Loving the Cold Husband

Tasha sits quietly, waiting in the private office of a judge. With her are her parents, Gwyneth and Charly Silva, and three younger siblings: Nhiel, Sebastian, and Sofia. Also present is the witness, a close friend of her father, who has not abandoned them despite the challenges they are facing. It's the day she's scheduled to marry a man she has not yet seen in person. How did she end up in such a situation? She hasn't become pregnant early or anything of the sort. However, that is the only way to save their family business. She needs to marry Carson Montero. "Dad," Tasha said to her father, who immediately took the glass he was holding, filled with alcohol. He was drinking again at the mini bar in their house at an unusual hour of the night. It was the second time she had seen her father like this. He looked devastated. “Why are you drinking? You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't have a problem.” Tasha knew her father well; he didn't just drink without a profound reason. She sat on the adjacent high stool chair, where her father was seated, and turned to face him. "What happened? Tell me, Dad." He sighed heavily, then sadly glanced around their spacious house. “My daughter, my problem is enormous,” he said, returning his gaze to the bottle of alcohol in front of him. "This company and our home, could be permanently lost to us at any moment." Her lips quivered. She wanted to believe that her father was just joking. Tasha swallowed to remove the apparent lump in her throat. She forces a smile and does not succumb to her emotions. There was fear in her heart, and she couldn't deny it. If they were to lose their home and her father's company, where would they end up? "D-Dad, why did you say that our house and your company would be lost?" As far as she knew, their company wouldn't just collapse out of the blue. That seemed impossible. "I just found out that when my trusted accountant took a vacation leave, she, with my treacherous assistant, disappeared with all the company's money. And they have no intention of coming back to the company. They used the vacation leave as an excuse so they wouldn't be suspected of not planning to return. They've also left their previous residences." "Dad, we can have them tracked down by the FBI or a detective. Tell me, what can I do to help in finding them?" "If only it were that easy, my child. We've already reported it. The heartbreaking result is, the documents they have are fake. The names they represented in the company are fake. Those aren't their real names. They're skilled deceivers. It seems to be their forte. I'm sure they've changed their names by now and are hiding somewhere. It's so discouraging. I don't want you to see me like this. I don't know what to do to save our company." He closed his eyes tightly, and tears streamed down his face. “Dad, everything will be fine!” He shook his head. "The salaries of our workers are delayed. Some have resigned. I don't know anymore..." Her heart felt like it was being crushed. She could feel the anguish in her father's soul. “I don't know where else to get money to pay the salaries of our employees. I've already used our own savings. There are loans under our company's name now. Multi-million. We'll all have to pay for that.” She clenched her fists. She is so disappointed in the people her father trusted, who ultimately betrayed him and committed anomalies. He couldn't bear to see her father in such a state. “Dad, maybe there's still an option to save the company.” Luckily for her, she had already finished college. But what about her three younger siblings, who are still studying in college and high school? “Cheer up, Dad. Don't look at the dark side. I'm sure there's still a solution to the problem we're facing. Don't give up easily. Hmm?” She quickly wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes. She gently pulled away from her father's embrace, yet kept one hand on his back, offering a reassuring touch. "Nobody is willing to lend us a hand because they're aware that we don't have any alternative means to settle our debts. Nobody is willing to take a risk because it will take a long time for us before we can recover again." “Did your friends really turn their backs on you?” She pursed her lips as her father nodded. "What is it, dad? They're only your friends when you have money?" Her disappointment deepened. And she also noticed her mother's distant behavior in the past. Their family was going through something heavy, yet their parents never said anything to them. If she hadn't consulted her father, she could have found out about the issue only after they were already evicted from their house. "I have a friend who wants to buy our house along with everything in it, but they're giving a price lower than what it's worth." "Dad, don't agree with it. Think if there's another solution." She had this fear that someday she would discover that her father had also given up. She shivered at the thought, remembering scenes from movies where someone, in the depths of depression, lost everything and committed suicide. She hugged her father again. She didn't want her father to end up like that. “This is not possible!” "Never, ever drink alcohol just to think about a problem, Dad. It won't help you clearly. It will only lead you to something worse." "I'm considering it, my child. What if I just rob a bank?" "Dad! You won't do that," she pleaded. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but his expression was serious. "Your mother might just leave me because I've become a burden." "Mom won't do that to you, Dad. She loves you so much." But her father didn't respond to what she said. Was there a misunderstanding between her parents? She couldn't imagine them becoming a broken family. The thought further crushed her heart.