I held the final notice in my shaking hands, breathing heavily, my heart pounding against my chest.
PAST DUE: $500,000. IMMEDIATE PAYMENT REQUIRED.
The red letters burned into my brain, a glaring reminder that my life was collapsing around me. My father's debts had finally caught up to me, and now, with my mother still in the hospital, I had nowhere left to turn.
I closed my eyes, wishing the fear would disappear. Think, Elena. There has to be a way out.
The sound of the wind rattling against the old apartment windows did little to calm me. This place, the last remnant of stability I had, wouldn't be mine for much longer. The bank had made that very clear. I was barely scraping by with my part-time job, and now?
Now, I was drowning.
Then, a sharp knock at the door pulled me out of my thoughts.
My heart froze for a second.
No one ever came to visit me. Not unless they wanted money I didn't have.
I hesitated before cautiously making my way to the door. My fingers trembled as I turned the knob and pulled it open.
A man in a perfectly tailored black suit stood on my doorstep. Tall. Imposing. He looked like someone who was used to getting exactly what he wanted, no matter the cost.
"Elena Carter?" His voice was deep but there was something cold beneath it.
I tried to calm myself. "Yes?"
He reached into his briefcase and handed me a sleek white envelope. "This is for you."
I frowned, my fingers clumsy as I tore it open. My stomach ached with every second that passed.
The moment I saw the bold letters at the top of the page, my breath stopped.
Marriage Proposal Contract.
I blinked, convinced my tired eyes were playing tricks on me.
"This… this must be a mistake," I whispered.
The man's face remained expressionless. "Mr. Damian Blackwood does not make mistakes."
My entire body locked up. The name alone sent a shiver down my spine. Damian Blackwood. Ruthless billionaire. The kind of man who could buy and sell entire cities without blinking.
And now he was offering me a contract?
"This isn't real," I murmured, barely breathing. "Why me?"
The man cut me off. "Mr. Blackwood requires a wife. You require financial security. If you agree, he will clear your debts immediately."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.
This wasn't just an offer.
It was a lifeline.
But it came at a price.
I held the paper, my hands shaking. This was insanity. Marry a man I'd never met? Become some billionaire's wife like I was part of a business deal?
But if I didn't…
I thought of my mother, still lying in that hospital bed, unaware of how close we were to losing everything. I thought of the debt collectors, the bank, the overwhelming weight of my father's mistakes crushing me into the ground.
Damian Blackwood was offering me a way out.
A gilded cage.
I heard my pulse pounding in my ears. Every instinct screamed for me to run.
But where would I go when I had nowhere left to turn?
At this point, no one was there to help - not even an old class mate.
Thoughts of how good my father was to me kept flashing through my mind.
I remember when he was ready to go work, he would kiss me goodbye, and once I heard the sound of his car, I'd be the first to jump to him at the door.
As i grew up, I became more of daddy's girl, watching him drop me off at school and pick me up. He'd take me out for ice cream and cakes, and sometimes we'd watch football together. The bond between father and daughter was just unbreakable.
I would tell him all about my little secrets and all the boys l was crusing on. He would simply smile and say "You are the most beautiful girl in the world and you will get married to your prince charming one day."
My whole life was about making my dad proud and he truly loved me dearly. I asked him last Christmas what gift he wanted from me, and he said he wanted to hold his grand children in his arms. He wanted me to get married and have beautiful children and make him proud.
I can't believe he's gone, and I'm left alone in this world, with so much debt and mom at the hospital.
When I entered dad's room, his cloths were still there. Untouched boxes of cloths, shoes, so many to count and his car was still packed outside.
Tears ran through my face as I gain full consciousness of the reality I was facing.
Each time I walk down the street, people would stop me and tell me how my dad use to care for them, how he paid their children's fees and provided food for their families.
He was truelly a good man.
I must fight for him.
By staying alive.
And supporting mom.