CAUGHT IN BETWEEN BILLIONAIRES

Crushed

Ava

The footsteps I heard moving towards my room made me hurriedly clean my tears-streaked face. I turned to the wall, so my face was not visible, and waited for whoever it was to come in.

“Ava, your dad is calling for you.” That was the voice of my mother, so I sat up on the bed and faced her. She sighed “You are still crying? My Ava, please stop. You might get yourself sick if you continue this way and the wedding is very soon.” She said as she gently tucked my hair away from my face.

“Mom, I do not know this man. How does Dad expect me to cope, how on Earth am I supposed to stay with a stranger for 3 years and then leave?”

“No one is saying you must leave. If you eventually get to love him, both of you can start up a family. That is the reason you should not go into this with a closed heart. Anything can happen.”

“Mom, what if he treats me in a bad way, what if he harms me?” I asked, tossing from one part of the bed to the other.

“Why are you so pessimistic? Anyway, your dad will soon become impatient. Dress up, so you can come meet him.” She instructed.

I stood up shakily, the many tears I had shed taking its toll on me and walked to the wardrobe where I took my night robe, wrapping it round me.

“Is that what you will wear to go meet your father?”

“Mom, I am tired and I have not had my bath. Dad is still going to repeat everything he has been telling me since this issue came up. I am tired!” I growled.

“Let us go then, before he starts calling.”

Mom and I sauntered to the living room with Mom guiding me by the shoulders.

“You are both walking like people who are mourning. I know none of us planned for this, but will both of you make me feel less guilty by at least not walking with such a mournful gait and face?” Dad, who had been sitting in the living room on seeing us, said.

“Good morning Dad.” I greeted him, sitting down on one of the sofas.

“Ava, how are you doing and how are preparations for the wedding?”

I did not say a word and the tears started dropping.

“For God’s sake, you are just getting married, not going for a death sentence. Stop crying so much before you get sick, the wedding is tomorrow.” Dad barked while I stilled.

I looked from my mom to my Dad. “Mom, you said the wedding is in a few days. Please, I am not prepared.” I pleaded in a tear-stricken voice.

“The earlier we do this, the better for all of us. Just get yourself prepared, tomorrow….” Daddy trailed off checking his time “Evening.” He continued. “Oh wait, the wedding will be in the evening, but they will be here in the morning, so you get yourself acquainted with the man who will soon be your husband.”

“Husband to be? Dad!” I screamed and bolted out of the living room to the backyard and I started weeping.

I had my own dream, my own plans. I wanted to be a woman of her own, own my own businesses and just live for myself and now, I have to be answerable to a man that I do not know. Should I run away? I thought to myself.

“You know there are things you cannot run away from.” I looked up startled to meet my mom’s gaze, her words showing she knew what I was thinking.

“I think I can run away from this one Mom. What’s the worst that can happen if they do not find me? They will just give Dad more time to pay for the money, isn't it? I can even work wherever I am going to and send money back home so you use it to offset the loans.”

Mom chuckled, “Life is not that way, Ava. The mercy period he gave us has already been exhausted. You think your Dad never did his best to make sure he paid off his loan. You think he spent such an amount on sending you to the best school to be the best student that you are in management only for him to marry you off against your will? His hands are tied, we have begged, cajoled and the man is not moving an inch from his decision. If you run away, then we will lose the house and the businesses and will also start working for him until the loan is paid. We are not talking about the accumulated interest that will keep building up even as we work. I don’t know why this clause of you marrying his son was put in the agreement but then, this is the safest and fastest route we have of paying this loan.”

“Why did Dad agree to such?” I blurted out. “For crying out loud, he has lawyers who goes through these things for me, didn’t they see that clause?”

“They did but no one enters a business venture with failure in mind. Your father thought the contract he was pitching for would yield enough money to pay off the loan, unfortunately it didn’t. So we are here, just accept it in good faith and make the best out of it.”

“Make the best out of it?” I scoffed, “Please mother.”

“You can, use this opportunity to learn about their business, you already studied business management, you are even the best student. Use this opportunity and learn it practically, see and hear everything but behave like you see nothing. That is how successful people behave. Who knows, after the 3 years, you might change your mind about the young man or you would have gotten enough to start your business.”

“That is, if I can stand him for the three years.”

“You will learn to, Ava. You have to. Here’s the picture of the young man.” I glanced at the picture and froze.

“Holy s**t!”

“Language Ava, what is it?”

“This is the biggest player in town, mom.” I mtutered with a crushed spirit.