"LAST month, I lost a lot of money at the casino. There, I met Mr. Gideon Henry. He lent me a huge amount of money without asking for collateral… He said he's confident that I could win back all the money I lost…"
I was pacing back and forth in front of Dad as I listened to his explanation.
"But that didn't happen… I didn't win. I lost every penny I borrowed from him. Gideon Henry… gave me one month to pay off my debt. He said that if I didn't pay him on time, he would send me to jail."
"Dad…" I stopped in front of him. I shut my eyes as my hand went to my forehead. "Why did you only tell me about this now?" We just talked on the phone last week, and he didn't mention anything to me. "Why did you keep me in the dark, Dad?"
"I didn't want to give you problems, Bianca."
I wanted to get mad at him. For hiding things from me. But somehow, I wanted to blame myself for not being perceptive enough. I thought he was doing fine here. I had no idea he was already dealing with something.
I let out a sigh as I settled beside him. "Dad, I'm your daughter. I have the right to know about these things."
He shook his head. "I didn't ask you to come here to help you solve my problems, Bianca." A weary smile appeared on his face. "I just wanted to see you before I go to jail."
"Stop it, Dad. You're not going to jail." I told him. "No matter how much money you owe that Mr. Henry, he can't send you to jail. That's against the law." I placed my hand on his back. "Don't worry, Dad. We'll settle this. We'll find a way to pay him on time."
I closed my eyes as I remembered how much debt my father was facing. Ten million dollars. Just… how are we going to pay that in two weeks?
He looked at me. "I thought Mr. Henry was a kind man. But I was wrong, Bianca. I'm sorry for trusting him."
Gideon Henry. This was the first time I heard that name. What kind of asshole was he for threatening to send my father to jail?
"Dad... that Gideon Henry. Where could I find him?"
Three days later, I was standing in front of Henry Corporations' tower in New York. I was able to secure an appointment with Gideon Henry through his secretary.
I admitted that I didn't have the means to pay the ten million dollars my father owed to him. I needed to talk to him.
My father and I agreed to offer him our house as collateral. I hope that would be enough for him to allow us to pay in installments.
"I'm looking for Mr. Gideon Henry," I said to the secretary in front of me. I learned that Gideon Henry is the CEO of the Henry Corporation, one of the leading real estate companies in the whole country. Aside from New York, the company has offices in Los Angeles and Seattle.
"I have an appointment with him."
"Mr. Henry is still in an emergency meeting, Miss Hargreeves. You can wait for him here." The lady motioned me to the couch in the waiting area.
It was obvious that Gideon Henry was a multi-billionaire tycoon. My father said he met Gideon Henry in a casino in Maine. That's what I couldn't understand. What does a big-shot businessman like Gideon Henry doing in a small-scale casino? And with the multi-billion dollar company he has, why was he so pressed with my father's debt on him?
"Mr. Henry's already here, Miss Hargreeves."
I stilled when I saw a man in a black three-piece suit coming our way.
That's Gideon Henry?
I was expecting an old man. Not a man in his early twenties or early thirties. I continued to watch him as he walked towards us.
His business suit was crisp and expensive. He's tall, more than six feet in height. Probably six-five. His dark blonde hair was slicked back.
His eyes were deep and in the shade of blue. His lips red. His nose sharp. His jaw sharp as a knife. This man… he could pass up as a GQ model.
"Mr. Henry, Miss Hargreeves is waiting for you."
I blinked when I heard my name from Gideon Henry's secretary.
Gideon's pair of icy blue eyes went to me.
"Miss Hargreeves?" His voice was deep, his face cold and calculating. I didn't know why I felt a shiver travel down my spine when his eyes zeroed in on mine. Damn. His whole aura screamed power. The way he looked at me got me intimidated.
"Hello, Mr. Henry." I said as I stood up. "I'm Bianca Hargreeves. Frank Hargreeves' daughter." I swallowed. "I wanted to talk to you about my father's debt."
His thick eyebrows shot up a bit. But he didn't give any other reaction aside from that. "Follow me into my office," he said, walking past me.
I took a deep breath as I walked behind Gideon Henry. I was right. He was one ruthless businessman. But I didn't come here just to be intimidated.
Every corner of his office screamed money. The Monet painting alone on the wall has already cost ten million dollars. The same amount of what my father owed him.
Gideon Henry settled on his executive table. He didn't ask me to sit, so I remained standing in front of him.
Gideon Henry looked at me with the same cold and menacing expression. "So, what do you want to talk about, Miss Hargreeves?" He asked in a flat tone. "I'm a very busy person. I could only spare fifteen minutes for you."
"Mr. Henry," I said in a formal voice. "Regarding my father's debt… I would like to propose a deal."
He picked up a pen on his table and looked at me. His eyebrows shot up. "What deal are you talking about?"
"We couldn't pay the ten million dollars in one month. You see, we don't have the means to produce that huge amount of money in a short period of time. That's why I came here to ask for an extension. Give us at least one year to pay off our debt."
"One year?" He let out a dark chuckle. "Your father and I have an agreement, Miss Hargreeves," he cut me off. "I only gave him a month."
"I know," I said in a controlled voice. "But like I said, we won't be able to pay you in that time frame. My father... he doesn't have any businesses left. He already lost our grocery store in the casino when my mother died." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm only working as a librarian. The only property left of us is our house in Portland." I placed the blue folder I was holding on his table.
"My father and I both decided to put our house as collateral. In exchange, we would ask to pay the ten million dollars in installments, Mr. Henry. We can sign a contract for that. Rest assured that my father and I won't run away from his debt."
He picked up the envelope and opened it. I saw how his eyes scanned the document before turning to me with a sardonic smile.
"I don't accept this, Miss Hargreeves. It's either you hand me the ten million in two weeks or your father will spend his time in jail."
I clenched my fist. "You can't do that." This time, I could no longer hold my emotions. This man is a ruthless bastard.
"Do what?" He gave me a challenging look. His eyes were piercing my soul as if those blue flames were trying to burn me.
I didn't bulge at his stares. "You can't send my father to jail. That's against the law."
He smirked. It was an evil one. As if taunting me. "Trust me. I can, Miss Hargreeves. You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of doing."
I gritted my teeth. "Why are you doing this, Mr. Henry?"
This man... he wasn't just ruthless. He's cunning. He's evil. It's like he's used to this kind of intimidation. I wondered how many helpless people fell into his trap.
"This is nothing personal, Miss Hargreeves," he answered coldly. "I'm a businessman. And this is how I deal with my business."
"You," I scoffed, completely losing my composure. Earlier, I said that I was willing to beg in front of this man if needed to. But no. I couldn't do it. Not with this man.
"You're a disgusting human being who abuses his power to trample on people." I looked at him, my head held high. "But I'm telling you, Mr. Henry. You can't do that to us. You can't intimidate me. And if you continue to threaten my father, I'll sue you."
Gideon Henry... the bastard only smirked. He seemed like he wasn't even affected by everything I had said.
With clenched teeth, I snatched the envelope from his desk before I turned my back on him.
"Alright, Miss Hargreeves..."
I was already at the door when I heard his voice. I stopped.
"I have a proposition for you."
I slowly turned around to face Gideon Henry. He was still behind his executive desk. His face was serious and stoic as his blue eyes met mine.
"W-what proposition?"
"You said you couldn't pay the ten million dollars your father owed me, right?"
"I didn't say that." I corrected him. "I only said we couldn't pay you now. But if you'll give us enough time—"
"It's just the same thing," he cut me off. "You don't have the money now. And I'm not fan of waiting, Miss Hargreeves."
I stopped myself from coming at him. "So what's your proposition?" I said in a controlled voice.
"Marry me, Ms. Hargreeves."
"W-what?" My mouth dropped.
"You heard it right. Marry me, Miss Hargreeves. Be my wife, and I'll forget about the ten million dollars your father owed me."