Walking through the narrow alley, all alone, was so scary that it made my heartbeat quicken, and I almost screamed when I saw trees disguised as human shadows. "I should have let one of my bodyguards follow me," I said inwardly. But the thought made me sigh almost immediately. I have always hated the choking feeling that comes with being rich. Receiving fresh air like this always helps me gain a bit of freedom.
A come-back-to-life call woke me up from my soliloquy. I glanced at the screen and saw that it was my dad. It's so rare for him to call me because I just left home and he knows I love my peace. "Ednar…" His voice trembled on the line, and I had to check again to confirm that I was speaking to my father.
"Your mom…" he said again, but he was cut off because he started gasping for breath. And he hung up the call after this. My brain rang, and I knew something was wrong at that very moment. I picked up my phone and called for a ride so that I would get home quickly to know what was going on.
When I got to the mansion I called home, a breathtaking, intricately built abode and once bustling place, it had turned so quiet as if it was a graveyard. My pulse quickened at the thought of what could have happened.
Different bad scenarios kept popping up in my head. I calmed myself and opened the gate to my home. I saw our gatekeeper, Philip, looking so stressed out and with another expression I couldn't define. It looked like sadness to me, so I mustered courage to ask him what was going on. He could not say a word, so I ran to the house with shaky breaths and went to my father's room instantly.
Behold, I saw him on the bed with drips and injections all over him.
"Good evening, ma'am," a voice sounded behind me. It was our family physician, Harriet Carson; I didn't even notice him earlier.
"What is wrong with my dad, Harriet?" I asked with teary eyes.
"He is in shock right now, and his blood pressure is a bit high. I would advise you to allow him to rest for a while," Harriet said. I nodded and didn't say a word after that. Harriet left afterward, and I kept looking at my dad with different things coming to my mind. I sat there for a while and didn't even remember when I slept.
When I woke up, my brain rebooted and I searched for my dad. I saw him, standing by the window, eyes red and swollen and he looked far lost in thought. I had never seen him like that before, and that broke me.
"Dad" I called out to him but he didn't hear me. I tapped him for him to come back to life. "We are ruined.....Ednar", he started.
"Dad, can you calm your nerves down and explain what is going on? He took a deep breath in and started to explain, "I was drinking red wine when a call came in that your mother is dead, honey, she had plane crash and her body hasn't been found." My ear rang and I collapsed on the floor.
My mom was supposed to be back today from her trip to Edinburgh. She went there to cool her head for a while after a disagreement with my dad. It was normal for them, those two were so in love with each other that every argument was a big one.
"I should have embraced and not let her go, I only wanted to spoil her, and that has cost me." He sat on the floor, wailing out loud. He hiccupped and said, "there is still more."
"Huuu....there is more to this bad news."
"Yes, about five minutes after I received news about your mother, the company called me. We are in debt, Ednar. The company is going bankrupt. I tried to fix things, God knows I tried but this is bigger than me." He raked a hand through his hair.
At that very moment, I could have sworn that my heartbeat stopped. We are the Ronalds, there is no word like ruin in our dictionary. "So what is going on?", I muttered inwardly. I pinched myself to check if I was dreaming but no, I wasn't.
"How" I asked, my voice quivering.
"We owe a lot of money, many things had been going wrong underneath but we tried to patch it up with no avail, someone is targeting me somewhere and I have no idea who", He answered me, with voice trembling.
Our family, the Ronalds, was among the top ten richest family in Vegas, we were ranked three the last time there was an estimate. If someone had told me earlier that day that all these calamities would befall my family, I would have sued the person. We had a lot of money, properties and organisations. But the main source, the stream where money flows from, is R&W Limited.
And now, we are in a lot of debt? This couldn't be real, I shook my head several times as if that would change the whole narrative. I was hopefully waiting to hear that it was a prank.
"We only have a way out" My dad finally broke the unending silence. "What way?", I asked and looked at my dad whose back stiffened. He seemed to have aged a decade overnight. He met my eyes and for the first time in my lifetime, I saw desperation and heartbreak.
"You have to marry Carter."
My heart cut and I let my thoughts wander to the person who I was to marry. I didn't even know him. He proposed marriage to my dad some months ago and my dad refused because, in his words, he couldn't allow me marry someone whose reputation was not conforming with moral rules. I made a decision that moment and that changed my whole life story. I grew up from being spoiled and pampered to being mature.
"Yes, dad, I will marry him", I hugged my dad and we cried together.