OWNED BY THE DEVIL'S HEIR

"It was another morning in New York, another day to be reminded that my mother's life hangs on a balance and it wasn't in her favour. It was not even daybreak yet when I got the message from the hospital, my mom has one week to live if the surgery was not done and there won't be any operation without at least 30 percent deposit of the money" "You are doing it again Ash, Ashley!" "Umm yeah, so sorry, I zoned off again, mtcheww....... There is just a lot on my mind right now" "Yeah I know, it's a lot, but you should know I'm always here for you ok?" "But you better move now girl, you've got twenty minutes to get to school, and don't even try skipping food, I made you a sandwich, take it, I'll be in school till noon, then I'll go to work, you'll be seeing me again in the evening" "Don't forget your key" "Hahaha, yes mummy, I'll still be able to make it to school if I hasten up now and I'll try my best to eat, I won't forget my key too, did I leave out anything? I said as I let out a chuckle." "Maria! Hold on, before I forget, I'll be going to see my mom after school to check up on her I just wanted to keep you informed, ok?" "I quickly packed my backpack, ate as much as my diminished appetite would allow, hastened out of the apartment and into the street, It was of course a busy morning, as people hastened to get to their various destinations. They brushed past me, cars honked at each other, the world went on, but I could barely pay attention to any of that, as numbers chased each other in my head: hospital bills, school bills, deadlines, the thoughts of losing my mother, how miserable my life would be without her, and most especially how I would have to break the news to her myself later on. As these thoughts ran through my head, I was called back to reality as I heard my name from the lips of a complete stranger...." "Ashley!" "The world seemed to slow down, my head jerked up, I almost collided with the street light, if not for the steady hands that caught me mid step." " He was so tall, handsome and stylish, it looked like he just stepped out from a magazine shoot. The nice loafers, crisp haircut, nicely tailored suit, the familiar and hypnotizing scent he wore and eyes that felt like they could pierce through me and his grip on my arm, firm but careful" "Ummm......thank you soo much, I'm soo sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was ......." " He didn't smile or soften, his gaze was measured like he was reading me to decide if I was worth the effort. He cut me off before I could finish speaking......" "No need to thank me, next time if you want to end your life, just make sure you don't do it by the road side." "He said all this with a stern voice as he released me and walked away" "My chest tightened, a strange heat rushed through my skin, the way his eyes lingered a moment longer, the amount of authority he portrayed, yet a flicker of something softer behind the indifference, it sent chills down my spine." "How can someone show so much care in a fraction of a second and then act like they didn't care at all the next?, well I must be seeing things, I'm clearly exhausted, I'm just happy I didn't incur more expenses by hurting myself." "I was still very intrigued, who is this man?...... He knew my name, there was this much familiarity to his tone like he really knew me, I have never seen him before not to mention ever knowing him, I felt bothered and confused, it was overwhelming, but I had bigger issues so I had to shake off the encounter, push the thoughts of the unknown, rude yet gentleman to the back of my thoughts, and focus on what was most important, my mom." The stench of antiseptic filled the air as I stepped into the hospital after my day's lectures, relatives of those hospitalised were all over the place, the nurses and doctors moved around briskly to make sure everyone was checked up on. My intestines felt intertwined with each other, I felt the dry patch in my throat as I tried to swallow forcefully, I was approaching my mother's ward, I'll see her again, but I'll also be a bearer of bad news. I'll have to tell her everything the hospital has told me earlier in the morning." "Mom....... I ran to her bedside holding her extended hand gently" "I could see her hooked to the hospital monitors, every beep and sigh reminding me that her lifespan is reducing by the second" " I... I don't know what to do. I tried, I really did, I said, sobbing" "Don't worry, baby. It is not your job to take care of me, relax I'm sure that it will work out ok?" "Yes mom......" "But somehow, that wasn't enough, not when her smile was too dull, not when the hospital bills alone were enough to leave me homeless, even when I summed up the payments from my part time jobs, scholarships and savings it wouldn't even still cover up to a one- third of the bills..." "Just as I was in my thoughts, I heard the door open, it was him, the man I dreaded the most, and yet the only one that could save her life, the doctor. He came in to check her vitals, but just as he was leaving, he called on me to see him" "Ma'am, I want to personally inform you, I know you received the message this morning and I know how much your mom means to you, but since you brought your mom here, no deposit has been made in her name, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do at the point, we can barely continue her treatment as it is due to lack of deposit, let alone book her surgery. I know it's difficult, but if you don't find a way we would have to let her go, we don't run a charity organisation here, anyways I'll send the finance department over to bring you the total bill incurred so far, let's start from there at least, have a nice day" "I closed my eyes as panic took over my whole being, clawing at my chest, I needed space, I needed to breathe, I wasn't even given the opportunity to give one of my famous speeches, it was really obvious, I needed to find a way and it had to be very fast" "The finance team came to handover the paperwork: forms, insurance statements, outstanding balances, all making my stomach lurch. Every column screamed impossible, I sat in the lobby with the papers on my laps, unsure whether to cry, scream or collapse entirely, my mind slowly drifted back to the way things were before all these health troubles, I know I prayed for those days to come to an end, but right now, I would do anything to just be right there, away from this hospital with it's problems........ Just as I was in my thoughts she handed me another file, the final one with my name written on it, a cream coloured document sealed and marked urgent" "I tore it open what other expenses is this since that's what my life has been lately, but just as I unfolded it, I was frozen in shock, it was a contract, not just a contract, "A f**king contract marriage, with the promise of fully paid hospital expenses and aftercare"