The creditors finally made their final stand, declaring they would come to seize the house in three days.
William paced back and forth in the living room, cursing under his breath, "What the hell? Three days? It's just about money. Back in the day, I had more than enough—that amount was nothing!"
He expressed disgust. "Now that I'm down on my luck, they're here to kick me while I'm down. Shameless, despicable bastards..."
The more he ranted, the angrier he became. His face turned deep red, his hands turned red, and his mind began to cloud. As he paced, he felt as if his soul were leaving his body.
"Oh no! William, w-what's wrong with you?" Vera watched in horror as William collapsed to the floor, convulsing. Frozen in panic, her face twisted with worry, she called out to him repeatedly, but he didn't respond. Frantic, she rushed to grab the phone, stumbling along the way.
"Hello, 911? My husband just collapsed—I don't know why! Please, hurry and help him!" She sobbed.
After confirming their address and being assured that help was on the way, Vera set the phone down. She wanted to move him to the couch, but she remembered the doctor's warning. Helpless, she wrung her hands, pacing in place.
The thought of hospital bills and countless other looming troubles overwhelmed her. She picked up the phone again.
At first, she started dialing Sierra's number, only to hesitate halfway. After a moment of indecision, she called Xavier instead. "Xavier, your dad collapsed. I called 911—you need to come home now!"
Xavier, in the middle of an important meeting at work, froze at the news. Only when his assistant quietly nudged him did he snap back to reality. He bolted up, sprinting out without even bothering to grab his coat.
Behind him, the rest of the team exchanged bewildered glances. Their minds were already racing with speculation.
The supervisor overseeing his training immediately relayed the situation back to Gray Corporation.
Theo had no interest in the Shaws, but considering Sierra's ties to the family, he still sent someone to investigate what exactly had happened.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Surprising Twist of Fates (Sierra and Theo)