The Billionaire Who Wanted My Twins

"Amara, I swear, when your family's wealth runs out, you'll be the first one to cry," Soline scolded me. I rolled my eyes as I looked at her through the mirror of the expensive boutique we just entered. We had just finished shopping for clothes at a popular luxury store, and now we were at another one. Soline could barely hold all the bags I had bought. I glanced at the shopping bags she was holding. Six bags from the stores we had visited, all filled with clothes and accessories I probably didn't need but absolutely wanted. I looked at her. "Why are you always so dramatic?" I said, annoyed. "We're talking about your future, Mara," she scolded. I rolled my eyes at her. "My future looks perfectly fine to me, Sol." She sighed while she watched me continue browsing. "You seriously have no idea how much you spend, do you?" she asked. "I'm not the one paying for them. It's Dad, okay," I said, unbothered. "That's exactly my point." She said in a high tone as if I got her right. I ignored her and picked up another dress. "Miss, would you like to try this one on?" a sales assistant asked. "Yes. And I'll take it if it fits." I said, and flashed a wide smile. Soline groaned. I smiled at my reflection. The dress fit me perfectly. "I'll take it," I told the sales assistant the moment I got out of the fitting room. I flashed a wide smile as I kept browsing. Everything felt so special today. At least, I thought it was. A few minutes later, I brought several more items to the cashier. "Finally," Soline said when I was finally going to pay. I just rolled my eyes at her. Then I handed over my card to the cashier without a second thought. The cashier inserted it into the machine. I waited. Then the machine beeped. "Declined." I frowned. The cashier tried again. It beeped again. What the h*ll? "I'm sorry, ma'am, but do you have another card?" I grabbed my card from her and frowned at it. "What?" I mumbled to myself, annoyed. "Your card was declined, ma'am," the cashier replied. She had probably heard me. "That's impossible," I said as I searched through my wallet for another card. Then I handed it to her, annoyed. "I'm sorry, ma'am," the cashier said again, shaking her head while she handed the card back to me. "What?" I said, louder this time. I checked the card again, as if staring at it would somehow make it work. I glanced at Soline and saw her shaking her head. "It must be an error," I said lazily. "Maybe the banks are just undergoing system maintenance." Soline raised an eyebrow. I looked at her. "Do you have cash?" She laughed softly. I gave her a questioning look. She shook her head in disbelief. "Amara, your bill is $82,800. Who carries that much cash?" she said. She put down the shopping bags from earlier and took something from her bag. "Here." She handed her card to the cashier. I stared at her and chuckled. "Sol, I told you, there's a system main-" "Payment received, ma'am," the cashier said with a smile. I froze. "What?" I reacted, frustrated. I looked at Sol. "How come mine was not accepted?!" She rolled her eyes. "Let's go. You carry the other things you bought," she said. Soline took her card and walked away. "Sol!" That woman! She completely left me behind. Gosh, I hated her. I grabbed my bags and chased her. Still, the strange feeling in my stomach wouldn't go away. Why had my card been declined? My father had never told me to be careful with my spending. I had never had a problem paying for anything before. So why now? I pushed the thought away. It was probably nothing. At least, that was what I told myself. *** "Wilson, what have you done?" Mommy's hysterical voice echoed through the house before I even entered the living room. "Calm down, Sasha. I can fix this!" Daddy said in a worried tone. "Fix this? How are you going to fix this, Wilson?" Mom shouted. I sighed. "Can you please stop fighting?" They both turned toward me. "Sweetheart." Daddy was the first to greet me. He walked toward me and kissed my forehead. "Honey." Mommy hugged me tightly. I pulled away and slumped onto the sofa, crossing my arms. "Can you please explain why my cards are not working?" They exchanged a glance. That immediately made me suspicious. "Gosh, it was so embarrassing," I complained. "Sol had to pay for my purchases earlier." "Daddy will fix it, sweetheart." Dad smiled at me as if everything was fine. He approached his suitcase and took out some money. "Here. Three thousand dollars. Buy whatever you want for dinner, okay?" I smiled. "At least you understand me, Dad." "Wilson!" Mommy glared at him. "Stop babying your daughter!" She turned toward me. "And you, Amara. For God's sake, you are already twenty-seven. When are you going to mature? All you know is spending money. Why don't you work? You should have been training long ago to help with our company!" I frowned. "Dad! Mommy's bullying me again!" Neither of them laughed. They both looked exhausted…at me. Mommy looked at Dad. "Oh my gosh, Wilson. We cannot rely on your daughter for our business. And it is all your fault. Remember that!" "Mom, stop being overdramatic, okay?" I rolled my eyes. She was always so dramatic. "Are you even aware of our family's situation, Amara?" she shouted. "Sasha, stop," Dad warned her. "Your daughter needs to know!" Mom shouted. My irritation slowly faded. "What are you talking about?" I asked, clueless. "Can you just tell me what is happening?" They both fell silent. For the first time, I noticed how pale my father looked. And Mommy's eyes were red. Something was wrong. Really wrong. "The house you are sitting in, our home, our businesses, and all our assets…" Mommy's voice trembled. "Everything we have will be gone." She said and started covering her eyes as she sobbed. My brows furrowed. "What?" "Our family is bankrupt, Amara." Mom said. Her words didn't make sense. I stared at her. "Bankrupt?" I asked. She nodded, her tears began to fall. "We are losing everything because of your father's gambling addiction!" she shouted and glared at Dad. My mouth fell open. I slowly looked at Dad. He couldn't even meet my eyes. "Everything my parents and your grandparents worked for will be gone in an instant," Mommy cried. I gasped as the room suddenly felt smaller. I stared at my father, waiting for him to tell me that this was some terrible joke. But he didn't. Instead, he walked toward me and knelt in front of the sofa. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." His voice cracked. "I'm sorry, Amara." He took my hand. I pulled it away. I couldn't believe this. Our house? Our businesses? Our cars? My cards? Everything? Gone? My heart pounded while I thought about the life I had always known. My friends. Our parties. My designer clothes. The restaurants I always visited. The bags I bought without checking their prices. What would happen to all of that? What would my friends say when they found out? Would they still invite me to their parties? Would they laugh behind my back? Would they call me a spoiled rich girl who had finally lost everything? The thought made my stomach twist. "How dare you, Dad?" I shouted. It was his fault! "No, sweetheart. Don't get mad. There is actually a way to get us out of this." "Do not push it, Wilson," Mommy warned him. I looked between them. "What is it?" Anything. As long as we didn't suffer. As long as I didn't have to give up the life I had worked so hard to enjoy. Dad hesitated a little before he said the words that would change my life. "Marry my friend." I blinked. "What?" "Marry my friend." He repeated, more confident this time. I stared at him in disbelief. His friend? Does that mean he was around Dad's age? No way. "Are you serious?" "He can help us," Dad explained. "He promised that if you marry him, he will pay off all our debts." Mommy immediately shook her head. "He is too old for your daughter, Wilson. Are you even thinking?" "He is the third-richest businessman in Asia," Dad insisted. "Once he helps us, you can leave him." I stared at my father. Leave him? That was supposed to make me feel better? I didn't even know this man. But then I suddenly imagined myself living in some small house, wearing cheap clothes, carrying a single old handbag while everyone I knew watched me fall from the life I had always taken for granted. I couldn't do that. I looked down at my hands. Maybe this was the only way. Maybe I had no choice. "When is the wedding?" I finally asked. Dad's expression softened with relief. "As soon as possible, so he can help us right away." I swallowed. "How soon?" Dad looked at me. "Tomorrow." My heart stopped. Tomorrow?