That Day

37: Meeting Kyla

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

When Daniela and I arrived at the hospital, we hurried to Dwayne's private room. Just as I was about to enter, I heard voices inside and paused, unable to avoid overhearing their conversation.

"Why the hell are they doing this? They're using your company to force you to marry their granddaughter?! Are they crazy? You're a married man," Dwayne and Daniela's mother exclaimed, her voice filled with anger.

"I know, Mom. That's why I'll let them buy the shares owned by our investors rather than file an annulment. As long as my business partners don't sell their shares, and with you transferring your shares to me, my position as CEO won't be in danger," Dwayne replied. His voice was calm but low, not its usual confident tone. He didn't sound well.

"I have talked to that old man. He's firm on his condition. He really wants you to annul your marriage with Shane," their father, the Congressman, added. "Have you talked with Kyla? She’s behind all this. Maybe if you speak to her, you could find a win-win solution without sacrificing anything."

"I don't know her motives," Dwayne responded. "If it was just about love, why did she cheat on Jon? Why didn't she oppose my marriage to Shane before? She's up to something beyond marrying me."

"You should have told us earlier that this was the real root of your company’s problems. Now the time they've given you to decide has passed. They should have started their moves by now," their mother continued. "It’s hard to plan our next steps since you didn’t tell us you were stuck in this condition," the Vice Mayor added.

"I guess they already know my decision and will act accordingly. They will start buying shares from the investors," Dwayne said.

"Why not file for bankruptcy?" their father suggested. "It would be the best defense and offense against them. The shares would be worthless if you declare your company bankrupt."

"I've thought about that, Dad, but it’s not feasible. We need a huge debt to file for bankruptcy, and my business doesn’t have any debt," Dwayne replied.

"Then let's create one. We’ll arrange a debt from a well-known lending company," the Congressman suggested.

"That would be illegal," Dwayne replied.

"Illegal? Only if you don't have proper documentation to support it. Documents can be easily fabricated these days," their father answered confidently. "If you agree, leave this to us. Don’t stress yourself over this nonsense. They played dirty first, so let’s play along."

I couldn't understand my feelings as I listened. I felt a mix of worry, anger, and a strange sense of relief. I was worried because my ex-husband was stressed by such a difficult problem. I was angry because Kyla was causing trouble, doing whatever it took to break us apart. But I was slightly relieved to hear that Dwayne was still protecting our marriage, even though we were informally separated.

As their conversation ended, Daniela suddenly pulled me back toward the elevator.

"What’s wrong with you?" I asked, confused.

"Idiot. They would know we were eavesdropping if I hadn’t pulled you away. They were about to come out, so I made it look like we weren’t listening," Daniela explained, and we headed back toward Dwayne's room.

Sure enough, just before we reached the room, the door opened and out came my in-laws.

"Told ya," Daniela whispered to me.

"Oh, Shane, you're here," the Vice Mayor said upon seeing me.

I approached them and greeted them respectfully.