CHAPTER 4 : THREE DAYS TO SURVIVE

Joyce's uncle Michelle gave Lucas a worried look. "Why don't you thank your grandfather?"

"Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Grandpa! I'll definitely think of my own mistakes!"

Lucas got up from the floor. His face was swollen, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. He looked at Joyce with a cocky smile, patted his pants, and walked away with his chin held high. From his demeanor, he looked like he had won something.

As he passed Fernando, he gave him a cynical look and whispered softly, "Just wait... sooner or later, you'll regret it."

After Lucas left, the old man turned to Fernando. His voice was deep and firm. "If it wasn't for the fact that you're going to divorce Joyce soon, I wouldn't have let you off the hook today. How dare you, a useless son-in-law, meddle in the Nagel family's affairs?"

He snorted loudly, then looked at Joyce.

"Joyce, come here."

Joyce stepped forward and said softly, "Grandpa, I don't want a divorce."

This time, her tone was steady even though her small hands were clenched at her sides. This was the first time she had defied her grandfather.

"If I divorce Fernando, there will be no one to take care of my father."

Ever since the car accident that left Michael paralyzed and turned him into a vegetable vendor, Fernando had been the only one to patiently care for him. Joyce knew that no other man would.

The old man let out a short sigh. "That's easy to take care of. We can hire a nurse."

Then he looked deeper into Joyce's eyes, his voice firm and stressed. "Whatever happens, you must divorce him. Mr. Watson has already met me. As long as you are willing to marry him, he will give you fifty million as a dowry, and lend you one hundred million to save the Nagel Group from the crisis. You know how important that is to the company and to this family. It's also good for you."

Hearing that, the faces of Joyce's uncles and aunts turned envious. If Mr. Watson wanted their daughter, their lives might be secured forever.

Meanwhile, Xiomara, Fernando's mother-in-law, could not hide her excitement. Her eyes flashed with calculation.

"Joyce, fifty million is a lot of money! It's enough to hire a nurse for your father for life. You can use ten million to buy a house for me, two million to buy a car, and the rest I can manage to travel the world. You just need to enjoy your life with Mr. Watson without worrying about me!"

"Mom! I'm not merchandise!" Joyce raised her voice. She looked up at her grandfather, her eyes red. "Grandpa, I don't like Miguel! Please respect my choice! Don't sell me like I'm an object!"

The old man stared at her silently, then slapped the table so hard that everyone fell silent. He stood up straight, his voice trembling with authority.

"Then, I give you three days! In three days, if you can get a hundred million to save the Nagel Group, I won't interfere with your marriage. But if not..." Her gaze was piercing. "...then you must marry Miguel!"

Having said that, the grandfather turned away, leaned on his staff, and left.

"Joyce! What are you thinking?" Xiomara immediately pointed at Joyce's face, her tone full of anger. "You don't want your mother to live comfortably, huh? Fifty million is a lot! Why are you still hesitating?"

She clutched her chest tight with emotion, then turned to Fernando with a hateful gaze.

"This is all your fault! All because of you, you useless man! I'll kill you!"

Xiomara grabbed the tea set on the table and threw it at Fernando like crazy.

Just then, Joyce's sister, Jolla, came home. Seeing that her mother was furious, she immediately joined in without a second thought. She grabbed a fruit from the table and said coldly, "Mom, I'll help. Let's kill the useless one!"

Both of them threw objects at Fernando.

"Enough! Stop breaking things!" Joyce shouted at the top of her lungs, her eyes darting around the house that was now a mess. But no one was listening to her.

Fernando just looked down, covering his head with his arms. He was silent, not fighting back. He was used to it. Three years of marriage in this family, this kind of treatment was nothing new.

"You useless piece of trash! You make me sick!" Xiomara held her hand that was starting to hurt after throwing things. "I'm giving you three days! If you haven't left in three days, I'll kill you myself!"

Jolla snorted sarcastically as he stepped onto the stairs. "I wouldn't mind lending you a knife." Her words were cold, but full of contempt. She then walked away with a firm stride, showing off her graceful slender legs.

Joyce bit her lip, staring at the ruined house. Tears finally fell from her eyes. She covered her face and sobbed.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you..." Fernando said softly as he handed her two tissues.

"I'm so angry!" Joyce slapped him hard, then covered her mouth and ran upstairs crying.

Fernando stood stunned, then looked down, devastated. He took a deep breath and began to clean up the mess in the living room.

That evening, once everything was in order, he prepared dinner. She called Joyce, her mother-in-law, and Jolla to eat together, while he himself went to his father-in-law's room to feed him.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he noticed the tear marks at the corner of Michael's eyes. Gently, he wiped the old face with a tissue.

"Don't be sad, Father," he said softly. "If you hadn't helped me three years ago, I would have starved to death. No matter what they do, I can bear it. And even if I do divorce Joyce, I won't leave you. I'll take you with me. You're like my own parent."

At the doorway, Joyce stood still. Her eyes were misty again, tears falling without her realizing it.

The night was getting late. After all the chores were done, Fernando came into the room looking tired. Joyce was already sitting on the bed, wearing soft cream-colored pajamas.

Seeing him coming, Joyce said softly, "Help me wash my feet."

Fernando was silent for a moment. But then he turned around and picked up the basin of warm water, kneeling before her.

"I remember the first time I came to the Nagel family," Fernando said quietly. "You were still the business manager back then. You often went to the project site until your feet were blistered. Back then, I washed your feet every night. Good thing they didn't leave marks."

Joyce looked at Fernando for a long time, then sighed heavily. He's a caring man, she thought. But caring is not enough. A man must also have skills.

"Lucas is right," she said later. "The company is in bad shape. I know there's no way I can get a hundred million loan in three days. Because there are people who don't want me to succeed."

Fernando looked at him. "Miguel?"

Joyce nodded weakly. "Yes. So you have to be mentally prepared."

Fernando nodded slowly. "I understand."

"That's good." Joyce looked at him deeply. "Enjoy these last three days, Fernando. I want to give them to you. I'd rather have my first sex with you, than with Miguel."

Those words left Fernando transfixed. There was both hurt and hope behind his eyes. His desire began to rise, but he held it back.

"My conscience..." he said softly, "doesn't allow me to do that."

Joyce pulled her feet from the basin and buried her face in the pillow. "You're not normal. You used to peek at me changing, but when I offered, you didn't even have the guts!"

Fernando was silent. He wanted to answer, but no words could come out. He wanted Joyce, but not like this, not out of pity, or compulsion.

Soon, Joyce fell asleep. Fernando stood on the balcony, looking up at the night sky, and lit one cigarette after another.

By morning, the courtyard below was full of cigarette butts. He exhaled the last of the smoke, then took a long look at his cell phone. Finally he decided to call someone.

"Who is it?" an old man's voice rang out on the other end.

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Fernando answered quietly, "It's me."

"Mr. Fernando?" the voice sounded surprised. "Mr. Fernando, have you thought about it? Would you be willing to return?”

Fernando shook his head even though the person on the other side couldn't see him. "No, I'm not. I just wanted to talk to you."

"All right," the voice replied. "I'll meet you at Group W. I'll wait for you there."