Marriage Behind Debt

A girl stepped out of her room upon hearing a commotion that sounded like people arguing outside her room. Perhaps the sound came from the living room, not far from her room. It was reasonable enough; the house she lived in wasn't too large.

The girl's name was Alice Brianna Oscar, a twenty-one-year-old who had just graduated from high school with aspirations to pursue further education, a desire buried due to her father's passing just three days ago.

"What's going on?" murmured Alice, her face filled with astonishment, before she walked through the living room and reached the adjacent space, just a few seconds due to the close proximity.

Upon arriving in the living room, Alice furrowed her brows in surprise as she saw her mother and her older sister engaged in conversation with a well-dressed man, typical of an office worker. What made Alice more astonished and curious was the heated argument audible enough to reach her room.

There, Alice could see her mother, Emberly, looking gloomy and silent, while her sister was seen arguing with the unfamiliar man who was their guest. Observing this, Alice quickly approached them.

But she didn't immediately ask; instead, she chose to approach her mother, who was on the same sofa as her sister. "Mom, what's going on? Who is he that's arguing with my sister?" asked Alice softly after managing to embrace her visibly distressed mother.

Emberly, Alice's mother, glanced towards Alice, who had just arrived, with a worried expression. The middle-aged woman sighed deeply. "He's Mr. David, your Daddy's boss. He's here to collect the debts your Daddy owed him, amounting to tens of millions," Emberly replied in a whisper.

Upon hearing this, Alice widened her eyes momentarily before sighing softly. "Mommy, seriously? How much is the total, Mom?" the girl asked again.

Emberly didn't respond immediately. She glanced briefly at her eldest daughter, who was still trying to negotiate with Mr. David about the repayment of the debt. After all, they were a humble family that couldn't gather tens of millions within a short time to pay off the debt.

Fianne Florinca Oscar, Alice's elder sister commonly known as Anne.

"Fifty million. Mr. David wants us to clear all of Daddy's debts within two weeks," she replied weakly before bowing her head.

"Why suddenly demand the entire amount within two weeks, Mom? Daddy just passed away a week ago, leaving all of us," Alice spoke before glancing at the man, her father's former boss, with a perplexed look.

'Doesn't he have any sympathy for us living a modest life? How can we gather fifty million within two weeks? My monthly salary barely covers a quarter of Daddy's debt,' thought Alice, starting to massage her temples, contemplating it all.

Roberto Oscar, the head of the family, passed away just three days ago, leaving behind debts worth tens of millions, unknown to any of his family members, even Emberly, his beloved wife.

Reportedly, Roberto passed away in a single accident while heading to David's office for work. An unforeseen mishap took place with Roberto's car malfunctioning. The police, informed of an accident on a certain road, suggested the old car's brakes might have failed.

"Mommy doesn't know either, Alice," Emberly replied in a low voice. Her energy had been drained after a brief argument with David earlier.

"We plead, sir, please give us a bit of leniency by allowing us more time to settle all my father-in-law's debts." This time, it was Donny speaking, not giving up on asking for mercy from his former boss, his father-in-law's employer.

The middle-aged man, David, who had been sitting on a single sofa all this while, shook his head firmly once again. "No! I've been generous enough to grant you two weeks to clear all of Roberto's debts, and I believe that should suffice for you to repay everything!"

"Sir! Don't you have any compassion for our family? You know very well that my job's salary, as well as my brother-in-law's, isn't much! We're a humble family that sometimes faces shortages. Don't you realize that the amount you consider insignificant is actually enormous for us? And it's impossible for us to obtain that much money within two weeks! As Daddy's daughter, I earnestly request for more time to settle all his debts!" Just as Anne was about to respond to Mr. David's words, Alice, who had arrived just a few minutes earlier, interjected, speaking assertively in a lengthy and resolute manner with every word she uttered.

Alice articulated her words as if there were no fear in facing her father's former boss, known to be incredibly wealthy and influential in the city. How could he not be, given that David owned numerous hotels, restaurants, and businesses everywhere?

'When did Daddy borrow such a huge sum from his boss? Why didn't he tell us, and what was the money for?' Alice continued wondering about it since earlier.

'Did Daddy use his money to meet our daily needs because his company salary wasn't enough?' Alice speculated further.

Unnoticed by all, David slightly curled the corner of his lips, forming a sly smile, before returning his face to its original, expressionless state. "I can't change my decision; it's final!"

"Besides, your Daddy owed me money three years ago. I've been lenient by not deducting from his salary every day, but until now, your Daddy hasn't settled his debts. So, my patience has run out after hearing the news of your Daddy's passing," continued David, with a seemingly relaxed tone but an expressionless face.

Anne, Donny, Emberly, and Alice exchanged glances, expressing concern and fear through their eyes. However, Donny remained composed, not giving up in seeking clemency from David.

"Well, I have an offer for you, Emberly." Hearing David's words again, Emberly looked directly at the man, her expression filled with questions, similar to Alice's and her siblings'.

David smiled meaningfully before saying, "I'll clear all your husband's debts as long as your youngest daughter marries my son!"

Alice found herself back in her room after the man who came to collect her father's debt had left. She sat in silence, staring out the window with an empty gaze. Yet, her mind was filled with various problems she was facing, and a new one had just been added.

The room Alice occupied was simple, not too spacious, containing only a wardrobe, a study table, and a medium-sized bed used for sleeping. The bathroom wasn't inside Alice's room; it was separate and the only one in the house. Therefore, everyone had to take turns when wanting to use it.

Additionally, Alice's room was currently silent, the door tightly locked from the inside. At this moment, Alice didn't want to be disturbed by anyone after someone had come this morning to demand her father's debt from her family. Alice pondered over the debt that could be settled if she were to marry the son of the man who had demanded it.

Of course, Alice was not accepting the condition imposed by that person. She felt as though she was being treated as a commodity to settle her father's debt. On the other hand, Alice also didn't know who the child of her father's former boss was. So for now, Alice was contemplating her situation. Her mother hadn't forced Alice to accept the offer from David, her father's ex-boss.

Even though Alice wasn't pressured to accept David's offer, she couldn't help but think about the debt that had to be paid within an extremely short time-two weeks. Yet, her father's debt was so significant, amounting to tens of millions of dollars.

Alice was self-aware; she would never be able to gather that much money within two weeks, even with the help of her brother-in-law. So, she was utterly confused about what to do. If the only way to clear her father's debt was to marry David's child, Alice felt she needed to reconsider.

But Alice was afraid that accepting David's offer would lead her into deeper trouble. She didn't know the person she would be marrying, and she feared they might not accept her either.

The question swirling in Alice's mind was: Why did David demand that she marry his child as a condition for clearing her father's debt? Alice felt she had no special abilities; she could only cook and manage the house. She didn't consider herself particularly attractive or talented. What did David see in her that prompted him to make such a demand?

Indeed, Alice was very confused now. Was David's child also being forced by David if she accepted the offer? Alice had just met David for the first time this morning, let alone meeting David's child. She had never met or even known anything about her father's former boss's child.

Alice's head felt like it was about to explode. She was so confused to the point of feeling dizzy while trying to find a solution to all the problems she was facing. Before this new problem arose, Alice already had issues at her workplace with her colleague. As a result, her head was only filled with problems she had to deal with. And these problems arose just two days after her father's departure.

Alice returned to work after just two days of her father's passing because she had only received a two-day leave. But after only a day at work, the girl encountered problems with her colleague.

What made Alice slightly better was that today was the weekend, which meant she wouldn't meet her work colleague. Alice thought that today she could calm her complicated mind. Sometimes, Alice still cried when she remembered her father who had left just three days ago.

"Damn it! Why is my life like this?" muttered Alice, releasing a string of harsh words. She rarely swore before, if ever, unless she faced a problem like now.

Alice's daydreams were shattered, her eyes no longer staring blankly ahead. Instead, her eyes slowly glistened.

"Why do problems keep coming to me, God?" continued Alice in a soft tone. Her head bowed down, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What did I do wrong, God?"

After saying these words, Alice bent her knees, hugging them close and burying her face in her knees. Alice cried silently, without letting out any loud sobs, shaking with her shoulders and suppressed sobs.

Alice cried quietly, her voice muffled. She recalled her late father, whom she already missed dearly. Alice missed her father's wise advice; although her mother and sister were still there, Alice felt her father was wiser in providing solutions and advice.

If time could be rewound, Alice wanted to go back to her childhood, which was much better than now. Back then, Alice wished to grow up quickly because in her imagination, being an adult was enjoyable and liberating.

But the reality now was different. Alice now understood exactly what her sister had said before, that being an adult was not necessarily pleasant, but tiring.

Alice deeply regretted her desire to grow up quickly in the past. Now, Alice wished to return to her childhood, a time when she didn't have to worry about any problems other than school tasks.

"I miss Daddy," murmured Alice softly, her voice barely audible.

"Why did Daddy leave me first?" Alice continued to speak as if she were talking directly to her father.

Alice's mind was truly stuck now; she didn't know what to do anymore. She wanted to surrender, but Alice was afraid that her decision would lead her into even bigger trouble.

"But if I accept Mr. David's offer, the effects might come to me alone. But if I refuse Mr. David's offer, everyone, including Mommy, might bear the burden of Daddy's debt," thought Alice amidst her sobs.

"Anne, try to check on Alice, she hasn't eaten since this morning," Emberly said, just stepping out of the room and approaching Anne, who was cooking in the kitchen.

"Continue cooking, Mom," Emberly added, intending to take over Anne's cooking duties.

Anne didn't actually live with Alice and Emberly in this house. She had her own home with her husband in another city. However, due to her father's recent passing, Anne decided to stay with her family for four days. Tomorrow, she would have to leave because Donny, Anne's husband, had to return to work after his four-day leave.

So, Anne had to reluctantly part from her family again, even though she wished to stay longer. But Anne couldn't, as she always had to follow wherever her husband went if she wanted to be a good and obedient wife.

"Hasn't Alice come out of her room since this morning, Mom?" Anne asked as she finished her task.

Emberly nodded in response to Anne's question. "Yes, Anne. Mommy tried to get Alice to open the door, but there was no response from her," she replied with a saddened expression. Emberly felt a bit guilty about Alice, even though she hadn't forced her to accept David's offer. However, Emberly felt incompetent as a mother to her two children, feeling like she had failed because she couldn't do anything when her family was in trouble.

Anne sighed softly upon hearing what her mother said. "Alright, Mom, I'll try to open the door with the spare key," she replied, handing the frying pan to her mother to take over the cooking activity.

Emberly nodded. "Don't take too long; Mommy is worried that something might be wrong with Alice since there's been no response at all," said the middle-aged woman again.

Anne nodded before leaving the kitchen to head to Alice's room on the first floor. The Oscar family's house had only one floor, a typical modest-sized house in the present day that didn't have more than one floor.

"Where are you going?"

As Anne was about to reach Alice's room, she was intercepted by her husband, who had just come out of their room. "To Alice's room," Anne replied casually. She promptly sidestepped Donny, who was blocking her way.

"Don't block me," Anne said before leaving Donny behind, who sighed heavily.

"Is she PMSing?" Donny asked himself since his wife had just looked at him flatly, not showing any sign of a smile.

"Or is she still thinking about this morning's incident?" Donny pondered deeply. He then heaved a heavy sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I have to try hard to make a lot of money in these two weeks," he murmured with good intentions for his wife's family. Donny wouldn't bear to let Alice accept David's offer, as he regarded Alice as his own younger sister.

Still standing near Alice's room, he remained there, massaging his nose as suddenly a headache hit him. Donny ended up deciding to sit in the living room, where there was a simple sofa.

Shifting back to Anne, who was now attempting to unlock Alice's room after fetching the spare key from a shelf near Alice's room.

Upon trying, Anne immediately sighed in relief as the door opened. She entered Alice's room silently, stepping in without a sound. Anne made sure to close the door behind her.

"Alice," Anne called softly upon seeing her sister lying on the bed, facing the window. Anne thought her sister was deeply asleep, judging by Alice's serene and quiet appearance, breathing rhythmically as someone asleep would.

However, after gently shaking Alice's clothes while looking at her face, Anne realized Alice wasn't asleep at all. Alice was simply silent, staring continuously out of the window without shedding any tears. But her gaze appeared distant before Anne gently nudged Alice's shoulder.

"Hm?" Alice murmured softly, briefly glancing at Anne before returning her attention to the window.

Seeing this, Anne grew worried. "Alice, aren't you hungry? Come on, you haven't eaten since this morning. If you're sick, what will happen? Who will accompany Mommy if something happens to you? Tomorrow, I'll be back at my own house, Alice," Anne said, trying to persuade her sister to come out of the room and fill her stomach. Of course, Alice must be hungry, but she was holding herself back because she wasn't in the mood to leave the room.

Anne felt Alice let out a heavy sigh before slowly sitting up. Alice briefly glanced at Anne. "Yes, I'll eat later by myself. You go out first," she said in a flat tone. Alice wasn't angry with her sister, but her mood since the morning tears hadn't improved yet. Even though she had briefly fallen asleep in the afternoon, Alice still felt like staying in her room without responding to her family calling her from outside the room.

But Alice forgot that her room had a spare key. After hearing Anne's coaxing words, Alice's heart was moved to eat, especially because she was now most concerned about her mother.

After hearing Alice's reply, Anne promptly left her sister's room. "Don't take too long," she said before leaving.