[1]

A red city car pulled into a yard filled with people. The driver was trying to figure out what was going on in his house. "What's going on?" Miya asked, looking surprised. A man in uniform came to her house unannounced and entered without her permission. "Hey, you're being pretty rude!" she said as one of them took some photos on the side of her house.

"Ah, Miss Miya Ashton."

Someone called out to her, so she turned to see a middle-aged man walking quickly towards her. "I'm Robert Jr., the bailiff at NorthDerm Court."

Miya's brow furrowed in astonishment. "Bailiff? What does this mean?"

One of Miya's servants came over to her. Mrs. Bern, the woman in question, looked upset and panicked. "The court has taken possession of the property, Ms. Miya. Mr. Michael is bankrupt."

Miya was so shocked; she couldn't even speak. "What?" Then she looked at the bailiff, who had introduced herself. "Can you explain this too?"

Robert gave a little smile and took out his cell phone. He decided to watch the news report that aired today and thought he'd found the right one. Robert also showed Miya what he'd found. The news was about the bankruptcy that the Ashton Group had experienced. In the news, Miya saw a familiar face—her father. He said a few things in front of reporters, looking tired and like he had lost all passion for life.

"Dad," Miya said quietly, her voice trembling. The hand holding the other person's cell phone also started to shake. Her eyes also started to glaze over.

"We're here because of this news and some documents that Mr. Michael Ashton needs to settle a debt."

"But this is all a bit sudden. I haven't met my father yet, Lord Robert."

Robert's smile tugged slightly. "I'm just following the court's orders."

"How is it, Miss Miya?" the middle-aged woman who had been standing next to Miya asked. This wasn't the right question to ask, since Miya didn't have any answers either. It was a complete surprise.

"I need to get in touch with my father." That was the only solution Miya could think of. The blonde-haired girl was clueless about business. Her life was all about college, having fun, and spending her family's money. Miya never thought she'd be in her current position, given that she'd always lived a life of abundance.

Unfortunately, she couldn't get hold of his father's cell phone. She tried again, but there was still no response from her father. Miya was left high and dry like that. During the chaos that seemed like a storm in Miya's life,

Come on!

"Damn it!" Miya exclaimed, feeling like throwing her phone against the wall.

"Miss Miya," Mrs. Bern called out, catching Miya's attention as she looked over at her car.

"Oh, come on. Is my car included too?" Miya hurried over to her favorite car. A towing company gave the car a yellow label indicating that it was also impounded. "Why is my car included too?" Miya was unhappy about the situation. "This is my favorite car!"

But the officer gave Miya a stern look and asked her to step back right away. Meanwhile, someone Miya knew came over to her.

"Oh, Mr. Hans. You came!" Miya felt like she might cry when she saw her family's lawyer arrive. "They just came by and took a look at the house and everything in it. I'm not sure what's going on here. If it's related to debt, is the whole house also being used as collateral? And what about me?" she asked, sounding a bit impatient.

Hans Handerson gave Miya a little smile and asked her to follow him. As we entered the living room, we saw that several people in uniform were still there, still going through things. He was checking some fancy-looking jars and displays and labeling them. Miya felt a twinge of displeasure, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Are you ready to talk, Miya?"

Miya let out a long sigh. "How can I be calm when I'm in for a surprise like this?" The girl leaned back against the sofa. "Is it really as reported, Mr. Hans? Is it true that my father is bankrupt?"

"That's the reality we have to face."

Miya let out a groan of frustration. "So, why is this house being confiscated? It's private property, right?"

"Your father's debt is too high. Even if they took this house and everything in it, it still wouldn't cover all the debts."

Miya was at a loss as to how to respond to this news. "Then, what about me? I've been trying to get hold of my father, Mr. Hans, but I haven't been able to reach him. I need him to tell me a lot of things about this."

"That's why I'm here." Hans took out one of the files from his bag. "This is a letter for you. It has some messages from him before he left NorthDerm."

"He... ran away?" Miya looked at the letter with disbelief.

"Not running away, Miss Miya. It's more like taking responsibility for what he did."

"It's the same thing!" Miya quickly grabbed the letter. Although her relationship with her father wasn't great, this was about something that affected them both. Why would her father leave her in the middle of such a mess?

Dear Miya, my strong-willed daughter.

I'm sorry for leaving you in the lurch. But I promise you, I'll get everything sorted out as soon as I can. I know it's tough, but please hang in there.

Miya quickly scanned the page she had just finished reading, in case there was more to it. The writing only had a few sentences. "Is this all?" Miya let out an exasperated squeal. "Oh, dear!"

"He also left this for you, Miss Miya." Hans handed Miya a small pouch. She was still surprised that her father's letter was so short.

"What is this?"

"The keys and a debit card with some savings," Hans explained. "The key to Mr. Michael's old house since it's no longer fit for living in. You can take whatever you need. The bailiff will figure out which items can be used as collateral, and which can't. If there are any items that can't be cashed in, we'll send them to the address of the house you'll be living in from today."

Miya's shoulders slumped a bit. "I guess I have no other choice."

Hans shook his head.

***

Two large suitcases with clothes that Miya could carry were already on the right and left sides. There was also one suitcase with other equipment. Mrs. Bern, Hannah, and the other servants at Miya's house could only look at the girl with sadness in their eyes.

"I'm not great at saying goodbye. I just wanted to say thank you for being so kind to me. Thanks, and who knows if we'll cross paths again." Miya gave them a little bow to show her gratitude for all their help over the years.

"Miss Miya, make sure you eat well," Mrs. Bern said, looking a little sad. She gave Miya's shoulder a little rub to help the girl feel more energized. "I'm sure Mr. Michael and you will be back at this house."

Miya let out a long sigh. "I'll do my best to make this house a better place. When the time comes, you'll need to be there. Yes?" She went over to the side of the middle-aged woman, who was very gentle. If it weren't for Mrs. Bern, Miya would have no idea how chaotic her life would be at home. Mrs. Bern had taken care of Miya since she was a child and knew how her temperament was.

"Absolutely, Miss Miya. We'll be back. We're really looking forward to that day," Hannah said, her voice thick with emotion. Danish didn't say anything, but he looked sad.

"I'll go first," Miya said, trying to be strong. "Take care of yourselves."

Hans offered to take Miya to her father's house, which was on the outskirts of town. At the very least, Hans had to make sure she got to her destination safely. The middle-aged man was certain that Miya's feelings must be all over the place.

"Thanks for your help, Mr. Hans. And sorry for the trouble," Miya said just before Hans's black car sped away.

"No problem." Hans gave a little smile. "Live well. Just so you know, your tuition fees have been taken care of until the final exam. You don't need to worry about that."

Miya didn't say anything. It wasn't just the lecture that was worrying her. A lot of other things were suddenly on her mind. Miya decided to enjoy the trip in silence while she thought about whether this was a dream or not.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the road opposite Miya's house, there was a white luxury car parked up. The driver was keeping an eye on what was going on inside the three-story house. He gave his black curly hair a quick adjustment so it wouldn't get in the way of the view. He had two moles above his eyebrows, which had become his trademark. The only thing that interrupted her work was her cell phone ringing loudly. He tapped the screen and said in a cold voice, "What's up?"

"Mr. Damian, I've taken care of it," said the person on the other end. "The bank has seized all of Michael Ashton's assets. All set for the auction."

Damian didn't respond because he already knew what had happened. "I also made sure that Miss Miya Ashton followed your wishes without her realizing it."

Damian's smile was very thin. "Good." That was all he said and ended the call. Then he drove back to the rectorate office where Miya was studying in the city center. "I'll get you, Miya."