5. Keris
K eris~
Normally, I wasn’t one to give into my nerves. I wasn’t big on worrying about what I couldn’t control, so I’d say that being level-headed was one of my strong suits.
Nevertheless, I was nervous now.
Earlier today, I’d gotten a call from my father, and he had insisted that we needed to talk.
Now, while I didn’t dislike my parents, we weren’t exactly close.
Most people that grew up with ambition being one of the four major food groups, affection and consideration were scarcely ever on the menu at home.
Sure, my sister and I were close, but we’d had our fair share of nannies and housekeepers, so that Mom and Dad could make their millions.
I had love and respect for my parents, but I could also go a few weeks without speaking to either one of them.
So, when Dad had called to tell me that we needed to talk and that it was important, I had immediately felt uneasy, my mind automatically concerned for my sister. Her health was the only dark spot in our lives, and I loved her enough that her wellbeing mattered to me greatly.
Letting myself into my parents’ house, I automatically headed for the kitchen. I wasn’t sure why I always did that, but I did. Maybe it was because the kitchen was the only room that we’d had ever gathered in, even if it had been just for the holidays.
“Mom? Dad?” I called out.
Leaving the empty kitchen, I headed towards Dad’s den, not really knowing where else to look. Since they’d been expecting me, I couldn’t see where else they’d be.
When I opened the door to my father’s office, I saw both of my parents in the room, my mother sitting on the couch, my father sitting at his desk. My stomach immediately roiled at the sight of my mother’s quiet tears and my father’s grim face.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my heart in my throat. “Is Lindsey okay?”
“Your sister’s fine,” Mom answered tearfully. “How long she’s fine is up to you, Keris.”
That threw me for a loop. “What?”
“Keris, sit down,” my father instructed. “We need to talk.”
I took a seat in one of the chairs that sat in front of his desk. “What do we need to talk about?”
“I’m going to cut to the chase-”
“By all means,” I clipped out, annoyed already, though partly worried.
“The money’s gone,” he announced, and it took a second for his words to register.
“What...what? What do you mean?”
“Our money,” he said. “It’s gone. It’s all gone.”
I glanced over at my mother, and she just cried quietly in her handkerchief, not contradicting the news. She looked like a true damsel in distress, and it suited her.
Looking back at my father, I said, “That’s impossible. There’s no way that we’re...there’s no possible way that a person can go through our kind of money.”
“Oh, it’s possible,” my father retorted.
“No, it’s not,” I argued. “Between your company and the mines, there’s no way that we could go through all that we’re worth.”
“Money is relative, Keris,” my father said. “Whether you have ten dollars or a million in your bank account, if you’re living beyond your means, well...”
“But you guys don’t live beyond your means,” I pointed out. “Cinergies always meets its quarterly goals. It’s always making money.”
My father glanced over at my mother, and dread began to spread all throughout my body. When he looked back at me, there was no denying the truth in his eyes. “Your mother and I have...well, we made some...uh, unfortunate investments that didn’t pan out.”
“Millions of dollars’ worth?” I squawked.
“We borrowed against future Cinergies earnings, Keris,” he finally confessed. “We don’t have enough to personally cover the losses, and...Cinergies is about to go under.”
I shook my head, still in disbelief. “What about Mom’s money? The mines?”
“We don’t have anything to cover the expense of a new excavation-”
“Bullshit,” I snapped. “We can borrow against potential findings. We’re talking diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires here, for fuck’s sakes.”
“Watch your language,” Mom chastised, and I could only stare at her audacity.
“I don’t think you understand the severity of our situation, Keris,” Dad said. “We’ve already overextended ourselves with three different financial firms.”
I ran my hands through my dark hair, not believing what I was hearing. It was impossible to go through our kind of family money. For my parents to be broke, they’d have to have been making bad investments for years.
“Okay, so...I’ll get the loan-”
“The mines aren’t in your name yet,” Dad reminded me. “No bank is going to lend you millions of dollars, especially when the ownership of the mines wasn’t enough to get us extra backing.”
“So...so, what’s the plan?” I bit out. “Are loan sharks next on your list?”
“Not quite,” my father answered, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Meaning?”
“We...we’ve worked out a deal with...with someone, and they’re willing to take on our debt for unrestricted access to the mines.”
“What? Wait, you can’t do that,” I argued, knowing the terms of the trust like the back of my hand. “If you contract those rights to anyone outside the family, we forfeit the island. You know this.”
“It won’t be someone outside the family,” my mother stated quietly.
I looked over at her. “What are you talking about?”
“We made a deal with Darius Kingston, Keris,” Dad announced, and my head whipped around so quickly that I almost cracked my neck. “For unlimited access to the mines, he’ll get us out of debt.”
“So, what? Mom’s going to divorce you and marry Darius Kingston? What about his wife?”
“Not quite,” he answered hesitantly.
I stood up, that feeling of dread threatening to choke me. “Then what?!” I yelled.
“Upon your marriage to his son, Brantley Kingston, your mother will sign over the rights to the mines to you,” he said, his words stealing all the air from my lungs. “In turn, you will grant Brantley Kingston complete access to the island.”
“I can’t do that,” I hissed. “The trust is ironclad.”
“What he means is that you’ll sign whatever Brantley brings to you regarding the mines, making it appear as if you’re the one making all the decisions,” my mother explained, and I could feel myself becoming lightheaded with rage.
“I am not marrying a complete stranger just to get you guys out of debt,” I snarled. “I am not going to tie myself to a grave robber for life just to clean up your mess.”
“How about for your sister?” Dad asked, slicing my heart right down the middle. “Is her health worth whatever fairytale of happily ever after that you had in your head?”
“You sonofabitch,” I choked out.
“I’m not trying to manipulate you, Keris,” he lied. “But Lindsey’s care is extremely expensive, and who is going to foot the bill if we don’t?”
“I’ll foot the goddamn bill,” I snapped.
“Oh, really?” Mom sneered, and I couldn’t believe that she had the nerve to be angry with me when this mess was all of their doing. “Without a good insurance plan, the bills would all be out-of-pocket expenses, and not to mention the price of Pauline’s expertise.”
I felt like my head was about to explode.
With Lindsey unable to work, my parents were her sole support.
Sure, she got a little stipend from disability, but it wasn’t nearly enough to pay for her nurse, medication, and expensive doctors.
Lindsey had the best epilepsy specialists treating her, not uninterested, over-worked, mediocre clinic doctors.
I shook my head, trying to find another solution on the spot. “And Brantley Kingston is okay with this? He agreed to marry me?”
“His father is planning on speaking with him about the arrangement, but Darius assured me that Brantley wouldn’t be a problem,” Dad answered, and he seemed so unconcerned with the fact that I was being sold to a complete stranger for diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and whatever else the mines produced.
“And if I say yes, when is the ceremony supposed to take place?” I spat.
“This Saturday,” Mom announced, and I almost threw up everywhere.
Four days.
I had only four days to come up with a solution to my sister’s health care problem. As for my parents, it wouldn’t bother me one bit if they ended up homeless.