Waking Up from a Reverie

It was only when I met my boyfriend's family that I found out he was the heir to Scolaris' most powerful mafia family. The Cabellos’ family rules stated that any woman who would become the Donna of their family was required to have fifty million worth of personal assets to their name. For Ian Cabello's sake, I scrimped and saved and worked hard in the real estate industry to finally save up forty million. However, my company started to face problems when we started to lose contracts. I failed to put together the remaining ten million, no matter how hard I tried. Ian held me in his arms to comfort me as he told me how he would figure out a plan to help me put the money together. When my little sister suffered a sudden heart attack and required a large amount to pay for the surgery fees, I tried swiping three cards but discovered that I did not have enough money in them to make the payment. I hurried to the bank to inquire about the insufficient funds, only to be told by the cashier that there was no money in my accounts. How was that possible? I had saved up my hard-earned forty million in the accounts! The person-in-charge looked at me guiltily. "There was a forty-million withdrawal by Signorino Ian to purchase a villa to be gifted to Signorina Lucy Carter as her birthday present." Chapter 1 My mind went blank when I saw Ian Cabello's signature on the purchase record. I quickly ran into his study to demand an explanation but, when I was about to push the door open, I overheard the conversation inside. "Signorino Ian, the bank just informed us that Miss Salvatore tried to withdraw money, but the bank stopped the transaction." The man speaking was Ian's right-hand man, and my hand froze at the door handle when I heard his words. "Good." Ian sighed. "Lucy has always been sensitive because she lost her parents at a young age. Hopefully, the properties I purchased for her will give her a sense of security. It should be a token of Hailey's sincerity as well." His right-hand man hesitated before replying, "I heard that Miss Salvatore's company has been facing some issues lately. Could this be a financial emergency?" "It's all part of my plan." Ian interrupted him and said with indifference, "Lucy isn't ready for this. We should postpone the wedding and wait until Lucy can accept it." My blood froze. Ian was the one responsible for the predicament I was in and his sole purpose was to postpone the wedding because he wanted to protect the feelings of another woman. My hand pressed against my chest as I could hardly breathe from the pain. I was about to barge into the study to confront Ian when I received a message from the hospital. "Miss Salvatore, your sister is in dire straits. She has to have the operation right away! If you can't pay for the surgery, we're afraid…" A notice of critical illness was sent to me next. My mind went blank instantly. I no longer cared about my dignity and anger. None of that was important right now as I barged into the study as tears streamed down my face. "Ian, I need a loan of three million. It's for an emergency…" Ian looked at me in astonishment. "What's going on? Calm down, I'll get to it right away," he said as he took out his checkbook. "Don't, Ian!" A coquettish voice stopped him. Lucy walked into the study and stared accusingly at me. "How can you take a loan from Ian, Hailey? Don Cabello hates it most when someone goes against the rules!" She grabbed Ian's hand. "You can't do this to Hailey. If Don Cabello finds out that Hailey cheated with that money, he won't agree to your marriage." Ian sighed helplessly and put away the checkbook. "Lucy is right, Hailey. The Cabello family practices strict family rules, and she's only saying this for your own good. Hang in there for a while longer. I believe in you." I was covered in sweat from panic, and I grabbed Ian, trying to tell him about my little sister's condition. However, Lucy called in the bodyguards to force me out of the study. "Don't make this difficult for Ian, Hailey." I could only watch as the doors shut in front of me. I tried to call for a taxi to the hospital, but saw Lucy's posting on social media instead. It was pictures of expensive gifts she received with the caption: [Even though I lost my father at a young age, he saved a boy who later became the greatest big brother a girl could have. My big brother's entire family treats me just like a princess. I'm the happiest girl in the world…] My hand started shaking. Was this the sister Ian claimed to feel insecure? Were her insecurities so bad that she needed what little money I had to buy a house? While she was bragging about her presents, which were worth millions, my sister had lost a chance at life because of this woman. I stumbled all the way to the hospital only to see my sister's cold body. The doctor shook his head. "You're too late. If you had only managed to pay the surgery fees thirty minutes earlier…" I fell limply to the ground, and my trembling hands reached out to caress my sister's pale face while tears silently fell from my eyes. I had lost my last remaining family member in this world. It took me a long time before I snapped out of my daze to dial a number I had never called before. It was the number of the man I had unintentionally saved five years ago on a business trip. "You told me before that you would fulfill a wish of mine unconditionally. Does the promise still hold?" Chapter 2 My sister's funeral took me three days to organize. Many people showed up to pay their respects, but Ian acted like he had no idea that she had died. He did not show up or even give me a call, much less stay by my side to comfort me. I was reminded of when I had worked two consecutive weeks to pull in company sales, only to pass out from exhaustion and be hospitalized. Ian broke out in cold sweat from panicking over my condition and he held my hand to say, "You scared me, Hailey. Stop overworking yourself. I'll figure out how to get the money. All you need to do is take good care of yourself." Ian's deep concern for me meant nothing as he immediately gave Lucy everything that I had worked hard to earn. I took out my phone to call Ian, but instead, saw Lucy's latest post on my screen. [Ian said I was the only woman good enough to own the jewelry that was the grand finale of today's auction.] The caption was accompanied by a picture of a pink diamond necklace worth thirty million. When I tried to discuss our wedding with Ian the last few days, he seemed distracted. It was because he had been busy bidding on necklaces for Lucy for the last few days. He had been checking for updates on his phone for auction items because he wanted to pick a gift for Lucy. I closed my eyes tiredly. I felt exhausted mentally and physically. When I got home, I saw Ian's shoes the moment I opened the door. Since revealing his identity to me, it had been a long time since Ian came to my house. When Ian saw me come home, he came to hug me lovingly like he always did. "I miss you so much, Honey. You don't look very well. Is it your headache again?" Ian cleared his throat when I stayed silent, and he continued awkwardly, "Are you still feeling unhappy about what Lucy said? I apologize on her behalf. It's the family’s rules, after all. Please don't be mad at her, all right?” "Don't be anxious about putting the rest of the money together. I'll help you figure something out and I promise you'll have a grand wedding." I smiled sarcastically. It all depended on Lucy's mood on whether we would have a wedding or not. "I'm not in a hurry to get married, so there is no need for you to apologize on her behalf." Ian's smile froze when I refused to accept the apology. "You can't be mad at Lucy just because she stopped you from cheating when you knew that money had to be earned by you, Hailey. You…" "I'm not mad at her. I just don't feel like saving up for that fifty million anymore," I interrupted him. Ian wanted to continue lecturing me, but choked back his words with his mouth agape. He looked at me anxiously. "Why are you giving up? If things have been really difficult, I… I don't mind secretly loaning you some money…" I looked at him closely. Why had I never realized he could act so well? Ian had been giving me trouble behind my back, but acted like he was deeply in love when facing me. This reminded me of how I had nearly drunk myself to death just to secure a contract for a shopping mall development project. The moment the contract was signed, the project was halted because of an issue during the assessment stage. Rumors of the land having problems and the previous developer losing money on the land started to spread from nowhere. I was branded as a conwoman in the industry, and my investors started to pull out. Not only was I left with an unprofitable land, but I had to deal with compensation for breach of contract as well. Ian had fought for me then and worked hard at safeguarding my reputation. Who would have thought that he was the one behind everything? Yes, he was the one who said that he had plotted all of this. That night, I heard Ian on his phone when I passed by his study on my way to the kitchen for a glass of water. "Stop the plan against Hailey's company. With her current reputation, she won't be able to put the money together even if we stood by and did nothing." I wiped away the tears from the corner of my eye. He no longer had to do anything of the sort because I no longer wanted to marry him. I was about to walk away when I heard him pick up another call from Lucy. "Ian." Lucy's coquettish voice was heard coming from the other end of the call. "I got caught by the butler for sneaking into the underground casino. Can you help cover for me?" "You just can't stop making me worry, can you?" Ian said adoringly. "You know our family rules don't allow you to do something like that, but you still had to sneak in there. Fine. I'll help you, but this is the only time." It sounded like the strict family rules applied only to me. I was reminded of how they treated me when they stopped me from loaning the money with such righteousness. I turned away because I no longer wanted to listen to their conversation. When I returned to my bedroom, I sent another message to that number. [I'm ready to leave.] After that, I pulled out my luggage and started packing. "What are you doing? Where are you going?" Chapter 3 Ian started to panic when he saw me packing my luggage. I looked down and said nonchalantly. "I'm off for a business trip." He was relieved. "You should leave the day after tomorrow. It's Lucy's birthday tomorrow, and you should be there as her future sister-in-law." It was particularly lively at the Cabellos' villa the next day because every family had sent someone to attend Lucy's birthday. She had her arm around Ian while wearing her pink diamond necklace and was receiving well-wishes from the guests. I was forgotten at a corner with no one asking for me. I was enjoying my freedom when Lucy walked over to me with a smile. She lowered her voice and said, "I heard that your sister is dead, Hailey, and that you didn't even manage to see her one last time." I jerked up my head to stare straight at her. She knew it all along and had stopped me from getting a loan intentionally. Lucy's smile got wider when she saw my eyes turning red. She leaned in close to me to whisper tauntingly, "You're right. I did it on purpose. This is the price you should pay for seducing Ian." I was enraged, but before I could do anything, Lucy suddenly fell backward, and she pushed the necklace on her neck into my hand before falling onto the ground. "Ah! Why did you do that, Hailey? My neck hurts!" Her voice attracted everyone's attention. "Isn't that Signorino Ian's fiancée, Hailey Salvatore? Why did she snatch Lucy Carter's necklace?" "I heard that she failed to put together the money for her marriage, and she even conned others to sign a business contract with her. Has she gone crazy over money?" "Don Cabello was smart enough to test her before the wedding. Look at how quickly she's showing her true colors." I turned to look at Ian. We had been together for seven years, and he knew my character well, but I was taken aback when I saw the disappointment on his face. "Are you doubting me as well?" Ian helped Lucy up, and it pained him to see the bloody mark on her neck. Lucy fell crying into his arms. "I was just afraid Don Cabello would find out that Hailey tried to cheat, Ian. That's why I stopped her from loaning money from you, but I didn't expect her to hate me for it and try to snatch the necklace you gave me. She even went as far as to push me…" He had initially given me the benefit of the doubt, but Lucy's words convinced him of my wrongdoing. Everyone around us started to whisper about this. "I can't believe she tried to cheat by loaning money and, when Signorina Lucy tried to stop her, she was petty enough to take revenge. How can she…" "No, I didn't! She was the one…" I tried to explain frantically. "That's enough!" Ian finally could not take it, and he berated me sternly, "How dare you still give excuses, Hailey? Do you think Lucy would frame you for something like this? I can't believe you would be petty enough to hold this against Lucy when you're supposed to be the mature sister-in-law, and even do something like this to hurt her! I was wrong about you.” "With a character like yours, you wouldn't be good enough to be the Donna of the Cabellos even if you managed to put together fifty million." How could he pronounce me guilty just like that? I bit my lip hard as tears started to well in my eyes. When his father suggested that I raise fifty million for the wedding, he fought for me by insisting that he wanted to be with me, even if it meant giving up his right as heir to the Cabellos. Now, I could no longer tell how true his feelings for me had been then. "You know that's not who I am," I said with a sob. "I used to think I knew who you were too," Ian interrupted me. "You would never have tried to cheat by asking for a loan, but that's exactly what you did. I have no idea who you really are now." Ian was acting as if I had backstabbed him, and it only made me want to laugh. He had treated me as a person who would cross any line from the moment I asked him for a loan. He had no idea what I had been through, and he was not willing to believe anything I said. All he could see was Lucy's unhappiness, and her words were the only ones he trusted. The guests started to look at me with disdain as they continued whispering. Even the domestic help looked at me condescendingly. "It's fine, Ian." Lucy wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "You should forgive Hailey on my account…" She started apologizing to the guests in a dignified manner. "I apologize on behalf of the Cabellos for what happened today. We thank you for your patience in this." Ian looked at her proudly, and later turned to look angrily at me. "Lucy is asking for forgiveness on your behalf after suffering such humiliation. Look at you! You refuse to even give a simple apology!" With that, he picked up the damaged necklace and said coldly to me, "This necklace that you broke cost thirty million. It's only right that you make compensation for the original price. Also, you need to pay for Lucy's medical bills since she's hurt." Compensation? I bent over, laughing hard. "You can pay her using the forty million I saved up. The only thing is, I wonder where that money went?" Ian choked back his words and turned away from me guiltily, but he quickly pulled it together and pointed at the necklace around my neck. "No need for that. This looks pretty valuable. How about auctioning it away right now? I'll use that money to buy Lucy a new necklace." Chapter 4 I stared blankly at Ian in disbelief. This necklace was an emerald necklace treasured by my mother when she was alive. After her passing, I gave it to my sister. When I failed to put together the money for our wedding, my sister tried to sell it to help me raise the money, but I managed to stop her every time. Now that she was gone, the necklace was the only thing left behind by my sister. "No." I held onto the necklace determinedly. Lucy looked at me pitifully when I rejected Ian's suggestions. "You must really hate me if you refuse to let go of your necklace. Since you can't accept me in your life, there is no point for me to stay here and upset you. I'm an adult now, and I can move out of the Cabello family tomorrow. I don't want to be the cause of trouble between you and Ian." I stared angrily at her. "Stop the act. I wasn't the one who broke the necklace. Why should I be the one to compensate?" Ian got anxious. "Don't go!" He quickly grabbed Lucy to stop her from leaving, and turned to deal a backhanded slap at me. I held my hand to my face and tasted the blood in my mouth, and I looked at Ian as if he were a total stranger to me. Ian was taken aback as he looked at his hand in disbelief. Pain and regret flashed in his eyes, and he quickly came to me, wanting to check my wound. However, Lucy suddenly called out in pain, and he paused in his footsteps. Ian's face fell once more. "Why is it so difficult to get you to apologize, Hailey? You love your sister a lot, don't you? Why must you force Lucy away? Isn't she considered your sister too?” "If your sister is unhappy about auctioning your necklace away, she can have the broken pink diamond necklace. She should consider herself lucky because it's worth more." With that, he removed the necklace from my neck. "The auction begins right now." The guests looked at each other. A Cabello family member caught the look in Lucy's eyes, and he burst out laughing. "How much is a lousy necklace like that worth? I'll start the bid with two dollars!" Muffled malicious laughter echoed instantly in the event hall. Ian gave Lucy an indulging look and allowed this to continue after playfully berating her as being 'cheeky'. He knew very well what this necklace meant to my sister and me, but his attitude had encouraged everyone to follow suit. "Two dollars seems too much for the necklace. I'm bidding one dollar fifty cents, and not a cent more." "I wouldn't want rubbish like that even if you paid me to have it." The insulting bids crushed my dignity over and over. This only came to an end when Lucy smiled happily and said, "Since everyone finds the necklace worthless, I'll bid one hundred for it and give it back to Hailey. If she treasures the necklace so much, it won't be right of me to take it from her." Ian looked at Lucy proudly as he handed the necklace to her. "You've always been an understanding person, Lucy." Lucy took the necklace from him and came over to me, looking like she was about to give me the necklace, but when her hand reached out, it 'accidentally' slipped from her hand. Crack. The emeralds on the necklace were smashed to pieces. Lucy picked up the necklace and handed it to me while saying softly, "Oh no! It's cracked! I'm so sorry, Hailey. Not only did you fail to save your sister's life, but you also can't even protect the last thing she left for you." I looked at the broken necklace and could no longer hold back my tears as I burst out crying. It hurt Ian to see me this way, and he quickly came over to me to pat my back and comfort me. "All right. Don't cry. It's just an accident. Lucy didn't do it on purpose. I'll buy a new one just like that for you, okay?" All I did was look at him coolly with an empty heart that felt nothing for his words. I left right away, as I planned to grab my luggage and leave the country. However, when I got home, a fire broke out. I tried to escape, but every door and window had been sealed tight. I could hear the sarcastic voices of several men outside the door. "Stop trying to escape. Just wait patiently for your death. It serves you right for offending Principessa Lucy." I turned cold right away. This was Lucy's doing! She wanted me dead! I tried my best to send out a message for help, but I slowly lost consciousness amid the thick smoke. Ian was feeling unsettled at the memory of how Hailey had looked at him, and he ordered his subordinates, "Arrange for Hailey's company to win a contract that's enough for her to put together the money she needs. It's about time we have our wedding." After the party ended, Ian rushed to Hailey's home. He saw several men leaving the area in a hurry the moment he parked his car. Boom! There was a deafening explosion, and Hailey's house burned to ashes right in front of him.