Chapter 2 A DEAL WITH THE PAST

Sophia's POV

"You expect me to marry you?" I asked, storming into his office furious, his secretary following behind me.

After the conversation with my Dad, he made me angrier when he said I had no other option, I was going to take that.

There he was, my nemesis, the face I had been avoiding for the longest time.

Bran Garner.

"Sophia, we meet again, it's a pleasure." He said, his face stoic, he signalled his secretary to leave.

I ran all the way to his office, my anger seething. I didn't know what I was going to do when I got here, but I knew I wouldn't leave till he took back his deal.

"There's nothing good about this meeting, Bran. What was that rubbish you did with my father? How could you go so low?" I asked, my body shaking with rage.

He looked at me without saying anything, his expression bored.

"He told you? I didn't expect it to be this fast." He said and continued rubbing his chin.

"Huh?" I asked, not believing he would keep my father in a position to become desperate.

He sat upright and folded his hands on his table. "Your old man has serious gambling issues, and I was there in time to save him. Is that the thank you I get? You don't understand these things, I'm not running a charity organization." He asked, amused.

His laughter, his mannerisms, his voice and the way he looked at me like I was a kid in the whole situation angered me, years later, and he still didn't consider me mature enough.

"Is that the reason why you think you can buy or put me up for sale? Well, sorry, I'm not interested in whatever deal you have with my father. I'm saying no, you can get someone else."

He stood up and walked up to me. "I'm not buying you, Sophia, you don't seem to understand the gravity of what your father did, you're the only person who can help him out, don't be a brat." He said, rubbing my chin.

I shifted away from him; he was still the devil the last time I checked, and he had no right touching me or holding my face so softly that I found it hard to breathe.

"No, I can't, I won't, and I find it really disgusting that you would want to take advantage of a desperate man to fulfill your selfish desires. I'll take you to court and we'll take back everything the legal way," I said and turned to leave.

"Do you even have the money to get a lawyer? Your business has been shut down, and your dad has nothing; he's not owing only me, can you do this alone?" He said and scoffed.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him. "What did you just say?" I asked in confusion.

"Your father owes too many people; they'll eventually come for him, and you're on the verge of losing your house too in a week. I'm willing to settle everything if you just agree to the deal. How am I the bad guy?" He said and sat down on his seat.

What? We were losing our house, too? How am I hearing this for the first time and from him? Why did my dad keep this away from me?

"See, Pookie, you have to think this over and really fast because if I take my hands off everything, you guys would not just be penniless but homeless."

I held the side of my dress tighter, trying to stop myself from screaming, today had been a lot, a whole lot and I just realized I was in deeper shit than I thought.

He stood up and came in front of me, my face was already covered with tears, it was embarrassing, he was the last person I expected to see me in this condition, I held the dress tighter, not wanting to look up at me.

He sighed and, like a huge tree falling, he went down on one knee, staring into my eyes and my surprised face.

"Sophia, I know this is not the kind of situation anyone wants to be in and I'm really sorry it has to get to this, we both know our past and you have every right to hate me, but this is for the both of us, I need it as much as you do."

Like everything had happened in my head, the kneeling part wasn't part of the script; he stood up and adjusted his suit while moving back to his seat.

"You need this as much as I do." He said again while bringing out a paper from under his table. "You're not signing your life over to me, it would be over, faster than you think, your father's property will be protected, and I'll also get my own side of the bargain." He said and shifted the paper towards me.

I looked at it, but the writing wasn't clear, I didn't know what it was about, and I didn't care. "You can't use my family's misfortune for your selfish desires. I'm not interested, get your lawyers ready; we'll do this the proper way."

He scoffed.

"Don't you understand, you have nothing, nothing to your name and with every ticking of the clock, you and your family are losing more. Why do you want to be difficult?" He barked at me, the gentleman replaced by the devil I once knew.

I could see the rage in his eyes, I knew how far he could go to get what he wanted. Was I really ready to face him in a brawl, if need be?

I thought of my father and how he looked when he told me he lost everything, that was the look of a man who was defeated, who had lost everything and was too embarrassed to admit to his daughter who would have obviously done better, the look of a desperate man who would go all length to save all he had.

"In just a year, you'll get your freedom back. Sophia, marry me and save your family's reputation or stand the chance of losing everything." He said.

I stood there watching him, the same man I hated and wished death on for most of my adult life.

I was my father's daughter still.

"I'll marry you."