Chapter two

Camelia POV

“Are you Mrs. Camelia?” One of the men on black suits asked me. I shook my head trying to process the chaos before me. "No, I'm not..." I stammered, wincing as the pain from the slap radiated through my cheek. Remembering that I'd just been divorced, I corrected myself. "I'm Camelia.”

'"Father, what's going on? What collateral are you talking about? And who are these men?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.

“What do you mean by you're not Mrs Camelia”? He shunned at me, avoiding my questions. I felt a sting of shame but there was no need to hide it. “Brady divorced me” I broke the news, holding back my tears not to show any weakness.

"Divorce??" He screamed.

“You went against my advice and married that wretched being and now he has divorced you!"

“I'm sure you took out that loan for him, using my house as collateral”! He spat.

“Father,” I muttered as my heart dropped. I wasn't expecting him to sympathise with me but at least he should have asked what happened.

“You can be useless alone!, but you won't drag me and your sister into your foolishness”, he added.

“What loan?” I asked dumbfounded by my father's words and accusations.

“You would know very soon,” he said, turning to the men in suits who have been watching our family vendetta.

“This is the person you've been waiting for”. “You can do whatever you want with her”, he said, handing me over like a possession. “Make sure she pays back every dime she has collected,” he added, and “I sever any tie I have with you, until you pay back that money!”

“Are you disowning me, Father?” I asked him with my voice shaking.

“Don't call me that” he yelled, sending shivers down my spine.

“How can you do this?” I pleaded, my voice cracking. “Without even listening to my side of the story? Without even trying to understand?”

"I don't want to hear your lame excuses!’ He growled. “I'm glad your mother isn't alive to see the shame you've brought upon our family” he said, turning his back at me.

The men in suits stepped forward, their eyes cold and unyielding. "Enter into this car!" one of them demanded showing me a way into a tinted luxurious car.

I dug my heels into the ground, refusing to budge. "I'm not going anywhere!" I spat, trying to shake off the men in suits who attempted to drag me towards the car. But I couldn't shake them off, they were too strong. They grabbed me, one on each arm, and pulled me inside the vehicle. I kicked and struggled, but they held me firm.

"What's going on?" I demanded, my voice hoarse with fear and confusion. "Nobody's explaining anything!". But nobody gave me a reply.

To my greatest surprise My father and Lily stood on the sidewalk, watching the scene unfold without doing anything . For a moment, I forgot about the divorce, the betrayal, and the heartbreak. All I could think about was the fact that my own family was abandoning me as the car screeched away from the curb, leaving my father and Lily in a cloud of dust. I sobbed uncontrollably, my body shaking with rage and fear.

"What is this all about?" I screamed at the men, but they just stared straight ahead. I tried to open the door, to make a desperate bid for freedom, but one of the men grabbed my hand and pulled it back. His grip was like a vice, and I cried out in pain.

The car sped through the streets until it finally came to a stop in front of a building. The men dragged me out, their hands still gripping my arms like steel cuffs.

I stumbled, my legs weak,as they finally freed my hands, I looked up at the building and the name read CHARLIE'S MORTGAGE & INVESTMENT.

"What do you want from me?" I spat, my voice echoing off the walls.

But there was no answer. Just the sound of the car driving away.

As they propelled me to move into the building, a message popped on my phone, I looked at the screen and it was Brady. I unlocked my phone with my heart racing in anticipation.

"I'm sure you didn't see that coming, Camelia," the message read.

My hands shook as I quickly opened the next message. It was a picture of a loan agreement, and my signature stared back at me like a betrayal.

"No, no, no," I whispered, my mind reeling with horror. And then, the final blow came: "Enjoy your time paying off the loan." The message was followed by a blocked notification.

It hit me like a ton of bricks: Brady had tricked me into collecting a loan. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. I wanted to scream, to rage against the world, but we were already inside the building.

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself, but my mind was still reeling. “How could he do this to me?”.

********

“Here she is,” one of the men said to a fat, round man lounged in his chair, a smile spread across his face. "Is she the one we've been looking for?" he asked, standing up from the chair.

"Yes, sir," the man who had dragged me in replied, pushing me forward like a prisoner.

The round man's eyes lit up with excitement as he took a few steps towards me. "Young lady," he said, his voice low and menacing. "Do you have my money?"

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest. I know exactly what is happening, and I know I was in grave danger. The round man's face turned red with rage. "Are you deaf?" he thundered, slamming his fist on the table, making me jump.

"Do you have my money?" He barked.

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "N-no, sir," I stuttered, my body shaking like a leaf. "Not yet, sir."

His eyes flashed. "Not yet?" he repeated, his voice dripping with venom. "Do you know what I don't joke with?"

I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the floor.

"My money," he spat, "and my business.” A voice chorused from the back.

“Uncle Charlie” the voice called out letting out a sarcastic laugh. What's funny? He asked, turning to the man.

A young man stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I've told you to leave this line of business," he said.

"But you've refused. Do you have fun pestering people for your money?" He laughed again.

As the drama unfolded, I caught myself stealing glances at the young man's chiseled features, his well-trimmed beard, and his luxurious outfit. He was hot, and I couldn't deny the flutter in my chest.

“Camelia what are you thinking about?” I asked myself, jolting myself back to reality. I had to stay focused if I wanted to survive.

"It's fun seeing people make hasty decisions when they're in need," he sneered, "and then they're in a dilemma when it's time to pay back" he added, giving me a long stare.

"Stop standing there and sit!," he barked at me, pointing to a couch at the corner of the room. I sluggishly made my way over to the couch, my legs heavy with shame.

The fat, round man turned to him, his voice booming across the room, "Henry, what brings you here today?"

“You're yet to go through the documents I sent to your mail, Uncle Charlie," he said, his eyes locked onto the older man's.

"Father said I should seek your approval before releasing money for the building materials of the new shopping mall," Henry added.

“Ooh… that? Come into the office, let's talk” he said, leading Henry to the office. Henry’s eye lingered on me for a moment before he turned to follow his uncle.

“But what's her story”? He whispered to him as they moved away. "Why are you interested in knowing her story?" His Uncle shunned back at him. "Let's focus on the task at hand," he added.

“How's Lydia?” He chirped in diverting Henry’s attention from my situation and their voices faded as they entered the office.

*****

I took out my phone to call Brady again as I awaited my fate, but his number did not go through, a reminder that he has blocked me, I glanced around the unfamiliar environment and some group of men were at the end of the room stacking cash into a briefcase, while people bustled in and out of the room.

"How did I land myself in an unknown debt? I thought as chills went down my spine and how was I supposed to pay it off? I don't even have a job!

Just then the office door creaked open and uncle Charlie's voice drifted out. "Are you sure about this, Henry?".

"I have never been so sure in my life" he responded as the door closed behind them.

"That was a fast meeting" I muttered to myself, dabbing my tears with a crumpled tissue as my heart dropped, reminding me that we have to continue from where we left off.

But strangely, he walked away leaving me with Mr. Henry, before I could process what was happening, Mr Henry's voice cut through the silence sending chills down my spine.

“Marry me and I'll clear your debt”.

I swallowed hard to find my voice. "What?" I asked my voice barely above a whisper. "Are... you talking to me" I stuttered as I stood up from the couch where I was sitting.

But he took a step forward covering the gap between us.

"You heard me correctly, Camelia".

"Marry me, Camelia, and I'll clear your debt."