Rose’s Family Struggles

"Grandpa? Why?"

Rose took off her shoes and walked alongside her parents towards the kitchen table. She had only one living grandpa, her paternal grandpa, and her family rarely talked about him since he left the city.

"Well, it's about your grandpa but also about our family. There are some things that we have never told you before as we didn't want to worry you," Dana specified, the shame on her face a telltale sign to her daughter of the pending bad news.

"What happened? Tell me," Rose hurried her mother. She could not handle the sudden pressure of being left in the dark.

"I think you are already old enough to know our business matters." Dana sighed deeply and looked at her daughter seriously. "Since last year, our family's shipping company has been doing really great; therefore, we decided to expand and have built new distribution points across the country. But a month ago, one of our biggest facilities got destroyed by an earthquake. Many supplies we haven't even paid for were ruined before we could even sell them."

Rose paled, recalling the news about the devastating earthquake in the countryside a month ago. Although it was tagged as a calamity of a national level, she had not given much attention back then as it was far away from Phoenix City and she knew no one from that area. She did not expect their family would actually suffer from it too.

"What is the situation now?" she asked anxiously. Although she had only started her university studies and not concretely knowledgeable about operations yet, she understood enough to know the losses needed to be recouped in a short span of time, or else, it would lead to them filing for bankruptcy.

"We managed to recover some of the goods but the rest were too damaged, they had to be thrown away. We have customers waiting for their products and we still have to pay the supplier. We managed to stabilize the situation with the insurance money and our family's savings, but we are still short by a lot. Long story short, we lack the cash to pay our debts," Dana described their problems. "This is where your grandpa comes into the picture."

"Don't tell me you asked him for money?" Rose asked in disbelief, only to turn paler when her mother nodded. She immediately stood up and slapped her hands against the table. "Why?! You know how he is! He will try to make some unreasonable demands once again!" she cried out in disagreement. "Can't we just ask a bank for a loan? It's not like we are bankrupt, right?"

Her father shook his head in response. "We initially wanted to, but the bank wanted us to place all our remaining assets under them until we pay the loan back. Using our properties as collateral is too risky, especially since we won't know how our business will perform for the next couple of years. I convinced your mom it would be easier to ask your grandpa for help."

"What did Grandpa say then?" Rose was upset, not liking any of this at all. She had just gotten out of her romantic troubles and now, she landed onto another series of headaches.

Dana made herself a cup of tea to calm down. "We called him last week and he sent us the money the next day without demanding anything. We managed to quickly pay off our debts and have already started rebuilding the distribution point. Everything seems to be on a good track."

Although her mother's words sounded great, Rose did not believe there was no catch. She shook her head, clearly not buying it. There had to be something, or else, she would not be having this conversation with her parents.

"I know Grandpa. We know Grandpa. Whenever he gave us money in the past, he expected us to do something in return. I won't believe he didn't demand anything this time."

"You are right, he didn't ask for anything… until this morning," Dana said with a gentle smile. "But thankfully, it's not as bad as you think. It's actually the opposite."

"I knew it." Rose rolled her eyes at that greedy grandpa of hers. She sat down on the nearest chair, massaging her temples, "What does he want this time? I'm not marrying any of his friend's grandsons."

"Remember how I asked you to look at those boys' profiles earlier? It has something to do with it," Dana admitted, her tone like that of a negotiating businesswoman. "You know that your grandpa's fashion company is almost as big as Miss Elizabeth, right? It belongs to the top five on the global market. Today, your grandpa called me and confessed that he is planning to retire soon. He wants to pass his company to you."

Bang!

Rose's brain exploded the moment Dana finished her sentence. She definitely did not expect such news.

"Grandpa wants to give me his company? What…?" Her shock made her incapable of forming a proper line of thought. It took her a minute to barely come back to her senses. "Does this have something to do with our earlier argument?"

"Well, your grandpa wants to pass you the company but he doesn't want you to lead it. He wants a male successor instead, and since you are his only grandchild…"

Dana cut off her own words with a bitter smile, knowing how ridiculously misogynistic it sounded. However, Rose was smart and she could piece what the next words were. She was angry and offended, yet when she opened her mouth to speak, she did not know what to say. This news was too much for her to consume at once.

Her mother continued, "I know how much you wanted to create your own fashion company in the future so when your grandpa asked if you already have a boyfriend, I naturally said you do. I didn't expect your grandpa to suddenly inform me that he will come to inspect him by the end of the week. He said that he will come visit us on Sunday."

Rose closed her eyes to gather her thoughts and asked to confirm, "Does that mean I will be the owner of the company, but only in name? I can't lead it?"

"Yes, and if your grandpa doesn't approve of your boyfriend, he can call it all off. This is why I panicked and prepared the best candidates I could find this morning. Now that you know everything, you can decide what to do."

What her mother said was true. The only reason she chose to take a Business degree majoring in Fashion Merchandising was Elizabeth Morgan whom she idolized from young and wanted to start a company like Miss Elizabeth. She had always disliked her grandpa, not only because of his personality but also because he was Elizabeth Morgan's biggest hater. Because of those, she never once dreamed of taking over his business.

Now that she had such an opportunity, the situation changed dramatically. She could skip the whole annoying process of starting a business from scratch and immediately start working her dream job. Rose had the passion and motivation. After university, she would have the skills to do so. All she needed was the stage to unleash them.

Ryan…

Rose imagined the boy that kissed her less than fifteen minutes ago and touched her lips as if to recall the sensation once again.

Even if they were just acting like an intimate couple for now, he was the one she chose on her own. She naturally considered him first before even thinking of others. Just as she did, she suddenly realized something.

Wait a second… Ryan also majors in Business! As soon as he graduates, he can practice and gain experience for a year or two before leading a fashion company. Being by his side, I can also handle the rest of the business from a fashion standpoint. Isn't that perfect?

Rose contemplated the future. The young man seemed street-smart and could handle conversations well. Plus, she was already comfortable with him. He should be a better choice than any stranger that her mother chose—so what if they were golden boys with stellar academic performances and rich work experiences? She did not even know what type of people they are. What if they turn out to be wolves in a sheep's clothing? She did not need to consider other options when her best solution was already right in front of her.

Rose slapped the table excitedly and called out to her parents, "I agree! I will meet Grandpa on Sunday and show him my boyfriend."

Both Dana and Robert looked at each other before sighing in relief.

"Perfect. I knew you won't pass on such an opportunity," Dana said happily and handed Rose a folder with a thick pile of paper inside. "Do you want to recheck the profiles before you pick?"

Rose held the files with both hands, but this time she did not get mad. She pulled out the papers from the inside, making her mother smile brightly, only to rip them all in half in front of her eyes.

"I don't need to. I have Ryan."