Chapter two

"When I borrowed that money from Jamal, I naturally assumed you were going to marry him, and I had no concerns about paying it back," Nathan argued heatedly, taking another unappreciative gulp of his father’s best whisky. "Obviously, it's your fault that we're in this mess now. After all, you’ve had your share of Jamal's money too!"

Rebecca frowned, sharply taken aback by that sudden accusation. "What money? I never used any of Jamal's money."

"Oh yes, you did," Nathan said with a smug smile. "When you needed the cash to partner with Bella on the shop, where do you think I got it from?"

Rebecca looked at her brother in horror. "You told me it was your savings!" she protested, stricken. "Are you saying the money came from Jamal's loan?"

"Where would I have gotten savings from?" Nathan replied with scorn. "I was drowning in debt when I lost my job. I had car loans, bank loans, and a massive mortgage on my apartment."

Rebecca was stunned by his blunt admission. After finishing college, she and her friend Bella had opened a bookshop with a coffee area in the market town where they lived. Rebecca had borrowed from Nathan to make her share of the investment and had been making heavy monthly repayments to him. In fact, two and a half years on, she was still struggling financially, unable to move out of her parents' house or afford a car. The shop was doing well, but not well enough to offer her any luxuries. Bella, the only child of affluent parents who owned a chain of nursing homes, was in a much more comfortable position because the shop was not her sole source of income.

"You deliberately misled me," Rebecca said shakily. "I would never have accepted that money had I known it came from Jamal, and you know it."

"Beggars can't be choosers. You were happy enough to get the money at the time."

"If my share of the shop investment came from Jamal's loan, then obviously I'm more involved than I realized," Rebecca admitted grudgingly before sinking heavily into a chair by the kitchen table. "But you can't seriously blame me for the fact that you've squandered so much of that cash on superficial things like new offices and can't repay it."

Nathan gave her a look of pure disdain that made her pale. "Can't I? When I first got that money, I never expected to have to pay any of it back!" he said bluntly. "Naturally, I assumed you'd marry Jamal, and if you had married him, Jamal would never have expected me to repay the loan! If you must know, I blame you for this whole nightmare. If you hadn't rejected Jamal and thrown his proposal back in his face, we wouldn't be in this situation now!"

Her teeth gritted, Rebecca jumped out of her seat in anger. "That's not fair. From the moment you got that loan, you've been completely dishonest and criminally extravagant. You broke the law when you forged Mum and Dad's signatures to remortgage this house, you deceived all of us about what was really happening with the firm... Don't you dare try to make out that any of this is my fault!" she shouted back at him in angry self-defense.

"You're so selfish and short-sighted!" Nathan retorted, his face reddening with fury and his fists clenching. "You're the one who ruined Jamal's friendship with this family and put us in this humiliating position, so you should be the one to go and see him now and ask for more time to sort this out."

"Take a look at yourself?" Rebecca repeated, her voice rising in disbelief. "You want me to go and actually see Jamal?"

"Who?" Nathan said with a sneer. "Men are always more understanding when a beautiful woman asks for a favor, and Jamal wouldn't be human if the sight of a woman begging didn’t give him a kick."

Rebecca flushed to the roots of her hair and stared at the tabletop. As she thought about the idea of meeting Jamal again, her initial flush faded, replaced by a wave of nauseous dread at the thought of begging him for anything.

"I can't do it. I can't bear to see him again," she muttered through clenched teeth, feeling ashamed to admit to such a vulnerability over something that had happened so long ago.

"Well, he's not likely to want to see me under these circumstances, but curiosity alone will get you in front of him," Nathan said confidently. "And you don't even have to go to his country to do it. He's giving a speech at Oxford University in a couple of days to inaugurate a new science building he's funding."

Her face tightened with strain. "It doesn't matter because I don't want to see or speak to Jamal again."

"Not even to help Mum and Dad out of this mess?" Nathan asked sharply. "Let's face it, you're our only hope right now. I can only hope that Jamal has a soft spot hidden somewhere behind his polished exterior."

"I'm not responsible for the loan or for remortgaging this house without Mum and Dad knowing," Rebecca retorted, while internally questioning if she was being selfish and feeling tormented by Nathan's insistence that she was the only one who could help their parents.

Was Nathan just trying to manipulate her to save himself? Was he making a desperate suggestion that would humiliate her but ultimately make no difference to their situation? Did he truly believe that Jamal would listen to her? Jamal had certainly respected and liked her parents, and probably had no idea that Nathan's mismanagement of the loan had jeopardized their security as well.

"Do you have any idea how valuable it is to have a wealthy friend? Do you understand what you destroyed for me when you rejected him?" Nathan demanded bitterly. "I could've been doing great with Jamal's backing."

"But not through your own hard work," Rebecca muttered in disgust, barely audible.

"What did you say?" Nathan snapped, stepping forward, his face red with anger.

Rebecca slipped out of her seat and avoided his aggressive stance as she moved toward the door. "Nothing... I said nothing," she lied shakily. "We're both too exhausted and stressed for this conversation. I'm going to bed."

"You're a selfish, stupid brat, Rebecca!" Nathan yelled furiously behind her. "You could've had everything, and instead, what do you have? A tiny share in a bookstore!"

Her spine stiffened and she slowly turned. "I also have my integrity," she declared, lifting her chin while trying to ignore the thought of the loan that had helped her buy into the shop. But it was a thought she couldn't escape as she went through the motions of washing and getting into bed, moving slowly as if on autopilot. Finally, exhaustion overtook her.

Despite her exhaustion, Rebecca's thoughts continued to churn. The realization dawned on her that she was far more entangled in her family's financial collapse than she had initially believed. She couldn't repay the entire loan, which meant Jamal essentially owned her half of the shop. Not that she imagined a billionaire would stake a claim on such a small venture, but the notion lingered.

Nathan's other accusations had struck a deeper chord. It was undeniably her rejection that had driven Jamal away from the Green family. His reaction had been one of shock and anger, and understandably, he had never visited again. For the first time, Rebecca felt the weight of guilt.

It made sense that Nathan hadn't anticipated having to repay Jamal's loan; he had assumed she would accept a proposal if it came. Nathan had likely sensed Jamal's serious intentions toward her well before she did and had made his plans accordingly. Had he spent the money recklessly, believing he wouldn't have to answer for it?

Rebecca reluctantly acknowledged that, three years ago, with Nathan's hopes riding on the potential marriage, this was probably his mindset. In the darkness, she winced at the overwhelming sense of responsibility now pressing on her. She wasn't the innocent bystander she had thought. Her relationship with Jamal had undoubtedly influenced Nathan's attitude toward the loan and his subsequent actions.

She remembered that the extravagant new offices for her father's accounting firm and the hiring of additional staff had occurred while she was still dating Jamal. This gave Nathan some justification for believing he would never have to repay the borrowed money.

The persistent ringing of the front doorbell jolted Rebecca from a fitful sleep. Realizing it was past one in the morning, she hurriedly donned her dressing gown and rushed to answer the door.

Standing on the doorstep was her father's best friend, Maxwell Scot. He immediately apologized for disturbing her. "Your landline was constantly engaged, and I thought it would be better to talk to you in person."

Rebecca glanced at the phone table and saw the handset wasn't on the charger. No wonder the phone wasn't working.

"No, don't worry about that," she said, ushering him in. Maxwell and his wife, Marsha, were like family, also being Bella parents. "I'm glad to see you. Come in."

Maxwell hesitated, his expression grave. "I hate to add to your troubles, but there's something you need to know."

"Mom?" Rebecca blurted out, her mind racing to the worst-case scenario as she stared at Maxwell.

"No, Rebecca. Your mother's okay," Maxwell reassured her calmly. "But your father called me from the hospital. He was extremely distressed, so I came over to support him, though there’s not much I can do in this situation."

Rebecca, tense and weary, led Maxwell into the living room, turning on lights as she went. "Dad must have appreciated you being there."

"I'm here to talk about your father," Maxwell said gravely. "He's having a breakdown, Rebecca. Nathan's betrayal, your mother's heart attack, the entire ordeal... it's too much for him to handle right now. I called Marsha, and she came to the hospital to evaluate him professionally. She suggested that Negan stay at our nursing home for a few days to stabilize and come to terms with everything."

"Dad, having a breakdown?" Rebecca echoed in disbelief. "But he's always been so strong."

"Breakdowns can happen to anyone, Rebecca. Right now, your father just can't cope with the immense stress he's under. He’s in the best place for the moment, with professionals who can offer him the support he needs," Maxwell explained gently. "But I'm sorry this means you'll be left alone."

"I'm not alone. I have Nathan," she replied, avoiding Maxwell's sympathetic gaze, feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed by her father's condition.

Shell-shocked, Rebecca thanked Bella’s father for his help and returned to her bed, numb and shivering as the reality of her parents'

collapses sank in. There was no room for hesitation now. If she could do anything to mitigate the crisis her family faced, she had to do it. Reluctantly, she accepted that she had no choice but to reach out to Jamal for a meeting.