THE CONTRACT BETWEEN US

Amelia’s POV Later that night… Ring Ring Ring I have never received a call from the hospital, especially at this hour. My hand trembles as I pick up the phone. “Hello? Doctor?” The silence that broke through after. “Hello?” In a panic I asked again. The doctor sighs. “ Miss Hart” My stomach dropped for a minute. “I’m deeply sorry. We did everything we could but I guess she couldn’t handle it anymore” “No No No.” The doctors begged me to stay calm and breathe. Words barely escaping my mouth, everything felt so loud at that exact moment. I was trying to breathe and not scream. I’m torn. Everything felt so blurry. I tried so hard not to have a panic attack. I ran out of my room to my dad knowing he probably heard the news of his beloved wife. The only woman my dad cherished so much. “Dad!” No answer. “ Dad?” My breath is uneven as I search everywhere and every room. I checked his room and no one responded from there. I went down to look for my dad. “Dad??” I went over to the kitchen and then found him. motionless, not moving almost as if faint. Face so pale, I rushed towards him immediately “Dad! Wait please.” Tears in my eyes, hands trembling. His cellphone in his hand, I knew he was down for a very long while. “911, 911. I gotta call 911.” I hurry to grab my phone. Panicking. “ Hello? 911.” Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. “Emergency services. What is your emergency?” A year later….. Woke up to the birds chirping. The sunlight was so bright it pierced through my curtains giving my room little light. Stood up to head downstairs. People always say time heals. I don’t believe them anymore. Time doesn't erase the pain, would it?. To me, it simply teaches how to leave with it. Every morning I would come downstairs to the humming of my mom in the kitchen before her work. No one to reach out to in my good or bad situations, I only have my dad but it’s only better complete. Dad had recovered after that terrifying day, but losing my mom changed him. No longer the cheerful man who used to feel the room with laughter when gloomy, he now spends his morning staring at the window with a cup of coffee growing cold in his hands. The financial burden we were in only made days worse. Dads construction business was drowning in debt and every bill felt heavier. I attended interview after interview , exhausted by the day by forcing confident smiles, polishing my resumé and convincing myself each interview would make a change for me and my dad. Finding a job wasn’t just a goal anymore. It was a necessity. As I walked away from yet another interview, my phone buzzed. The phone lit up. Sorry miss Hart, You’ve been rejected. The space for this particular job is taken, thank you for the patience. I stared at the email for what felt like minutes before letting out a weak sigh. Another rejection. At this point, I had lost count. “Maybe they could smell my desperation. Maybe I simply wasn’t good enough.” I whispered under my breath. By the time I got home, I saw my dad from a little distance watering the plants mum had planted ever since he recovered. Dad smiled sadly but gently. “They’re blooming nicely.” I forced one back. “They are.” He stopped watering, then looked at me for a moment before asking the question he always did. “How did it go?” I hesitated for a little. Then he knew, hugging me in his arms. “I didn’t get it.” “I’m sorry, sweetheart” “It’s okay.” I said heading into the house. Meanwhile, nothing had been okay for a long time. Dad sighed and placed the watering can down. “Amelia, you know you don’t have to carry all the burden on your shoulders.” “I’m not.” “You are.” His voice was so full of concern. Dads voice softened. “Your mom would’ve wanted to chase your dreams, not exhaust yourself to the littlest.” “I know. But you’re aware we are in debt to one of the biggest companies in LA. I cannot just seat back and be a nuisance.” I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I just want us to live a better life.” He walked over to hug me again. I could only cry in his arms. “We will, we will.” I wished I believed him. Every passing week was another reminder that time was running out. Later that evening, while grabbing a take out from the food store for dinner. The streets of Los Angeles buzzed around me, yet I felt completely invisible. People rushing out of meetings. Laughing friends when I pass by. Couples holding hands when they walk. Meanwhile, I couldn’t secure a job or one good thing in my miserable life. Halfway across the streets, my phone buzzed again. Another email. Without much thinking I decided to take a glance at my phone screen. A loud horn echoed through the air. I looked up to see bright lights heading towards me. My body froze due to shock. Instead of running out the street, I ducked instead. Tyres screeched against the asphalt. I knew that person hit the brakes hard. The car stopped inches away from me. “Could this day get any worse.” I whispered embarrassedly. My heart pounded loudly as the front door of the car swung open. A tall man stepped out. He was indeed breathtaking. All I could only look at was his sharp grey-blue eyes , it was in fact the feature. Power seemed to follow him effortlessly. “ What exactly were you thinking?” He asked coldly. I blinked. “I-“ “Not only did you step into the road but stopped.” He was full of anger, the kind that somehow sounded harsher than shouting at a lady. “You almost hit me.” I shot back. “No.” His jaw tightened. “You almost got yourself killed.” “Well, excuse me for having a bad day.” I stared in disbelief. Not even an Are you okay?. Men and finding ways to have the power. Not even a hit of concern. “What an arrogant jerk,” I muttered. “Heard that.” “Good.” For a brief moment, his eyes lingered around me almost as if trying to recognize someone. Then, whatever expressions he had disappeared immediately. “Next time,” he said flatly. “ Pay attention on the road .” For someone who is frustrated I was about to speak back, but he turned around,hit back into his sleek black car, and drove away. I stood there, still shaken. “Unbelievable.” The rest of the walk home was silent. No one on the streets, just me walking and the streetlights giving light to the path. After changing into something more comfortable, I jumped on my bed scrolling through my social media. A sponsored post appeared. Knight Holding is Hiring. I sat uptight. Knight Holding? The same company my dad is in debt to. Wait! Isn’t this the same CEO that tried to run me over? I bit my lip. Maybe applying there was a bad idea. Or maybe.. It is the job opportunity I’ve been searching and praying for. Before I decided to make any choice, I grabbed my phone to call someone who always knew how to calm me down. Sophie. She answered on the second ring. “Tell me you have good news for me, or at least make tea.” I chuckled softly. “Not exactly.” “What happened now?” “ I saw a job opportunity.” “Okay?” “At Knight Holdings.” There was brief silence. Then she gasped. “Amelia Hart, why are you calling me instead of applying?” “I don’t know if they’ll even look at my resumé.” “You never know till you try.” “You really think it’s a good idea? Sophie, are you sure?” “Girl, the worst they can do is reject then move on but missing this opportunity would kill you.” I looked back at my screen. She's right. Taking a deep breath I uploaded my resumé, filed in final details and pressed Submit. As the confirmation message appeared on my screen, I screamed in my inner mind. Little did I know.. This application was going to change a lot about my life forever.