Slowly, the man turned away from Emily, his gaze settling on her father. His voice was calm. "Mr. Winters, are you saying I can take her as my wife?" His voice boomed through the house.
Pauline, Emily's adoptive mother, trembled lightly beside her husband.
Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her dress, her eyes darting between the loan sharks and Emily. She noticed how his eyes had rested on her since she came in.
It was clear, he was only looking for confirmation of what she had said. "Why should she renounce her words when it is for the best?"
A slow, cunning smile crept onto her lips.
"You can marry her, she will make a good wife for you," Pauline said, her voice carrying a desperate eagerness.
Emily felt the blood drain from her face. She tried to speak, to protest, but the words lodged in her throat. They were selling her off. Just like that.
The man turned slowly toward her, his shadow stretching over her, his eyes gleaming with interest as he continuously sized her up. The more he looked at her, the more pleased he was.
Emily's stomach twisted violently. This can't be happening. Her heart drowned in despair and frustration.
She had done everything for them, borne their burden, yet she was only worthy of being plotted against, for the use of debt settlement.
She turned to her adoptive parents, desperation flaring in her voice. "You can't be serious! You're handing me over like some object?!"
Pauline's expression hardened. "Don't be ungrateful, Emily," she snapped. "Do you want to see us dead? This is your chance to pay us back for raising you."
Emily's chest heaved. "Pay you back? After all I have been through because of you, because of this family?" She never expected that a day would come when she would be sold off in settlement of debt.
The boss looked at her, a calculating coldness in his gaze. He made a quick decision, his voice cutting through the tension. "You come to the marriage registry tomorrow at 8 AM to sign the marriage certificate. And if you try to run, I'll make sure you never see the light of day."
The weight of his words slammed into Emily, her heart thudding violently against her chest. She felt her body go numb, her mind racing, desperately searching for a way out.
"You'll do this for the family, Emily. It's the only way."
"No, this can't be possible. I am not marrying. Besides, I am not your only daughter. What about Ruby?" she shrieked.
"Emily, Ruby is our only biological daughter and she has just gotten admitted. Her future will be on the line. But you can do it."
Emily didn't listen anymore to whatever they wanted to say. It was clearer now. She was adopted, she could be sold, she was strong, she could be forced into a marriage against her will. All the while it had been all about themselves.
Emily felt like a fool. She blamed herself for coming back at the receipt of the message, she blamed herself for being softhearted.
A surge of defiance bubbled inside her, but it was quickly crushed by the threat looming over her. Her hands trembled, and she clenched them into fists, her breath shallow.
The boss, seeing her hesitation, leaned closer, his expression hardening. "Don't make me repeat myself. You'll be there, or I'll make your life a living hell."
A cold shiver ran down Emily's spine, and she fought to steady her breathing. "You can't do this," she whispered, but her voice wavered, lacking the strength she so desperately needed.
The man's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You'll find out that I can. If you value your life at all, you'll show up tomorrow, or you can dare me."
She felt her legs weaken beneath her, her body drained of all energy. Her adoptive parents, who had always used her, had now pushed her into a corner where there was no way out.
The man looked at the family once again. "You better keep the promise, otherwise should you fail it, then I will be back and believe me, that is the end." His voice rang through the room like a harbinger of death.
Slowly, they left with his men, filing out of the house. Emily followed them out to the sitting room. She had wanted to leave, but her plan shattered at their word. Life was nothing to them.
She crouched down in the living room, her hands covering her face as sobs wracked her body.
The weight of her reality pressed down heavily on her chest, choking her. Her adoptive parents stood a few feet away, each one with a look of frustration and impatience on their faces, but also a sense of determination.
"Emily, stop crying." Her adoptive father's voice was stern, yet there was a hint of desperation behind it. "This is the only way out of this mess."
She couldn't bear to look at them, her heart broken by the coldness they displayed. She had always been their cash cow, the one to clean up their mess, but this was too much.
Her mother, Pauline, walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. "We don't want to force you into this, but you know how serious things are. The debts, the loan sharks… they won't stop until they get what's owed to them."
Tears streamed down Emily's face, her chest heaving with the weight of it all. "Am I the debt you owe? Why must it always be me sacrificing?" she sobbed.
Pauline averted her gaze; there was no regret or empathy in her eyes. Given the same situation again, she would still make the same choices.
Pauline sighed heavily. "You know you have your potentials. The boss must have seen something in you to make him willing to have you as wife."
Her adoptive father, who had been standing off to the side, stepped forward. His expression was unreadable, but his tone was calm, too calm for a man who had just sold his daughter to the devil.
"Listen, Emily, we've been through this. The unpaid loans, the threats… we can't keep running. You're the one who can fix this, and this marriage, though it may not seem like it, is the best option we have."
Emily slowly lifted her gaze to meet his; fury burning deep in her eyes. "Isn't that your gambling debt? I have been paying for it for years, and finally you have decided to sell me off for it. Right?" she pressed.
Philip's brow furrowed, his heart skipped a beat. Recalling a few series of events that had always been left in the care of Emily, but he stilled his heart.
He couldn't break now. "Marrying her to the Boss is the only way." He convinced himself again.
Emily wiped her tears away, her voice resolute and calm. "I believe the next debt you owe, you might sell your wife or your daughter off because there will be no adopted daughter to sell."
Her gaze swept across their faces. She couldn't help wondering why she had never known her parents to be this heartless.
Was I so engrossed in trying to please them?
Or was I expecting them to love me? In this lifetime when they had a good daughter?
I guess this should be for the best.
Emily took a deep breath and made a decision, no more tears. She slowly stood up, picked her bag. "I am getting married tomorrow, I need to rest to be in my best form. But your actions today, you will regret," she said with coldness.
Pauline, her husband, and Ruby glanced at each other as fear and trepidation took root. But Pauline, believing Emily to be softhearted, dismissed it. "Emily, we are still family. You… are only getting married."