Chapter 7 Casarei I

CASAREI POV OLÍVIA I woke up to voices coming from inside and outside my house. I squirmed and wondered what was going on. Surely Dad had done business with Mr. Clifford the night before and that commotion to do with had somethingit. I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower and there was no water. What do you mean the water ran out? With all those people talking, the housekeeper couldn't hear me at all, not even if I shouted next to her. I put on a robe and opened the bedroom door to see uniformed men removing furniture from our house and taking it down the stairs. Some items were being lowered down a rope, directly from the mezzanine. I saw Isabelle going up to her room with a mug in her hand. She was wearing her school uniform. - Good morning, sweet coconut. Didn't you go to school today? - I asked. - No... For the same reason you didn't take your shower. - He walked past me towards his room. - You didn't go to school because there was no water? - Because we're running out of furniture - he laughed debauchedly and stopped at the door, grimacing - Haven't you seen the news? I immediately went back to my room and picked up my cell phone. The news of the day in the business world was "Bank of N.N. announces debt of trillion-dollarAbertton Road Concessionaire, which will certainly force the filing for bankruptcy of one of the oldest companies in the business in the country. Ernest Abertton's assets are being seized in the name of part of the debts, including the company's headquarters, real estate and even work tools."(...) I didn't even read the end. I ran the way I was trying to find my father, who must have been desperate. He was in the kitchen, with Rose, who, in the midst of the chaos and the house full of strangers, was trying to do her makeup with a small mirror that my father held close to her face. They were taking our furniture and Rose wanted to look pretty in the eyes of the movers? - Heart! - my father smiled when he saw me. I kissed him on the cheek, standing on my tiptoes, since he was a man of 1.90 meters with a statuesque body ,that didn't go unnoticed. Rose was a beautiful woman, but it wasn't for nothing that she had chosen my father, who in my opinion was simply one of the sexiest men in the world. - Dad... I'm so sorry about what's happened," I lamented, eager to give him a hug to console him, prevented by the mirror he was holding. Wasn't the CEO of Clifford interested in Rita? Because if it had worked out, the owner of Clifford could certainly help you financially now. Rose stopped putting on makeup and laughed loudly. I took a step back, stunned. For the first time I thought that woman might have something other than pride on the brain... Like... Insanity. - This is all your fault! - He pointed at me. - Mine? - I swallowed, trying in vain to understand what I, the poor bastard daughter, Olivia Abertton, had to do with the loss of my father's company. - Please, Rose, don't... - My father asked. - Do you want to spare her from this? - she laughed scornfully - It's not fair for all of us to suffer this irreparable loss because of her. - It's not her fucking fault! - Dad changed his voice. - My fault? My fault? - Gabe Clifford bought all your father's debts. In fact, I think he was the one who gave out the loans, since he may own all the banks in Noriah North - he paused for a moment and thought - And he wants you to marry Jorel Clifford, his younger brother. I took a step back, trying to take in what Rose was saying. - This is out of the question, Heart! You will not marry Jorel Clifford. - Dad was emphatic. I laughed in disbelief. Since my early teens, I had followed Jorel Clifford's life on social media and all over the internet, dreaming of one day meeting him in person. And now Rose was saying that brother his wanted an arranged marriage between me and the man of my dreams? - What's the proposal? - I used a serious tone, certain that I had the ability to decide for myself and still resolve my father's financial situation. - No way... - He went on without considering it. - Jorel is an inveterate playboy and the whole world knows it - Rose followed - All Gabe Clifford wants is for his brother to be seen in a more serious light. And to choose her, Olivia. And I swear I'll die without understanding why it's you, the most unattractive person I've ever seen in my life. But yes, it's in your hands that we don't have to lose everything and move under the bridge. We can't even afford a fucking hotel. And it's not even in the papers yet that your father didn't pay the bill at the restaurant yesterday, after dinner with the CEO of Clifford. We're fucked... Totally fucked. - How long have you been running up debts, Dad? He lowered his head, saying nothing. - "It's been ten years," Rose replied. - Her voice trembled and for the first time I saw a certain fear in her eyes, under all that shell of arrogance and hypocrisy. - I'll marry Jorel Clifford - I didn't hesitate for a minute - I'll do anything for you, Dad! The main reason for that decision was, of course, him and my family. And I was doing it even for Rose, because although she was unbearable, she wasn't a bad person. I mean, it could have been worse, since she never physically assaulted me or tried to kill me, even though she abhorred my existence. But there were few people who didn't question why I was born, so this didn't make her any different from practically everyone else. - Heart, I'd rather die than see you married to that bastard who will make you suffer for the rest of your life. Gabe Clifford has no heart. And Jorel Clifford only thinks with his dick. He's fucked every woman in the country who has an account with more than three digits. He's an addicted gambler and a man of no quality. He lives off his brother's scraps. He was able to throw away a billion-dollar inheritance. - And since when do you care about fidelity, Ernest? - Rose laughed ironically and I didn't take her reasoning away. My father bowed his head, devastated. Yes, he had made mistakes in the past, but why charge him for his whole life? Rose had forgiven him and when she made that decision, she should have done it from the heart and not from the mouth. Every day, absolutely EVERY day, she reminded him of the betrayal from which I was born. - I don't mind betrayal myself - I shrugged and smiled - It's Jorel Clifford! I'd marry him even if it didn't have to be the only way to save our family," I made it clear. - Heart, we're not talking about that boy you idolize because of his social media posts. You're already 19. You need to understand that it goes much further than that. You will suffer, my child. You won't have a husband. Jorel will move on and Gabe Clifford has made that very clear. They want to destroy me and I'm not even sure why. - Since when are you someone Gabe Clifford wants to destroy? - Rose dismissed the possibility - He just wants a submissive wife for his brother and he's certainly seen Olivia somewhere and thought she was the perfect person for it. - I've been submissive for a long time - I explained to her - I'm no longer a girl that everyone can manipulate and make do what they want. I'm choosing to marry Jorel and this is for my father and my sisters - I made it clear that her name wasn't included - Being submissive is one thing. Giving up some things for the sake of someone you love is another. In other words, I'm not submissive to Dad and my family, but I respect and love them enough to make small sacrifices in exchange for their happiness. Marrying Jorel Clifford is a decision that requires a lot of wisdom. And I wouldn't accept it if I wasn't sure that I could change the most beloved playboy in North Noriah - I couldn't help smiling when I remembered his "naughty boy" face in all the photos he posed for. - No... - Dad tried to pretend he didn't agree, but I could see in his eyes that he was accepting my explanation. I took his cell phone from his pocket: - Call Jorel. I'll get married. Rose hugged me. And yes, it was the first hug since I met her, when I was ten years old. Was it sincere? Of course not. But it was better to give me a hug of thanks than to live under a bridge with nowhere to store your designer handbags. Was that crazy? Yes, it was. Who, with all the options of women in the world to marry, would choose me? I wasn't ugly, but I didn't have anything that could make me stand out from other people except type 1 diabetes, writing a biography of myself and the optimism that was part of my whole being. I was the kind of person who always saw the glass as "half full". And I had a good heart because I believed it was the only way to touch people.