Chapter 16
Sandy gasped, as results about him showed up on her screen.
“Oh my goodness”
He was the first son of the most powerful family in the country, which was also one of the top five most powerful families in the world, a popular politician and presidential aspirant with the highest chances of getting elected.
At that moment, she went through what she would call a rollercoaster of emotions.
Then….. if he wins the election, and she agrees to marry him, that would make her…. the first lady! And she was even carrying his child. She shut her eyes in despair as she thought of a way out of this mess. Her father was dying, she was pregnant for a very powerful man and now, he asked for marriage in exchange for taking care of her father.
The offer was enticing but…. if he were someone else, not so popular and wealthy, she could have considered, but a presidential aspirant? If he won, she would have to shoulder the responsibilities of the president’s wife, which she knew nothing about.
She quickly shut her laptop when she heard knocks on the door.
She went downstairs and opened the door. Layla smiled.
“Welcome back” Sandy said
“You’re okay?” Layla said, entering the house.
“Yeah”
“You look a little pale. Sure you’re fine? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Layla fussed.
“No. I’m fine”
Layla shrugged.
“If you say so” she walked towards the stairs. “I’ll change my clothes and get fix something for dinner, okay?”
Sandy nodded, forcing a smile.
Layla returned minutes, in more comfy clothes.
Sandy entered the kitchen but was forced out by Layla, who insisted on doing it alone.
Sandy sat on the sofa and switched on the TV. She was going to change the channel but halted when Dylan’s face appeared on the screen. She bit her lips, thoughtfully.
She was interrupted again when someone knocked on the door. She stood up to get it. It was Valerie.
She proceeded into the house, asking after Sandy’s health. She took off her work clothes and joined Layla in the kitchen. Something she didn’t do on normal days.
Sandy stood at the entrance of the kitchen, wondering if telling them, at the moment, was the right choice. They were definitely going to freak out. That was a given.
In the end, she decided not to…at least not now.
They all went to bed after dinner.
************
Sun rays seeped into Sandy’s room. She squinted and sat up.
Her phone rang.
Her breath caught as she saw the caller.
She accepted the call.
“Hello mum” she said slowly.
“Dear, did you find anything?” She was clearly agitated.
Sandy heaved wearily. It was just morning, but she had started to feel tired.
“No mum”
“What do we do now? The doctor insists your dad has to go through chemotherapy. It’s too expensive. Where do we get money now?” Leah Cornell’s voice shook.
Sandy’s felt a headache coming. Telling her mum about her pregnancy at this point was a no-no. She might even faint.
“Sandy?” Leah called.
“I’m with you, mum” There was silence on the other end. She was clearly waiting for her to speak.
“I’ll come over”
She said and hung up, without waiting for her mother to reply, and threw her phone on the bed.
She took a shower and wore something casual. She went downstairs and saw only Valerie. Layla was probably not up yet.
“Good morning. You seem to be in a hurry. Where to?”
“I’m off to visit mum” she didn’t tell them about her father’s sickness. “I have to go now”
“Say hello to auntie and uncle for me”
Sandy nodded and left the house.
************
She went by train and entered the city in two hours.
She boarded a taxi to the hospital. She sat beside the window, staring outside, watching as cities flew by. She was an only child and the bread winner of the family. But she had resigned from her previous job as a teacher because the school principal was making advances towards her and was ready to make her life hell if she didn’t comply.
The small restaurant her mother ran was not enough to feed. Then, there was the debt.
They arrived and she paid the fare before alighting. It was an average hospital. She exchanged pleasantries with the front desk and proceeded to her father’s ward. She stopped at the entrance and looked inside. Her mum sat by her father’s side, crying as always.
He was asleep, breathing through oxygen and looked deathly pale.
The door made a sound as she entered which made Mrs Cornell look back.
She stood up immediately and ran towards her daughter. She held her hand.
“You’re here”
Sandy wiped her mum’s tears.
“It will be okay, mum. I find a way, okay?”
Mrs Cornell reluctantly nodded.
“I was waiting for you. Stay with your dad while I go home to make breakfast”
“I’ll go” Sandy said, dropping her bag.
“No. Just stay with him instead”NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
She insisted on going home to make breakfast. For some reason, Sandy felt ill at ease, letting her mum go home alone, but she was stubborn.
Sandy caved in and took the chair beside her father’s bed, waiting for her mother to come back.
“Dad, this is all your fault” she muttered.
After an hour, she received a call from her mother.
“S.. Sandy…. you…” What followed was a loud bang and her mother’s scream.
“Mum! Are you okay? What is happening?” The line went dead. She sprang up, her heart In her throat. She ran out of the hospital and boarded a taxi that stopped right in front of the house.
She walked closer and the first thing she noticed was that the door was broken. Her heart rate sped up even more as she heard the sounds of glass breaking. She slowly walked into the house and gasped at the interior. It didn’t look like a living room anymore. Chairs and tables were overturned. Shards of glass were scattered on the floor.
Her eyes caught her mother, balled up in a far end corner of the living room. Sandy ran towards her and noticed the blood and bruises on her face and body. She had been beaten, and her face was wet with tears. Sandy felt her heart twist in pain.
“Mum” Sandy called, teary-eyed. She looked back when she heard the sound of doors closing.
Her heart skipped beats, as she met the eyes of a rough-looking man. He had a scary scar that trailed from the side of his face to his neck. He had a white golf club in hand.
One after the other, men came out from the room after destroying it, and probably looking for valuables.
They were undeniably the loan sharks that her father borrowed money from.
That all had golf clubs with them.
“Who is this?” One who looked like their leader asked.
“I think she’s the old guy’s daughter. The one who lived in another city”
a young man answered.
“She’s so damn pretty” the leader licked his lips.
“You didn’t have to do this. I pay the money”
That burst into laughter.
“Your father said that too, months ago. Now look where we are” he paused, scrutinizing her.
“But there is a way”
Sandy had a horrible feeling.
“Pay back with your body”