Chapter One

Palmer’s POV

A chilling sensation crept down my spine. I froze  my eyes locked onto the familiar face of the news anchor and the head line displayed on the television screen.

This could not be real, this could not be happening.

"Greenwood Electronics has declared bankruptcy. Legal troubles are mounting as the chairman and CEO, Mr. Richard Greenwood, faces accusations of fraud and embezzlement." The announcer said, his voice is cold, almost gleeful as if he was enjoying the downfall of someone he has never met.

My heart pounds in my ears. My father? I watched in horror as a picture of my father, with his familiar warm smile that I was all too familiar with  displayed on the screen.

My eyes nor ears were not playing tricks on me, this was really happening.

"Palmer, is that… is that your father?" Claire asked, her voice breaking through my panicked state.

I had no idea how to reply, everything felt fuzzy, it felt like the world was closing in on me. I could not breathe.

Everything felt too overwhelming.

"Excuse me," I mumble, getting up from the table and leaving my group of friends who were looking at me  with a worried expression.

This was supposed to be a reunion. Just a simple get-together with old friends. And now everything has turned upside down.

I drove through the streets, my thoughts a chaotic mess, as I tried to call my father and mother but none of them were answering.

As soon as I got home, I was met with the sight of dozens of paparazzi waiting at the gate. The thought of them recognizing me and following me made my stomach churn.

I park a few blocks away and slip out of my car, making my way through the back gate, hoping no one will spot me. 

The atmosphere inside the house was totally different. While outside was buzzing with eager reporters hoping to get a scoop of news, inside the house was filled with a heavy air of harrowing silence.

“Maria, where is my father?” I asked, a sense of panic and fear consuming my whole being. I wonder how he was taking all this. 

His whole life was crumbling down and he was watching it happen.

"Where is he?" I ask, my voice tight with panic.

"In the study," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. And her eyes filled with unspeakable sadness.

Without a second thought I sprinted to his study, bursting through the door and the sight I met nearly knocked me off my feet as I gasped, covering my mouth in horror as my eyes watered with tears.

My father, the strong and energetic man I have always known, was slumped on his chair, a glass of whiskey clasped in his hands as he stared blankly at the desk in front of him, his once vibrant eyes clouded with defeat. 

He was now a shell of his former self. He looked like the weight of the world was crushing him.

"Father…" I whisper, barely able to keep my emotions in check as tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Palmer… my angel," he murmurs, looking up at me with a small smile tugging at his lips, but his eyes betray him. There was nothing left of the man who used to light up every room he entered. There was only sadness and pain in his gaze.

My heart shattered as I stared at him. How did we get here? How could I have been so wrapped up in my own life that I didn't see the signs? The signs of my father suffering.

Without thinking, I rushed to him, pulling him into a tight embrace. The man who’s always been my rock was now dissolving in my arms.

"I thought I made the right choice, But everything’s gone. The company… the investors… my employee's, I have failed them. I have failed you."

The words felt like a punch to my guts.

How could the man who taught me everything about hard work and perseverance be reduced to this?

"I should have been here for you, Dad, I am so sorry." I sobbed.

“I will  fix this. I will find a way." I said, filled with a sense of determination. I have to find a way to help my father. I cannot let his legacy go down the drain.

Suddenly, his face contorted in pain, and he grabbed his chest, gasping for breath. My heart dropped to my stomach as I watched him.

“Dad!" I scream, my heart racing. "No, no, no, please!"

“Maria! Call 911!"

"Stay with me, Dad. Please!" I prayed.

****

I pace relentlessly in the sterile and cold hallway of the hospital, the sound of my footsteps echoing with each step I take.

I feel like I was drowning in the uncertainty. 

"Greenwood?" A voice calls out, breaking through my haze.

I snap my head up, rushing towards the doctor who had just walked out of the emergency unit.

"We were able to stabilize him," the doctor explains, his face grim. 

"He suffered a heart attack. It seems to be because of stress and lack of rest. He needs rest and good food. He is malnourished.”

Hearing that he was now stable made me sigh in relief but the thought that he had not been eating properly to the extent of being malnourished filled me with guilt.

I pull out my phone, calling my mother for the hundredth time, but still, no answer. 

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nervously walked into his room. 

The sight of him lying unconscious with tubes running from his body to machines that beep at regular intervals, was almost too much to bear.

"I will fix this, Dad," I whisper, my tears dripping onto his palm. "Please just hold on. I will find a way."

****

It's been two weeks. I have spent the last two weeks fighting, begging, pleading for help. But it feels like everyone has turned their backs on us. 

Debts were looming on our heads and the constant harassment of the loan sharks was not helping matters.

"Palmer, my angel, I have found someone who can help." My father said, smiling weakly as he stared at me from his hospital bed.

My heart jumped with relief as excitement. "Who?" 

"FG Corporation," he says. "They’ve agreed to step in. But there’s a condition."

I brace myself. "What condition?"

He hesitates, his eyes avoiding mine. “You will have to marry their son."

My heart stopped beating for a second. Marriage? I know exactly who he’s talking about. Him. The CEO of FG. The spoiled, arrogant narcissist with a reputation for making everyone’s life miserable.

My father wants me to  marry that narcissist and psychopath?

Never.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," I mutter, stunned. 

"This is our only chance. His father is one of the wealthiest men in the world. If you marry him, we can save everything." 

I feel my chest tighten. The weight of the decision is weighing down on me. 

"I can’t, I can’t do it." I sobbed, walking out  of the room.

"Miss Greenwood!" A nurse rushes toward me with a panicked expression.

 "Your father… He’s having another attack."

My mind froze, without hesitation I rushed back to his room, my heart hammering in my chest.

I watched the chaotic scene as doctors and nurses tried to revive my father.

 "Please, Father, I will  marry him. I will do it. Just please don’t leave me." I cried watching the scene in horror.

Tears blur my vision as I watch them fight to keep him alive. I can't lose him, he is my world.