Weeks passed, and the once-thriving company of Chief Williams began to visibly crumble. Frank’s reckless spending and string of terrible decisions were taking their toll. The accounts were dry, profits had plummeted, and loyal clients were taking their business elsewhere.
Staff whispered anxiously in the hallways, bills were piling up, and suppliers were refusing to deliver any more goods until their outstanding invoices were paid. The new fashion brand Frank had launched with such fanfare was a complete disaster. The clothes were overpriced, the styles were poor, and no one was buying.
They needed a massive cash injection, and fast. Frank sat in his sprawling office, stressed and sweating. “Where can I get money now? If this company goes down, I’m finished.”
Then, a desperate idea struck him. “I’ll sell the Sunray Grand Hotel.” That hotel was the most popular and profitable in the city. His father had built it with immense pride and always referred to it as “my golden house.”
That evening, Frank called an urgent family meeting. Everyone gathered in the main sitting room. Upstairs, in the guest room, Chief Williams lay quietly, his occasional cough echoing faintly.
Frank stood before the family, his face arranged in a mask of fake seriousness. “The company is facing very serious problems,” he began. “If we don’t act fast, we are going to lose everything. So, I’ve decided we must sell the Sunray Grand Hotel and inject the money into the company.”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Cynthia leaped to her feet. “Which Sunray Grand Hotel?” she shouted. “The one David already sold?”
The room went completely silent. Frank’s head snapped toward his brother. “What did you say?”
Cynthia folded her arms, smirking. “You heard me. Ask your dear younger brother.”
David stood up slowly. Agatha’s eyes widened in disbelief. “David, is this true? You sold the Sunray Grand Hotel? Without telling me, your mother?”
David looked angry. “Mommy, don’t yell at me. Did you ask Frank about all the money he wasted in the company? All the ridiculous parties and that fashion nonsense he started?”
Frank lunged forward and grabbed David’s shirt. “You thief! You sold Daddy’s hotel and kept the money for yourself!”
David pushed him back hard. “Don’t touch me! I’m not going to sit back and watch you waste all of our father’s sweat chasing women and throwing money around like water!”
The two brothers began to fight again. Chairs were knocked over. Glasses shattered. Agatha screamed, and the maids fled the house in terror.
Cynthia was just shouting over the noise, “You’re both insane! You’re going to kill each other!”
Rose ran in, her face streaked with tears. “Why is there no peace in this house? Why? Our father is sick upstairs, and you are all down here fighting like animals!”
She looked at each of them, her heart breaking. “Why are we treating Daddy like he’s already dead? Why are we all so heartless? Has money made all of you blind?”
The room fell quiet. But no one had an answer for her.
Later that night, Mr. John the lawyer quietly slipped into Chief Williams’ room. Rose had just finished cleaning him and had stepped out to fetch hot water. Mr. John sat close to the bed and whispered.
“Sir, I need to tell you something.”
Williams opened his tired eyes slowly. He gave a tiny nod.
“It’s about David,” Mr. John said. “He sold the Sunray Grand Hotel and the Lodgeland plot. But I intercepted. I stopped strangers from buying them. I used my own people to acquire the papers and have kept everything safe for you.”
Williams blinked slowly. His heart was heavy, but he felt a wave of gratitude. “Thank you,” he rasped.
Mr. John added, “The children are tearing each other apart, sir. It’s getting worse. But don’t you worry. I will not let them destroy everything you worked for.”
Chief Williams closed his eyes as another weak cough escaped his lips. He wondered, “Is this what I raised my family for? To fight over material things while I am still breathing?”
Frank wasn’t done. He stood in the middle of the living room, still holding a fistful of David’s shirt. His face was red with fury.
“Bring the hotel money, David! We need it for the company now!”
David pulled himself free. “For what? So you can use it to throw another useless party or fly some girl to Paris again? I am not giving you a single dime.”
Frank rushed at him again, but this time Rose jumped right between them. “Stop it, both of you!” she shouted. “What is wrong with you? Daddy is upstairs, sick and weak, and you are here dragging money like animals!”
David shook his head in disgust, grabbed his car keys, and stormed out of the house.
Frank turned to their mother, Agatha, his hands shaking with rage. “Mommy, you heard him. He sold Daddy’s hotel and kept the money. What are we supposed to do now?”
Agatha calmly waved her hand, as if dismissing a minor inconvenience. “Leave him. He’s always been stubborn. If he doesn’t want to bring the money, then just sell another house. Or a car.”
Frank turned sharply. “Whose car should I sell? It certainly won’t be mine.”
Agatha didn’t even blink. “Sell your father’s white SUV.”
Just then, Rose, who had gone to get water for their father, walked back in and froze in the doorway. “Mama, what did you just say?”
Agatha turned. “You heard me. Let him sell that car. We need the money.”..
