Unexpected ultimatum

FLASHBACK, THREE WEEKS AGO~

KAYLA BROOKS

I was so happy, I could scream! I actually did scream…in my mind where nobody would look at me like a crazy person.

I walked out the cab which was parked in front of my father's mansion. I stared at the large imposing gate that bordered my childhood home, smiling to myself as if I had won the lottery.

Everything felt perfect, my life was falling into place!

I was finally doing it! I would no longer be the spoiled brat with a billionaire father. I could actually do something for myself. I could finally be someone by myself, no longer an extension of my father and his legacy. I would finally be me! Maybe one day I will be everything I have dreamt of since I was a child, maybe one day I will own a couture house, like Chanel or Dior? That day felt like the beginning, an opening to the life I have always wanted, if only I had known how badly that dream would be shattered.

I put in the security code and the gate slid open. I walked in, excited to tell my dad everything about applying and getting the job. I can already see his face! He is going to be so excited and proud.

The house was a bit quiet when I walked in, it is usually bustling with people going about their job but that day it felt too quiet. I immediately got that pit in my stomach, that feeling that something was wrong.

I could not pinpoint what it was and that was scary.

“Welcome back Ms. Kayla,” Stephanie said, avoiding my gaze. The funny feeling in my stomach persisted, something was wrong, I could feel it! I looked around, to find the other maid muttering something to themselves, they stared pointedly towards the long hallway that led to grandma's room.

Grandma?

My heart skipped a beat.

“Wh…what is going on?” The fear that something might have happened to my grandma almost knocked me out. Stephanie looked at me with sympathy for a few seconds before looking away.

“It would be better if you hear it from your father,” she brushed some stray hair off from the side of my face. I could tell that something was bothering her and it scared me. Stephanie is not someone who gets rattled easily, she has been working for my family since I was a child and I don't think I have seen her shaken up before.

My heart pounded rapidly in my chest, my throat felt like it was closing in on itself. I don't think I can bear it if anything happens to my Grandmother.

“Is gr…is,” I started to say but I couldn't even piece the words together. The thoughts of anything bad happening to her broke me.

“My darling girl, whatever happens just know that your father loves you, we all do,” she said with a wry smile. My father? What is going on?

“He was looking for you earlier. You should probably go see what he wants,” Stephanie pointed toward the study. My mind bustled with questions; what was going on? Why did she say what she said? Is grandma alright?

Walking to my father's study felt like unwrapping a present whose content I would be better off not knowing, like a Pandora's box that once opened can no longer be sealed. If I find out that something happened with grandma then it becomes real, there'd be no turning back from then.

I swallowed hard, hoping to keep the anxiety at bay as I knocked on the door. Small indecipherable whispers escaped through the hinges of the door. I could hear my father's voice which was followed by an unfamiliar feminine voice. Oh shit! He is probably having a meeting, maybe I should come back later? I was about to turn back to leave when the door swung open. There was my father standing at the other side, the sadness on his face was almost palpable. My heart skipped a bit, Grandma?

“Kayla, come in,” he sighed.

“Is grandma alright?”

“Uh yeah, of course, did something happen?” I looked puzzled. I must have read everything wrong.

“No, I don't think anything happened.” stupid, stupid, stupid me! I had assumed that something was wrong.

“ Stephanie said you were looking for me?” I asked, noticing the other person in the study for the first time. It was a woman, she looked really familiar like someone that should be on T.V or someone who had graced the celebrity magazine one time or the other, I knew that I had seen her somewhere but I couldn't place it.

“You must be Kayla? His daughter?” The woman said with an invasive sneer on her face. Her eyes stared at me from top to bottom, from the top of my head to the tip of my toe. I felt like a specimen under a microscope, I felt the intense urge to run and hide away from her gaze.

“Dad, who is she?” I asked with a nervous laugh.

“Uh…she…uh,” he stuttered, which was out of character for him. He never stuttered…never! Something felt weird. I stared in my father's direction with a puzzled look on my face. I asked him millions of questions with the look on my face but he looked away.

“Come closer child,” the woman said and when I did not move she scoffed, muttered to herself and moved closer to me. She reached out to touch my cheek, I slapped her hand off.

“Don't you dare touch me! Dad what is happening?! Who is she?!” I yelled.

“If I were you, I would watch my tone given that your father has already sold you off!” She reprimanded.

“Wh…what? Dad, what is she talking about? Who is she even?” I was hysterical. Everything felt like it was spinning out of control. Sold me off?

“Kayla. I was going to tell you…I'm sorry I had to save the company,” dad said. This doesn't make sense, I was not even sure about what was going but whatever it was it felt wrong.

“ I have provided for all your life. I have sacrificed so much so you could get a good life, it is time for you to pay back.” The soft gaze on my father's face hardened into something unrecognizable.

“What is going on?” I muttered in a voice that I could hardly recognize as my own.

“You are getting married to my son. The deal is already signed so there is no running away from this,” the woman answered.

“I'm not doing this!” I gasped.

“Well you have two choices either you marry him or you cease to be my child.” My father said,

“Either you comply or you leave my house!” His eyes blazed with anger, all that anger was directed at me. I stood there, it felt like my feet were stuck to the ground. I could hardly breathe, my heart thudded rapidly in my chest. I looked out through the window, towards the garden, the rain was drizzle, a small bird flew around probably trying to find shelter.

All I've ever wanted, all I have ever dreamt about is to be free, to finally become my own person. I'm not going to trade one prison for another, I am not going to leave the strict clutches of my father's grip just to be tethered to another man. I know what I want, I'm not getting married, I am going to build a fashion empire instead.

“No,” I said. They both pinned me down with their glares.

“No, I'm not getting married to this stranger! He is probably a freak for all I know! He probably…” Before I could complete my sentence my father's palm landed painfully across my cheek. The pain from the slap coupled with my shock caused my eyes to water.

“Get out of my house!” He yelled.