Chapter 2 BANKRUPTCY

Months after Ronaldo's death, Alfred returned home from a business trip, weary and burdened. As he stepped inside, Marian heard the doorbell and quickly opened the door. Seeing her husband, she smiled warmly and took his briefcase from him.

"Welcome home, honey" Marian said, noticing the sadness etched on Alfred's face.

"Thanks" Alfred replied, loosening his tie and sinking into the sofa with a heavy sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Marian asked, her voice filled with concern.

"The trip didn't go well. I tried everything to convince the man, but he refused to grant us access," Alfred said, his frustration evident.

"Don't worry too much about it; you can try again another time" Marian reassured him.

"You don't understand, Marian. It's-" Alfred began but was interrupted by his phone ringing. He answered it immediately. "I just got back. What's going on?" he asked the caller.

"Alfred, there's a big problem" the man on the other end said urgently.

"What problem?" Alfred asked, standing up immediately.

"You need to come to the office right now" the person insisted. Without hesitation, Alfred grabbed his car keys and headed outside, with Marian following closely behind.

"What happened?" Marian asked, her steps increasing to keep up with him.

"It's Peter. He said there's a big problem at the company. I need to be there right away" Alfred explained, his voice tense.

"Isn't he your assistant? He should be able to handle it. What if you were still abroad on the business trip?" Marian asked as Alfred started the car and drove off.

At Ronaldo Enterprise, Alfred stepped out of his car, his mind unsettled, and rush inside without replying the greetings from his employees. His focus was solely on reaching his office, where his assistant Peter and the CFO were already waiting, their expressions grim.

"Welcome, Alfred" Peter greeted him as he entered.

"What's going on, Peter? CFO?" Alfred asked as he moved quickly to his seat.

"I thought it could be fixed, which is why I didn't alert you sooner, but things have got out of control" Peter admitted, his voice tense.

"We really did everything we could, Alfred" the CFO added, concern evident in his tone.

"You two are starting to scare me. I trust you both. What's the problem?" Alfred asked, trying to keep his composure.

"We have a serious problem. Our primary investor, VenturePlus, has just pulled out their funding. With immediate effect" the CFO explained.

"What? How did this happen? Why didn't you inform me the moment it happened?" Alfred asked, his frustration rising.

"We also found out recently. We were dealing with the issue of the company's missing documents when VenturePlus announced their decision. They stated some inner changes and a shift in their investment plan. We tried everything to convince them to stay, but their decision is final" Peter said, his voice filled with regret.

"This is a great loss," Alfred mumbled as he stood up, slamming his hand on the table in frustration. "How serious is this? Can we manage without their support?"

"It's very serious. VenturePlus accounted for 75% of our funding. Without their support, our cash flow is dangerously low. We have only about three weeks' worth of functional funds left" the CFO explained, the gravity of the situation clear in his voice.

"I suspected something like this might happen after my trip was unsuccessful. What about other funding sources? Can we secure emergency loans or find another investors?" Alfred asked, trying to think of a solution.

"I've been contacting other potential investors and banks, but without VenturePlus's backing, they're not ready to get support. The terms we've been offered are not favorable and would only postpone our problems" the CFO replied, the outlook grim.

Alfred sank back into his chair, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "We need to find a solution, and fast," he said, knowing that the survival of Ronaldo Enterprise depended on it.

"We have no options, Alfred. Bankruptcy is smiling at us" Peter said, his words heavy with the finality of the situation. Alfred, overwhelmed, slowly sank to the floor, feeling the weight of the crisis.

"Unfortunately, we need to start preparing for it" the CFO added somberly. "It's the only way to responsibly handle our debts and obligations."

"How am I supposed to break this news to our employees?" Alfred asked, his voice barely above a whisper, filled with sadness.

"Many have already submitted their resignation letters," Peter replied, his tone regretful. "The rest are just waiting to hear it from us. It's no more a secret ."

"We have to be open and honest with them," the CFO said, emphasizing the importance of handling the situation with honesty.

"I can't believe it has come to this," Alfred said, his eyes welling up with tears. "This is the danger of relying on one investor. And without the company's documents, I cannot defend anything"

Later that night, Alfred's car pulled up in front of his house. Peter, who had driven him home, got out of the driver's seat, concerned about Alfred's well-being. They couldn't let him drive himself in his current state of mind.

"Take care, Alfred" the CFO said as he stepped out of the other car.

"Thanks, guys" Alfred replied, his voice weary.

"If we could still get our hands on those company documents, we might be able to come up with something," Peter said, holding onto a light of hope. "But without them, we're at a serious disadvantage."

"It's been three months, Peter" Alfred said, his voice heavy with resignation. "Still can't find them."

As Alfred walked into his house, Peter and the CFO watched him, their hearts heavy with the weight of what lay ahead.

"Well, we've done all we could" the CFO said, shaking his head.

"Yeah" Peter agreed as they both got into Peter's car. "So, what's your plan now?" he asked as they drove off into the night, discussing what their next steps might be.

"I'm moving to the UK. I recently landed a new job there" the CFO said.

"I'm going back to rejoin the force. It was always my calling until Alfred's father asked me to join Alfred at the company" Peter added.

"Do you know who his father was?" the CFO asked.

"Ronaldo was a respectful man, a retired businessman who handed over the reins to his son" Peter replied.

"It must be devastating for Alfred. He's lost both his father and the company," the CFO said sympathetically.

Marian was sitting in the living room when Alfred entered, his face filled with sadness.

"Alfred, why are you just now arriving? What happened?" Marian asked, her concern evident.

"Marian, the company is gone" Alfred said, his voice heavy with resignation.

"What do you mean?" Marian asked, clearly shocked.

"VenturePlus withdrew their support, and on top of that, the company's documents are missing" Alfred explained.

"Honey, don't you think now is the time to consider accepting the position?" Marian suggested.

"Not this again, Marian. You know how much I dislike hearing that" Alfred said, frustrated. "Where is Lucian?"

"He's asleep" Marian replied.

"Have you thought of the responsibilities and risks of taking that position? Stepping into a role where I'll become a target, putting you and Lucian in danger. Have you really thought this through?" Alfred said, his voice tinged with worry.

"Your father was Don before you were born, and he managed to hold power well till his sixties. He died suddenly because of an enemy, and now you're acting like a coward" Marian said, her tone sharp.

"Did you just call me a coward?" Alfred asked, anger rising.

"Yes, I did. You couldn't even stand up for your father or investigate his death. All you care about is the company. Maybe he gave it to someone else because he knew you didn't care" Marian said, her in frustration.

"My father and I were very close. He would never have done that to me" Alfred said, defending his father's intentions.

"Now that the company is gone, what's going to happen to us?" Marian asked, her voice filled with concern.

"That was my father's mistake-relying on only one investor. The family was more important to him than the business. I'll reach out to my friends to find a solution" Alfred said, determined to seek alternatives.

"The company is bankrupt, Alfred. Who's going to help you now?" Marian asked.

"Do you think your private friend might be able to help? I need investors urgently, and the banks are not offering any support" Alfred replied.

"I'll discuss it with her" Marian said.

"I would prefer to speak with her directly about this as a business matter" Alfred insisted.

"I've already said I'll talk to her, and I need to visit her in person. This isn't something we can sort out without a face-to-face meeting, Marian explained.

"Alright, while you're away, I'll reach out to my friends here. Hopefully, we can find a solution" Alfred said hopefully.

"Okay, dear" Marian replied, then added, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I have no appetite. I'm feeling completely lost, Marian. I hope I can find a way through this" Alfred said, as he walked into their bedroom.

Two weeks had passed since Marian left for her friend's place. Lucian was unable to attend school due to unpaid fees. Alfred was sitting in the living room, feeling cast down, when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find two unexpected visitors standing outside.

"What are you doing here? How did you find my place?" Alfred asked, blocking their entry.

"If we wanted to find you, we would, Alfred. There's no place we can't locate" Rossi replied.

"Are you going to let us in or not?" Rosario asked. Hesitantly, Alfred stepped aside and let them enter. He looked upstairs, checking to see if Lucian was around, but didn't see him. Lucian, thinking his mother had returned, came out of his room only to find the two visitors in the house. Curious and careful, he hid in a place where he could listen but not seen as he tried to understand the reason for their visit.

"What brings you here?" Alfred asked as Rosario and Rossi took their seats.

"We heard about your company" Rosario replied.

"Is there any good news? Have you found the documents?" Alfred asked eagerly.

"No, unfortunately. The appointment for the new Don is in three weeks. You still have time to reconsider, Alfred. It could help get your company back on track" Rosario said.

"I've told you before, Rosario, I'm not interested. Just help me locate the documents to restore the company" Alfred said, while Lucian listened from his hiding spot.

"Alfred, we can't afford to waste the family's resources on someone who isn't one of us. You have half the family's support, and once you're ready, I'm sure the others will follow your lead because you're Ronaldo's son" Rossi said.

"Rossi's right. Most of us don't want Greco Gambino to lead us. Although he was loved by your father" Rosario added.

"I refuse to join your syndicate of killers, Rosario. I won't let Lucian grow up seeing me as a killer. If being part of this family was so great, my father wouldn't have been killed by his enemies. If you won't help me find the documents, I'll start from scratch" Alfred said firmly.

"Your stubbornness won't help you, Alfred. According to our information, you're in a serious situation. If you don't fight for yourself, there's nothing more we can do" Rossi said.

"Leave. I'll find a way to rebuild on my own" Alfred said.

"Rebuild? At thirty-six?" Rossi said. "I can't believe Ronaldo's son turned out to be such a coward" Rossi added, while Lucian peeked from his hiding spot.

"Get out" Alfred said as he walked to the door, ushering them out.

"Rossi, we shouldn't overstay our welcome. This visit is useless" Rosario said.

"Take care, Alfred" Rossi said as he and Rosario left.

Frustrated, Alfred slammed his fist against the wall. Lucian, having come downstairs, watched his father.

"Dad, what happened?" Lucian asked.

"Nothing, son. Did you just come down?" Alfred asked as he approached Lucian.

"Yes, who were those people?" Lucian asked.

"They were business associates. They've left now" Alfred explained.

"When is Mum coming back?" Lucian asked.

"I don't know, son. All attempts to reach her were unavailable" Alfred said.

Later that night, Alfred and Lucian were having snacks when they heard a knock on the door.

"It must be Mum" Lucian said, as Alfred went to answer it.

"Marian!" Alfred called out as his wife entered, and he locked the door behind her.

"Mum" Lucian called joyfully as he hugged his mother.

"I've missed you, son" Marian said, patting Lucian on the back.

"What took you so long, Marian? It's been two weeks" Alfred asked.

"I was hoping for a positive outcome" Marian replied, taking a seat.

"Did she help us?" Alfred asked.

"How did things go on your end?" Marian also asked.

"It didn't go well. They're not willing to lend support or invest" Alfred said, and Marian let out a chuckle.

"Well, I'm tired. We'll discuss it later" Marian said as she headed upstairs, with Alfred following.

"Marian, wait. I need to talk to you" Alfred said, grabbing her hand to stop her.

"Let go of me, Alfred. This is all your fault" Marian said, pulling her hand away forcefully.