ever after—
a living proof that true beauty is not seen by the eyes, but felt by the heart.