CHAPTER 3: The Proposal
1478 Words
“Mom, what’s happening? Why is no one talking to me?”
Sophie’s voice cracked as she looked from her mother to Josh. No one answered. Josh looked torn, anxious, pale and clearly searching for the right way to say something that would break her heart.
“It’s fine,” he finally said, exhaling slowly. “I’ll do the talking. I don’t think your mom would want to admit to what she did.”
He leaned forward, taking Sophie’s trembling hands in his.
“God, I don’t even know how to explain this to you,” he muttered, lowering his gaze to the floor. “I don’t want to hurt you, Sophie.”
She blinked rapidly, confused and scared.
“Then just say it, Josh! Please. You’re killing me with this suspense.” Her voice was barely steady with her face flushed red from anxiety.
Josh opened his mouth but before he could say a word, Marilyn spoke first and her voice was steady… too steady.
“I stole a check worth one million dollars from his pocket.”
Sophie froze and her eyes widened, searching her mother’s face for a hint of a joke.
“I… I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” she whispered. “Tell me you didn’t do it, Mom.”
“Oh, yes, I did,” Marilyn replied without flinching. “And I’m not ashamed of it either. I did what I had to do to keep a roof over our heads.”
Sophie stared at her mother, completely stunned.
“What the hell does that even mean? You’re not even sorry? Do you realize you could go to jail for this?”
“I know,” Marilyn said softly with her tone shifting, almost sorrowful now. “Your father… before he died, he took a five-hundred-thousand-dollar loan. He couldn’t pay it back. The bank is about to take our house. I couldn’t just stand by and let us become homeless. I saw him walk in with the briefcase and assumed he was there for a withdrawal and I saw an opportunity. I bumped into him on purpose. I didn’t think of it as stealing, I thought of it as survival.”
Sophie’s throat tightened and her world felt like it was collapsing in slow motion.
All this time, her father’s debt.. a secret, a ticking time bomb.. and now this?
“What are we supposed to do now?” she asked weakly and her voice broke halfway through then she turned to Josh. “You’re dropping all the charges, right?”
Josh didn’t answer. He just stared at the ground.
Sophie’s heart sank.
“Josh, please,” she begged. “You’re our only hope.” She dropped to her knees and grabbed his trousers, desperately and trembling.
“Get up, Sophie. Please, stop. People are watching,” Josh whispered trying to pull her up but she wouldn’t move.
“I can’t,” he said finally, shaking his head. “It’s out of my hands now. Victor already knows. I tried to hide it from him, but when I ignored his calls, he called the bank manager. The whole story’s out. There’s nothing I can do anymore.”
Sophie’s hands fell limply to her sides.
“You’re serious?” she asked in disbelief. “After everything.. after calling me your best friend, after saying you’d always have my back.. this is how you repay me?”
“Sophie, please, don’t make it worse. Victor doesn’t even know you’re connected to this. You should talk to him yourself. Maybe he’ll listen. I’m sorry, but I can’t get involved any further.”
Josh turned and walked away, leaving her standing there with tears in her eyes.
Sophie turned to her mother with fury building in her chest.
“Happy now? You’ve dragged me right into your mess. I hope you realize what you’ve done.”
Marilyn’s voice trembled for the first time.
“I’m sorry, Sophie. I swear I didn’t mean for things to turn out like this. I’ll fix it. Somehow.”
“Fix it?” Sophie let out a hollow laugh. “You’ve done enough.” She wiped her face roughly with the anger burning away her tears. “I’m going to talk to Victor Vasquez myself. Pray he listens because if he doesn’t, you’d better get ready to wear orange. You disgust me.”
Sophie stormed out of the station, leaving her mother in tears.
***
She arrived at the Royal Gold Mine headquarters barely holding herself together. Her hands were trembling as she pressed her palm against her chest, whispering a shaky prayer before knocking on the office door.
“Come in,” Victor’s deep voice called from inside.
Sophie stepped in, hesitating at the sight of three men in expensive suits sitting across from Victor. They looked powerful like the kind of men who made decisions over cigars and billion-dollar handshakes.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t realize you were in a meeting. I’ll come back later.”
But Victor’s voice stopped her at the door.
“No need. We were just wrapping up. Sit down.”
The men soon left, giving Sophie curious glances on their way out. The office felt larger and colder once they were gone and Victor turned his chair toward her with eyes sharp as always.
“So,” he said flatly, “I don’t recall asking you here. What brings you to my office?”
Sophie hesitated, swallowing hard.
“Sir, um… it’s about the check. The one that was stolen earlier.”
Victor leaned back.
“Go on.”
“It was my mother,” Sophie blurted out before she could stop herself. “She’s the one who took it. Please, don’t get me wrong.. she’s a good woman. My father took a huge loan before he died, and now the bank is trying to seize our home. My mom panicked. She wasn’t thinking straight. Please, I’m begging you.. drop the charges. You already got your check back. Please.”
Victor studied her for a long moment and then a slow smirk crept across his face.
“I’ve waited for this day,” he said finally. “Now you need something from me, and suddenly I’m a good man.”
Sophie’s lips quivered.
“Please, sir. I’m not here to argue. I’m just asking for mercy.”
Victor leaned forward.
“Mercy? You know what’s funny? I don’t have anything against your mother. I got my money back, and that’s fine but walking away scot-free? No. Some people need to learn the hard way. So, no.. I’m not dropping the charges.”
Sophie’s heart shattered.
“Please,” she whispered with tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry for how I’ve acted in the past. I know I’ve said things, but this is my mother. Please, she doesn’t deserve this.”
He exhaled deeply.
“I have a better offer for you.”
Her brows furrowed.
“An offer?”
“Yes,” he said with his tone turning calculated. “You mentioned your mother stole the check because of your father’s debt.. five hundred thousand dollars, right?”
Sophie nodded cautiously.
“What if I told you I could clear that debt and drop every single charge?”
She blinked.
“You’re serious?”
“I am,” he said with a faint smile. “But it comes with a price.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What price?”
“Before you walked in,” Victor began, “I was finalizing a deal with my partners. A multi-billion-dollar contract that requires one condition before it can be signed.” He paused, letting the silence stretch. “They want my son.. Fabian, the Managing Director of this company to be married. It’s a family clause in their inheritance rules.”
Sophie frowned.
“Okay… and what does that have to do with me?”
“You’re going to be his wife.”
“What?” Sophie shot up from her chair. “You can’t be serious. I’m not marrying your son. I’m not some pawn in your business games!”
“The contract will last three years,” Victor continued calmly. “After that, you can file for divorce. Your mother goes free, your house stays yours and you’ll never have to worry about that debt again.”
Sophie shook her head violently.
“Never. I’m not doing that.. not for a billion dollars, not for anything.”
Victor’s smirk returned.
“Even if it means your mother rots in jail? Even if it means you end up homeless?”
Sophie’s chest heaved with her hands trembling.
“You’re sick,” she spat. “Find someone else to save your deal.”
And with that, she turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her…
- Writer
