Chapter 4
1511 Words
Emma's POV
I was surfing the net on a Tuesday night, a week after my date with the man who turned out not to be Mark, when my father entered my room.
“Emma,” he called. “What are you doing?”
“Job-hunting,” I said without turning.
I heard his footsteps as he drew closer to me. It was now one more week to the day the bank had threatened to take possession of our house and Dad was now moving more quietly than before.
You'd think he wasn't around.
“You know, about the debt. I found a way to pay it,”
My eyes lit up with hope and I finally turned to face him. He had aged so much within the last week I felt so much pity for him.
“Really? How?”
“Well, it's still an idea. I have decided to take a loan.”
My smile disappeared, “Another loan? Is that it? We're going to keep living our lives on borrowed money,”
“It's all we can do right now, Emma,”
I exhaled, “Okay. And who's gracious enough to give us seventy five thousand dollars knowing fully well that we might not be able to pay?”
Dad didn't respond for sometime, his eyes focused on a hole in the floor, “Charles Grayson.”
I literally shot up from my chair. Charles Grayson? He was the man who had taken over Dad's business and put us in this state of near destitution.
How could Dad go to take a loan from a man who has crippled him financially forever.
“Are you kidding me, Dad?” I asked, “What do you mean? Have you forgotten what this man did to our business? Have you forgotten how mom left because she couldn't take the poverty anymore? And you want to take a loan from that same man? Never,”
I sat back into my chair, turning it around to face my computer. I was done talking about this.
I waited to hear Dad's retreating footsteps but I heard nothing.
My fingers froze over the keys. “Dad, if you think sitting there would somehow make me change my mind, I'm sorry to burst your bubble but you're so wrong. I've made my final decision. Nobody from the Collins family is going to take any money from that son of a b***h,”
I heard his laboured sigh.
“Emma, think about it. We're out of options. It's either that or we end up in the streets,”
My hands clenched into fists, “I’d rather be in the street than go to that man for money,”
He placed a hand on my shoulder, “Think about it. It's our only hope now.”
It didn't matter if I thought about it or not. I was blatant in my decision but as the deadline drew closer and David acted like I was the problem of his life, my resolve weakened.
My dad was right.
It was indeed our last hope.
So I went to him on Thursday night.
“I thought about what you said,” I said, grudgingly, “You're right. It's only hope,”
David, who had been eavesdropping, came out of his hiding place.
“Are you sure about this, Emma?” He asked like he had not been ignoring me all week.
“Yes. I'm sure.”
So by eight pm – apparently we had to go to his mansion by eight because he was a busy man and was only available at that time – we got a cab that took us to the Grayson mansion.
The place smelt of wealth right from it's huge iron gates.
We were led inside by an overdressed butler who looked at us like we would steal something and make a run for it.
We were just poor, not criminals.
The interior was like heaven. It had high ceilings that I thought only belonged on cathedrals. The curtains were made from a material far superior than any dress I had worn in my entire lifetime.
My clothes felt like rags there. Everything shone under the chandelier lights. Unlike my apartment, there were no pictures on the wall. Only a few hand painted creatures in some corners.
For some reason, they looked out of place on the wall.
I was not the only one admiring though. David's mouth hung open until I literally had to close it out of embarrassment.
We were made to wait for this Charles Grayson for almost an hour. And when my patience finally snapped, my eyes caught a tall figure descending the grand staircase.
He looked eerily familiar even though I couldn't seehis face yet.
When I finally did, my breath caught.
Dark hair, a perfect mouth, steel eyes, broad shoulders.
He was the man who pretended to be Mark.
He was…Charles Grayson? He was the man who had put my family in this position.
I had kissed him. I had kissed the enemy.
A look of surprise crossed his face but it was gone so fast, I thought I had imagined it.
“You?” I rose from the seat. I looked from him to Dad and back to him, “You're Charles Grayson?”
“Pleased to see you once again,”
I could tell he was not exactly the same person from the restaurant. That person had been a bit free, smiling at intervals. Even laughing.
But Charles maintained a stoic expression, giving me the same look the butler had given me.
I guess it came with being associated to wealth.
“You two know each other already?” My father asked.
“No!” I said
“Yes.” Charles said, taking a seat while I stood, “We're acquaintances of a sort,”
“You deceived me. I f*****g kissed you!” I yelled, my anger a burden too heavy in my chest.
Charles looked at me like I was the most boring thing ever, “I don't think that's why we're here. Let's get to it. I have work.”
He turned to my father, “So, you've thought about my terms properly,”
Terms? Nobody has mentioned anything about terms to me.
“Yes,” Dad said, avoiding my gaze. Why was I having a bad feeling about this?
“And you've agreed to it?”
“Yes,”
Charles’ gaze landed on me, “And what about your daughter? Is she aware of it?”
“Not yet. I haven't told her about it.”
“You couldn't,” Charles said, his gaze focused on my father who couldn't even hold his.
Charles lifted his glass of wine to drink but I quickly grabbed the cup and placed it back on the table.
“Tell me what's going on. Now!” I said, through gritted teeth.
“How about you ask your precious father that?”
I turned to Dad, “What's this about, Mr. Collins?” I asked, not willing to call him Dad till it all made sense.
“I'm sorry, Emma. I had no choice,”
“What are you saying, Dad?”
Charles raised a hand, casually, “Let me spell it out for you since the words are too heavy for him. He signed you away as collateral for the loan. That means, you're going to marry me. But don't worry, it's a strictly business arrangement. I'm not prone to love,”
I turned to my father, tears falling from my eyes as the weight of the words settled on me.
I was the sacrificial lamb after all my struggles to keep the family together.
“I'm not completely heartless so I'll give you the chance to think about this since you're only just learning about it. But I'm sure you know how much time you have left,”
I was mute the whole way home.
Just quiet, just staring out of the window, the city lights distorted by my tears. I didn't answer when Dad or David said my name.
I didn't even speak to Nala. David had a loose mouth so I didn't doubt that she knew about this arrangement but didn't say anything to me.
I spent days staring out of the window.
But I didn't miss the despair in their faces – at the thought of losing the house, not me though.
So, on the day the bank was supposed to take the house, I got up early, willing my weak body to move.
I had not eaten for days – I stayed holed up in my room – so I was standing on the thin line between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Somehow, I got ready and got a cab to take me to the Grayson mansion.
Charles was on his way to work when I got there.
He didn't look surprised to see me now either, like he had expected me to come eventually.
“I'll marry you,”
And the world went black.
- Writer
