THE BILLIONAIRE’S DEBT

Serena’s POV. My phone rang for the fifth time.I stared at the screen, wondering why my mother had called me so many times this early.I didn’t want to pick up the phone,but something felt wrong . I shook off the feeling and went to shower. She called me again for the sixth time.At that moment,everything got intense and weird. I picked up my phone ,still staring at my screen if i should answer the call or not.I hesitated before answering. “Hello? Do you want to call your daughter to glory” There was silence. “Mommyyyy!!?” I could hear her breathing on the other end, but she didn’t say anything. “Mommy, what happened,why aren’t you saying anything ? what’s wrong?” Her voice was still shaking like she was trying to force herself to talk. “Mommy,please say something ?“ I said scared.Her voice finally came through, but it sounded nothing like her. “Serena…”I sat up. “What mommy?” “I need you to come home.”I laughed and was surprised . “Why? What happened? Did anything happen?What’s going on?” Mommy ,i was home last week.Why do you want me home again?.She was still quiet .I got worried .My heart began beating faster and my body started shaking. “Mommy, you’re scaring me. What happened?”She took a deep breath. “Your father…”I froze.It felt like she was still trying to put herself together. “My father what? ”He’s dead.” For a moment, I didn’t understand what she meant. “Dead?? How?” “My father?dead??That’s not possible “ “No!!” I stared at the wall in front of me, waiting for my brain to catch up with what she’d just said. “What?How?Mom,please stop the joke” “He’s gone, Serena.”I laughed,not because anything was funny.I just didn’t know what else to do or how to react. “No. Mom, stop. What are you talking about?” “What do you mean?My father is dead?It can’t be .” “I wish I was joking.” My fingers tightened around my phone.I felt my soul leave my body. “But I spoke to him yesterday.” My voice came out barely above a whisper. “He was fine yesterday,we laughed and i said good night to him .” “He wasn’t, Serena.” “No. He was.” I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “No, that doesn’t make any sense.I know you’re lying mom ,please stop.” How could someone be alive yesterday and dead today? “ How could my father just be…gone? He said he’ll come to check out my new apartment tomorrow,how can he be dead? “I was still in denial. “Mom, where is Dad?” She didn’t answer. “Mommy? I’m not joking.“ “He’s at the hospital.” My stomach dropped. “Wait, you’re actually serious. “ I was thinking it was some sort of prank. “Which hospital? How did it happen?” “I’m coming.” “Can you forward me the hospital’s address now?” I ended the call before she could say anything else.While panicking,i tried to get clothes from my closet.Tears rolling down from my face while my mind racing with crazy questions. What happened to him? Why was he at the hospital? Why hadn’t anyone told me earlier? Was he sick? When did this happen? How was my father dead? I quickly grabbed the first clothes I could find and rushed into the bathroom to change.My hands were shaking so badly that I struggled to button up my shirt.I kept telling myself to calm down ,i was overthinking it??.Maybe there was some sort of misunderstanding.Maybe my mother had said something else.Maybe Dad wasn’t dead.Maybe he was unconscious and they said he was dead. He couldn’t be.Not my father.Not the man who had laughed when I told him about my new apartment. He was supposed to come see it today.He promised me that. “Daddyy…” I whispered his name as tears rolled down my cheeks.I needed someone to tell me this was all some horrible mistake.I grabbed my bag and ran downstairs.I almost slipped on the last step but caught myself. I got to the house.The house was unusually quiet.Too quiet.I looked around.Why was nobody here?Where was my mother?Where was everyone? I pulled out my phone and checked for her message expecting her to send me the hospital address.I opened her message and there was no address. I called her and she picked up almost immediately. “Mommy, I’m in the house now. What’s the name of the hospital?” There was a pause. “Serena…” “What?Mommy?What now?” “Just come.” “Mommy ,you didn’t send me any address?how should i get to the hospital?”She finally gave it to me.I saved it quickly. “I’m coming now.”I ended the call and rushed outside.The moment I got into my car, I started the engine and drove.I wasn’t even sure where I was going anymore.My vision became blurry from the tears.I wiped them away because I needed to focus.But my mind wouldn’t stop asking questions.My father was dead. How? Why? When? Was he sick and hiding it from me? Did something happen yesterday after our call? Was there an accident? Was someone with him? The questions kept coming.None of them,I had answers too. About twenty minutes later, I finally arrived at the hospital.I jumped out of the car and rushed inside the hospital . “Excuse me!” A nurse looked up. “My father was brought here this morning. His name is—” “Serenaaa!!” My mother was standing at the corner of the hallway .Her eyes were red from all the tears.I ran towards her. “Mommy!” She pulled me into a tight hug.The moment I felt her arms around me, I broke down. “Tell me it’s not true.” She didn’t answer. “Mommy, please.” I pulled away from her. “Tell me Dad is alive.” She looked at me, tears filling her eyes. “I’m just as surprised as you are ,my daughter “ My knees almost gave out “No!!!”I shook my head. “No, no, no!” I covered my mouth as the tears started falling harder. “Where is he?” My mother looked away. “Mommy, where is my father?” “He’s in there.” She pointed towards a room at the end of the hallway. I got to the door and for some reason, I couldn’t stretch out my hands to open the door.What if I walked in and he was really gone? What if this was the last time I would ever see him? The what if questions got really loud in my head. “Serena.” My mother’s voice pulled me back.I reached for the door handle.Then I stopped. Something caught my attention. A man was standing a few feet away from the room, watching me.I didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t dressed like a doctor,he wasn’t dressed like a nurse either. He simply stood there, staring at me and the moment our eyes met, he looked away. Who was he? Why was he dressed like that? Why was he here? And why did I suddenly feel like my father’s death wasn’t an accident? I turned back towards my mother. “Mommy…” She looked at me. “Who is that man?” Her face changed. For the first time since I arrived, she looked genuinely scared .She told me to open the door and go in. I turned my face to the side ,trying to see the man again.He wasn’t there anymore.I had a shaky feeling.I suspected he wasn’t here for checkup but to confirm my father’s death but i can’t prove it yet.