The Wooden Box

Blake walked into his sister's ward with a fervent smile on his face, he was coming back from the doctor's office and the astronomical amount needed for her surgery left him in a comprehensive mess. 

He won't be able to generate five million dollars with the kind of work he does, even if he is to save for two years. 

“How are you feeling, Emma?” he asked, sitting down at the perimeter of the bed. 

“Am I going to die? I find it laborious to inhale and exhale, I can't feel myself, Blake” Emma wailed. She has been suffering from leukemia for the past year. 

Instead of getting better, it keeps getting worse due to the lack of proper treatment. She feels out of breath because of anemia too.

Blake looked away, he dabbed the tears that dropped on his face before his sister could catch a glimpse of him crying. 

Taking her hands into his, he stared at her in distress and determination. “You are not going to die, Emma. I won't let you die” he pledged. 

He vows to do whatever it takes to get the money for her operation, even if it mandates him to sell his soul to the devil. 

******* 

“You are late again, Blake. Are you the only one working part-time? This is why you will be poor forever, you can't properly manage your time” Mr. Cole expressed angrily. 

“I am sorry sir, I was stuck in the traffic” Blake clarified, earning a scoff from the older man. He left his work at the supermarket early but it's Friday, and the road is always busy. 

He is also just five minutes late, he doesn't need all these scoldings for a grown-up like him. He will lose his job if he tries to argue with Mr. Cole for insulting him, that was enough reason for him not to talk back at him. 

“Always giving bassless excuses. If you come late to work again, I will make sure I get your ass fired” Blake bent his head, noticing that the passersby were turning back to look at him. 

“I am sorry sir” he precipitously apologized once again. “Get to work immediately” Mr. Cole's voice echoed, leaving Blake sprinting inside to start with the offload of goods. 

“I can't believe you are married into a rich family, you will just be a nuisance to your wife and her family” Blake paused, he balled his hand in a fist, inhaling sharply to stop himself from doing something he would regret. 

He is getting humiliated yet, quitting is the last thing he will think of doing. He needs money, he has to let a lot of things go because of that. 

Being married to a rich heiress doesn't change anything for him, it is not of benefit to him in any way. If it is, he wouldn't be working different part-time jobs to survive. 

Just as he was getting started with work, the blaring of his phone halted him. He could tell who was calling without seeing the name of the caller and he was right. 

It was Maria, his wife. Blake exhaled sharply, he pressed the green button and the first thing he heard from his furious wife was the loud sound of his name that resonated in his ears. 

“Blake!” she yelled, “where the hell have you been since morning?” Blake pulled the phone from his ear. Her screams will damage his ear drum at this point. 

“Working” he replied in a wearisome tone. “Working or embarrassing me and my family in public?” she paused with a loud hiss. 

“My friends called to mock me after they saw you with some filthy apples on your head. What are you? A hawk? You are such a disgrace, Blake, get back home, now!”

Maria ended the call without giving Blake a chance to speak. He dipped his phone back into his pocket and turned back to meet Mr. Cole. 

“I am sorry Sir, can I be exempted from today's work?” he asked politely. Mr. Cole eyed him, not hiding the revulsion shining brightly in his eyes. 

“Don't you get tired of making requests? You came late yet, you want to skip work. If you leave, your pay for today won't be given to you and you will be substituted if you don't show up tomorrow” 

No one needed to inform Blake, he knew that Mr. Cole meant every word he just said.

Given his situation, he can't afford to lose money, at the same time, it will be a liability to him if he is not home as requested. 

Thankfully, he got a cab on time. Upon getting into the living room, he saw his wife, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law seated on the sofas. He knew they were waiting for him, waiting to hurl abuses at him. 

“Do you have the intent of smearing my family? How can my son-in-law be so low and dumb? You have been working part-time jobs? You must be insane, Blake” Mrs. Jones shrieked in exasperation. 

She stood up and slapped Blake across the face, her face full of disgust. 

“He is such a shady and incompetent man, you should have chosen someone better to replace your so-called ex-fiance” Carl, Maria's younger brother, chipped in. He continued pressing his phone like he didn't just say that. 

Maria walked up to him, placed her hand on his chest, and pushed him backward. 

“I feel ashamed to walk with you in public, don't think you are exceptional because I made you my husband. You are nothing but garbage I picked up and cleaned” she hurled 

Blake glanced at everyone in the room. Despite how they just treated him, he went down on his knees to beg them, throwing the shame and the hurtful feeling he was having at that moment through the window. 

“Please help me, my sister is dying. Even if you don't pay me for being a substitute husband on the wedding day like you promised, I will pay back every single penny” he pleaded. 

Maria kicked him hard on his stomach, making him stumble on the ground. “Were you assuming that I would give you a ten million you didn't work for? Are you stupid or pretending to be stupid?” she fired. 

Maria used Blake to save her face that day, a year ago. He was just the perfect person she needed, he was a cleaner, and it also felt like he needed money. 

Promising him money was the only thing that got him married to her. He is just a wretched pauper, she would never give her money to someone like Blake.

“How do you intend to pay back if we lend you the money? From your part-time jobs?” she taunted. “Is leeching off us not enough? Now, you want more?” Mrs Jones added, bursting into a cynical laughter. 

“What have you done for us? You couldn't afford your tuition fees and dropped out because of that, what should I expect from someone of your caliber?” she added. 

At that moment, Blake knew that they would not help him no matter what. Standing up with a shallow sigh, he peeked at them and shook his head. What was he thinking? 

“The car I asked you to wash is still in the garage but you have the impudence of requesting for money. Why don't you just divorce my sister? You are so useless and poor” Carl roared. 

He insulted Blake and went back to what he was doing like he is not part of them, it's a habit Blake is familiar with. 

“Divorce! I love the idea, it's high time you left my life. You are no longer of any use to me, I want someone better than you, someone who can take care of my luxurious lifestyle and not be a burden to me” Maria spoke with a smile observable on her face. 

“We can talk about that later but right now, I want him out of my sight. Seeing him makes me want to puke” Mrs Jones accentuated. 

Having nothing to say, Blake left to his room, disregarding the insults being thrown at him. He leaned on the door for a while, thinking about how he would raise money for Emma's surgery. 

He plans to exhaust all options, Blake will go to any length to ensure that she gets operated on. With his perspective of doing whatever he can, he initiated searching for the most expensive things he has. 

Although they won't amount to five million dollars, he will raise some money by selling some of his properties. 

In the process of that, he came across a wooden box. A momentary frown appeared on his face but it vanished just as it came. 

The wooden box was given to him on the day of his mother's death, two years ago. With several occasions transpiring in his life, he forgot it had been given to him, he barely had time to check his belongings. 

Sitting down on his bed with the memories of his mother flooding his mind, he opened the box, in there was a beautiful golden necklace that probably belonged to his mother and a piece of paper. 

Curious to know what was written on the paper, he dropped the box on the bed to read the most amusing thing he had ever seen in his life. 

“You have been gone for a while son, you should go back home now. No one will take care of your company and properties better than you” Blake's curiosity metamorphosed into a deepened scowl but he didn't stop reading. 

“You, Blake Richardson are the owner of Gold Corp, the best gold company in the world with an estimated net worth of twenty trillion dollars”