Chapter Thirteen

The Deadly Ultimatum 

Maria's POV

  I sat down slowly on my chair and tried to process what happened.

  “What the hell was that?” I asked myself softly. “Are you certain that this is the kind of life you want to sign up for? You haven't spent a dime from the investment Sebastian sent. You can still send it back.”

  I picked up my phone to call Sebastian but then I shook my head defiantly and dropped the phone. “I am not some cowering little girl those people think that they can bully to do their selfish bidding. I will see this through to the end and I will prevail.”

  Shrugging the incident with Sebastian's father off, I focused on disseminating the proceedings of the investment.

  Soon, my Executive Assistant came back with news. “Every instruction has been carried out, Ms. Belluci and as expected, the news has caused an excited ripple to flow in our company today.”

  “Good! Schedule a meeting with our top executives in two hours. When you are done, put a call through to our tech vendor. We need automations to improve efficiency.” I instructed and watched Carrie scribble fiercely on her tab.

  “Is that all, ma'am?”

  “Schedule a meeting with our researchers and developers after the meeting with the senior executives. Well, that will be all for now. We, that is you and I, will have our meeting towards the close of work hours so that we can plan and schedule the proceedings of the next few weeks. It will be filled with lots of scheduling, meetings, and executions. That will be all for now, Carrie, thank you.”

  She nodded and started for the door then paused and said. “Uhmm. you have a guest, Miss Belucci.”

  “Another guest? Who is it this time? And why was I not notified till the guest is at my door.” I asked tilting my head.

  “He isn’t exactly at your door, ma’am. He is in the waiting lounge.”

  “Who is the guest?” I asked impatiently.

  “It’s your father, ma’am,” Carrie replied carefully, fully aware of my relationship with my father.

  “What?! Where the hell is Chloe? Does she want to lose her job today?”

  “Chloe sent a message a few minutes ago, ma’am. It’s here in your message box integrated into mine. She indicated that she would step out shortly to get lunch for you.”

  “Okay, I can understand that. Get security to take him out.”

  At that point, my father entered my office because Carrie stood close to the door so it was half-open.

  “Maria, please, I just need a few minutes to talk.”

  I almost screamed my frustrations out but I held myself and grabbed my table hard. Carrie rushed out of the room to call security.

  She looked one look at me and didn’t need to be told twice.

  My father came closer with pacifying arms spread out but I stopped him mid-step with a threatening forefinger and said, “If you don’t get out of this building and stop harassing me, I will do something you will regret. You will regret it! You will!”

  Carrie and the security guards rushed into the office and I nodded my head in approval. “Good! Security is here.” then I turned and faced my father. “You have two options right now; you either get yourself out of this office peacefully or security will bundle you like a nuisance and throw you out. Choose now. You have three seconds.”

  He raised his hands in a desperate attempt to pass his message across. “Maria, listen to me! Listen to me! I only want….”

  His next words were swallowed by a loud shout, then he clutched his chest and bent forward and soon fell to his knees with loud exclamations of pain.

  “What is this? What is going on?” I asked no one in particular.

  One of the guards rushed towards him and caught him before he crashed to the floor. “A heart attack, Miss Belucci. He has a heart attack.”

  “Heart Attack? Carrie, dial the emergency code.”

  The guard kneeled close to my father, talking softly to him while loosening his tie and shirt collar to help him breathe better but soon the guard started shouting. “We’re losing him! Stay with me, sir.”

  My father fell to the floor but landed softly with the aid of the guard and I ran forward in panic. “What’s going on?”

  “He needs CPR.” The guard mentioned and positioned my father properly on the floor, ready to administer CPR to him.

  The guard bent forward but then my motion sensor door slid open and medical personnel rushed in.

  “Thank God!” I breathed out in relief. I didn’t want him dying in my office. My stepmother will use that to hunt me for the rest of my existence.

  They quickly administered an automated external defibrillator to him, placed him on a stretcher, and rushed him out of the building.

  I quickly carried my handbag and followed after them.

  On my way, I turned to Carrie. “Please reschedule the meetings I will have for the next three hours. I will give you feedback when I get to the hospital.”

  The medical personnel placed my father in an ambulance and drove out of my office building quickly because his life balance was very fragile.

  “Maria! Maria! What’s going on?” Sebastian asked me and I looked at him in surprise.

  “Sebastian? What are you doing here?”

  “Were you about to follow that ambulance? Who is in it? Come, enter my car so that I will take you there instead.”

  I didn’t even need to think twice since his car was ready to go but I would have to reverse before driving my car out of the parking lot.

  We sat in the backseat of Sebastian’s car with his driver in the front seat, driving us to the hospital.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked Sebastian calmly.

  “My father called me and started ranting about smart-mouthed women whom he would soon put in their place, and I knew that he had an altercation with you. I have never heard him so angry so I called you but you didn’t pick up your call so I decided to come check if you were okay, only to meet this.”

  I checked my phone as he talked and indeed there were missed calls from him.

  “What happened with my father? Who is in that ambulance?”

  “Your father came to my office this morning to warn me off but I told him to talk to you instead. I didn’t propose marriage to you; you did to me. After that, my father came to my office but then he had a heart attack and now we are taking him to the hospital.”

  All of these happened today? Does this mean that you’ve spent the day fighting unnecessary battles?”

  “You can see how eventful my day had been. I am now a celebrity and everybody wants to see me. My stepfamily, my father, your father. It must be a lucky year for me.”

  He sighed and took my hand in his, then squeezed it in encouragement.

  I slowly took my hands from his and looked out the window but he understood the gesture.