Use me, Daddy

Chapter 1: Pain And Tears

(Arwin POV)

“Dad! I need some money,” I said while my dad was sitting in his home office behind a mahogany table.

“So?” He arched his brow in a questioning manner.

“So, I need money. You know why?” I looked at his face and he gave me a blank look.

“Dad! Jessie is on her deathbed, and you are not even concerned about it,” I felt like my heart would stop any time witnessing his indifference.

“It has nothing to do with me Arwin. I am busy and I would appreciate it if you do not waste any more of my time,” He said while looking at his file like it was the most important thing on the face of the earth.

“Dad! You have to help me. He is your daughter. How can you behave like this?” I asked and he gave me a bored look but I was determined.

“Listen, Arwin! I am a businessman. I know you love your family…”

“It is your family, too. How can you behave like this… Like you don’t even know us,” I asked, and he again gave me a blank look to shut me up.

“I know you love your family, but I can’t do anything in all this,” He resumed his speech.

“Yes, you do! You can help us by giving me money for Jessie’s chemo, Dad. She is just eight, and can you imagine how she is going through all this? It is so painful for her but you don’t give a sh*t to us like you don’t even recognize us,” I complained and his face turned red with anger.

“It was your mother’s decision. She left me for my brother and now you came here whining like a little b*tch when he died. She made her decision back then and I made my decision today,” he answered and I felt like someone slapped me hard on my face.

“She didn’t leave you, Dad! It was you!!! You were having affairs behind her back one after another, and she left this house for our well-being,” I answered, and he flipped a bird after hearing my words.

“She made this story on her own but… Because I am a generous man, I have an offer for you,” I gulped hard after hearing this.

“Dad! You have so much money, why can’t you pay for your own daughter’s health?”

“Because earning money is not a simple thing. It is a very difficult thing and no! I don’t have money to waste on anyone,” I let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Anyone? Are you serious, Dad? We are your own children…your biological ones, and you don’t have money for us. But as far as I remember, You had the money to spoil your secretaries for one good f*ck but you don’t have the money to give us, right?” I asked and he gritted his teeth in anger.

“I don’t want to hear any of this, Arwin! You came here to me for help, not the other way around. So, If you want to help your dying sister, you have to work for me,” I felt like someone punched me so hard in the gut that all the air left my body.

“She isn’t dying…not a f*cking chance. I will do anything to save her,” I answered and he nodded.

“Good to hear, Son! Just keep in mind that this work is not a simple one because you need a hefty amount of it, right?” He cleared and I nodded.

“I know!”

“Good! Sign there for me then,” He threw a bunch of papers towards me and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“What is it?”

“Your new job’s details.”

“You have already prepared it. You knew I would come to you for help,” I asked, and he gave me a ‘Duh’ look. My heart ached after knowing this.

“Read it and then sign it,” He said and I started reading it. As soon as I finished reading the papers, I looked towards my father.

“How can I do this?” I asked and he closed his file and scanned me from head to toe.

“It’s so simple, Arwin! Lucas Emerson Blackwood bagged six big projects in the last two years. I lost six f*cking times in front of him and now, I want to give him the taste of his own medicines. I want you to go and work for him. Give me all the latest information about his projects, so I can defeat him in his own game. So simple!” My mouth hung open at his audacity.

“You are using your own daughter's health as a bargaining chip in all this, dad?” He shrugged in response.

“This is wrong. I can work for you and I assure you that we can beat him fairly in the next projects by sticking to the rules and morals,” I looked at him, and he rolled his eyes like I was spewing bullsh*t.

“It’s either your f*cking morals or Jessie’s chemo, Arwin. The choice is yours and her life is in your hands now,” My hands shook after hearing his words. I know what he was doing to me was wrong, but I can’t do that with Jessie. I can’t put her life at risk either.

“Fine! I will do as you say, but please pay for Jessie’s bill,” I asked, and he nodded with a devious smirk plastered on his face.

“But, how will I join his company?” I asked another question.

“Leave it to me, Arwin! I have men in his company already. He is in HR too, so he will select you for the current Secretary position,” I nodded and left that house, which was once our home too.

*

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*

“Where were you, Arwin?” My mother, Maria Emiliano, came, and I handed her the bag of medicine.

“I got a new job, Mom. I used some references to get a loan from them,” I answered and looked towards my sister Jessie’s pale face.

“That’s good news, but why are you looking so down? You should be happy about your new job,” she said, and I let out a sigh.

“I am happy, Mom! But, I am worried about Jessie’s chemo,” I looked through the glass in the door.

“Don’t worry! She is so brave. She will survive this.” I gave her a curt nod and looked around.

“Where is Judy?”

“She went to play with a friend in the garden,” She answered, and I took a seat on the nearby bench. We were a small, happy family with my uncle, Jacob De Luca. My mother got married to my dad in her college days, so she didn’t complete her studies. She became pregnant with me just after three months of marriage. Dad didn’t want a child this early, but mom was ready to become a mother, so she convinced my dad to keep their baby. After my birth, things changed pretty fast for us. My mother started giving me most of her time and my dad became tired of this, so he started having affairs. My dad was the elder son of his father, Adriano De Luca. My grandfather passed away after my first birthday.

Dad got his company in inheritance and got more freedom, along with money. He started spending most of his time outside. My mother kept hearing about his affairs but turned a blind eye to all this. But when my mother got pregnant for the second time, All hell broke loose. He started throwing a fit and convinced my mother to have an ab*rtion. My uncle and dad’s younger brother stood up for Mom. My father accused them of having an affair behind his back and kicked them out in the middle of the night. We moved to Uncle Jacob’s house and started living there. My father completely forgot about us, as we had never been a part of his life. My mother gave birth to my twin sisters, Judy and Jessica. Jessie had been weak since birth, but Judy was healthy and both of them were the apple of our eyes. Mom started working as an accountant in a firm, and Uncle Jacob started bearing most of our expenses. When Judy and Jessie turned five, another bad news hit us like a thunderbolt: Jessie was diagnosed with leukemia.

“Don’t worry, Mary! I am with you, and we will handle this together,” Uncle Jacob assured us, and my mother nodded. I was standing in the kitchen but heard each and everything. I was only eighteen then, and they were only five. Her treatment was costly but we were managing everything just fine when, after a year, we lost Uncle Jacob in a car accident. I cried the whole night with my mother because we didn’t know what to do after that. My mother contacted our father a few times, but he refused to help us. I started jobs, but we were hardly managing everything. Now, We need money for Jessie’s chemotherapy and I don’t know if my father will give me money or not.

“Sh*t! I should have asked him to wire it to my account before signing those damn papers,” I muttered under my breath when the door of Jessie’s room opened.

“She wants to talk to you, Arwin!” I nodded and forced a smile on my face.