The Best Thing I Never Had

Victoria Lewis visited one of Lewis Group subsidiary companies in Pretoria, South Africa. On her way back, an assistant, George Gale, said that her father had fainted in the office. They rushed him to the JHB General hospital. Victoria Lewis was so scared, she drove straight to the JHB General hospital, she was praying all the way for her father to be well. When she left home in the morning, her father was well, and it was rare for her father to be sick. She lost her mother ten years ago due to a car accident. The drunk driver crashed into her car, and she died on the spot.

She was eleven-years-old at that time; her father raised her all alone and he never remarried. Her father was her pillar of strength. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him. She didn't want to think about it.

When she arrived at the JHB General hospital, her father had been transferred to the ward and he was awake. She rushed to him crying, "you scared me daddy, what happened?" Her father hugged her, "don't worry my sweetheart, I'm out of the woods. I received bad news about the company and fainted. The doctor told me that he would keep me overnight for observation." Victoria looked at her father, "what happened to the company dad?" Patrick Lewis told his daughter that this morning he had a feeling that something was wrong, then he called all his friends and asked if everything was alright with them, but he couldn't reach his adopted son, Gordon Bolt. He went to the Finance department to look for him, since he was the Finance Director at Lewis Group, he was told that he was not in yet.

While he was in the Finance department, he received a call from one of the suppliers indicating that they hadn't been paid yet. Patrick Lewis was surprised then he promised to pay them that afternoon. Then he asked the Finance VC Director, Mike Page, to pay the suppliers, then he went back to his office. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Mike Page discovered that there were no funds in the company account. He quickly went to Mr Lewis's office and told him that there were no funds in the company account. Patrick Lewis quickly called his bank, and he was told that he had transferred the company funds to an offshore account. The bank sent him an authorization form with his signature indicating that he indeed instructed them to transfer the company funds to the offshore account.

Last month, the Finance Director, Gordon Bolt, told him that they had more than 100 billion rand in the company account, but today the company account has been wiped out. He asked his assistant, George Gale, to investigate the matter. He found that Gordon Bolt had skipped the country with his family. After he heard the news, he didn't remember what happened. Victoria was so shocked. Gordon Bolt was like a son to his father. His father took him in when he lost his parents at the age of ten. He took him and adopted him. He sent him to private schools and university. When he completed his degree, he worked at Lewis Group in the Finance department. Five years ago, when the Finance Director, Bill Green, retired, Patrick Lewis promoted Gordon Bolt as Finance Director. Victoria hugged her father and comforted him. "Don't worry dad, we will rebuild, you have helped so many people, help will come." Victoria stayed beside her father's bed the whole night. The following morning, the doctor checked Patrick Lewis and confirmed that he was out of danger. He was discharged and went home with his daughter.

Patrick and his late wife were the founders of the Lewis Group. It was their sweat and blood. Now his company was facing bankruptcy, they owned hotels, real estate, and construction. He stayed home for a week, then he approached many companies to cooperate with him to no avail. The person he trusted the most, his adopted son, Gordon Bolt, embezzled the company funds and skipped the country. He visited his friends and asked for help. They all turned him down. His face was haggard, he couldn't sleep or eat, he looked like a zombie. Victoria tried to comfort her dad, she told him to have faith, and everything would be alright.

One afternoon, he was sitting in his office deep in thought, his Assistant, George Gale, told him that Glen Edwards of the Edwards Group was there to see him. They were very close; they grew up together. Patrick had helped Glen Edwards several times when his company was in a difficult position. He nodded his head to his assistant. Patrick Lewis greeted his best friend with a smile. Glen Edwards' attitude towards him confused Patrick, he had a smug in his face as if he enjoyed what was happening to the Lewis Group.

Glen smiled and said, "Patrick, since your company is facing bankruptcy, I agree with the cooperation on one condition: if you can convince your beautiful daughter Victoria to marry my son Robert, I would cooperate with you." After Patrick Lewis recovered from the shock, he said "Glen Edwards, we have known each other since we were young, I helped you several times when your company was facing bankruptcy, is how you thank me now? You owe me more than one billion rand, but I never asked you to pay it back because I treated you as a brother." Patrick was so upset and said, "we all know that your son is a womanizer, he doesn't deserve my daughter. But I would rather go bankrupt than send my daughter to hell." Glen Edwards couldn't refute Patrick Lewis' words. His son was good for nothing, but he felt that since Patrick was in a difficult position, he would accept his conditions and marry his daughter to his son Robert. "Leave my office, Glen Edwards, our friendship is broken. I will never be friends with you for the rest of my life. You are gloating and you want to benefit from my sorrow." Patrick went to the door and opened it wide. Glen Edwards was dumbfounded; he went out of Patrick's office without saying a word. He was sure that Patrick would accept his proposal. Patrick was so disappointed, those he trusted the most let him down. He vowed not to trust anyone for the rest of his life. He blacklisted Glen Edwards from his contact list.

At the Johnson mansion, Emmanuel Johnson and his dear wife, Rosemary Johnson were sitting in the living room drinking tea. "My dearest wife, do you think I'm harsh for refusing James to marry Serene Logan?' asked her husband. Rosemary loved her son very much. In her eyes, he was the perfect son. When he heard her husband's words, she smiled and said, " You are not harsh at all, hubby, I don't like Serene Logan as well. I don't think she sincerely loves my son." The surprise was shown in Emmanuel's face. He did not expect his wife to side with him, since his wife loved his son dearly.

"I think I have a solution to stop this nonsense. Patrick Lewis has a beautiful daughter, and she is compatible with my son. I will give Patrick Lewis a call to discuss this matter. I heard that Lewis Group is facing bankruptcy and no company is willing to cooperate with him."

"Emmanuel, you know that I hate arranged marriages and we promised our son not to interfere in his love life, even though I don't like Serene, but I love my son, therefore I don't support your idea. What you are doing is going to hurt my son. Please don't interfere in my son's happiness. Why don't you discuss this matter with your son before you contact Patrick?" asked his wife, annoyed. "James is on a business trip, and I don't want to disturb him, I want to speak to him in person when he comes back," said Emmanuel with a sigh. "Please don't involve me in this matter, I'm telling you I'm on my son's side," said his wife again. Emmanuel and Rosemary loved their son James dearly, he was a pride and joy to his parents. After he graduated, he went to the Johnson Group. James was smart and he was business-minded. He became the CEO of the Johnson Group at the age of twenty.

Since his wife was upset, Emmanuel Johnson decided not to continue with this issue. He went to his study room and read Patrick Lewis's proposal again. Emmanuel knew that it would be difficult to convince James without his wife's support, so he must think of a way to win James over. Therefore, he drafted a marriage contract indicating that should he marry Victoria Lewis for two years, then he would allow him to marry Serene Logan. During that time, Serene Logan must not be pregnant, she mustn't provoke Victoria Lewis. He promised that he would personally send the engagement invitation cards as soon as their marriage is dissolved. Emmanuel knew how much James loved Serene Logan. Previously, James threatened his parents that he would kill himself if they stood between him and Serene Logan.

At the Lewis Group, Patrick Lewis was in his office sitting on the sofa, the lights were off, it seemed that there was no way out, his company was going down. He was thinking of thousands of employees who were going to lose their jobs, and their families. He was thinking of his precious daughter Victoria's future. He had bought the strong painkillers this morning since he had a headache, but now, he was thinking of using these painkillers to take his own life. It was time to meet his dearest wife in heaven. He knew that he was a coward, but there was no way out. He tried everything, but no one was willing to help him. Even his friends were no longer taking his calls. He helped most of them when they were facing difficulties. Some of them still owed him a lot of money.

He was thinking about whether to leave a note for his daughter or not. He decided not to. He didn't know what to say to his daughter. He took the pills from its container, and he poured them in his hand, before he stuffed them in his mouth. Suddenly, someone opened his office door. He was so shocked, the pills in his hand scattered on the floor. Victoria switched on the lights. She was shocked by the scene in front of her. She rushed to her father and hugged him, " Dad, what are you doing?" she asked him, crying. Her dad cried and said, "I am a failure Victoria, let me go to your mother, I let both of you down." "Dad, do you love your company more than you love me? Who am I to you, daddy? You want me to be an orphan at a young age?" asked Victoria, crying. "I'm sorry my sweet baby, daddy didn't mean to hurt you, I will never do this again, I promise you" said her dad, hugging her tight. They both cried so hard.

Victoria was the Director of the Marketing department in the company. She was busy with her work. Her office was on the fifty-ninth floor, one floor below her father's office. The whole day, she felt that something bad was going to happen. She prayed, but she couldn't shake that feeling. She knew that her dad was feeling depressed because of the company's bankruptcy, so she decided to check on her father. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the pills in her father's hand and on the floor, she nearly died. How could her father do this to her? She thanked the Lord for His faithfulness. If she had delayed, her father would be no more. She didn't want to think about her life without her father, it was meaningless. Her father was everything to her, he sacrificed a lot raising her alone. She was more than shocked. She was numb.

"Daddy, help will come, don't give up. You have helped so many people, we will overcome. I prayed over this issue, and I believe my prayer is going to be answered, daddy" said Victoria, comforting her father. "I've tried everything, my daughter, no one wants to give me a hand" said her father, helpless. At that moment, his cell phone rang, "Hello, this is Patrick Lewis." "Hello Mr Lewis, this is Emmanuel Johnson from the Johnson Group. I received your proposal to cooperate with us. I decided to give you a chance, but I have one condition. When can we meet?" asked Emmanuel Johnson.

Patrick and Victoria were shocked. Her father couldn't believe his ears. "Mr Lewis, are you still there?" asked Emmanuel Johnson. Patrick snapped out of it and replied, "I'm here Mr Johnson, when are you available?" Emmanuel smiled and asked, "why don't you come to my office now if you are not busy to discuss your proposal?" Patrick was still shocked, he pinched himself to check if he was not dreaming. His daughter next to him was looking at him with a smile. Patrick smiled and said, "I'm on my way, Mr Johnson, thank you so much for the call," he dropped the phone and hugged his daughter tightly.

Victoria was so happy she started crying and said, "I told you daddy that help would come. I will accompany you daddy, but I will wait for you in the car." Father and daughter left the office in a happy mood. Victoria did the silent prayer and thanked the Lord for His faithfulness. Patrick Lewis went to meet Emmanuel Johnson with his daughter Victoria to negotiate cooperation with the Johnson Group.

It took them half an hour to reach Johnson Group. Mr Johnson's Assistant, Tommy Angel, was waiting for Patrick Lewis at the entrance of the company. He took him to the Chairman's office. Emmanuel decided to discuss the condition of their cooperation with Mr Lewis before he approached his son James in case Patrick Lewis rejected him. "Good evening Mr Johnson, I'm so sorry to trouble you" said Patrick, shaking Emmanuel's hand. "It's alright Mr Lewis, no trouble at all. Do you want tea or whiskey?" asked Emmanuel with a smile. "Tea will be fine, thank you" replied Patrick.

Emmanuel asked his assistant to make tea for them.

Then they discussed the proposal, and they agreed with the profit percentage of 5% which would be earned by the Johnson Group. His Assistant came back with tea and left the office. Patrick asked Emmanuel. " You said you have a condition, what is it?" Emmanuel gave him another contract. When Patrick saw the contract, he was shocked, it was a marriage contract. "What do you mean by this, Mr Johnson?" Emmanuel smiled at Patrick and said, ". My son James has a girlfriend, both myself and my wife. We do not like her, so I decided to arrange this marriage to help my son to marry a good wife. When I saw your daughter, I saw that she was a match for my son James, hence I drafted this proposal. My son is not aware, he is away on a business trip. If you agree, I will discuss this issue with my son. The marriage contract will be two years only. However, should they divorce before two years are up, I will withdraw my funds. What do you think?"

Patrick Lewis promised his daughter that he would never sell her for business, and he would never interfere in her love life. "Thank you so much for your time, Mr Johnson, my late wife and I promised our daughter that we would never interfere in her love life," said Patrick, leaving. Emmanuel was so shocked, " Don't you want to discuss the contract with your daughter? Maybe she is willing?" Patrick didn't even hesitate. He replied, "No need."

The meeting between her father and Mr Johnson was very short. She was surprised to see her father coming back to the car empty-handed. Was he not supposed to bring the signed contract with him? "Daddy, what happened?" said Victoria, looking at her dad's face. "Mr Johnson wants you to marry his son," said her dad with sadness. "I'm willing daddy, I will marry his son," said Victoria without hesitation. "Your mother and I promised you that we will never interfere in your love life, so let us forget about the company and go home" Victoria opened the car door and said, "Let us go to his office daddy, I nearly lost you, I am willing, and you have never interfered in my love life."

Her dad was reluctant to go but Victoria was already standing outside the car waiting for him. He went to his daughter and held her hands and said "sweetheart, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you with all my heart. Mr Johnson's son has a girlfriend. This will be a loveless marriage. Please listen to your daddy, let us go home." Victoria smiled at her father and said, "I am willing daddy, please don't try to change my mind. Let us go before Mr Johnson changes his mind." Her father tried to reason with her, but she was not listening. "Daddy, I will never regret the decision I made today, don't be sad."

Her father sighed and they went to Mr Johnson's office. Before they knocked, the door opened. Mr Johnson was leaving, he was surprised to see them. Patrick spoke first "sorry to trouble you again Mr Johnson, my daughter Victoria wants to speak with you." Emmanuel asked them to come in and guided them to the sofa. Victoria explained that her father told her about the marriage contract. "Mr Johnson, could you please tell me more about this marriage contract." Emmanuel smiled and said, " My son is in a relationship with a Logan girl, but I don't feel that she is compatible with my son, hence this contract. I have not discussed this matter with James yet, he is on a business trip. I decided to speak with your father first before I discuss it with him." Victoria nodded her head and asked, "What if he refuses to marry me, Mr Johnson?" "It is possible that he will refuse, but I need you to marry him for two years. After that, he can marry his girlfriend. I think I am selfish. The first time I saw you I felt that you were the best match for my son."

"I'm willing, Mr Johnson, I will marry your son for two years as long as you help us with the company," said Victoria. Her father was not happy at all, "Victoria, please don't be impulsive; you are entering into a loveless marriage. Even if we lose the company, we still have each other." "Daddy, two years is not a long time, I understand it will be difficult, but I am willing," said Victoria with a smile. "Mr Johnson, what would happen if your son refused to marry me, are you going to continue helping us?" asked Victoria. Emmanuel smiled and said, "leave my son to me as long as you are willing, everything will be alright, Mr Lewis, please sign the contract, the funds will be transferred to you tonight." Emmanuel gave Patrick the contract to sign. He also gave the marriage contract to Victoria to sign. Victoria took it and signed without hesitation and gave it back to Mr Johnson. Her father was still holding the contract in a daze. Victoria gave him a nudge. "Daddy, please sign the contract, don't worry, I will be alright." Her dad signed the contract and gave it back to Mr Johnson. They shook hands. Emmanuel was over the moon. He looked at Victoria beaming and said, "I will contact you after I discuss the matter with my son." Victoria smiled, then they left the office.

Emmanuel was so impressed with Victoria; he felt that he had made a good decision by choosing her as his son's wife. After that, he left the office. James was coming back tomorrow from his business trip. He was humming on the way; he was in a good mood.