Whisper Destiny

Prologue

"Hello, Catherine."

She could hear someone speaking from a distance, her mind still foggy. She struggled to register the voice, but it sounded familiar.

"Is she awake, doctor? Can she hear me?"

Another voice, strong and cold, invaded her ears.

"Hello, can you hear me? Catherine..."

She tried to open her heavy eyes. Why was it so hard? What had happened to her? Was she in the hospital? She strained to gather her thoughts.

"She's moving, I felt her hand move, Doctor!"

A beep sounded, and slowly her eyes faced a blinding light.

"She's awake. Hello, Cate, can you hear me?" Catherine slowly registered her surroundings. She was indeed in the hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Grayson were at her bedside, she assumed.

"Catherine, do you remember me?" Mrs. Grayson spoke.

Her throat felt dry. She needed water.

"Water," Catherine managed to rasp. Mrs. Grayson understood her need and brought a glass of water with a straw.

She drank slowly and felt a bit better.

"Do you need anything else, Catherine?" Mrs. Grayson asked, caressing her hair.

Clearing her throat, Catherine spoke, "My... my mom and dad. I want them, where are they?"

She saw the sadness in Mr. and Mrs. Grayson's eyes. Suddenly, she recalled the accident and felt numb.

"Catherine..." Mr. Grayson began.

"They're dead, aren't they?" she gazed into Mr. Grayson's eyes, seeking an answer she didn't want to hear. He nodded silently.

Mrs. Grayson sat on her bed and hugged her. It was a warm embrace, but it wasn't her mother's. She was alone.

"I'm alone; they left me alone in this world," her mind whispered. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"We're here, Cate. We will never leave you," Mrs. Grayson's voice sounded distant as she repeated the words, holding her in her embrace.

"Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, we need to conduct a full check-up on Catherine. Could both of you please wait outside for a while?" the doctor requested.

"We'll be outside. We'll be back soon," Mrs. Grayson assured her.

As the doctor and nurses tended to her, Catherine felt numb, devoid of feeling.

*****

Catherine returned home with Mr. and Mrs. Grayson from France. The couple kindly managed all the necessary procedures to bring her parents' bodies back home for burial. After a week in the hospital, the doctors discharged her with the condition that she needed to rest in bed for a month.

Surprisingly, she had only broken her ribcage in the accident and, other than that, was okay. However, she still needed to rest because she occasionally had difficulty breathing. The doctor said it was due to the broken ribcage and that she would return to normal soon.

Throughout this time, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson never left her side. They took her to their house and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Mr. Grayson managed all the burial arrangements, for which she felt grateful. Without them by her side, she wouldn't know what to do.

Many people sent their condolences for her loss. A lot of people came to the ceremony, but she knew it was just for courtesy. She didn't show any feelings and hated when people pitied her.

"Let's go home, darling," she heard Mrs. Grayson say.

"Home," her mind spoke. There was no more home for her. There were no more Mom and Dad waiting for her after school. She felt her heart clench. It hurt.

"Mommy, is she going to live with us?" a young girl's voice brought Catherine back to reality.

"Yes, pumpkin. Cate will stay with us as long as she wants. She is part of our family now. Be nice to her, okay," Mrs. Grayson said.

They hadn't agreed on the living arrangement before, but she knew she didn't have an option for now since she was still underage. And out of many people out there, she was willing to live with this family the most. Her parents had been best friends with the Graysons for as long as she could remember. They had spent a lot of time together, and the Graysons were what she considered the closest thing to family.

After a week, she felt herself getting better. She was able to manage herself without assistance from the maid, but she still had no appetite. Mrs. Grayson would come to her new room from time to time to feed her to ensure she ate.

Catherine had just finished a shower when she heard a knock on the door to her room.

"Cate, can I come in? I brought you lunch," she heard Mrs. Grayson's voice.

"Yes, please come in," I said. The door opened, with Mrs. Grayson and a tray of food, followed by the young girl she had never spoken to since arriving—Natasha. She was ten years old, with wavy brown hair like her mother and hazel eyes like her father.

"You don't have to bring the lunch here. I can come down to eat," I said to Mrs. Grayson, feeling overwhelmed by their treatment to me.

"It's okay. I want you to recover soon, dear. And it's no bother to me, and I know you will not eat your lunch on time if I'm not forced you," Mrs. Grayson said with a smile, asking me to sit on the bed for her to feed me as usual.

"Mommy, I want you to feed me too!" said Natasha, looking grumpy.

"Natty, you just had your lunch downstairs, right pumpkin?" Mrs. Grayson reasoned.

"But you always ask me to feed myself. You said I'm old enough to feed myself. You never feed me anymore. But now, you feed Catherine. She is older than me," Natasha screamed at Mrs. Grayson.

Catherine became speechless. This was so awkward, and she didn't want to create unnecessary drama in this family.

"It is because you have become a beautiful young girl now, like mommy said, Natty. Therefore, you can eat by yourself. But, our Cate here is sick. We need to take care of her. If you are sick, we will give similar treatment to you as well," Mr. Grayson suddenly appeared.

Natasha pouted and left the room, saying, "Mommy and daddy don't love me anymore. I hate you, Cateeee!"

"Just leave her be. She will be okay soon. How are you, Catherine? Are you feeling better?" Mr. Grayson asked.

She just nodded in response.

Mr. Grayson look a little bit contemplating but he looks like he does not have a choice to share whatever in his mind to me.

"I hate to bring this up to you now, but I think it is fair enough for you to know about this," I tried to focus on Mr. Grayson. I knew something was not good regarding her family's business. She may be sick and depressed, but she's not dumb. She reads the news and social media. She knows what is happening.

"Ortiz & Co. is not doing well. There will be a shareholder meeting held tomorrow, and you are required to be there..." He stopped before continuing.

"But I will inform them you are not well enough to be present in the office tomorrow and propose to reschedule the meeting to another day."

Catherine knew she needed to be strong. There was no time to feel sad or to be sympathized with. She needed to be strong for her family. That was the only thing that connected her to her family. Otherwise, she was nothing.

"Cate..." Mr. Grayson spoke.

"I will be there, Mr. Grayson. I will be there," Catherine firmly replied.

She saw a smile form on Mr. and Mrs. Grayson's faces.

"We will always be by your side, no matter what. That's our promise to your parents. And don't you ever feel bad for it. In fact, I believe James and Camalia would do the same thing if the situation were the other way around," Mr. Grayson assured.

Tears fell from Catherine eyes. Mrs. Grayson kissed her forehead and gave her a warm hug.

"We love you, Cate. Remember that," I closed my eyes and returned the gesture.

"Thank you."

******

As expected, the company is collapsing. She feels all the burden being put on her shoulders. The shareholders' meeting was chaotic, with everyone trying to prove something and remain relevant.

Due to the accident, many sponsors pulled back from collaborating with Ortiz & Co. because the company is nothing without James & Camalia Ortiz. The banks are also pressuring the company to pay back the loan earlier than agreed.

To make matters worse, the shareholders are fighting to take over the company. Chaos is an understatement for the whole situation.

Catherine does not know what to do. She has some knowledge of business management due to early exposure from her parents, but she is still young to understand the whole business trick. She feels stuck.

The day after the stakeholder meeting, the Ortiz family lawyer comes to the Grayson household. Mr. Grayson suggests holding the meeting in the house instead of the office to give Catherine some privacy. She feels thankful for that. She felt overwhelmed after yesterday.

"Cate, let me introduce you to Mr. Emanuel Sanchez. I believe you've met him before," Mr. Grayson introduces Catherine to the lawyer.

"Hello, Catherine. Nice to meet you. I send my condolences for your loss. Your parents were great people, and I feel blessed to have served them. And now, with the trust given to me by the late Mr. and Mrs. Ortiz, I hope I can continue to provide service to the Ortiz family," Mr. Emanuel introduces himself. I've met him a few times but I'm not familiar with his face yet.

"Hello, Mr Emanuel. Thank you for your service to my parents and the Ortiz family," Catherine shakes hands with the lawyer.

"They did wonders raising you, Catherine. Such a beautiful young girl with spectacular behavior," Mr. Emanuel praises her.

This private meeting is attended by four of us, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, Mr Emanuel, and myself. Mr. Emanuel starts the meeting once everyone settles down in their own seats.

Catherine understands the overall sharing of the will, but towards the end of Mr. Emanuel's sharing, she feels a tightening in her heart. The responsibilities given to her by her parents are too heavy for her to handle.

"Catherine, do you have any questions so far?" asks Mr. Emanuel.

Everyone's eyes fall on her face.

"What happens if I'm still not ready to take over the company when I reach the age of 21? Do I have the option to give up?"

Mr. Emanuel smiles before answering the question, "Yes, you do have the option to pull out. However, let me share something with you. Mr. James once told me that he has faith in you. He said that you are one of the jewels in the palace that no one knows. He believes you can go through the toughest hurdles, Catherine, and no one will be able to stop you once you determine to do something."

"And I believe him, Cate," Mr. Grayson concurs, and she sees Mrs. Grayson nod and smile, agreeing with her husband.

"Your father does not want to push you to do something that you don't want to do. Therefore, he makes sure you are willing to take the responsibility without being forced if something like this happens. So, I will leave it to you to decide," adds Mr. Emanuel.

"What will happen in the meantime?" Catherine asks again.

"I mean, in between now and until I reach 21 years old? Who will oversee the company's business?" Catherine clarifies the question.

"The biggest shareholder, Mr. Basset, will be the acting President and Group CEO of Ortiz & Co., and every big decision at a certain threshold requires consultation from myself as the company lawyer and from Mr. Emmette Grayson. For the operational matter, Mr. Basset can make decisions as the Acting President and Group CEO of Ortiz & Co.," Mr. Emanuel fluently answers the question, as if expecting it from Catherine.

Catherine lets all the information sink into her mind and soul. There's silence for a good 5 minutes before she starts to speak again.

"I can't do this alone," She releases a heavy sigh.

Mr. Grayson stands up and goes to Catherine before kneeling in front of Catherine.

"I promise you, Catherine, in the name of James and Camalia, I will not let you go through this alone. I will be there, on every step, at the highest or lowest points of your life. I will always be there for you," he said.

Catherine feels her hand shaking. Mr. Grayson holds her hand and continues, "Let's take it one step at a time. You can go through this, Cate."

"I can do this, right mom, right dad?" Catherine monologue in her head.

******

Since that day, Catherine promised herself that she would not appear weak in front of others. She was determined to prove her worth and demonstrate what she could do to change the world. She kept the trauma of the accident at the back of her mind, although sometimes the memories would haunt her. Despite this, she kept pushing forward.

She also vowed not to become attached to other human beings, as she believed that such attachments would make her weak. She was not willing to experience loss again and have her world crumble once more. She had bigger responsibilities ahead of her.

As a result, Catherine became closed-off to others, with only Mr. and Mrs. Grayson being the closest people who could see her true self.

Catherine worked harder than any girl her age could imagine. She pursued studies in France, a place filled with both good and bad memories of her parents, but she knew she needed to do this.

By the age of 21, she had completed a double degree in Fashion and Design from the Institut Français de la Mode, as well as her MBA at HEC, Paris.

Upon returning home, Catherine began to take over the Ortiz & Co. business. The journey was not as easy as it seemed. She faced criticism and was undermined by the senior management, especially Mr. Basset, due to her age and lack of experience in managing a big company. However, she never gave up, climbing the ladder without looking back.

Under her leadership, she was able to bring Ortiz & Co. back to the top in the country. The company became a leader in luxury shoe brands, and she didn't stop there. She expanded the business to include luxury bags, clothing, and perfume. To add to that, she also started to embark into Fashion Shows Business, Art Gallery as well as properties. Her legacy became known not only in the country but also worldwide. By the age of 25, she was nominated by Forbes as one of the top 30 female billionaires under 30.

Everyone in her field recognized her achievements, and every man alive wanted her attention, while every woman wanted to be her. However, no one could break through her walls. There were rumours about her love life, but they always came to an end.

Mr. and Mrs. Grayson were so proud of her. Catherine never failed to visit them every Christmas break. She would celebrate Christmas with them, although she knew that Natasha despised her being there. Natasha would spend time with her friends or lock herself in her room every time Catherine was there. Therefore, Catherine always tried to minimize the attention she received from the Graysons to avoid any further drama with Natasha.

And so, the whisper of destiny begins...