CHAPTER FOUR
Michael stared blankly at his room door, not realizing when tears dropped from his eyes. He cleaned his eyes and sniffed. "He collapsed? When?" The next words that were spoken by his elder sister, Michelle, made his phone fall from his hands. He couldn't believe it; he really couldn't believe it. His dad was in a coma. As if just realizing the words that kept ringing in his head, he picked up his car keys from his table, left his room with a bang from the door, and ran out of his house, forgetting to lock the door. He sighted his car, which was neatly parked in his parking lot, entered, and drove out hurriedly towards the hospital with a speed that he'd never driven before. The smell that came from the hospital reminded him of memories he wished not to remember—the smell of drugs, injections, and mostly blood. It reminded him of how and where his mom died. He hated it. On reaching the room that was assigned to his dad, he sighted his sister, his only sister, seated outside the room, crying. He ran to her and hugged her, assuring her that everything would be alright, even though he knew he was so scared. "I... I was talking to him on the phone, and before I knew it, he collapsed. He collapsed Michael, then his driver called and told me he was already admitted and that he was in a coma." She wailed heavily. He patted her back, telling her soothing words that could calm her. "Everything will be alright; dad can't leave us; he can't. He has to live; to reap the fruit of all his hard labor, he has to." He assured her and himself. He stood from the seat and walked closer to the door, opening it slightly. He could see his dad lying unconsciously on his sickbed, an oxygen mask placed on his nose with drips and pipes neatly arranged beside his bed. As he saw him, he cried silently, remembering exactly how his mom died. Dad can't die. He can't. He can't. He can't. He muttered silently. He stared at Michelle, who was still crying and drained of emotions, and shook his head. She can't take this, and neither can he. It's too much information for her, for him, and for her unborn child. He saw her protruding belly heave up and down as a result of her heavy breathing. Soon she fell, screaming in pain, holding her belly, holding him. "Doctor! Nurse!" He screamed. Nurses came rushing toward us along with our family doctor, Mr. Philips. "She's in labor. Call her husband now!" Mr. Philips instructed. He quickly took out his phone from his pocket and called Ryan, her husband, and his childhood friend, who was in Australia, for a business meeting, informing him about the news. Six hours and forty-five minutes later, his sister was still in labor, and his dad was still in a coma. Ryan was already waiting along with him, praying for a miracle. Soon, the door to the labor room opened, and out came Mr. Philips. "She has delivered a bouncing baby boy; we had to do C.S. since she couldn't push." As soon as he said that, Peter ran toward the labor room but was stopped by the doctor. "She's resting now; everything was successful; just give her time." He advised, patted his back, and left. "Thank God!" He sighed. Ryan came to him and hugged him. "I'm a father! I'm a father!" An hour later, he was seated on a chair in the room Michelle was admitted to. He stared at the beautiful baby in his arms and smiled. "He's so beautiful," he muttered as he held the baby's soft hands. "You're so beautiful!" He heard Ryan's voice as he held Michelle's hand, kissing her fingers with love in his eyes. "I love you." "I love you too," Michelle confessed with a weak smile on her face. Her mind was not really at rest. "Everything will be alright, babe. Everything." Ryan assured her, and she nodded, believing him. Seventy-six hours later, they were inside his dad's hospital room, seated. He was awake. Everyone was happy, including Michelle, who had a wide smile on her face. Their dad was also happy as he held the baby in his arms, blessing him. Satisfied, his dad looked at him and asked: "Michael, when will I be expecting yours?" "Dad, let's not talk about this now. I want you to focus on recovering." He advised, intending to change the subject, but his dad was adamant. "I've already gotten a wife for you." His dad stated: "What?! Dad!" He exclaimed, which made his dad cough. He ran to his dad's side and gave him water. His dad drank it and stared at him with sad eyes while Peter collected the baby from their father. "Her name is Ashley, the only child of Mr. Blacks, owner of Millennium Inc., which ran bankrupt. She's well-mannered, and I'm sure she's going to be a good wife, I assure you." "Dad, I'm just twenty-four." "Just twenty-four but reckless, how many times have I caught you with a woman on your bed? How many times, Michael, do you tell me?" "Dad, that's my private life; let's talk about another thing." "Can't you see Ryan? He's your friend, yet he's married already and has a son." His dad praised him, and he stared at Peter, who had a smirk on his face. "Yes, dad, he's married because he has been dating Michelle since high school; he met the love of his life at a very young age; and besides, don't forget that he's two years older than I am; he's Michelle's agemate. I'm still too young, and I haven't found anyone yet." "That's why I found one for you; see, Michael, I don't have much time left, so I want to see you settled. I don't want to die knowing my son is irresponsible." "Dad! You won't die; stop saying that! And besides, I'm responsible. Once I'm through with my schooling, I'll officially take over the company, you know?" "You know that's not what I mean." His dad stared at him, daring him to object. He stared at Michelle with pleading eyes, begging her to talk to their dad for him. "Listen to dad!" She said. "Don't argue, and just listen to him; accept everything he's saying." He looked away from her, knowing fully well that she was not on his side. "Listen to me, son—" His dad coughed uncontrollably. "Listen to me." "Dad, don't bother; I'll see to it he marries her, so don't worry." Michelle assured their dad. "Yes, sir, please." Ryan also. "Thank you, my child—" He coughed more and more until blood gushed out of the old man's mouth before he passed out. "Dad! Dad!" They all screamed, begging him to open his eyes. Several attempts to wake their dad almost proved abortive, and it was then Michael realized he had to stop his Cassanovic characters and take up the responsibilities he'd been avoiding. "Fine, I'll marry her dad. Please wake up." He pleaded as tears flowed out of his eyes.CHAPTER FIVE The agreement had been made. The contract had been signed. The wedding was over. The young couple made their way to their matrimonial home after the reception. The drive to the house was peaceful and quiet, except for the noise created as Michael rapidly typed on his iPad. He didn't utter a word, and neither did she. The drive lasted for about thirty-three minutes—the longest thirty-three minutes that Ashley could ever imagine. The couple arrived at the mansion, and the golden gate was opened by the gatekeeper. As the driver pulled in, she could see the mansion and how magnificent it looked. Then, she stepped out of the car. She made her way to the front door, amazed at the sight before her. She noticed the intricate gold molding on the pillars flanking the front door. The glittering color was the perfect accent against the beige building, adding an imperial flair to the neo-classical-style mansion. "This is... beautiful!" she gawked, utterly and shamelessly amaze
CHAPTER SIX Ashley Black rose from her bed in her matrimonial home. She checked her table clock in her elegantly designed room and realized that if she didn't start dressing up, she would definitely be late for school. Though she was married, she was still very much a student. She ran towards the bathroom and completed her morning routine. By the time she was done, she had quickly dressed up, and soon she was ready to go to school. She walked down the stairs and stopped when she saw him. Her husband, Michael, was already seated on the dining chair, eating his breakfast, which consisted of tea and three slices of bread with scrambled eggs. She saw that hers was also ready. She made her way to the dining room. "Good morning," she greeted Michael, sitting on the chair beside him and only doing as much as greeting him. "Morning, how was your night?" Michael asked her. "My night?" She scoffed. "It was terrific!" she replied, even though she could clearly remember what she had witness
Chapter Seven The class came to an end. Ashley and her friend, Suzy, found their way out of the hall and headed towards the lagoon front to rest, as their second class for the day would begin two hours later. "So, married woman," Suzy teased her. "Stop it, babe," Ashley cautioned, but she smiled faintly. They had patched things up after Ashley apologized for yelling at Suzy and accusing her of betrayal. It felt good to be on good terms again. "Can't I tease my friend anymore?" Suzy nudged her lightly. "You can, but it’s not even like I married for love. If it wasn’t for my dad, I wouldn’t have married at all," Ashley sighed. "What do you mean? But your husband is so handsome," Suzy said, sounding puzzled. "A husband I know nothing about." "Then why don’t you try getting to know him? If I had a husband that fine, I’d... well, you know," Suzy grinned, her playful nature shining through. Ashley shook her head. "It’s not that simple. Besides, I have my doubts. I think Michael is
CHAPTER EIGHT Michael was a bit scared that Ashley and her friend had caught him; he knew they passed him by, but he wasn't sure they caught him, because if they had, they could have at least said something. He had to make sure they didn't catch him, so he went to where they were seated to confirm. "Ashley," he called. "Yes, how can I help you?" "I... I need to speak with you for a moment." "You're free to do so." "Privately. I need to speak with you privately." "Whatever you have to say, you can say it right here. With Suzy present." "Please, just this once. Please." "What do you want to say to me, Michael?" Ashley asked him. "When did you arrive here?" "Not quite long. Why? Oh! If it's about the lady that was on your lap, I saw it." Ashley dropped the bomb, which made Michael instantly nervous. "You... you saw the lady? Ashley, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to." "You didn't mean to what?" Ashley interrupted him. "You didn't mean to kiss her? Or you didn't mean to cheat? Wh
CHAPTER 9 The sky was dull. It looked like it was going to rain that morning as Ashley made her way to her early morning class. She contemplated going back to her hostel to get her umbrella but threw the thought out of her head since she was already a quarter of the way to the lecture venue. She didn’t take a cab because she felt she needed to exercise, not knowing it would likely rain. She heard the honk of a car and ignored it as she kept moving until she heard it again. She directed her gaze towards the series of cars passing by. A white Range Rover honked, this time louder. The window rolled down, revealing Justice, one of the hottest guys on campus. “Ashley!” Justice called out, waving at her with a broad smile. Ashley waved back, quite surprised that he knew her name. He was one of the hottest guys on campus, so how come he was familiar with her name? “I’ve been trying to get your attention for quite a while now,” he said. “Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought,” she apologized.
CHAPTER 10 The party was in full swing by the time Ashley and Suzy arrived. The music was loud enough to deafen the crowd. Red solo cups littered the large room as boys and girls danced to the popular songs blasting from the speakers. “This party is so on point!” Suzy said as she pushed her way through the crowd. “I know, right?” “So what made you come?” Suzy asked. “What did you say?!” Ashley shouted, struggling to hear over the loud music. “I asked what made you come! I thought you didn't usually attend parties." “Ohh! I was invited personally; Justice invited me!” Ashley replied. “Huh? Justice did? When? How?" Suzy asked, surprised. “Ashley!” shouted Justice as he pushed his way to meet her. He was thrilled that she had decided to come, which meant she had agreed to date him. “Justice!” “You came!” “Yes.” "I'm so grateful." He hugged her intimately. “Wait, what is going on here?" Suzy asked, confused by the special treatment Justice was giving Ashley, which was what sh
CHAPTER 11 "I'm sorry about what happened earlier," Ashley apologized, making Justice chuckle. "This is the seventh time you're saying this, you know?" "I wasn't even aware," she laughed. "He doesn't deserve you. I'm really sorry to say this." "What? Who doesn't deserve me?" Ashley asked, suddenly confused. "Michael," Justice said, directing his gaze to the spot where Michael and another lady were making out. Her heart twisted in pain as she saw the scene before her. It was like he wasn't ready for a change, as this wasn't the first time—nor the second—that she had caught him cheating. "I don't even know what to say anymore..." "I have an idea... you can make him jealous." "How?" "By making out with me," Justice suggested with a smirk. "What?! No. I can't do that. Even though he might be cheating, I can't do that to him." "Why not?" "I... I just don't have the heart to," she replied. "Come on... You don't have to pity him. Okay, let's get out of here." Justice took her h
CHAPTER 12 Ashley was damn confused. If confusion were a person, it would be Ashley. She knew what she wanted to do: go to her parents’ house. She had to confirm what Michael had just told her. Yes, she knew her dad signed some contract, but she couldn't imagine that he didn't even ask what she wanted before signing it. How could she have trusted her dad and left him to do the signing alone without her? He just sold her freedom for a year, just like that, without asking her whether she was okay with it. “Babe, what’s wrong?” Justice asked from the car. “Oh, nothing!” she responded, not wanting Justice to know anything about this. It was extremely embarrassing. She got into the car, faced Justice, and said, “You don’t have to worry, babe.” “I know something is wrong. You can tell me, Ashley.” He persisted. “Umm, it’s… it’s… it’s really embarrassing.” “Is it something I can help with? Does it involve money again?” “Hmm… It’s actually about the contract. I just heard something that