Chapter Three
986 Words
Claudia’s pov
Weeks passed, and I had taken shelter at a hostel not too far from the hospital.
News of my failed marriage to Damian had begun to die down..
Although I dreaded going through my phone because photos of Audrey and Damian flooded the internet…
People gushed about how good they looked together..A part of me broke…
“He’s been discharged, miss,” the nurse at the reception said.
“Discharged? … but he hasn’t fully recovered.”
Before I could ask further, she gave me a card which contained his address and a phone number.
“He said to give this to you in case you came back.”
I arrived at a villa with gates so huge I could barely see the other side of the building.
The security asked for my details and immediately opened the gates..no questions asked..like he was waiting for my arrival.
A man in his late fifties took me to the old man’s garden.
There he was, looking pale and weaker than the last time I had seen him.
He was playing chess and having tea, I guess, with the man who came to get me.
“Claudia,” he said, and when he saw me, his eyes immediately lit up. You could tell he was exhausted.
“This is my butler. He takes care of the house and everything that concerns me.”
The man gave me a gentle bow and left, leaving me and my favourite oldie.
He asked how I was doing… and for the first time, I felt free to lay down all my pain and frustration.
He listened. He did not interrupt.
As if he knew I needed to vent. I couldn’t tell him I had been staying at a hostel ,I didn’t want to be a burden.
I asked why he left the hospital, and his revelations left me shocked.
He had an episode, and his children asked the doctors to take him off life support.
I couldn’t believe it.
How money hungry and wicked could they be? He went on to say how his Godson had intervened, and I was glad he had some people who truly cared for him in his corner.
Then he said, “I don’t want a dime of my wealth to go to any of them.”
“And to do that, I have thought of a solution. I have gone through all the possible ways it would go, and I know this is the best decision.”
His next words shocked me.
“Marry me.”
What… did he even know what that meant?
“I won’t last the month. The doctors say I’m at the last stage of this disease. I don’t want them to get a penny from my fortune. You have a good heart, I can tell.”
He kept talking, his voice so weak.
“You would not be obligated to do anything… just be Mrs. Blackwood and take over the company when the time is right. That way, I am happy to know you are well after my demise.”
“But I don’t know anything about managing a huge fortune or anything related to business… I didn’t even finish college.”
As if reading my thoughts, he said, “You can leave the company in the hands of a corporate executive. They’d handle everything. You’d fly to the US and get an MBA in Harvard. My butler would arrange everything.”
Harvard.
Me.
Harvard.
“When you come back, you can take over fully.”
This was a huge decision to make ..not after everything I had been through. And from what he said about his family, they weren’t people I would want to mess with.
“I have to think about it… I can’t rush into anything right now.”
I left the villa with a lot on my mind. I had to make a decision because it was clear he didn’t have much time.
I arrived at the hostel just in time to see a car parked right in front of my hostel.
It was dark; I couldn’t get a clear view of who it was. Just as I was about to make my way inside, I heard a familiar voice call out to me.
I turned to see Audrey and her mum, Janet.
She never really liked me being friends with her daughter… she must be thrilled with the new development.
“I didn’t come here to waste my time. How much do you want?”
I looked at her, confused.
“How much do you want to stay clear of Damian completely, no claim whatsoever to his company.”
Ohh…..now it all makes sense , they must have come to help their little puppet collect the 5% shares I owned in his company.
Shares he never gave me a dime from, as he always had a way of persuading me that we were in this together.
I walked past them as though they were not talking to me.
“I’d leak your location to the media and make sure San Francisco becomes difficult for you,” Janet said.
I stood there frozen.
I had to give them a befitting reply.
“And I’d file a police complaint on how your daughter killed my baby.”
She seemed shocked at my comeback but tried to cover it up.
“Do you have any evidence? Who would believe a tramp like you over an heiress?”
That hit me.
If I was going to get justice for my child, I had to fight. I needed all the resources I could gather.
And there and then, my decision to marry the old man didn’t feel forced; it came with ease.
I got to my room, calm after the chaos. I sent a message to the butler telling him I was ready.
I was ready to become Mrs. Blackwood.
- Writer
