Chapter 5

REGRET

The Wilson Mansion

“What have I done?” Mr. Wilson muttered as he paced anxiously in his office, sipping whisky from a glass.

“How could I have been foolish enough to marry off my daughter to that ruthless man? What has he done to her? Why was she in the hospital, and why won't he let anyone see her?” A torrent of questions flooded his mind, but no one was there to provide answers. He lacked the courage to confront Don Carlo; the man was capable of crushing him without a second thought.

“But Kristen…” The image of her face haunted him. He remembered the encounter at the hospital when their eyes met, it was filled with so much hatred. Would she ever forgive him?

“That manipulative woman,” he grumbled in frustration. He had loved Carolina so deeply that he followed her every word without question, and now he had lost his beloved daughter—the little girl his wife, Christiana, had entrusted to him on her deathbed.

“Promise you'll love and take care of our baby girl when I’m gone,” Christiana pleaded, her voice trembling as she clutched his hand in the hospital.

“You’re not going anywhere, Chrissy,” he sobbed, holding her hand tightly.

“Just promise me you’ll do that,” she insisted.

“I promise. You know I love her as much as I love you, Chrissy. I can’t bear the thought of losing either of you,” Wilson replied, tears streaming down his face as he gently lifted her hands to his cheeks.

“You’ll be fine, my love. You two will have each other,” she said, smiling faintly as she kissed his forehead.

Despite undergoing intense treatment, cancer took Christiana from him far too soon. She left behind their ten-year-old daughter, Kristen.

Years later, Wilson met Carolina, the striking daughter of a wealthy businessman who had been widowed. At first, she seemed sweet, and they connected over their shared traumas.

After a few years of being together, Wilson decided to marry Carolina because he loved her deeply and felt his daughter needed a mother figure. Plus, Carolina had a daughter the same age as Kristen, which seemed like a perfect match at the time. However, as the years rolled on, Carolina began to reveal her true nature.

Carolina turned out to be not only devious and manipulative but also struggled with a gambling addiction. She wasted her father’s wealth and even started gambling with company funds, leading to its eventual bankruptcy.

“I’ll fix this, my love,” Carolina said soothingly, rubbing Wilson’s back in an attempt to calm him down.

“Why on earth would you use company funds for gambling? What were you thinking?” Wilson yelled, frustration boiling over. Yet, deep down, he still held a soft spot for her.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I promise I’ll make it right,” she said, giving him a pitiful look.

“You’d better,” Wilson replied sternly as he stormed off, anger simmering beneath the surface.

Desperate to sort out the financial mess, Carolina took a loan from the casino owned by the ruthless Don Carlo. She was offered far more than she needed, and her greed got the better of her making her accept the offer. She went on a shopping spree and gambled away the excess.

Years passed, and when the time came to repay the loan, they found themselves unable to pay the full amount due to Carolina’s reckless spending. Don Carlo was furious and threatened them with destruction but offered an alternative—marrying her daughter. However, Carolina cunningly manipulates him into agreeing to his daughter instead. Now, Kristen is left to pay for Carolina’s mistakes.

“Manipulative witch!" Wilson shouted, fury taking over as he threw the glass of whiskey from his hand, causing it to crash to the floor in a shower of shards. Downstairs, Carolina heard the shatter and rushed upstairs to see what was happening. She flung the office door open and stepped inside, her concern evident.

"What happened here?" Carolina asked, her voice laced with worry as she surveyed the wreckage.

"What happened here? You happened here, you wicked witch!" Wilson retorted, his anger blazing in his eyes. "You manipulated me into marrying off my daughter to that monster!"

Carolina couldn’t help but laugh at his accusation. "I manipulated you?" she replied incredulously. "No one twisted your arm; you willingly gave up your daughter. You're just a weakling who couldn't stand up for her. Now you want to blame me?"

As harsh as her words were, Wilson knew deep down she was right. It was his failure to protect his daughter that had brought them to this point, and he had no one to blame but himself.

"I curse the day I met you. I regret ever marrying you," he spat, his words dripping with anger and disgust. Yet Carolina remained unfazed; she simply laughed and left the office, leaving the chaos behind her.

Wilson sat lost in thought, contemplating how to mend his relationship with his daughter. Deep down, he knew she might never forgive him, so he resolved to take a step he should have taken long ago. He picked up the phone and called his lawyer.

The lawyer's arrival raised suspicions in Madam Carolina, who decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. "I’ve decided to transfer all my company shares and assets to my daughter Kristen," Wilson said, sitting across from the lawyer in his office.

"If you go through with that, sir, you’ll be leaving your wife and your other daughter with nothing," the lawyer warned, concern evident in his voice.

"She deserves nothing from me! For years, she’s stripped me of everything I hold dear, so I won’t give her a dime," Wilson replied, his anger palpable. "And Sophie? She's not my daughter, so I owe her nothing either."

Carolina, standing by the door, fumed as she overheard his words. "How dare he do this to me after all these years? I can't let that happen," she thought fiercely. Once the lawyer left the house she followed him.

“Follow that car," she instructed her driver