1. Dilemma

I heard the muffled voices from the hallway I furrowed my eyebrows, slightly intrigued by the commotion that was happening, I walked to where the voices came from and saw the maids murmuring, I cleared my throat to stop their gossips and they instantly look at me with wide eyes, shocked to see me standing behind them.

"What's the problem here?" I asked them slightly demanding them for answers. I saw how their face paled, my eyebrows furrowed more when I realized that they will never give me the answers.

"Well, Senorita, Don Marcus, and Senorita Elloisa were arguing earlier and we saw Don Marcus slapped Senorita Elloisa in the face he told Senorita not to meddle with his decisions." Explained Caroline, the head maid of the mansion.

"Where is my mother?" I asked them, they told me that my mother ran to their room. I quickly turned away and walked to their room, I fastened my phase to reach their room. When I got near their door I can hear my Mother's sobs, I knocked three times before opening the door. 

"What happened, Mother?" I asked her as I quickly walk near her, she is now sitting on the sofa both palms in her face. 

"Your father got to lose in a bet." She stated as she looked at me, worry in her eyes. I sat beside her and held her hands slowly patting them. 

"Why? And who did he played the bet with?" I questioned her slightly annoyed as I saw her cheek, it was slightly red the slap must be that much. "How dare father hurt you!" I added, I caress her cheek. I gritted my teeth and lower my gaze. I can't believe my father slapped her just because she told him to stop what he's doing.

"He lost a bet with Corro, you know how powerful they are Hija. I told your father to stop and just give up but he doesn't want to back down and now he bets our company as collateral to the bet he made with Corro." Mother said. I can sense her worry but my father is stubborn that he would rather lose everything than back down and accept defeat. 

"Father is making this stupid bet a lead to our downfall and loses of assets," I said, angry by his decisions I then look at my mother who is now staring at the floor probably thinking of how she could stop him from losing more assets, I sighed and tap my mother's shoulder she then looks at me tears still visible in her eyes and it saddened me every time that how she protected the empire with her blood and tears just to make it this far and successful. 

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you, Hija but you know I don't want to worry you and I am still trying to figure ways to keep up with our losses," She said, a faint smile plastered in her face as she caresses my hair, stroking it gently.

As the Heir to our empire, I am responsible and willing to help my mother in more than ways I can but she doesn't want me to take on the responsibility yet.

"Mother, just let me please help you," I pleaded, but she just smiled and shook her head. I know she wouldn't let me suffer but I can't just sit here and do nothing. My good-for-nothing father is now making everything straight into the chaotic state and if I will not step in everything our ancestors and my mother worked hard for will be gone for good this time.

"You can't Roana, not yet," She said, it sounds final and I won't win with her even if I argue of helping her. 

"I can't just sit here and watch you mother," I said as I held her hands still trying to push my luck but she never answered me. I sighed, when will I help her? I can't just watch my father destroys everything. One week passed and everything has changed, it was never good and it got worst day by day until everything is slowly falling apart, first, the company our ancestors built, my mother's assets, and money.

This doesn't even make sense, everything happened so fast in just a snap of a finger I saw flashes of memories before my eyes that made me open my eyes to every worst scenario I could ever imagine, and starting today tastes likes hell, I can say. 

I witnessed my father got addicted to casinos and other illegal activities, how he recks Alchohol every time he enters the mansion, how I saw him beats my mother, and how I run to stop him from doing it I saw how he spits insults to my mother and how he made a deal to sell me and my mother to Corro, how he got killed in front of me while he was crying begging for his life but I may be cruel to think that it was his fault he got killed.

It's been one day since we got locked in here, my body is aching but I still try to look brave. I saw how my mother was lying on the cold floor as she got molested and abused in front of me, I can't feel everything, even my heart I can't feel it, and wondering if it's still beating. I slowly place my trembling hand in my chest but my fingers seem so numb that I can't feel the beating of my heart, I gasped for air slowly breathing.

My tears flow like a river but I can't seem to name any emotion that I feel right now, I am angry, in pain, and sad. I never imagined it would turn out like this it takes one stupid move to lose everything. I can hear the guards laugh like some lunatics as they molested my mother who is now looking at me, tears in her eyes whispering everything will be okay to me but how? 

I closed my eyes, traumatized by their disgusting laughs and groans as they passed on my mother, on how they enjoyed their turns on abusing my mother. I want to beat them all! I want to shoot them on their heads and hear them beg for their life like how they did to my mother, like how she cried as they laugh in pleasure molesting her.

I gritted my teeth as hearing my mother's faint sobs, probably because she's sore and she is tired from their stupid entertainment. 

"Damn, I had fun! We have to thank Boss for giving us, the Queen of Montenegro's Empire she's a beauty despite her age and her skin is still glowing! Man she is fvckable I would still bang her even if she's old," Said one of Corro's men. Hearing the others agree and laugh at his remarks makes me want to kill them more. 

"But their daughter is hot, though I doubt that she's still a virgin I would bang her if given a chance but she's Boss's property we can't touch her unless Boss allowed us to do so," Said the other men. I opened my eyes and look at my mother, she looks like sleeping but I can't see her breathing! I panicked and quickly trying to get away from the chains tied to my hands.

"Mother! Wake up! Please, wake up!" I shouted, the men looked at me and then at my mother's body lying on the ground. I can hear their curses as they check her pulse.

"Fuck! She's not breathing! Boss will kill us!" One of the men said as she pumped my mother's chest trying to save her.

"I'll make you pay! Bastards! You killed my mother!" I shouted swearing at them, still trying to get away from the chains. I cried as I saw her there lifeless and pale. 

"I'll make you pay!" I shouted, one of Corro's men walk near me holding a piece of sack bag when he got in front of me he quickly put the sack bag into my head. I panted from crying as I feel my eyelids slowing closing.

I woke up from the sound of gunshots and voices of people begging for something, a few seconds later I can hear some rummaging footsteps walking in and out of the basement and someone's footsteps walking near me. 

I adjusted my sight from light as that someone removes the sack bag in my head. I can hear him cursing at something. I slowly opened my eyes as I finally adjust my eyes to the light.

"Are you alright?" I heard the person asked, I can't speak because of my dried throat since Corro's men didn't even bother giving us something to eat or drink since we got here. 

I swallowed hard, trying to put moisture on my throat. "I-i'm fine, my mom. I want my mom." I finally said I saw how his eyes darkened with anger as he looked at me. 

"I'm sorry for my men, I already killed them, stupid people who can't stop their libidos," He said, I supposed this is Corro I thought he was an old hag, ugly and dirty but I am wrong judging from the looks he is around the early thirties. 

He sighed and got the keys from his pocket he then slowly unlocked the chain from my hands then slowly carries me somewhere I just watched him as he seriously walks to the upper part of the mansion then walks into one of the rooms, he opened the door and, he slowly puts me on the bed.

"I'm sorry for how my men treated you and your Mom, that was not what I instructed them to do but those stupid bastards can't even understand simple instructions." He apologizes as he sat on the edge of the bed, he palmed his hair and sighed.

I heard a knock on the door then a woman walk in with a glass of water and food on the tray she was carrying she then slowly puts the tray on the table and bowed her head before leaving the room.

"Who are you?" I managed to ask him despite my throat is being dry from lack of water. 

"I'm Corro Galvez," He answered. I look at him trying to figure out if he was just lying or something more. He stands up and walks to the table then he gets the glass of water after he walks back to the side of the bed then handed me the glass of water. I just stared at his hands and back to his face, he must have figured out that I was hesitant to drink the water he sighed and took a couple of sips at the water before handing it back to me.

"Don't worry, this has no poison," He said, trying to convince me I then slowly get the glass of water from his hands, my hands are slightly shaking. I tried to control my nervousness as I slowly drink the water.

"Thank you," I said, I lowered my gaze still holding the glass of water as my life depends on it. I then remembered what happened earlier, we were held in the basement not too long then after I saw how they enjoyed my mother after beating up and killing my father.

"You know what your father has done to me, Roana?" He asked which made me look at him, his teeth gritted as he puts his hands inside his pocket, he then leaned closer and stared into my eyes.

"Your father betrayed me, He loses to our bet, and he has some nerve to run away when he still owed me billions," He added, I stared at him as my tears slowly drop. 

"But why do you had to involve my mother in this? She has nothing to do with my father's debt!" I bravely said, slightly raising my voice. He chuckled as he stood up straight.

He faced the window, his chuckled died down and he was now serious. 

"You are the payment that your father told me, your mother was just the interest and I have to collect the payment of his debt. I'm a businessman and we had a deal not until he tried to run away," He said. I clenched my fists without any second thought I throw the glass of water at his back but he didn't even flinch an inch, not even a sound of a groan of pain, the glass broken glass scattered on the floor and I gasped as soon as I realized what I did, I play with my fingers nervously.

"Get a rest, I'll lock the door don't even think of jumping off the window you'll die if you do," He warned me then he walks to the door slowly and I heard the click sound of the doorknob.