Chasing The Broken CEO

It was around nine o'clock in the evening when a sudden phone call woke me up. I saw Shaira's caller ID on my phone screen reason why I had no choice but to answer her call. "Nathalie!" I hear her ragged breathing on the other line as if she's in the middle of a critical situation.

"Why? Did something happen, Shaira?" I got up and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Do you have a laptop available with you? Your father wants to talk to you right now..."

"My forehead creased because of what she said. I immediately stood up and grabbed my laptop from the study table. I powered it on while throwing some questions to my cousin. "Why is he asking me to talk to him at this hour? Is there something going on that I do not know yet?"

"I am sorry, Nathalie. I had to ask him to reconsider the last option we got. Then he asked me to call you. He wanted to talk to you face to face," she cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry..."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. I don't know if I am ready to talk to my father again. It has been a while since the last time I talk and see him.

"Don't worry about it, Shaira." I assured her.

As soon as the laptop is ready, I logged in to my Skype account just like what Shaira have told me to do. It only took a few minutes before I receive a video call from her. I accepted it and there I saw the familiar face of my father on the video. "Daddy..." I called him after a deafening silence. I felt a lump in my throat as I watched his serious face on my laptop screen.

"Tell me, Nathalie. Are both of you getting crazy? What's got into you for you are deciding this way?" he yelled like a thunder.

My body froze up as I didn't see it coming. He's furious obviously because of the last option Shaira and I has been considering all this time.

"You want to sell our company? Is that really easy to do?! Did you even consider how would I feel if you sell my company?! That's my company for Christ's sake!"

"Daddy, we only thought that this would be the best thing we can at least do for our employees and--"

"No, it is not, Nathalie!" he shouted at me. I can already hear his ragged breathing. "Do you even know how I sacrificed everything just to established the company? If you do know it then why are you making this decision? I am the owner of the company and I will do my best to save it!"

"Dad! Can you please calm down?!" I didn't mean to shout at him but I can't control my emotion anymore.

I can't even bear to see him this way! Because of the issues we have in our company, he doesn't look healthy anymore and I really hate it!

"I can do this!" he insisted in a hard tone. "I can still save our company! We don't really need to sell it, do yo get that? We'll be the poorest if we sell the only thing we have, Nathalie! I can't let that happen!"

"Dad, can you please listen to me? Do you even know what you're trying to say?" I breathed heavily and shook my head. My emotion is now eating me up. "The company is already failing! It's facing bankruptcy, daddy! Our share holders have left us already and we have a lot of debts we need to pay! Our employees will suffer the consequences that's why we came up with this kind of decision! We won't even decide to sell it if there is still another way but dad, there's none!" "I said no!" he slammed his desk with his hands. "I am not going to allow you to sell my company. You're just my child and you can't tell me what to do! You won't be able to sell it unless you kill me!"

My eyes went teary upon hearing his last statement. My daddy's eyes are flashing in rage. I felt the pain inside my chest. His words really hit me that I can't even make a move. My heart is pounding aggressively that made my rib cage hurt. I can't even breathe properly. I gasped for some air.

Is this really what he wants to happen? He's protecting his pride and name so much that he can't think straight anymore. He still wants to save the company and will give his life for it despite the fact that it's already sinking!

"If you won't cooperate then you better have to kill me instead!" My voice cracked. "Look, I can no longer take it! I don't want to see you like that, daddy! Look at yourself! You don't look good anymore and it hurts me more than you know, dad! Why can't you understand that we're only trying to save you? I am only trying to save our family!" I can't help but to cry in front of them. "Face the reality, daddy! There's no one who could help us from this mess! What's happening is beyond the worst! Our company is failing and you and mom's health are also failing too! I won't hesitate to make this kind of decision in order to save both of you as you're my parents!"

My father began to cry so loud and I feel like I'm already dying in pain. My breathing became so ragged. My heart felt so heavy, that it's going to explode any moment because of this family issues that never ends!

Why do we need to suffer this way? What have we done in the past to be in this suffocating situation? In which part did we go wrong?

The door opened and when I turned my gaze on it, I saw my grandmother and Chandria entering my room but they stopped immediately when they noticed that I am having a fight with my own father on a video call.

"This is our company that we're talking about, Nathalie! Don't you trust me anymore?" my father is still crying his heart out. I can feel how angry he is. I know that it hurts him too but we have no choice. "Daddy, listen to me. We have no other choice!" I insisted hoping that the truth will finally sink into his head.

I cried so hard in front of him but he's not even listening. It hurts me more to see my father acting this way. To see him at his weakest point, having no other choice than to give up everything but still choosing to protect his well-built pride and his name.

"I'll find another way, Nathalie!" he threw away the papers on his desk. "I'll make sure to find a way so that we no longer need to sell the company!"

"Dad, stop it, okay? The Zendejas' family is already gone and there's no other option here!" I fired at him. "Now, I am begging you! Can we please end this argument? Just let me decide this time as I only want the best for our family!" "No! We can set you up with another business tycoon out there and you can get married so we can keep the company! We can still do this, Nathalie!"

My chest started tightening because of his last statement. I slammed the laptop right in front of my grandmother and Chandria. I cried so hard as I felt the anger eating me up. The searing pain became more evident just when I realized that my father wants me to be a material of their success all over again!

I am so furious. My breathing became too heavy. My lips formed a thin line. I stood up and didn't hesitate to leave the room. I walked passed them and didn't say a single word. I heard them calling my name but that did not stop me from leaving the mansion. I walked directly to the main door and ran faster. I opened the main gate and walked outside.

I needed to breathe out. The rain is pouring heavy but I don't care at all. It's cold and my body is getting wet all over but I just let the rain poured on me. What more could it do to me? Every bit of me is cold and numb already. A flood of tears gushed down my cold cheeks as I continued to walk in the middle of the dark road. I didn't mind how wet I am already because my only goal is to escape from the unwanted reality.

I'm thinking of my parents. I only want them to be protected at all cost. If only I can steal away the problems they have, I will definitely do so because I don't want them to suffer this way. But how can I even do it? I am just a weak daughter. A useless one. I have never been this vulnerable. Seeing my father at that state made me feel so horrible.

I don't understand. Why does he need to protect a company that is obviously sinking? Why does he need to embrace the difficulty of the situation when there's an option that can help us to be at ease?

And what was the solution he figured out? That I have to marry a business tycoon? A kind of familiar set up all over again? Is that my only worth for him? To be a material... a ladder of success so that the company he love the most will be saved?

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My lips trembled as I continued to cried. Anger, coldness and pain engulfed my chest that I can no longer breathe properly. I don't know what else to do at this point.

I am also suffering, daddy. Can't you see it? I am suffering alone here! I am close to dying because I feel like I already lost my purpose in this life!

I only stopped walking when I found myself on the right side of a cemented bridge. The rain poured even more and from where I am standing, I can see the river rapidly moving down somewhere.

My body trembled as my sobs echoed throughout this silent and dark bridge. The whole place is quiet and the only things I am hearing at this point is the loud pouring of the rain and the river rapidly moving down below.

My head fell on the floor. I started biting my lower lip firmly with my eyes swelled up with long-lasting tears.

I only hope to survive. Why does it feel so impossible to achieve?

No matter how I try my best to live, I always end up drowning in hopelessness. No matter how I try to be brave, tears of pain still escape my eyes...

Then I realized that this won't happen at all only if he didn't choose to abandon me. This misfortune won't come to us only if he showed up that night and save me.

My eyesight went blurry as my tears and the rain itself are both unstoppable. My ragged breathing became more evident, making me more miserable.

I noticed a shape of a man on the far end of the bridge in my peripheral vision. I gasped and bravely gazed at my left side where the man is standing. I sobbed and squinted my eyes.

He's wearing a black hoodie. I can't really see his face because the whole place is dark and my tears are blurring my eyes. But one thing is for sure, I don't even feel afraid anymore...