Chapter Four
1926 Words
Emily's First Person P.O.V
I need to find twenty thousand dollars before Friday.
They said a mother would do anything for her child.
I believed that.
Until now. Now I’m not sure if I’m even capable of saving mine.
My fingers tremble as I stare at the rejection email on my screen. The same cold, dead sentence from the last three banks:
We regret to inform you…
I slam the laptop shut and press my palms into my face. The dam breaks and a sharp sob rips from my chest—and then another.
“Please,” I whisper, “God, just give me something.”
The door creaks.
Not now. Please.
“Ma’am,” Helga says softly.
“Not now!” I snap without looking at her.
She doesn’t move. I can feel her standing there. I suck in a shaky breath.
“He sent me to fetch you again, ma’am.”
I lift my head. My eyes are wet and red. “Who?”
“Mr. Christian.”
My hands ball into fists.
“For the love of God, Helga, how many times do I have to say it?” I scream. “Tell him to crawl back into whatever hole he came from. I don’t want to see him!”
“But—”
“I said NO!”
Helga nods quickly and backs out of the room, almost tripping over herself.
The door doesn’t even have time to close before Cassandra strolls in like she owns the place.
“Oh, you’re crying again?” she says with a chuckle, dropping her sunglasses on my dresser. “I swear, you could win an Oscar for all this drama.”
I ignore her.
She flops on my bed. “You’re still mad? Seriously? Five years, Emily. Five damn years. When are you going to stop punishing me?”
I don’t answer.
“I miss my little sister.”
“You can keep missing her,” I mutter, walking to the window.
There’s silence, then, “How is it my fault that your boyfriend couldn’t keep his d**k in his pants?”
I freeze and turn slowly.
“You really want to do this today?”
“I’m just saying,” she shrugs, “maybe look at your man instead of blaming me for—”
“You mean for spreading your legs for him?” I laugh bitterly. “That’s not just my man’s fault, Cass. That’s on you too, you loose-legged slut.”
She gasps. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Her mouth twitches. “Well, at least I didn’t end up alone and miserable, crying over a sick kid and dead-end dreams.”
I charge at her. She shrieks, grabs her sunglasses, and bolts to the door.
“Crazy b*tch,” she spits as she slams it behind her.
My chest is heaving. I squeeze my eyes shut.
That witch. She ruined everything.
I’m still pacing when Helga opens the door again.
I pick up the glass beside me. “If you say anything about Christian again, I swear—”
“No, no, not him!” Helga says quickly, eyes wide. “It’s Mr. Grayson.”
I blink. My hand drops.
“What?”
“Grayson!” Her voice goes high-pitched. “He’s here. Right now. Downstairs. He came to call on the family, ma’am! Oh my God. He looks so—so rich now. You have to see him!”
Grayson.
My heart stumbles.
“What… what does he want?”
“He didn’t say.” She’s grinning like a child. “But maybe he wants you! Oh, ma’am, you should see the way he asked for you. So handsome. Looks like you're finally getting your happily ever after.”
She’s practically bouncing.
I rush past her.
Down the stairs, I hear raised voices.
My father: “You can’t just walk in here, Grayson!”
“I asked for a conversation. Not a war,” Grayson replies calmly.
“I must admit, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be bold enough to show your face around here. After all, men like you run away when it gets tough.”
“And yet, here I am, Mr. Hayes. Breathing just fine. It must be quite the shock to see me thriving after you did everything in your power to bury me.”
“You think a little money and a fancy office make you a threat? I built this empire before you were even born, boy. You’re still just a boy playing dress-up in a man’s world. I hate to inform you that you’ve spent five years barking up the wrong tree. Did you think building a fortune would make you my equal?”
I laugh at that. “No, Mr. Hayes. It has made me your superior. Seeing as I earned every penny, unlike you, who married into yours.”
“You take the money and disappear. That was our deal.”
“Oh, I took it,” I said, the smirk never leaving my face. “I just didn’t use it the way you intended. Surprised?”
WHAT?? DAD PAID GRAYSON? FOR WHAT??
Helga brought Daddy a drink, but he didn’t touch it.
“What exactly are you hoping to accomplish here, Grayson? You’ve got some money now, a shiny little company. Fine. But you’ll never have what I have. Power. Respect. Legacy.”
“Respect? Power? Legacy? Is that what you call it?” Grayson asked, leaning in slightly. “From where I stand, all I see is a man clinging desperately to the scraps of a crumbling dynasty.”
He was still as much of an ego-stricken bastard as I thought.
Dad's nostrils flared, and for a moment, I thought he might throw his drink at Grayson. Instead, he handed it back to Helga with a deliberate, practiced calm.
“Careful there, boy. You're playing with fire. I’ve seen men just like you rise quickly and fall even faster.”
Taking a step closer, Grayson kept his voice calm but cutting. “The problem with men like you, Mr. Hayes, is that you underestimate men like me. I’ve been at the bottom while you sat in your high castle. And trust me, I know exactly how to bring it all crashing down.”
“I’d warn you,” he said, his voice dropping to a growl, “this obsession of yours is going to ruin you. Do you really think I haven’t dealt with men like you before? Small men trying to make a name by tearing me down. They all end the same—broken, forgotten, and irrelevant.”
My voice remained calm and calculated.
“Maybe,” I said with a faint shrug. “But the difference here is that I’m not trying to make a name for myself. I already have one.”
I reach the landing.
Everyone is in the sitting room. Mom, Dad, Cassandra, and… Christian, standing beside the fireplace.
And Grayson.
God, he looks… different.
Clean suit. Polished shoes. That same unreadable face.
He sees me first. My father turns when he notices his gaze shift.
“Nice to see you again, Emily. I must say you look more delectable every time I see you.”
“You’ve seen each other recently?” Dad asks, eyes narrowing at me.
“No!” I blurt. “Well—not really. It was at the charity ball. Christian was there too.”
Christian steps forward. “Yes. I was.”
Grayson’s gaze doesn’t leave me. “Well, I’m here for what is mine.”
My father scoffs. “There’s nothing here that belongs to you.”
Christian’s hand finds mine.
“Yes. Emily belongs to me,” he says.
My breath catches.
What?
Christian looks at me with a weird dopey look on his face and drops to his knee.
“What are you—?”
He pulls out a box and opens it. Mom and Cassandra start gasping. I hear Helga hiss somewhere in the room.
A diamond sparkles up at me.
“Emily,” he says, loud and clear, “I messed up. I’ve hurt you more than anyone ever should. But I want to fix that. Let me be your husband. Let me fight for you and for our family. I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else and I know you want the same. Marry me.”
Mom gasps more dramatically. “Oh my goodness!”
Cassandra claps like she’s watching a movie. “That ring! That’s a rock!”
Dad’s face softens slightly. “Hmm. That’s a serious ring.”
I stare at the ring.
It’s beautiful. It’s everything a woman should want.
But I don’t feel anything.
I look at Christian. His eyes are pleading.
I look at Grayson. His face is blank.
I hear my son’s coughing in my head.
My own voice, begging God for help.
I shake my head.
“No.”
Christian jerks back like I slapped him.
“What?”
“I said no.”
He shoots up. “Why the hell not?”
My father stands, face hard. “You better not be saying no because of this bastard.”
“No! That’s not...”
“Then what is it?!” he roars. “That man nearly ruined your life.”
I see Grayson’s jaw clench from the corner of my eye, but he stays quiet.
Dad turns to him. “You left her to clean up your mess!”
Christian is staring at me, rage twisting his face. “You’re still hung up on him?”
“I’m not,” I say quickly. “Dad, stop. Please. I’m saying no because Christian and I broke up. I caught him cheating on me with Mary.”
My father stares at me. “Mary? Your best friend?”
I nod.
“Well, that’s wrong.”
Christian explodes. “And I told you I was sorry! What more do you want?”
“I don't want anything to do with you or your sorry.”
He raises his hand with a dark look on his face and steps toward me.
I don’t move.
But my father does.
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on my daughter!” he shouts.
Mom screams. Cassandra backs away.
Christian lowers his hand, breathing hard.
Dad points at the door. “Get out of my house, Christian. The wedding is off.”
“Sir, you don't underst—”
“GET OUT!”
Christian looks around at everybody before he eventually storms out, slamming the door behind him.
Grayson hasn’t said a word through all of this.
Mom turns to Dad. “He made a mistake. That’s what young people do. Should we throw away their future over one slip?”
Dad glares at her. “A slip? He almost hit her!”
Her mouth opens, but before she can speak, Dad’s phone rings.
He answers sharply. “Yes, what is it?”
His eyes widen.
“What?!”
We all look up.
He drops the phone and stares at Mom.
“Darling, what’s wrong?” she asks.
“The board. The company…” His voice is shaking. “Someone just bought sixty-two percent of our shares.”
We all gasp.
“What?” Cassandra whispers.
“They’re voting me out. I—I’m not the president anymore.”
I watched in slow motion as his knees buckle and he fell backwards.
“Daddy!”
- Writer
