CHAPTER 1

                     SARAH

"Whoa, hold up! Leila, check this out!" My dad's booming voice echoed through the room, catching my mom's attention.

She moved closer, taking the booklet from his grasp, her face etched with confusion. She glanced at him, bewildered.

"When will you ever understand anything, Leila?" He snatched the booklet back and pointed to a section below.

My mom's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!"

"Your son is at it again, up to some shady business," he growled.

Anger flickered in my mom's eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. Meanwhile, I just sat on the couch, engrossed in the movie playing on my phone. Their arguments were a daily occurrence; I had grown immune to them.

"Oh, now he's suddenly my son?"

"You gave birth to him, didn't you?"

"And you put him here, didn't you?" My mom yelled, pointing at her belly.

"These two ancient beings never let me have any peace," I muttered, refusing to be bothered.

Those two bickered and fought all the time, leaving me wondering how they ended up together.

"He's been nothing but trouble to me. I have no idea where he got those traits from," my dad paused, waiting for the weight of his words to sink in.

"Lucas can't possibly be my son! You never told me where you got that idiot from," he yelled in anger.

My mom clenched her fists, well-aware of how troublesome her husband could be. She tried to keep her cool. "You were the one who handed everything to him. I didn't force you," she retorted.

The yelling match continued, shaking the very foundation of our home. Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door, but it didn't deter them from their usual routine.

Frustrated, I pushed myself off the couch and headed towards the door. Twisting the doorknob, I swung the door open and came face-to-face with Raya, my best friend. Her face paled at the sound of my parents' thunderous voices. She stood frozen in front of me, hesitant.

"Well, are you coming in or not?" I leaned against the wall, waiting for her response. But she just stared at me, mouth agape.

"Maybe I should..."

"Just ignore them," I interrupted, gripping her hand tightly and forcefully pulling her inside, slamming the door shut behind us.

The relentless shouting of my parents continued, but I was relieved to have Raya by my side. At least I wouldn't have to endure their constant arguments anymore. Raya felt the need to make her presence known to them, so she moved towards them, yet she seemed invisible, like a ghost.

"Come on, Raya, it's not worth it," I urged, but she remained rooted in her spot. I grabbed her hand, pulling her with me as I rushed upstairs to my room.

Collapsing onto my bed, Raya kicked off her shoes and let out a sigh of relief. "What's the deal with your parents?" she asked.

"You know how they always are. No need to explain," I responded nonchalantly.

"But, Sarah..." Raya began, her voiced drowned out by the commotion downstairs.

The noise became unbearable, even with Raya's presence. I couldn't stand it any longer. I left Raya behind and hurried back down to the living room.

"What's with all this racket?" This time, they heard my voice and fell silent.

"Your brother has done it again," my dad said, sinking onto the sofa. "He has embezzled our business funds and we're going bankrupt. 

I knew my brother often asked for money and sometimes took it without permission, but the idea of going bankrupt sent chills down my spine.

"What business?" I asked, wanting to be sure if I heard well. 

"Don't be stupid, Sarah. What other business do we have?" Mom said.

I could feel my heart racing. Fear gripped me.

"You mean the ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL?" I asked in disbelief.

"We can't afford to lose that hotel. I've worked too damn hard to get it where it is today. But Lucas... I'll tear him apart!" Dad fumed, yelling from the sofa, his fingers clenched in anger.

"What are we going to do now?" My heart pounded as I spoke.

"We need to find help, any way we can," Mom's voice sounded desperate.

There was a brief silence. Who could we turn to for help? There was no one we could rely on.

"Let's ask Anthonio for help!" Mom broke the silence, her words exploding in my ears.

Dad immediately objected. "Anthonio? No, we'll figure something out."

Anthonio was a notorious womanizer known to everyone in town. He believed he could buy anything he wanted with money. He had been married five times and divorced each wife within a year. I was glad Dad disagreed, but Mom didn't stop there.

"How do you plan on getting help, then? Do you know how much Anthonio is worth? I'm sure he wouldn't turn us down," she argued convincingly, and Dad started to consider it.

"You really think he'd help us?"

"Absolutely!" Mom assured him.

"I'm not part of this plan. Dad said we'll find a way, and I know we will. Anthonio is never an option!" I objected.

Raya appeared in the living room, witnessing the situation for herself. Sensing the tension, she thought it best to leave and come back another time.

Mom remained stubborn, and Dad started to see her point.

"Listen, Sarah, we're just going to ask him for help. It's not like we're doing anything illegal. Your mother is right, we have no one else to turn to right now. Anthonio is our only option," Dad said firmly, his words filled with resignation. I felt my hope slip away.

"Fine! Go meet Anthonio for all I care!" I yelled and stormed out.