Married To My Father's Enemy: The Mafia King

Rosy’s POV

I didn’t know that I have to deal with life so differently after the death of my father. It was like I was a ship without a captain, a bird without wings, lost and alone in a world that seemed cruel and unforgiving….

THREE WEEKS LATER,

"What are you doing?" I asked my younger brother angrily. He was throwing away the apple jam as if it were nothing.

He didn't know that we were struggling financially because our dad left us with a lot of debt.

My brother rolled his eyes. "It's just apple jam," he said. "Why are you making such a big deal about it?"

"We need to pay the bills," my mother said, her voice filled with worry. "The electricity is due next week, and the water too. And... the loan, the mortgage. I don't know what to do anymore. Lawrence Gallagher, your father did this to us! How could he... how could he leave us like this?" Then tears streamed down her face.

The villa felt empty and cold. There were no guards, no maids, just furniture that we had to sell to pay off my father's debts.

Suddenly, we heard a buzz at the main gate. I looked at Gary, my brother. "Open the damn gate," I said.

Gary sighed. "Why me?"

"Open it or I'll kick you out," I scoffed.

Gary got up and walked outside to open the grand gate manually. It was about a kilometer away.

When Gary returned, he said, "It's Mr. Guzman, our family lawyer."

Mr. Guzman looked relaxed after his month-long vacation and didn't even know that my father had died three weeks ago.

"I'm here to tell you about your father's last will. He made it about three months ago."

My mother looked surprised. She seemed eager to hear the news, hoping it might be a way to save our family from a miserable life.

She smiled at the lawyer and said, "Come in, Mr. Guzman. I hope it's good news."

My brother sat across from me while my mom sat next to me, and Mr. Guzman sat in the center of the table.

He cleared his throat and opened the full folder of the documents. He seemed a bit tense and nervous about the outcome, but I knew it was probably something we didn't expect.

I smiled at Mr. Guzman and said, "Go ahead, Mr. Guzman."

Gary sighed. "Come on, we don't have all day."

I glared at Gary and said, "Shut up."

"Well, I'm here to tell you about the late Lawrence Gallagher's will," Mr. Guzman said, grabbing a folder. It was handwritten by my father.

My heart raced as I tried to calm down.

"Okay, let's get straight to the point. Do you want to hear the bad news or the good news?" he asked.

I bit my lip. We've been dealing with bad news lately. And I'm getting used to it already.

"The bad news," my mom said.

Mr. Guzman nodded and read, "Mr. Gallagher had an agreement with a powerful businessman. If he didn't pay him on time, all the properties and money in the bank would go to this man's account."

I gasped. "What?"

"Trust me, Ms. Rosy," Mr. Guzman said. "I was astounded by this agreement and your dad's will."

My mother clutched her chest. "Oh my god, what did your father do? He's ruined our family!"

Gary asked, "So, our father left us with nothing but this house and the failing company?"

Mr. Guzman clarified, "The failing company is one of your father's properties, so it will also belong to someone else. This Villa belongs to Mrs. Gallagher. And Gary, Rosy, you'll only get fifty thousand dollars each to survive."

I scoffed in disbelief. "So, the good news is fifty thousand dollars each and the Villa, what a joke..."

My mom asked curiously, "Who is this man? I want to talk to him. He can't just take everything from us. My husband worked so hard to give us a comfortable life. Maybe we can pay him back in installments?"

Mr. Guzman said, "Well, we can't do that, Mrs. Gallagher. So, do you want to hear the good news?"

I raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Yes, please, let's get this over with."

Mr. Guzman glanced at me. "You, Rosy, as the eldest daughter of Lawrence Gallagher, have the choice to save your family."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to marry Arthur Romano to wipe out all your father's debt, and you and your family can live comfortably. This is what your father agreed to and wrote in his will. Or if you can't agree to the terms, you'll have to work all your life to pay this man."

I sighed softly, a wave of despair soaking over me.

Why was this happening?

Why now?

"W-Who is this man?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Mr. Guzman's grip on the documents tightened, his knuckles white. "He's someone you don't want to mess with..."