"Congratulations, Sophie. I'm so proud of you," Oliver Stallion said warmly as he and his wife, Katherine, sat with Sophie for dinner that evening.
Sophie, Meghan's younger sister, had recently become engaged to Harry Styles, one of the youngest self-made millionaires in the region of Domingo. Additionally, she had just been promoted to the position of the new human resource manager of the family's company, a testament to her meritocracy, dedication, and above all, her loyalty to her parents.
"Thank you, Dad," Sophie replied, her smile radiating with happiness.
"What about Harry? Isn't he joining us for dinner anymore?" Katherine inquired.
"Harry called to say he'd be arriving a bit late. He's with a friend, and they're probably coming together for dinner," Sophie explained.
"Is that so?" Oliver mused, nodding in understanding.
"Yes, Father. But I know he'll be here soon," Sophie reassured them.
They heard the doorbell ring. "That must be Harry and his friend." Sophie said getting up to open the door only to be met with the surprise of meeting Meghan at the door.
"Who's there?" Katherine asked, seeing that Sophie wasn't saying anything to welcome whoever it was that was at the door.
"It's Meghan," Sophie replied.
"Meghan? What's she doing here?" Oliver asked angrily.
He had made it known to Meghan that he doesn't want to see her come to the house as long as she is still married to Gavin. He had warned against the marriage from the very beginning but Meghan went ahead and disobeyed him. The only reason Meghan was still working in the family's company was because Katherine begged for her.
"What are you doing here?" Sophie asked with an irritating expression on her face.
"Is that how you welcome your sister?" Meghan said brushing past her as she made way to the dining room.
"What are you doing here? I thought we had an agreement that you'll never set foot in this house again as long as you're still married to that good for nothing Gavin." Oliver spat angrily.
Sophie returned to join them at the dining table, her expression grave as she observed Meghan from head to toe. Without anyone telling her, she could sense that Meghan was going through a tough time, but she didn't feel sorry for her. After all, it was Meghan's choice. Everyone had warned her not to marry Gavin, but she was so blinded by love that she went against everyone's advice.
"Meghan, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be with your husband," Katherine stated coldly.
"Mom, Dad, I'm really sorry, but I really need your help right now," Meghan began, her voice tinged with desperation.
"What do you need our help for? I thought you were already married?" Oliver mocked, his voice filled with sarcasm.
"It's about Gavin. People from the bank came this evening with some police officers, and they threatened to seize the ancestral mansion that belonged to Gavin's father," Meghan explained.
"And why would they do that?" Katherine demanded, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What else? Of course, Gavin took a loan from them and couldn't meet the payments. Am I lying?" Oliver interjected facing Meghan with his accusatory expression.
"It's actually more complicated than that, Dad. Yes, Gavin borrowed money to start a business, but he was swindled, and he lost all the money," Meghan clarified, her eyes pleading for understanding.
"So, what do we have to do with it? I thought you said the mansion was his ancestral home. If he truly valued it, he wouldn't have used it as collateral," Oliver remarked cryptically.
The conversation was still ongoing when the doorbell rang again. Excitedly, Sophie gets up to open the door only to meet Gavin there.
"What are you doing here?" Sophie asked angrily.
"Sorry Sophie, I followed Megan down." Gavin replied sheepishly.
"Who's there?” Katherine asked, her voice echoing from the dining room.
"It's Gavin," Sophie replied, her tone sounding in utter disdain for Gavin.
"Did you just say Gavin? What on Earth is he doing here?" Katherine's voice rose with annoyance.
"Tell him to come in," Oliver replied, causing an expression of shock on Katherine's face.
"What are you doing?" Katherine asked.
"Don't worry. Let him come in," Oliver repeated, a sly smile playing across his lips.
Shamefully, Gavin entered the house, recalling Oliver's stern warning that he never wanted to see him there again after he and Meghan had gotten married against his wishes."What are you doing here?" Oliver demanded as Gavin approached him in the dining room, his tone laced with irritation.The atmosphere in the room had grown tense, with everyone losing their appetites upon Gavin and Meghan's uninvited arrival."Father, I'm sorry for coming uninvited. I only followed Meghan down. I didn't mean to interrupt the family dinner," Gavin apologized, his voice filled with remorse."But you just did. And all because your father's mansion is likely to be taken over by the bank in exchange for the loan you couldn't pay back," Oliver retorted, his annoyance palpable."I'm sorry... They actually took the mansion, and now we're homeless," Gavin admitted, his head bowed in shame at the thought of losing the ancestral home he had promised his father he would protect."So, what do you want us to do?
Oliver gestured for Harry not to pay attention to what he felt was going wrong. His attention turned to the young man who had come in with Harry. He was a young handsome man who appeared wealthy and quite fashionable."This is my friend, James Nenma, he is the CEO of Tellex corporation," Harry introduced."Wow!" Katherine exclaimed.Tellex was one of the most prominent multinational companies in Domingo and seeing the CEO as a very young man who was also a friend of Harry gave her goosebumps."Nice to meet you," Katherine greeted."Same here, ma'am. We're sorry for coming late for the dinner. Harry and I took a brief stop at the mall to get something for Sophie. I also got something for you too." James said, handing over the shopping bag he was holding. Katherine was flattered. The fact that a gentleman she had not met before buying her a gift made her beam with joy. Her surprise increased by the sight of what was in the bag. A beautiful jewellery box which housed an expensive neckla
"Are you serious about that?" Katherine asked excitedly. The thought of having James Nenma as her son in-law was overwhelming. She immediately began to paint the future of the Stallions having two wealthy son in-laws."Mom, will you please stop this?" Meghan managed to speak up. Gavin clenched his fists and turned to Meghan, "I'm sorry Meghan that I have to be a laughing stock and to bring you so much embarrassment.""Whatever," Sophie scoffed."I'll be leaving now. I promise to do everything in my power to get our house back. I'll resolve this. I promise you that." Gavin assured her.Gavin left the Stallions apartment that evening feeling so stupid for following Meghan down to her parents place. He blamed himself for hoping that the Stallions would help him with his debt when he knew very well how much they despised him.As he walked through the city streets that evening, his thoughts were clouded with the promise he had made to his father. He came to a small inn where he could spen
As the sun hid behind the clouds that same evening, it dawned upon Gavin that he had no where to stay for the night. His stomach had been crying all day but his pocket had denied him of attending to it's cry. He remembered he had used the last ten dollars on him the previous night to get a place at the inn. Left with no option, he made the tough decision to return to his in-laws and to beg if they'd allow him to sleep at their security/servant quarters.The thought of walking almost ten kilometres to his in-laws place didn't bother him too much provided he could just get a place to lay his head for the night. The streets of Domingo were their usual that evening - perfect for couples to go out and have fun. Every restaurant he walked past was occupied with beautiful and lovely couples enjoying the evening together. He thought of Meghan wondering how she was faring. He had not heard from her since he left her at her parents place the previous day.Walking past one of the most expensive
"I'm really sorry," Gavin pleaded seeing how infuriated Meghan had become because of his behaviour earlier inside the restaurant. He only acted the way he did because of his love for her and his fear that James would take Meghan away from him."What were you thinking?" Meghan sighed."I love you so much, Meghan. I don't know if I'll be able to continue living if you ever leave me," Gavin admitted.Meghan knew how much Gavin really loved her even without him saying it. She too loved him so much and would do whatever it'll take to fight for that love. But with her parents threats and pressure to leave Gavin and marry someone else, she didn't know how if love alone would be enough to save her marriage with Gavin."Gavin, I know you love me and I don't doubt that but this isn't about love anymore. Love doesn't pay the bills Gavin, money does. And if you continue this way, I might have to leave you at the end of the day," Meghan expressed truthfully.Gavin wouldn't deny the fact that Megha
The sun rose earlier than usual on that beautiful Tuesday morning. Unlike every other day, Meghan had planned her day before hand. After she returned from her date with James the previous night, which Gavin had ended up interrupting, she decided to focus on making herself more useful to her parents company. Her issues with Gavin had lingered on for quite too long and it was weighing her down. She had made a mental note of all that she had in mind to do that Tuesday. First, she'd meet with a new client and then visit the saloon to have her hair well made.Sophie had taken the day off and since she wouldn't be going to the office, Meghan decided to borrow her car. The cost of public transport was quite on the high side and with Sophie's car she could save a few dollars for other things she might want to do later."Hey, Sophie, do you have plans this morning?" Meghan inquired."What plans?" Sophie asked, unable to understand what Meghan was talking about."I mean, do you have plans of g
Meghan lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, the harsh words from her family echoing in her mind. She felt trapped, torn between her loyalty to Gavin and the increasing strain on her relationship with her family. The threat of being fired from the family's business weighed heavily on her, and she wished Gavin could understand the pressure she was under.She picked up her phone, hesitating for a moment whether she should dial Gavin's number or not. She wanted to know how he was doing and where he was staying at the moment. She debunked the idea, opting to call one of her team members at the office.She told the team member to tell the other members of the team to go ahead with the assignments they were supposed to work on together, informing her that she won't be coming around to the office anymore.Sitting alone in her room, Meghan couldn't hide the emotional turmoil churning within her. On one hand, she desperately wanted to earn her parents' pride and approval, just as Sophie had.
Gavin arrived at Morano City Bank, his face masked in an unusual smile. Standing in front of the bank, he couldn't help but recall the memories from his last experience with the manager and the security guards. He knew what he was about to do might go against the promise to his father never to reveal who he truly was no matter what the situation might be. But after the series of humiliation he had been made to go through both from the Stallions and others alike, he felt it was enough.Taking a deep breath, he moved towards the entrance of the bank and was stopped by the security guards again just as he had expected."Sir, you're not allowed to go in," one of the security guards said rudely as he stood in front of Gavin."Excuse me, but I have to go in," Gavin replied."Didn't you hear what he just told you? We've received orders from the manager not to allow you in," the other security guard said, his gaze piercing through Gavin with utter disdain.They just couldn't stand the sight