A Deal With Danger

We stayed for an early afternoon tea since it was lightly drizzling. As we sat at the patio overlooking the sea, sipping our freshly boiled tea, Grandpa Jack turned to me.

"Ah, I don't know if I'm the right person and on the right time to talk to you on this, but I couldn't help but worry," he said with alarming seriousness.

"Grandpa Jack, it's fine. What is it?" I sat up straight.

"We heard that the island was put on a sale. We actually proved it when Leon received some guests last week, calling themselves surveyors and investors for the island." Grandpa Jack's anxiety was evident on his face. I couldn't blame him since he lived half of his life on this island.

I reached out for Grandpa's and Grandma's hands and held it tightly. I tried to suppress the cry behind my mouth before I croaked.

"I'll make sure it's not gonna happen, Grandpa. They'll kill me first before they can do that. I promised that to the grave of my dad. This island is not going to somebody's hands." I assured them.

"Ah, we know that, dear. It's just, we didn't see it coming. We were among the first ones who arrived here then spent our whole lives. We witnessed how your Dad dedicated his whole life here too. This island is nothing without you and your Dad," Grandma said as little tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

"It will NOT happen, Grandma, trust me. Not under my watch," I assured them for the last time. I squeezed their hands for the last time. They were calloused, hard and rough. Those hands were the very hands that made the island what it is today.

I had to get away right now before the pain in my chest burst into loud cry. Gregory looked away in sadness. The drizzle stopped and a little ray of sunshine appeared through the dark clouds. I stood and decided to leave.

"Grandpa and Grandma, we should get going before we get caught up by the next rain. Thank you again for everything. Worry no more," I had to bite the inside of my mouth to stop myself from crying.

We bid goodbyes and went on with our drive. The wind was strong that it made loud rustling noises among the trees. It would be my fault if ever something happened to the island. They are my responsibility and I should do everything to protect them. I just realized how I abhor my mum for going behind my back. I've never been truly happy since I left the island and lived with mum.

I didn't occur to me that I was already sobbing. Gregory heard me that he stopped the truck. I looked at him, sure of my puffy red eyes and snotty nose. I went down the truck and ran to the woods onto the sea.

I knelt on the sand, sea waves wetting my knees. I sobbed quietly, unable to let breathe properly. How could my mum disregard something that was important to me and Dad? I know she married him for his money, but I was hoping she's not as heartless as that. This only meant one thing. I had to bow before her to save the island. I had to give up the last of my freedom and marry Gregory. It didn't help that Gregory had to witness everything. He had seen me in my most vulnerable times and that just made everything worse.

I felt that he squatted beside me. I turned away from him but he held my shoulders and pulled me up. I didn't have the energy to fight him. He pushed the hair away from my face which was wet with my tears. He took off his shirt, folded it and wiped my face with it. My breath was shuddering and hitching while he was drying my face. My sobbing slowed down a little but I was hiccupping. A crease formed on his forehead. He pulled me towards him and hugged me tightly. It was the first time in many years that someone held me like how Gregory did. No one could do it for me except my dad. Remembering him made me cry more so I burrowed my face on Gregory's face in agony. After a few minutes, he held my face up. His shirt is now wet. He brought up his shirt again and wiped my eyes. I felt a bubble of snot formed and popped. Gregory tried not to laugh by wiping my runny nose. I hid my shame with my laugh and took his shirt away.

"Well, that was embarrassing," laughing it off, as I felt little better after crying. Maybe I was feeling the endorphins after an emotional cry. "I need to wash your shirt and I'm sorry for crying on you."

"Glad to know that you felt better now and don't mind me," Gregory smiled as he rubbed the sides of my arms. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about."

He led me to sit down on the sand. He was silent for a few minutes. Then, he finally looked at me with unexpected seriousness.

"I want to help you with your situation. And maybe you can help me, too." He said as he looked at me intently.

"What do you mean?" I was trying took for the answers in his eyes.

"I know your mother won't stop until she got you married to me," he said in an apologetic tone. Was this what mum was trying to tell me?

"How did you know?" I was hoping he would say different than what mum has already told me.

"What did your mum say about it?" He was now biting his lip.

I got stuffy nose that added to my difficult breathing. "That you need the company especially me to save yours."

Gregory smirked and shook his head. "I thought so, too. Since I'm going all the way, I'll be honest with you."

I watched as his face creased into worry. His lips were dry and he was gripping a stone hard enough that turned his knuckles to white.

"As you can see, I'll be assuming the company's presidency when my father retires being his only son. But the board is doing their best to stop it from happening. They needed an assurance that I can actually run the company. They never believed in me, I was never enough for them," he explained and I felt the hurt and insecurity in his voice. "They want me to bring something on the table aside from my connection with my father. The last deal we had with an investor was lost to your company. They saw Goldberg as a competition and a threat."

"I closed that deal personally," I finally realized. Gregory looked at me with a surprise. "I didn't know it was your company until you came here. Actually, I beat you up more than once. I am sorry."

Gregory never felt the intimidation. "It's not your fault that you're good and passionate at what you do. Anyway, that just made the trap for the both of us."

"Please elaborate."

"You may never know but Hera was actually close with my family. After all those deals, Father found out about you and sent me here to pursue you. They saw you as a viable connection and valuable asset."

Sadness hit me when I realized that there were people who treat me as such, including my mother.

"What did you feel about that? " I asked him sincerely.

"Well, that hurt my ego very much. I worked hard for the company since it was my mom's. I don't want to lose it just because of me," he chuckled trying to hide the evident pain. I was surprised for how open he was to me.

"I think we are both trying so hard to find the place we deserve in the eyes of our family," I sadly said.

He sighed deeply. "Well, that's how our life had been played since the beginning. It's like we were born for this. I tried hard not to give in but I guess our parents were always few steps ahead of us."

Tried hard not to give in?

Gregory continued, "What I am trying to say is, we can't escape them. Hera will end up selling this island and I'll eventually lose the company if we don't end up marrying each other."

His last words dropped like nuclear bombs on me. It lingered for a very long time inside my head. I didn't now how to react. That's it? Am I going to lose against my mum without putting much of a fight?? I let my thoughts drifted and washed away by the sea waves. The skies started to turn into orange; the sun was a large fireball before us which is slowly dropping itself to the glittering sea horizon.

"Are you telling me that we should just marry each other? That's the only solution we have?" I asked as I watched the sun setting.

"I hate it the way you do too," he muttered. "But I'm willing to sacrifice for my mom. And I know you would do the same for your dad."

I rested my chin on my folded knee. "You know, somehow, I hoped that I'll marry for love."

"I thought I'll never marry," Gregory retorted. "One thing I learned from my mom was turn every obstacle as an opportunity for greater things. You know, we can do this. You need me to save your island and I need you to save my position."

I didn't react. It was just so sad that Gregory thought of me as his obstacle or a stepping stone. He stood and knelt in front of me. "Look, this marriage can save both of us. It doesn't mean we will imprison each other forever. When the time comes that we could stand on our own, we could just get divorce."

I wanted to punch Gregory badly in the face. He treated marriage like just any other deal he had to win and I was just some disposable garbage he could throw away when he's done using me.

"You're worse than my mother, Gregory. You can do better than that," I finally said and I walked away from him. The sun had just set.