CHAPTER 2

　　TIME IS PRECIOUS

　　TIARA

　　I froze, speechless, and took a step back so he could finally pass the threshold.?

　　“What do you mean?”?

　　He shook his head, incapable of speaking, and took several deep breaths.?

　　“There’s no more money,” he finally spoke. “It’s all... gone.”?

　　All gone. My mouth went dry. My father was richer than the fucking Rockefeller himself, and now he was telling me he was broke? What made him think I believed him? Suddenly, I burst out laughing frantically and threw myself on the couch. My father followed me with a puzzled look on his face at my reaction. “Tiara, I’m not joking. I sold everything out. Everything. I’m in debt up to my ears.”

　　The shock numbed me.?

　　“You... is it the company or you?”

　　“Both...”

　　“You overdid it? How was that even possible? The corporation should have had enough assets to fund any endeavor, no matter how foolish. Isn’t it?”?

　　“On paper it should be so, in reality it is not so at all”?

　　“What the hell did you do? How did you jeopardize all that money? What happened to the houses, the cars?” I could barely suppress the nerves I had for this man who called himself my father.?

　　“Everything is gone, Tiara…”?

　　The harder I tried to comprehend, the more I got immersed into explanations I didn’t understand. I was never interested in his money, but I was glad he was doing well. That way, my mother didn’t go through any hardships. Now he had lost everything and my mother was so sick that her days were numbered. And he didn’t even have money to buy her a damn prescription.?

　　I sat there in silence on the couch with my face buried in my palms.?

　　“What the hell did you do?” I finally asked, trying to at least figure out where this madness started.

　　“I was already having some problems with the business and thought of setting up another shadow company to take this one over, to shield it, but I failed,”

　　?Again, I got swept up in that uncontrollable laughter, only this time a little more nervous.?

　　“Are you on drugs?” I snapped at him. “What on earth possessed you to do these things? God…”?

　　I couldn’t stand being in the same room with him. This man was not the one I knew. Calculated type of man who wouldn’t jump into a deal without researching everything ten times beforehand if he had to. He’d thrown himself headfirst into it and now he sat broke on my couch asking for help.?

　　If it wasn’t for my mother, I’d have sent him back the way he came.?

　　“Can you help me or not?” His recklessness was disturbing.?

　　“What can I do？How much money are we talking about here?”?

　　The number he said was so huge that even if I filled ten trains with money, I wouldn’t even get close to a quarter of what he had to reimburse to save the company. “Is this for real?” I asked, dumbfounded, still praying that this would be a stupid joke. “What the hell is wrong with you? He dropped his head, and I realized he would not talk about it anymore. “Ok, can’t you and your skilled men declare bankruptcy? It is the only way…” I touched something there with my comment. He raised his eyes and looked at me in a way he hadn’t in years. I realized I had missed that gaze.?

　　“Because this company is my life, Tiara.” I winced at the sound of my name, so pleading. “I can still fix it; I know I can. But I just need enough cash to do it. And I could do some business and get it, but...” He drifted off a little. “Your mom was supposed to start chemo last week as soon as we found out. Time is precious. But I can’t afford it. It’s due time for all my bills, and I dropped my insurance a few months ago to get some more cash out...”

　　“Time is precious after treating your money as the most precious treat from heaven？ This is why you are punished by the money you have.” I fighted for myself when I was begging for a little family bonding time. I knew it wasn’t the time for scolding, but I couldn’t help myself.?

　　“You are so wrong here, Tiara”?

　　“Am I? Then prove me wrong! More than that, bring my mother here and I promise to disappear from your life. You can do what you want with your money and your business. Just bring mom and I’ll take care of the rest.”?

　　Even though I was blunt in my speech, there was no other solution. I was not about to leave her in the hands of an uncaring man for whom what mattered was how to get his empire out of the hole it had fallen into.?

　　“No, Tiara, you misunderstood everything,” my father said, getting up off the couch. He started pacing the living room like he was in his house. A bit of his self-confidence returned, but under the circumstances, it infuriated me to the core.?

　　“Did I? Oh please, be serious! You don’t even have money to support yourself. I don’t want my mother to suffer.”?

　　?“She won’t. She will have the best care in the best London Oncology Hospital. I can promise you that. All I need is your help, that’s it!” he insisted again with this help thing, and it was really getting on my nerves. I was questioning his ability to save the company. He had no way of doing it.

　　He insisted“I have a plan. One that will work. I am sure of that. I have a sponsor, one that believes in my vision. But I need his help and his money”?

　　Now dad was talking nonsense. Who am I trying to fool? I didn’t have the money to buy a loaf of bread, let alone pay for my mother’s treatment. But that’s not what mattered. What matters is a matter of life and death.

　　“Who exactly are you talking about?” I asked curiously.

　　“Vincent Baker.”?

　　His name sent shivers of panic throughout my body.

　　“You can’t be serious...” I said half-heartedly.

　　“I’m dead serious. But there is a catch”?

　　“A catch? Why am I not surprised? What is it? What does he want?”

　　“You have to marry him!”?