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5: The Beginning

LILLIAN

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Mara paused as she sipped on her champagne. “Your father wants you to get married to Xavier Santos. The Xavier Santos.”

She said it like she was trying to make sense of it. And I didn’t like it.

“For the seventh time, Mara, Yes. Daddy wants me to get married to Xavier Santos.” I rolled my eyes, annoyed that it seemed so good to be true to these bitches.

It’s been a week since my father tried to set me up with Xavier. A weeks since I rejected the proposal. Since then, I haven’t heard anything back. I guess my words hurt poor Xavier so much, he crawled back into the hole he crawled out from.

Now, I was back to my normal life and decided to give my friends— Mara, Chloe and Rita, a treat by taking them shopping at Chanel.

“Are you sure you are talking about the Xavier Santos?” Chloe asked as she tried on some shoes. “Isn’t Xavier Santos, like, way out of your league? I mean, he’s a billionaire, and you’re… well, you.”

Her words stung, but I brushed them off with a casual shrug.

“Right!” Rita jumped in, agreeing with Chloe. “Xavier might have better options. I mean, you’re gorgeous and all, Lillian, but he could have anyone he wants.”

Yeah right. I could see through her faux concern.

“You girls don’t have to worry about any of that,” I said, taking a dress from the rack and dumping it with the pile I already picked. “I rejected the proposal.”

The stunned silence that followed was super loud. I didn’t turn around to look at them, just smirking as I checked out some designer hang bags.

“Are you serious, Lillian?” Mara was the first to recover, her disbelief and disapproval evident. “You’re passing up a chance to marry a billionaire?”

“I have standards, Mara,” I stated, tossing my hair over my shoulders. “Unlike some people, I refuse to settle for anything less than perfection.”

“But Xavier Santos is perfection personified!” Chloe exclaimed dramatically. “Just think of the lifestyle you could have. The vacations, the designer clothes—”

“Please, Chloe,” I interrupted, rolling my eyes. “I’ve been living that lifestyle since birth. I don’t need a man to provide for me.” I said pointedly.

“But what if this is your only chance at true happiness?” Rita cooed.

“Please, Rita,” I scoffed, waving away her words with a dismissive flick of my hand. “I create my own happiness. I don’t need a man to complete me.”

“Lillian darling,” Mara wastes no time in offering what I’m sure would be an unsolicited advice. “You really should reconsider. You’re not getting any young, you know,” she eyed me.

I arched my brows, unimpressed at the obviously faux concern from her.

“How kind of you to worry about my age, Mara,” I flashed her a fake smile of my own. “But last I checked, I’m still in my prime.”

“Well, if you don’t want Xavier,” she still didn’t take the hint to shut up. “Maybe I can put in a good word for you with Aiden. You can have him when I’m done with him,”

Chloe and Rita giggle at that and I scoffed, knowing what she was trying to do.

Aiden Martinez was another guy that couldn’t take a fucking hint. He has been on my case for the longest time, but when he saw that I wasn’t interested in him, he moved to Mara.

But I knew she was nothing more than just a fuck buddy to him. Mara was crazy about him so of course, she would settle for so much less.

“How wonderful of you to consider me, Mara,” I smiled at her again. “But I’m not interested in being someone second choice. Besides, I prefer my men to have more substance than a fleeting infatuation.” I deadpanned.

Mara’s face fell in that instant while a simultaneous gasp of shock escaped Chloe and Rita’s lips. I smirked back in triumph, beckoning to two sales girls to come pack up what we bought.

Her words had been hurtful, but I had to show her who’s boss.

Everything we got was packed into shopping bags and soon we got to the cashier to pay up. Since I told them I was treating them, I brought out my card to cover the bill, handing it to the cashier.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the cashier spoke. “But it seems like your card had been declined.”

What!

“Excuse me?” I blinked. “Try again.” I demanded

She did. Still the same.

“Fine,” I scoffed, bringing out another card. “Let’s try this one.” I gave it to her.

The same thing happened, and at this point, the heat had begun to rise up my cheeks. Chuckles rang out behind me and I knew the girls were mocking me. Swallowing, I handed the cashier a third card, praying that it would work this time.

I can’t afford to be embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. This one declined as well.”

“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” I snapped at the cashier. “Because it seems to me like you’re struggling to operate a simple fucking card machine!”

“Oh Lillian, don’t worry about it,” Mara spoke, a malicious smirk tugged at the corners of her lips and her tone dripping with insincerity. “I’ve got it covered, okay? You can just pay me back later.” She said with fake sweetness.

I forced a smile back, my cheeks burning with so much humiliation. And it didn’t help matters that Chloe and Rita kept making snide comments behind me, thinking I couldn’t hear them.

Or maybe they even wanted me to hear them.

I was angry and humiliated. This has never happened to me before, having my friends pay for my shopping. If anything, it’s always the other way around, and I never even ask for a refund.

This was my father’s doing. I just knew it. This was his way of punishing me for rejecting Xavier Santos’ proposal.

I will get to the bottom of this!


“Good afternoon, Miss. Wright—“

The maid waiting for me at the door of the house greeted me as soon as I got down from the car but I held my hand to stop her from speaking further.

I didn’t care for any of that shit.

“Is my father home?” I demanded.

“Yes, ma’am,” she answered. “He is in his study with—“

Again, I didn’t care about any of that shit.

“I have some shopping bags in the backseat,” I cut her off again. “Carry everything to my room, and for the love of God, don’t fucking break anything.”

I didn’t wait around to hear whatever she had to say, marching into the house and making my way to my father’s study to give him a piece of my mind. I was furious, completely livid. He had absolutely no right cutting me off from my money like that, all because I decided not to marry Xavier fucking Santos.

Scoffing, I knew it was because he doesn’t know who Xavier really is, because I’m sure once he does, he would understand.

I was just a couple of feet away from the study when I started hearing voices, making me slow my pace till I got to the door. Thankfully, the door was ajar and I could see what was going on inside.

My father was in there alright, but he wasn’t alone. My elder brother, Benedict was also inside the study and both of them were engaged in a heated argument.

I lingered at the doorway to listen.

“The quarterly reports have been dismal,” Father’s voice echoed with concern. “We’re hemorrhaging money faster than we can bring it in!”

So that’s why I couldn’t access my account. We are going bankrupt.

Fuck!

“I know, Dad,” Benedict’s voice was tinged with frustration. “I’ve been trying to turn things around, but it’s been difficult with the mounting debts—“

Benedict, you bloody idiot. I cussed inwardly.

“And whose fault is that?” Father fired at him. “You brought this on us, Benedict. Your reckless gambling has jeopardized everything we have worked for.”

“But I’m trying to fix it!” Ben retorted.

“Save it!” Father dismissed him. “The only person that can fix this is Xavier Santos,”

An alarm went off in my head at the mention of that name.

“His investment in our company is the only thing that can save us.”

I didn’t waste anymore time before barging in, startling them both.

“You can’t allow Xavier to invest in the company,” I blurted out in urgency.

“Were you eavesdropping on the conversation?” Ben accused, glaring at him.

Really? That’s what he was more concerned about?

“Lillian, how dare you eavesdrop on our conversation?” Father fired at me. “How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop on conversations that are none of your business!” He snapped.

“But this is my business!” I countered. “I am just as affected as you both are. There has to be another way to fix what idiot Benedict has done without relying on Xavier’s investment.”

“Hey!” Ben sounded offended at my jab.

“Xavier has already invested,” Father responded dismissively and my eyes widened in horror. “He is the major shareholder of our company and there is nothing we can do.”

Fuck! Dread washed over me like a tidal wave.

“We have to pull out,” I insisted, panic creeping into my voice. “Xavier is up to no good, I am certain of it!”

“And how can you be so sure about that?” Ben asked, sarcasm sipping from his voice.

“How do you both not remember him!” I shrieked, throwing my hands up in frustration, getting even more annoyed at their cluelessness. “Xavier Santos is the—“

The door burst open, cutting my words off, and a group of financial security men stormed into the room.

“Gentlemen? What is going on here?” My father asked, extremely confused. But the men didn’t look at my father, they looked at Ben.

“Benedict Castle, you’re under arrest for money laundering,” one of them declared, his voice echoing with authority.

What the fuck!

“What the hell,” Ben cussed, struggling with two of the men that came to cuff him up.

From that moment, everything that happened went in a fast blur. As the man in charge continued to read out the Miranda rights, I could see the color drain from my father’s face.

“Dad?” I called, worried.

He didn’t respond, his hand clutching at his chest. I screamed and rushed to him as his legs gave way and he collapsed in my arms, the both of us falling to the floor in a heap.

“Call an ambulance!” I shrieked.

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