Chapter 1-
Kennell's POV
‘Seth! What the heck are you doing here?’ I yelled, watching my sister, Marcy, grab the bed sheets, her red hair sprawled around her shoulder and her eyes glinting with victory, while Seth, my boyfriend of four years, slowly gets up and smiles broadly.
Wait.. Wasn't he supposed to be on his knees begging for forgiveness since I just caught him with Marcy in a hot session?
As if reading my thoughts, he replied, `I`m sorry you had to know this way, Kennell. Please forgive me, but I think this decision is best for us.`
I stared at him like he spoke a native language I hadn't heard before. `What decision are you talking about, and what the heck are you doing with my sister?
He sighed, settling on the bed. `I'm breaking up with you to be with Marcy. These past four years have been stale, and nothing spontaneous has happened so far, but with being with Marcy for a week now, I have experienced life in different ways.`
Yeah, by getting into her bed!
I chuckled harshly. I knew why he was getting rid of me. He already heard the news that my father had named Marcy the heir to the family business because she was the apple of his eyes and had graduated recently from the business school I absconded from for an art school.
`Cut the crap, Seth! I know you`re with her because of the family business and the money, but I am glad to get rid of a greedy, lazy fool like you! You never added to my life, so I won`t miss you!” I replied, steadying my trembling lips.
I had to hold this facade so they wouldn't see the mess I was inside. Seth was my life. How was I going to live without him? We had planned different parts of our lives together, and now he was leaving me for my stepsister, who had always wanted what I had.
That witch!
`Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Ken. I do know you`re going to return to your apartment, cuddle your cat, and cry all night while I take Seth on a long ride,` Marcy smirked, drawing me back to reality.
I smiled, holding my head high. `I hope you enjoy his pathetic soul and ensure you buy a lot of male cologne because when he`s all sweaty, you won't be able to stand the stench, and as for you, Seth, thank you for allowing me to invest four years of my life in you!
I rushed out of his apartment, paid part of the rent with my salary as a graphic designer, and drove home.
`You need to grab yourself together, Kennell. Seth wasn't worth you, and I told you last year to dump him, but you refused. Now, see what happened,` my bestie Beverly uttered, passing a bowl of fried chips.
Unlike what Marcy had predicted, I had called Beverly immediately, crashed on my king-size bed, and cuddled my pillow. Now, she was here, rebuking and comforting me.
`I know, Ken. I should have listened to you, but Seth was perfect for me. He treated me right, and Dad actually liked him. I can't believe he would leave me because of our family business and for Marcy!` I sniffled, taking a piece of the chip.
She patted my arms. `I am not surprised, though. Seth has always been greedy, selfish, and lazy. I have never seen a man who enjoys eating off other people's sweat. He fits better with Marcy and not you, Kennell, trust me, okay?
I nodded as I fell into my private thoughts.
Seth had been my first boyfriend since high school, and at first, I thought we wouldn't work, but we did after learning about our different love languages and weak spots. He completed me, and I completed him. We were perfect except for one red flag I chose to ignore. His working habits. He couldn't keep a job, even though he was one of the best accountants I had ever seen. So, after several fights, I agreed to take care of part of his rent while he promised to keep his part-time job as an accountant for a law firm.
The promise had worked until I discovered that he resigned last week. I had braced myself for his usual defence lines as I walked into his apartment, only to see him eating Marcy!
I sighed softly as the images replayed in my head. I had lost my boyfriend to a stepmother who hated me like I was the devil's kin, and I also lost my inheritance to her.
Life was really treating me well.
My phone rang, startling a dozing Beverly. It was my dad. `Hello, Dad. How may I help you?`
He replied rapidly, `There`s a family meeting at nine o'clock tonight. Don`t be late.`
The line went dead as I swallowed the words, not his rudeness. Did Dad already know about my breakup? Did the family want to rub it on my face?
Beverly asked, `What did your dad want?``
`I have a family meeting to attend by nine, and by his abrupt tone, I don't think it`s good.`
She smiled, holding my hands. `Your family and good news weren't born on the same day.`
Well, she wasn't wrong.
The family house, or, as I loved to call it, ``The Graveyard` because of Dad`s stoic attitude and my stepmother`s harshness, had never looked so unwelcoming as I stepped into the building. I didn't miss it because every memory built in here was unpleasant.
I greeted some familiar faces: cousins, aunts, and my grandfather, whom I loved dearly. Marcy was present, as was our older brother, Jameson, which meant the meeting was pretty serious.
`So, without wasting anyone's time, I will go straight to business,` my dad, Fred Banks, said, focusing his gaze on me. `Most of us are aware that Mr. Holland Ross' contract with the family expired today, and no, he couldn't complete the terms due to his surgery and drugs, which took everything from him.` According to the contract, if he can't fulfil his part, he will be giving up his only son as a payment, which means one of my daughters will be marrying him.'
There was a lot of excited chatter from everyone while I kept mute, thinking about how stupid the condition was. Who gave up their only son to pay a debt?
Fred Bank coughed, hushing the voices: `Previously, we agreed that Marcy would be the one to marry his son, but she's engaged to someone else, so I decided to give out Kennell instead`
I let out a surprised yell as I digested everything he said slowly. `You can`t make me marry someone I don't know because of a crazy contract you signed with Mr. Ross! I won't do it!` I replied, glaring defiantly at him.
He smiled harshly, ignoring my grandpa`s gaze. `You will marry him unless I evict you from my apartment and ensure you lose that lousy job of yours and the art college removes you from the scholarship list!`
What the heck? My dad was threatening me with everything I held dear to my life.
`But, Dad!` I cried out, ignoring Marcy`s triumphant gaze. "You can't do this; I barely know his son, and I just got out of a relationship a few hours ago. I am not ready for another.`
`I don`t care, Kennell. I have allowed you to make decisions all your life by yourself, but right now, I am taking the reins, so you do as I say or walk out of this family and never return!`
I sobbed, running towards my granddad. He was the only one who could talk sense into my dad, and I hoped this time his words would save me.
`Fred, she's just twenty-one years old, barely an adult yet. Why not have another talk with Mr. Ross? My granddad said, caressing my trembling hands.
`She will do as she's told, Dad! Please stay out of this. A contract is a contract, and I must stand by my word, just as Holland did. Start packing your things, young lady; you move into their mansion tomorrow!” he barked, walking out.
My granddad sighed, standing up, but something happened that would forever stay permanent in my head. He clutched his chest and fell immediately, causing the world to stand still, and I heard a voice that sounded like mine, yelling.
`We need to proceed with the surgery by tomorrow, or else you would lose him,` the doctor said, patting my dad's shoulder.
`Dad, we can`t lose him. He's the only one who fully understands and cares about me, please,` I cried, falling on my knees, not caring how I looked.
He shook me up. `That's good, Kennell. If you want me to save Granddad, you have until tomorrow morning to accept the contract or watch him die because of your indecision.I am not joking.`
I crumbled to my feet, watching him step out of the hospital. I knew he was capable of watching his father die. He had watched my mom die just because she refused to transfer her inheritance to him.
I took out my phone and sent a quick text to Beverly. She was my stability at this point.
