Chapter 3 - Homeless heiress

Megan nearly dropped her phone the moment she heard Zachary's deep, authoritative voice on the other end of the line.

"So," he said coolly, "you finally decided to answer my calls."

Her eyes widened, and her jaw nearly dropped as yesterday's disastrous encounter came flooding back. Then reality hit her even harder.

She didn't have a single peso to her name.

Her parents had frozen all of her bank accounts and cut off every financial resource she had. For the first time in her life, Megan Damian—the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the country—was completely broke.

A wave of panic washed over her.

"H-Hello, Mr. Wright," she greeted weakly, forcing a smile he couldn't possibly see. "G-Good morning."

"I don't think it's a good morning," Zachary replied in an even, unhurried tone. "You still owe me two hundred fifty thousand pesos."

Megan instinctively tightened her grip on the phone.

"I... I know."

There was a brief silence before his calm voice broke it again.

"So," he said, "when do you intend to pay me back?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

Panic consumed her as countless excuses flashed through her mind, each one sounding worse than the last.

"H-Hmm... I..." she mumbled, desperately trying to buy herself a few more seconds.

Then, suddenly, an idea struck her.

She pulled the phone slightly away from her ear and began her little performance.

"H-Hello? Mr. Wright?" she said loudly. "I... can't hear you... the signal is really ba—"

Beep.

Without giving him a chance to respond, she immediately ended the call.

Silence filled the room.

Megan stared blankly at the dark screen of her phone, her heart pounding so hard it felt as though it would burst from her chest.

"I can't believe I actually did that," she whispered.

She let out a shaky sigh before burying her face in her hands.

"Maybe he'll think the call really got disconnected..."

She clung to that tiny hope for all of three seconds.

Then her phone vibrated again.

The screen lit up with two words that instantly made her blood run cold.

Zachary Wright Calling...

"Oh no."

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"He didn't believe it."

Panic flashed across Megan's face.

Without a second thought, she pressed the power button and turned off her phone.

The screen went black.

She let out a long sigh of relief, clutching the lifeless device against her chest as though it had just saved her life.

"There," she murmured. "Problem solved."

At least, that's what she wanted to believe.

Surely, if her phone was off, Zachary Wright wouldn't be able to reach her.

She nodded to herself, convincing herself that she had successfully escaped his relentless pursuit.

Little did Megan know, she had only made things worse.

Zachary Wright was not the kind of man who accepted being ignored.

If he couldn't reach her through a phone call... He would simply find her in person.

Dressed in a branded fuchsia sleeveless top paired with a light pink, flowy silk skirt, Megan stepped out of her bedroom, her camel-colored sling bag hanging elegantly over one shoulder.

She gracefully descended the grand staircase, her curly ash-blonde hair bouncing with every step. A few loose strands drifted across her face, and she absentmindedly tucked them behind her ear, revealing her delicate features.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she flashed a bright smile.

"Good morning, Mom," she greeted warmly.

Her mother returned the smile, but before she could respond, Megan felt a pair of piercing eyes fixed on her.

Her father, who had been quietly reading a stack of documents in the living room, slowly lowered the papers onto the table. His expression darkened as he rose to his feet.

"What problem have you gotten yourself into this time?" he demanded, his voice stern and edged with disappointment.

Megan froze in place.

The smile on her face vanished instantly.

A knot formed in her stomach as she realized her father already knew something had happened.

"How does he know?" Megan wondered, her heart skipping a beat.

She quickly shook the thought away.

No... He can't possibly know, she reassured herself. How would he even find out?

"I... I don't know what you're talking about, Dad," she replied, though the slight tremble in her voice betrayed her.

Her father's expression hardened.

"You don't know?" he repeated, his voice rising. "Have you already forgotten that you borrowed money from a man you had just bumped into yesterday?"

Megan stood speechless.

"We didn't raise you to deceive other people," her father continued sternly. "If you borrowed money, then you repay it. I don't care how you do it, but you will return every single peso to Mr. Wright."

Megan's eyes widened in disbelief.

How does he know about Zachary?

Before she could ask, her father answered the question she hadn't spoken aloud.

"This morning, Zachary Wright personally called me."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"He said you turned off your phone after pretending the call had dropped." Her father let out a disappointed sigh. "Did you really think someone like him would simply let it go?"

Megan lowered her head, unable to meet her father's gaze.

She had thought switching off her phone would buy her some time.

Instead...

It had only made Zachary Wright go straight to her father.

"Answer me!" her father thundered, his voice echoing throughout the house.

Megan flinched.

The guilt she had been trying to suppress finally caught up with her. Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill.

"It... it was all because of you!" she cried, her voice breaking. "If you hadn't left me penniless, I wouldn't have gotten into this situation in the first place!"

For a brief moment, silence filled the room.

Her father stared at her, his expression unreadable before it hardened once more.

"So now you're blaming me for your own mistakes?" he asked coldly. "You're the one who chose to borrow money from a complete stranger."

Megan clenched her fists but said nothing.

"I cut off your money because I wanted you to learn the value of it," he continued. "If you had ever worked for every single peso you spent, you wouldn't be standing here making excuses."

His words struck her harder than she wanted to admit.

Megan bit her lower lip, refusing to let him see how much they hurt. Without another word, she turned around and headed for the front door.

Just as her hand reached the doorknob, her father's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Then get out."

Megan froze.

"If you refuse to take responsibility for your actions, then get out of this house." His voice was calm now, but every word carried unmistakable weight. "I don't want to see a daughter who refuses to learn from her mistakes."

A tear slipped down Megan's cheek. Slowly, she tightened her grip on the doorknob.

The front door closed behind her with a soft click.

Megan stood frozen on the front porch, her suitcase resting beside her. She stared at the house she had always called home, hoping—just for a moment—that someone would open the door and tell her it was all said in anger.

No one came.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she dragged her suitcase toward the main road. The afternoon sun beat down on her, but she barely noticed. She had no money, no phone, and nowhere to go.

After walking for what felt like hours, exhaustion finally got the better of her.

She sat down on the edge of the roadside curb, wrapping her arms around her knees while her suitcase stood silently beside her. Passing cars came and went, but none of them slowed.

For the first time in twenty-four years...

Megan Damian was truly alone.

A tear escaped the corner of her eye as she whispered, "What am I supposed to do now?"

Just then, the sound of an expensive engine broke the silence.

A sleek black Rolls-Royce Phantom came to a smooth stop directly in front of her.

Megan slowly lifted her head, shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

The rear passenger door opened.

A pair of polished black leather shoes stepped onto the pavement.

Then came a familiar deep, commanding voice.

"I've been looking for you."

Megan's eyes widened.

Her heart nearly stopped as Zachary Wright straightened his tailored suit and looked down at her with an unreadable expression.

"So..." he said, slipping one hand into his pocket. "Are you finally ready to pay your debt?"

Megan could only stare at him, unable to utter a single word.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Zachary's lips. "Or," he continued, "shall I make you another offer?"