Marriage Behind Debt

A girl stepped out of her room upon hearing a commotion that sounded like people arguing outside her room. Perhaps the sound came from the living room, not far from her room. It was reasonable enough; the house she lived in wasn't too large.

The girl's name was Alice Brianna Oscar, a twenty-one-year-old who had just graduated from high school with aspirations to pursue further education, a desire buried due to her father's passing just three days ago.

"What's going on?" murmured Alice, her face filled with astonishment, before she walked through the living room and reached the adjacent space, just a few seconds due to the close proximity.

Upon arriving in the living room, Alice furrowed her brows in surprise as she saw her mother and her older sister engaged in conversation with a well-dressed man, typical of an office worker. What made Alice more astonished and curious was the heated argument audible enough to reach her room.

There, Alice could see her mother, Emberly, looking gloomy and silent, while her sister was seen arguing with the unfamiliar man who was their guest. Observing this, Alice quickly approached them.

But she didn't immediately ask; instead, she chose to approach her mother, who was on the same sofa as her sister. "Mom, what's going on? Who is he that's arguing with my sister?" asked Alice softly after managing to embrace her visibly distressed mother.

Emberly, Alice's mother, glanced towards Alice, who had just arrived, with a worried expression. The middle-aged woman sighed deeply. "He's Mr. David, your Daddy's boss. He's here to collect the debts your Daddy owed him, amounting to tens of millions," Emberly replied in a whisper.

Upon hearing this, Alice widened her eyes momentarily before sighing softly. "Mommy, seriously? How much is the total, Mom?" the girl asked again.

Emberly didn't respond immediately. She glanced briefly at her eldest daughter, who was still trying to negotiate with Mr. David about the repayment of the debt. After all, they were a humble family that couldn't gather tens of millions within a short time to pay off the debt.

Fianne Florinca Oscar, Alice's elder sister commonly known as Anne.

"Fifty million. Mr. David wants us to clear all of Daddy's debts within two weeks," she replied weakly before bowing her head.

"Why suddenly demand the entire amount within two weeks, Mom? Daddy just passed away a week ago, leaving all of us," Alice spoke before glancing at the man, her father's former boss, with a perplexed look.

'Doesn't he have any sympathy for us living a modest life? How can we gather fifty million within two weeks? My monthly salary barely covers a quarter of Daddy's debt,' thought Alice, starting to massage her temples, contemplating it all.

Roberto Oscar, the head of the family, passed away just three days ago, leaving behind debts worth tens of millions, unknown to any of his family members, even Emberly, his beloved wife.

Reportedly, Roberto passed away in a single accident while heading to David's office for work. An unforeseen mishap took place with Roberto's car malfunctioning. The police, informed of an accident on a certain road, suggested the old car's brakes might have failed.

"Mommy doesn't know either, Alice," Emberly replied in a low voice. Her energy had been drained after a brief argument with David earlier.

"We plead, sir, please give us a bit of leniency by allowing us more time to settle all my father-in-law's debts." This time, it was Donny speaking, not giving up on asking for mercy from his former boss, his father-in-law's employer.

The middle-aged man, David, who had been sitting on a single sofa all this while, shook his head firmly once again. "No! I've been generous enough to grant you two weeks to clear all of Roberto's debts, and I believe that should suffice for you to repay everything!"

"Sir! Don't you have any compassion for our family? You know very well that my job's salary, as well as my brother-in-law's, isn't much! We're a humble family that sometimes faces shortages. Don't you realize that the amount you consider insignificant is actually enormous for us? And it's impossible for us to obtain that much money within two weeks! As Daddy's daughter, I earnestly request for more time to settle all his debts!" Just as Anne was about to respond to Mr. David's words, Alice, who had arrived just a few minutes earlier, interjected, speaking assertively in a lengthy and resolute manner with every word she uttered.

Alice articulated her words as if there were no fear in facing her father's former boss, known to be incredibly wealthy and influential in the city. How could he not be, given that David owned numerous hotels, restaurants, and businesses everywhere?

'When did Daddy borrow such a huge sum from his boss? Why didn't he tell us, and what was the money for?' Alice continued wondering about it since earlier.

'Did Daddy use his money to meet our daily needs because his company salary wasn't enough?' Alice speculated further.

Unnoticed by all, David slightly curled the corner of his lips, forming a sly smile, before returning his face to its original, expressionless state. "I can't change my decision; it's final!"

"Besides, your Daddy owed me money three years ago. I've been lenient by not deducting from his salary every day, but until now, your Daddy hasn't settled his debts. So, my patience has run out after hearing the news of your Daddy's passing," continued David, with a seemingly relaxed tone but an expressionless face.

Anne, Donny, Emberly, and Alice exchanged glances, expressing concern and fear through their eyes. However, Donny remained composed, not giving up in seeking clemency from David.

"Well, I have an offer for you, Emberly." Hearing David's words again, Emberly looked directly at the man, her expression filled with questions, similar to Alice's and her siblings'.

David smiled meaningfully before saying, "I'll clear all your husband's debts as long as your youngest daughter marries my son!"