Chương 3: The Marriage Proposition
Bethany's POV
"Your father signed a collateralized loan with us, meaning that you can't sell the inn to raise the money to pay back. On that note, there are two options before you. You can either repay the loan in the next six months or the bank would take the inn. What will you choose to do?"
I couldn't believe my ears.
I stared at the manager's cold eyes, wondering where the compassion she had shown my father had gone.
Did time do so much damage that she lost her sympathy and compassion?
"Mind you, the bank won't make any profit from keeping your inn and land. Instead, we would be selling it to interested real estate companies, with Curtion Real Estate being the most likely."
There was a slight pause as she gestured to the young man.
"And my son, Hernandez, is the CEO of Curtion Real Estate."
I turned my gaze to her son who sat like a king in his mother's office and disgust began to fill my face.
At first, I wondered why the manager would have her son lazying away in her office, but after her words, everything became clear.
Knowing fully well that I couldn't sell the inn due to the terms of the loan contract, she was going to use her power as the manager to obtain the inn through her son.
She would be gaining profit and satisfaction, the greed in her eyes showing her real intent.
Did I look like some kind of pity trophy? Do they think I'm at my wit's end already, so they're offering me an olive branch?
And his mother. How could she think of something so vile?
Fuming, I couldn't only stare at them in silence with a scowl on my face.
To repay the loan in six months would be nearly impossible and with the smirk on the manager's face, I was sure that she knew. That must be her reason for pushing me between two hard choices, hoping I'd bend and give up my father's legacy.
Hernandez kept grinning at me, with his eyes glazed like he was intoxicated. I wanted to walk over and knock some senses back into his head, but that would only make things worse. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, before standing to my feet.
The manager wore a wide grin like her son, more sinister and wicked as she stared at me.
"My dear Bethany, your options are limited and you're running out of time. You have no choice but to repay the loan or the bank would take your inn. You have six months. I'll be waiting for your response."
Shaking my head, I walked out of her office without saying a word. I could hear mother and son laugh behind the closed door, adding scornful whispers that I could barely deduce.
I hurried past people, getting to the lobby in record time. My anger threatened to explode like an inflated balloon, and I needed an outlet.
Just before I could storm through the doors, the guard stopped me with an outstretched arm. I panicked, wondering what went wrong between the manager's office and the bank doors.
I questioned the guard but he barely answered, saying that someone important wanted to see me before guiding me to a conference room.
I walked in slowly and the guard shut the door behind me. I took small steps, my heart beating loudly with the noiseless room amplifying the sound. In the dark, I could make out the frame of a man sitting with his back to me.
"Excuse me. Why am I here?"
The man laughed, turning on the lights as he stood up, revealing the deep brown suit I had just come to hate.
Hernandez walked towards me, full smirk on and an annoying gait in his steps. He had his hands in his pockets, stopping a few feet in front of me. In those few seconds, the thoughts of whacking him on the head resurfaced and my hands were ready to move.
"You look stunning, catching my eyes the instant I saw you. Who would have thought that little Sedona held such beauty?"
He reached for my cheek with his right hand but I swatted it away immediately.
"Feisty, huh? I can work with that."
The inflated balloon threatened to burst, my fist itching to punch Hernandez right on the nose.
"I have a proposition for you, Bethany. Something that would benefit both of us."
His voice was annoying, like mice scraping their feet across the glass, but the proposition was intriguing. I would grab any chance at saving my inn, especially now that I knew the mother-son duo wanted it so much.
"What proposition?"
"You let me buy the inn and land using a hidden channel, but I'll give it back to you. Doesn't that sound better than losing it entirely?"
This sounded too good to be true. Hernandez didn't seem like a man with a pure heart, and the devilish grin he held made me question every word.
"What's the catch?"
"Marry me. Marry me and all this will blow away. I'll make sure the inn and land never leave your possession. Agreed?"
His face was now so close to mine and it felt like he wanted to kiss me. Disgusted at him and his silly proposition, I hastily stepped back.
"So you want to frustrate me to the extent that I'll give in to your stupid desire and greed?"
"Ultimately, it's your choice to make. I won't lose, but you would lose everything that you hold dear."
He walked out, leaving me to stare at my feet as I held back tears. A few minutes later, I rushed out of the room, bumping into people as I placed only the bank's doors in my sight.
I stormed out of the building, with nowhere to go and my rage seething within me. I just kept walking forward, and after nearly an hour, I found myself at the airport.
I walked into the terminal, looking for a place to sit when my eyes caught a glimpse of the travel schedule. Without thinking, I rushed to the counter and pulled out my credit card.
A few minutes later, I was seated in coach with no luggage as I made my way to Las Vegas.
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực