Chapter 8

" Father!" I said panicking as I burst onto  the hospital room's door, followed by  Vincent. Father lay onto the bed weak and pale... What has happened to him?!

"Lucy..." he weakly called my name as I slowly walked to him.

"What is it, Father?" I caressed his soft and seemingly weak hand.

"I---I'm sorry...." the only thing he said.

"Why are you saying sorry? We have forgiven each other before, right?" I asked him curiously.

"I'm sorry... the Heartfilia Konzern that your Mother and I worked so hard building is now slowly weakening... and we got no more money left to run it." Father confessed as a tear fell onto his cheek. I can tell that the Konzern is indeed, a precious thing for him.

"I--I can support it by giving you my job rewards." I asked him, hoping to liven his spirits up, since I gotta feeling that thinking of the weakening Konzern could only do more harm to him.

"I can help." Vincent volunteered.

I looked at him with wonder. "Thank you." I mouthed as a tear fell on my cheek, feeling tears of joy. 

"You can't...besides----" Father prompted but he was interrupted by a husky voice that can be heard outside the door. The door opened, revealing a man, of Father's age, raven-haired and has a clean haircut.

"Vincent, you can only help them if Jude would fulfill his promise."

"Uncle! What are you doing here?" Vincent immediately started to ask the man.

"It doesn't matter what I'm doing here. Besides, Jude and I still have an unfinished contract that could save his business." Vincent's uncle nonchalantly said.

"I believe I already told you, Nero that the contract is no longer valid, since I backed-out." Father replied as he tried and I helped him sit. 

"Well, why would you back-out on such an offer anyway? It could save your business." Vincent's Uncle immediately responded mockingly.

" Ano, what's the deal anyway?" I barged in to their conversation. Waiting for the man's reply, a hand clutched my arm.

"Vi-Vincent!?" I asked him, but it seemed that he wasn't listening to me because his green eyes only stared at his uncle.

" Uncle, leave Lucy alone. She doesn't even know the past contract between you and Uncle Jude. Besides, she won't be willing to do it." he said seriously.

"What past contract? What is it that I'm not willing to do?" I immediately asked the man called Nero.

"So you're Jude's daughter,huh? You're pretty. But young lady, you're already engaged to someone." he replied  as my eyes grew wide in shock.

"W-what?!" I asked him

"You're already engaged to the guy who's currently holding your arm."

"I-I'm," I said as I looked at Vincent, "engaged to you?"

"Le-Let me ex---" Vincent should've explained to me everything but he was interrupted by Nero.

"We had a contract with Jude several months ago, to help him save the Heartfilia Konzern in exchange of letting his daughter marry the only heir of our family. But I've been wondering why he canceled the deal last week. Seems, like he's getting softer." the man just said as he smirked.

"Don't talk about him like that!" I yelled as I clenched my fists.

"Lucy..." Father muttered as Nero immediately gave me a reply as he said, "Can't you see your father? Just look at him, you'll clearly see that he's been working hard." Nero said.

"Don't listen to him." Father desperately clutched my hand. As I looked at him, I saw the white strands of hair on his head. I felt his hand holding mine and I realized all the things he's ever done just to make sure I would live a bright future, even though he had done the wrong actions before.

"Marry Vincent, and your company, so as your father would survive." Nero said assuring as a thought of the certain salmon-haired boy crossed my mind, before I said without hesitations, "Fine then, I'll marry Vincent."