Chapter 5: A PRICE TO BE PAID
1073 Words
ALLISON'S POV.
The weight of my choice was bearing down on me with every step, making it difficult for me to breathe. Hours of crying left my face blotchy and my eyes swollen, but it made no difference.
I had a decision to make because my mother's life was on the line. Hesitancy was not an option. No place for weakness. I pushed the door to the company's entrance open and wiped my nose on the sleeve of my shirt. I was not interested in being here, but I didn't have any other option.
The only person who could save my mother from death was this man—this stranger. It felt like the longest ride of my life as the elevator doors closed with a gentle ding and I ascended to the top floor.
My stomach twisted more and more with each floor, but I was unable to stop now. Not with the end in sight. The elevator doors slid open as it chimed one last time.
I inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm myself before entering Greg Thorny's office's sleek contemporary hallway. Cold and impersonal black-and-white pictures of city skylines were framed on the immaculate white walls.
Like everything else in this place, the floor was spotless and polished underfoot. My heart seemed to race even faster as I got closer to Greg's office.
I had no choice but to confront him. This was something I had to do. There was no alternative. I hesitated before knocking on the door and waited for an answer. None came.
I pushed the door open carefully and entered. The office was spacious and immaculately furnished with expensive but simple furniture that featured metallic finishes and clean lines. But it felt hollow in some way. Much like a shell.
Not very warm. Not a life. It was empty.
Uncertain of what to do next, I cautiously moved a few steps further into the office. The image of my mother lying in that hospital bed was the only thought that kept piercing through the haze of emotions that filled my mind, including confusion, fear, and anger.
She needed my help. This was something she needed me to do. I glanced around the room before settling on Greg's desk. Although there were files strewn about and papers neatly stacked in piles, nothing that seemed particularly significant was there.
I took a few more steps forward, feeling the tension build up in my chest, and before I knew it, my hand was reaching for the file stack.
It sent a shiver down my spine when I heard a smooth, controlled voice behind me. "Look who has returned."
My heart jumped into my throat as I whirled around in shock. With his hands in his trouser pockets, Greg stood there idly leaning against the door frame. The smirk on his face made my stomach turn and his eyes were icy and calculating.
"Please, help me" I begged, my voice weak from the tears I had shed earlier. "I need your help."
He c****d his head with an almost amused look on his face as he studied me. "Help you? I've already helped you. It was your dad, not me, who brought you into this predicament."
As I stepped forward, my desperation filled every part of my body. "You don't understand... My mother is in the hospital, and they won't treat her until we cover the expenses. Greg, I don't have any money. The only person who can assist me is you. I need—"
" I’m done loaning" he broke off, his voice piercing the atmosphere like steel. "This is something you've had plenty of time to work out. The deal is clear if you want my assistance."
A flicker of something dark flashed in his eyes as they narrowed. "Marry me. The agreement is that. Remember you're still indebted to me."
Anger and frustration were rising in my chest, threatening to explode. How could he be so heartless? How could he stand there and pretend that this was merely a business deal and that my mother's life was merely a minor detail in his game?
"No! " I yelled out before I could stop myself from saying it. "There is no deal here. This is my life and the life of my mother. It seems like you're treating people like pawns in your game of life."
He was not even startled. His expression stayed neutral, and he stared at me as if I were an issue that needed to be resolved.
"Miss Stewart, I'm not pressuring you to do anything. Your father came up with the idea, you know. You have an option. I'll see to it that your mother receives the care she needs if you marry me. Or don't, and you'll end up drowning in debt while you watch her die "
I swallowed the lump in my throat and muttered "I don't have time for this. You're not getting it, just help me. That's all I ask for."
Greg ignored me and moved toward his desk as if I hadn't been there. Pretending that I didn't exist, he flipped through the papers on his desk with his fingers grazing them.
"Please..._ I muttered once more, my voice cracking. "Please…"
But he did not respond. He continued to look through his files with his back to me, as if I weren't even worthy of his time. I could feel my anger building, but this time, it was more than just anger. It was something more profound.
Something inside of me that felt like a tidal wave but that I was unable to identify. With a heaving chest, I turned my back on him and decided to walk away. In the mood to leave his office and find another way to save my mother.
Then I was stopped by something. My thoughts immediately went back to the hospital room, my mother's ailing state, and the expression on the doctor's face when he informed me that they wouldn't be attending to her anymore.
I came to a complete stop and realized for the first time how serious the choice I had to make was. I dabbed at my tears with the back of my hand and I slowly turned around again.
When I spoke again, there was no hesitation, but my voice was hoarse, and I said the two words that seemed to seal my fate.
- Writer
