The Return Of The Secret Billionaire

Chapter 5.

Doris Castiel was a strong woman. This meant that she was never easily frail or intimidated. Living in her type of pompous and terrorizing family, Doris had learnt to handle her life with care. She learned at an early age to live her life and care less about the voices of others.

There was no doubt she learnt well from her husband, Nathan Anakin.

Somehow, they had both grown to understand each other, and it was difficult to break their connection, otherwise, Doris would not have still been married to him. True, they hadn't been married for that long, but two years was quite a long time for them both.

Earlier when Nathan left abruptly, she wondered what could have happened. But she trusted her husband and knew well enough that he would return to explain what had happened. They never kept secrets from each other, so her mind was at ease. Only, it had been over two hours and he wasn't back yet.

She wasn't exactly worried, but she was anxious. Anxiety clutched her mind like a tight belt wrapped a little too strained to her stomach. She paced around their medium sized living room, inquisitive of what had happened. She didn't want to call, hoping not to invade his space.

Although she had been beginning to reconsider, when her cell phone suddenly rang. Doris hurried to check, then a wave of disappointment flooded her eyes.

"Mother?" She muttered to herself, after seeing her caller, then picked up.

The voice on the other end cried out. "Ahh my love! There's a problem."

Doris' heart sank in fear. "Problem? What is it, mother?"

The woman was still crying when another voice, much more firm and bold, and less in a crying tone, commanded. "Connect to Skype. We need to talk."

Immediately, Doris scanned the room for her laptop, and the feeling of distress made it harder to find. Finally, the laptop was sitting opposite her on the dining table, half way connected to video call. Soon enough, the face of a middle aged woman with long brown hair cascading all the way to her bottom appeared, brown eyes shining in weary at her. Her mother, Evelyn, was still much beautiful as she'd been twenty years ago, except for the fine lines of wrinkles that circled her eyes now. Not even a heavy fortune of facial treatments and minor face surgeries could hide those worry wrinkles.

As if Evelyn just caught a glimpse of her daughter's face, she busted out in another much louder tears. There was something about that moment that Doris could instantly tap her fingers at and call fake. Her mother was acting, exaggerating the tears and wailing. But something was up.

"My love, we're doomed!" She said at last, and Doris paused to hear the end of her announcement. "Everything's gone! We're doomed-"

"Where's Owen, mother?" Doris asked with a menacing frown on her face, and the acting of Evelyn was suddenly brought to a halt. Her nose scrunched with detest, but she called for the young man next to her.

Owen was slightly darker, and his hair was black and curly. He picked up traits from their father who was mainly Puerto Rican. Brown eyes frowned at Doris, aggressively pushing Evelyn out of the way. Evelyn struggled, claiming she wanted to maintain eye contact with her daughter, but Owen didn't give her the chance. The annoying fight went on for a while, until Doris snapped and yelled at them.

"Just tell me what is wrong!" Both eyes turned to stare at her, then Owen began.

"The company is dying, sister." He announced, and Doris didn't hear him well.

No. She did, she just didn't want to believe it. "What?"

"Company's dying, Dor. And it's quite scary if you ask me."

Evelyn pushed Owen slightly out of the way so her head could almost cover up the laptop's screen. "I don't know what to do. I'm so afraid for my life-"

"-our lives?--" Owen corrected, still struggling to be seen on the screen.

"-our lives. Whatever."

"What happened?" Doris questioned with fear pounding in her heart. Then it struck her. As if all her mother's lavish spendings and her brother's ridiculous money usage hadn't been enough for their family's wreckage.

"The business is dying. We don't even know how it happened." Owen explained, "and we need to get a huge contract soon. Very soon, else, we're done for."

"Unless, you choose to save us." Evelyn said, her head cowering low as she struggled to meet Doris's face. Of course there was something on her mind. They might have been in trouble all this while, but now, the solution was linking to her and that's the only reason they need her.

"What could I possibly do?" She asked, and almost regretted her action. There it was. The menacing dubious smile from the face of Evelyn Castiel. She was onto something.

"Marry Pedro, and all of this will be settled."

"What! Pedro, never. You know that."

"Come on, sister. Leave that moron of a man and marry Pedro. He's rich and well known in Ettavile. He is the solution to our problem at hand."

"And what about my child? Huh! What's going to happen-"

"-oh for godsake, abort the damn child!"

"Don't say that, mother!."

"Listen sis, Pedro is such a daring man and I'm sure he will take care of you. I know that." Owen said.

"Have you ever been in love with anyone before, Owen? You can not understand how I feel." Doris said, and that alone kept him quiet. "Mother, I love Nathan so much. He can take care of me, I know so--"

"But my love, he isn't the one for you. Pedro is." Said Evelyn, in a convincing manner. "And I wish that you can see this and realize that he will make you happy. You will get to love him with time, I know so."

"The same way you got to love father too?" Doris frowned. She had said a hurtful sentence and she was starting to regret it. Their marriage was a disaster.

The shock in Evelyn's eyes was undeniable. It changed to anger, just a slight one though. "Pedro is not your father. He is a rich and resourceful man that can help the family pull through. If only you can leave that husband of yours, abort his child and start a new life with Pedro."

"Mother, you can not do that to me. Never! I am your only daughter and you should love and respect my decision to remain with my husband."

"Oh shut up, Doris!" Evelyn's eyes flamed up in anger. "I am sick and tired of hearing my only daughter speak about that rubbish poor rat as if he were someone important! You will marry Pedro. You have no choice but to!"