Debt That Demands A Bride
859 Words
Becca couldn't believe what she had just heard.
Not because she didn't understand it.
But because her brain was refusing to accept it.
She and Rossa had only just returned from Australia four days ago.
Becca with a first-class degree.
Rossa with a third-class she joked about like it meant nothing.
Life was supposed to be moving forward.
Not collapsing overnight.
But clearly… it already had.
---
"Two days," Andrew said quietly.
And suddenly, that number didn't feel like time anymore.
It felt like a countdown.
To something irreversible.
Becca's fingers tightened at her sides.
"What happens in two days?" she asked, though she already feared the answer.
Andrew didn't answer immediately.
That silence was worse than words.
Then—
"He'll take legal action," he said. "Against OST. Against me. Against Mr. Justus."
A pause.
"And Becca…"
His voice dropped.
"This is the only way left."
That line didn't comfort her.
It suffocated her.
---
Evie broke down instantly.
Her shoulders shook as she covered her face.
But Becca didn't look at her.
She couldn't.
Something in her chest had already gone still.
Too still.
"Does Rossa know?" Becca asked.
Her voice came out quieter than she intended.
Andrew hesitated.
Just for a second.
But that second was enough.
"She will know tomorrow," he said finally. "I was going to take her to the court… and explain everything."
Becca's stomach dropped.
"Explain?" she repeated slowly.
Like the word was foreign.
Like it didn't belong in something this final.
And then—
The room shifted.
Because a voice exploded through it.
---
"What the f**k do you mean by that, Dad?!"
Everything stopped.
Even breathing felt illegal in that moment.
They turned.
Rossa stood at the doorway.
And she had heard everything.
Every single word.
Her eyes weren't just shocked.
They were burning.
Like something inside her had just been set on fire.
Silence swallowed the room whole.
"How long have you been standing there?" Evie asked weakly.
Rossa laughed.
But it wasn't humour.
It was disbelief cracking under pressure.
"Long enough," she said.
A pause.
"Long enough to hear you decide my entire life without asking me once."
That landed hard.
Too hard.
---
"Rossa, please—" Andrew started.
But she cut him off instantly.
"No." Her voice shook—but sharpened. "Don't 'please' me."
She stepped forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Dangerous in a way none of them had seen before.
"This isn't business," she snapped. "This is my life!"
Becca stepped forward gently.
"Rossa, calm down—"
That was a mistake.
Rossa turned instantly.
"Don't tell me to calm down, Becca!"
Her voice cracked halfway.
But she forced it back into anger.
"I can't breathe in here!"
That sentence hit differently.
Because it wasn't drama anymore.
It was panic.
Real panic.
And before anyone could reach her—
She turned.
And ran.
---
"Rossa!" Evie screamed.
But Becca grabbed her gently.
"Let her go," she whispered.
Even though her own chest was tightening.
Even though she was terrified too.
Andrew didn't speak.
He didn't move.
He just turned away slowly…
Like something inside him had finally given up.
---
That night felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too heavy.
Like the house was waiting for something to break again.
Rossa came back late.
No footsteps announced her.
No words followed her.
She walked straight past everyone—
And locked her door.
Click.
That sound didn't feel like a lock.
It felt like a decision.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
No answer.
Becca tried once.
Then again.
Still nothing.
Eventually… she stopped.
Because silence had already answered everything.
---
Later that night, Becca sat on her bed.
Staring at her phone.
Waiting for something that wouldn't come.
She finally called Simone.
It picked up instantly.
"Becca? What happened?"
Becca exhaled slowly.
"My dad is forcing Rossa into marriage."
Silence.
Then—
"…What?"
"There's a ninety-million-dollar debt," Becca said quietly. "Wilson Enterprises. That's the condition."
A longer pause.
"And Rossa?"
"She ran out. Locked herself in her room. She won't talk to anyone."
Simone's voice dropped.
"She won't accept that."
Becca swallowed.
"I know."
Another pause.
Then Becca added quietly—
"She's in a relationship."
"With Raphael."
"The Canada guy?" Simone asked.
"Yes."
Silence stretched again.
Then—
"So what happens tomorrow?"
Becca didn't answer.
Because she genuinely didn't know.
And that uncertainty felt like a warning.
---
Hours passed.
Becca couldn't sleep.
She stood by the window, staring into the dark outside.
The house felt different now.
Like it was holding its breath.
Waiting.
Her phone stayed silent.
No messages.
No calls.
Nothing from Rossa.
Becca turned slowly.
Looked at the closed door down the hall.
And for the first time…
She realised something terrifying.
Rossa wasn't just angry.
She was deciding something.
Something no one in that house could control.
---
Becca finally pulled the curtains shut.
Lay back on her bed.
But her eyes stayed open.
Because one thought refused to leave her alone.
Tomorrow.
Rossa was supposed to get married.
To a man she didn't choose.
And as the silence pressed in harder…
Another thought followed.
Cold.
Unwelcome.
What if Rossa wasn't planning to show up at all?
---
- Writer
