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I tried to look on the bright side. Maybe he was getting re-married. Unlikely; father was just a wreck in the past few months. Why was he such a wreck? I really had no clue. He was always evasive when I asked.
He had taken care of us, and we were living in the classiest of accommodations, the Van Hansen Mansion. It had our name on it so you knew it was important. We had landscapers, maids, cooks, and everything that came with fine living like that.
Well we did. Father had been laying them off, saying he caught them stealing or slacking off. He never replaced them. I had to take to teaching myself how to cook, which honestly, I didn't mind excessively much. It was just odd after being pampered all these years.
Father stepped in from a side room. He looked terrible, no jacket, and his tie was barely on him properly. His steps were heavy as he came to the front of us. "My beautiful little girls," he began. There was a sobby tone in his voice.
"What's the matter, Father?" I was first to ask. "Just tell us. The anticipation is killing me."
He was crying. My sisters perked up at it. "Did someone die?" Olivia said.
Christine elbowed her. "Don't be so brash."
"This obviously isn't good news," Olivia replied.
"I'm broke," he sobbed out. "I'm broke. I have nothing. I have less than nothing, I'm in crippling debt, even."
All three of us startled at his words. "I thought we were doing fine," Christine asked.
"I didn't want to alarm you girls. I thought I could turn everything around. I can't now. I'm out of options. I have to sell the estate, everything in it."
"What about my college fund?" Christine said. "I was supposed to head to Europe in the fall."
"There's nothing, sweetie. Nothing."
I didn't know what to make of any of this. I was fresh out of high school myself, graduating only a month ago, and a few months north of eighteen. I had no doubts about what I was - a rich bitch. Like Christine, I was going to have the luxury of a few years to find myself before deciding what I wanted to do with my life. Or so I thought, anyway. Now? I wasn't so sure.
"We're going to be kicked out of the house at the end of the month," he continued.
"Why did you wait so damn long to tell us, Daddy?" Olivia w
as pissed and was right in father's face. "We needed time to prepare for all of this."
"I thought I could fix it, girls. I really did." Father was devastated. Tears, whimpering. I had no doubt that he truly did try. A series of bad investments, making wrong deals, I didn't fully understand how he made his fortune in the first place. "The person buying the house is going to be by in an hour to take a look at it."
"Is there anything we can do, Father?" Christine said, standing in front of Father. "Anything we can sell to stave this off? We need time."
"What I owe is far more than selling a TV or a personal collection will deliver, girls. I'm sorry. I've failed you as a father."
I rushed over and gave him a hug. "I still love you, Father. I know you meant the best."
I hated seeing him like this. Part of me, though, just didn't want to face the music. I was toast. I had average-ish grades so I wasn't getting any sort of scholarship. We didn't have any rich friends, so there was no one to run to in that regard. What on earth was I going to do?
Was I going to be waiting tables in mere weeks just to be able to afford ramen or whatever it is poor people eat?
There was a knock on the door. It opened quickly after. My father turned to face the intruder. "You can't just barge in..."
"I can. I own this place," the voice was quick, and to the point. "Or will soon, anyway."
Flanked by a few assistants, the man that came in caught my attention, and caught my attention quick. He was tall, his blonde hair short yet wavy, styled perfectly. He had a fine goatee, groomed and not the least bit ratty. His suit fit perfectly, outlining his fantastically shaped body.
Despite him looking about forty, this guy was hot. He was absolutely stunning, and my eyes never left him as soon as he had entered the room.
"I believe in coming early, see how the place is naturally before people dress it up," he said, walking by. His stride was strong, confident. "It looks like this place is well kept regardless. Cheers to that."
Father broke from my arms even as my eyes didn't break from the intruder. "You could have let me get my daughters out of here first. They don't have to see the place they grew up in bought like it was nothing."
"Calm yourself, Van Hansen. I just want to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for. I don't seek to be hostile in my business deals." He glanced over the house, and then over to us three sisters. He shot a glance at Olivia, at Christine, and then over to me.
