Claire's POV

I stood at the top of the winding glass staircase, my hands clutching the iron railing, knuckles white as snow. I heard the laughter echoing from the living room below—a sound I had grown to detest. It was the voice of my stepmother, Delilah, mocking and dominating over the entire space, as always.

“She must be in her room crying, can’t imagine how a sister can be so jealous.” Delilah barked, pretty sure she intended for me to hear since my room was close.

“I wished she would go far away, only us and dad, then I wouldn’t have to deal with her grumpy attitude everyday.”

Delilah chuckled at her daughter’s remark. It pierced deep into my heart. These two came into my father’s house to see me and now they want to kick me out?

Day by day, I had to deal with this but the worst part is that I couldn’t kick against it. Dad loved Delilah and Lilah so much, almost neglecting me. Talking back at the people he loves always ended in him hating or scolding. I saw that while mom was alive, whenever his relatives who didn’t love mom tried to blackmail her. He cut away totally from them. I feared he could do that to me and I’ll have nowhere to run to.

Each time sat in the living room with his new wife, Lilah would chime in, sitting on his laps and the couple would excitedly laugh. They played like a happy family.

“Where is Claire?” Delilah would remind. “Always inside, jealous of us?”

Then dad would rise and come after me pissed, knocking at my door. Whenever I tried to play the same role as Lilah, he would scold me hard.

“Never bang into I and your mom’s presence each time you see us together.” He yelled at me one day when I tried blending in. I froze, heart peeping with anger and shock. Calling another woman my mom made me want to burst into hot tears. No one could ever replace my mom, the only person that cherished me like a diamond, had time for me always.

“But Lilah does this everytime.” I cried aloud as the tears came streaming out.

“You’re not Lilah.” His voice came off, cold and firm. Delilah, my stepmom who sat by his side on the couch beamed with mockery, covering her mouth, then chuckling.

It hurt really bad.

Merely thinking about this, my stomach twisted.

The lavish mansion, once a warm home when my mother was alive, had become a golden cage filled with resentment. Since my mother’s sudden death, nothing had been the same. My father, Gerald Arcole, wasted no time marrying Delilah—the woman I always suspected of being his mistress even before my mom’s death. They said it was an auto crash but my instinct which has been disturbing me ever since tells me it was a plan. They planned it this way and used a truck driver so Delilah can come in.

Delilah brought in her daughter from another man, having been a single mother. Lilah is younger than me by two years but always flaunting her beauty and intelligence like a prized possession, she became the crown jewel of the Arcole family. I had lost everything—my mother, my education, and my father’s love. The moment she stepped foot on the Arcole mansion, all resources were summoned to train her.

One day, my dad walked into my room to share the greatest shock of my life.

“I’m sorry Claire but I’ve got to break some really bad news to you.”

I sprang up.

“What?”

“Why?”

He handed over a doc to me. “See for yourself.” He stuffed the paper into my hand. I peered through, it had the letterhead of my dad’s company. ARCOLES AUTO SPARES. He produced automobile spare parts in his company and it was one of the most popular in Las Vegas.

From the top, my eyes scanned through the entire files, a bankruptcy report. The profits were drastically reducing over the months and we never knew. Or I never knew?

My eyes flipped up back to him in shock. “Dad?” I scolded.

“What happened?”

“Well, money was taken from the company’s account to do some stuff.” He looked away, raising some suspicions. He married Delilah in January, the exact month the profits started declining due to reduction in cost of production.

The luxury wedding.

He must have withdrawn money from the company to use for the wedding.

Out of anger, I tucked the paper back into his hand and returned back to my bed, uneasy. I knew he was looking but I ignored him.

“What do you expect me to do now? Why are you telling me?”

There was silence.

“I want you to know that you will no longer be my responsibility, at least I’ve tried to sponsor your education up to your final year, you either fend for yourself or you drop out.”

My jaw dropped really low.

“Our company has gone bankrupt and my personal finances can only cater for one child. I will only look out for your younger sister now.”

“She’s not my sister!” I yelled in anger, hitting the bedside table. Our jaws both dropped, I, in anger, him, in shock. I’d never behaved this way. I was always the gentle, obedient daughter. I never thought things would go this way. How I wished my mother never died.

Hot tears burned in my eyes. “Maybe you have to leave dad. You no longer love me. All you do now is to favor your new wife and her daughter from another—“

I didn’t finish my statement when the slam of the door sounded, sending shocks over me. I shivered in terror. Turning back, he had gone. He had no time for my tears.

I dropped on the bed, crying profusely. It was hard to accept this fate, to let go of my dreams of becoming a Judge. With my course, it’s impossible to find a job without a degree and I’m just a step away. Menial jobs? There were none in my city, we lived on the outskirts.

—————

3 YEARS LATER

It’s been years now and Lilah is a graduate of Business Management from the prestigious Las Vegas Ivy College, one of the best universities in the States while I haven’t been able to continue my education since then.

It was obvious. Negligence. Not that my dad couldn't afford it, Lilah was his focus, her mom as well. In the process, I lost out. If he had the means to send Lilah to such an expensive college, then he could sponsor me as I was attending a public college. University of Nevada.

When I saw his text on my phone requesting to see me in the living room, I got reluctant. It took many minutes before I finally answered the call.

“Dad, you called me?” I muttered, ignoring Delilah and Lilah who were sitting on the couch alongside dad.

He nodded, motioning for me to sit. I obeyed with a frown, keeping a wary eye on Delilah and Lilah. They couldn’t ever be trusted.

"You know our company, Arcoles, had gone bankrupt years ago and we stopped operations," he began, reducing his tone, flinging my mind back to years ago when he came to my room.

“What about it?” I steadied my eyes on him, wondering where he was heading to.

"We owe the Walson family three million dollars. I did borrow from their bank after our company fell to build it up but unfortunately I couldn’t neglect our family. We ended up using the money.”

I cocked my head, narrowing my eyes. The Walsons? One of the top richest families in Las Vegas who operates a multi-billion dollar bank that gives out loans even to government agencies?

First, he’s just revealed taking such a huge loan to me after years. Second, he used it for the family needs.

What the hell!

“There’s something fishy and he needs something from you,” my mind told me.

I smirked.

Silence.

The air went thick with suspense. My face twisted into a frown. Gerald, my dad brushed a glance over it, looking away like it didn’t matter to him, no matter how I held my face.

“Without taking this loan, we wouldn’t survive till now since you refused to find a job.” His pitch got high, my brows raised. What the fuck! Throwing the blame on me?

“The interest is choking us. We’ve defaulted on three payments. They can legally take over the company building and the products left, forever."

Another silence.

“You don’t need to tell me. First you took out money from the company for your lavish wedding with Delilah and the second money to rebuild the company, you used it to sponsor her daughter—“

“As well as build us a family penthouse at my father-in-law’s land.”

“Oh gosh!” I hit my forehead, rising up.

My dad was foolishly in love. I hated this, it was as though a love spell was cast on him. He was doing all this, yet he neglected me this badly?

Perhaps it’s intentional. He no longer cares since my mom is dead.

Feeling my hope in the family fading away, I stood up, strolling away but before reaching the door, his voice stopped me.

“Maybe you would love this—“

“How about getting married to the Walson’s billionaire heir as we can’t pay them the debt? Surprisingly, they offered a rare and special opportunity. I don't know what they want but it seems good.” He nodded his head.

“The three million dollars which we can’t pay would serve as your bride price?”

“As the heiress, being joined with their family will give them legal custody of our company as well as our continued ownership. They will take over the company for a while, build it, get the shares before handing it over to us. Someone needs to be a close custodian of this in their family. They are actually helping us.”

What relationship does dad even have with the Walsons to get such an offer?

“This new idea to sort things out will be sealed better off with the marriage of the Walson’s heir to you.”

The heir.

My lips went wide apart. The Walsons. Everyone knew their name. Eric Walson, bastardly wealthy. His bank, Walsons Bank, funded half of Las Vegas.

Alessandro Walson.

The 3rd World’s Most Eligible Bachelor according to Cosmopolitan and NYC Magazines for his gentle and courtly character.

Who would not want him?

But will this be a contract marriage or for real? Is it set to last? He just didn’t tell me in detail. Now my heart is beating so hard.