Redemption: Clio as a flawed protagonist she has a troubled past, having made mistakes and engaged in a hurtful behavior while longing for her mother recovery. This helps her to confront and make amendment for her troubled past. She was in her 18s trying to fix things out when he met Lucas. Lucas brutalized her sexually and this becomes her pains all over her life. But with all this circumstances .Clio work through this and find redemption. Forgiveness: Even when Lucas chanced her with a brutalized nail, she learn to forgive in a hard way, Lucas waved to the moon to beg Clio for another chance to make it up to her legally, though it was hard for Clio to believe, but forgiveness speaks underneath Clio's belly. Self-Discovery: Clio discovered herself even when it's hard for her, she discovered that life is hard for the less privilege, since she was born with silver spoon, when his father died, she discovered that earth is an hell full of suffering, if not for love, she would have lost her mind. Unexpected love voyage: Clio toil on an unexpected love voyage with Lucas, at first she was not expecting and has never even think, there will be chemistry between them, she never knew she will fall in love with Lucas, but he did and the rest was history.
Chapter 1 WRECK BEGINNING
Ben Scott was just over 40 and stood by the windows in his mansion while peering into the sprawl of Los Angeles below with scattered most daylight through the modern and extravagant rooms of his house. It was one such day of basking in the morning rays. The view was stunning; there lay the hills far away towards Beverly Hills. It was an image of success-wealth and power, achievement. Yet in it, Ben somehow felt there was that gnawing emptiness within him.
"Goodbye, my babies," he murmured as he kissed the forehead of his wife, Sarah, and then lightly tapped the head of his 18-year-old daughter, Clio, as she stood beside her mother. His voice might have been steady through all those, but it was giving off the weight of something unsaid.
"Have a good day, Ben," Sarah replied, eyes softening and tone ringing with quiet fondness after years of marriage. Standing next to her mother, Clio managed to give a wan smile, but it did not reach her eyes.
Ben gave them both a nod before making his way to the garage. The hum of the morning routine continued around him, but already in his mind, he was thinking of the day ahead. He had his whole life behind Scott Enterprises, his own company which he founded himself. An unpaid debt of $98,000 threatened the very existence of that thread.
Ben settled into his sleek car and with a slight flick of the wrist, commanded the gatekeeper to open the great iron gates shutting him off from the outside world. A roar accompanied his speeding down the driveway, leaving behind the mansion and everything he had known.
All his diffused thinking came to halt with the ringing of Ben's mobile. It was the bank, and his stomach tightened. "Mr. Scott," came the unyielding voice of the bank manager down the line. "We gave you ample time to settle the outstanding debt. Come in right away to the office. Otherwise, we will seize the collateral." Ben's heart skipped a beat. He had secured the company assets to obtain the loan, keeping faith that he could possibly turn the tables. But the bank was not for waiting.
"I'm coming," Ben said, desperation chiming in his voice, yet he was aware that it would not have the slightest effect on their full-frown attitude.
He had to sharply turn towards the bank's office, as his weight slowly came crashing down around this tidal wave. His whole company, his legacy, was at stake.
At the bank, it was worse than he thought. He had to pay the debt in full by the end of the week, or take away everything. Buildings, assets, shares, everything he had worked for.
Ben's mind raced as he left the building with heavy, defeated steps. No solutions lie ahead-no escape. His hands clasped the steering wheel with white-knuckled ferocity as he drove home.
When he reached his house, his family was waiting. Sarah observed him with concern as he walked into the living room, yet he could not meet her gaze.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling with the same fear that grabbed him.
"It's worse than I thought," Ben said, low of voice. "They have given me an ultimatum: pay the debt or lose the company." He sat down, paling. They are not giving me any more time.
Tear wells in Sarah's beautiful eyes, looking forward. It breaks her heart. "Ben... this is what we have worked so hard for. What do we do?"
Ben reaches her, wrapping her into the sting of his arms, though it is difficult for him to bring himself to do this. He is afraid too.
Clio was standing at the door just looking at the spectacle with big confused frightened eyes.
"Dad, what's happening?" she asked with a soft voice full of concern. Ben could see the tremor in her lips as the words rolled out of her mouth.
"That's the loan, darling," said Ben with a slight quiver in his voice. "If we don't pay the dues, the bank will seize everything from us. The company...everything we've worked for."
Clio's face went pale, and she raced into her room, her steps fast and unsteady. Ben's heart sank. He wanted to go after her, tell her everything would be okay, but the words just weren't there. One thing was for sure, the burden was very heavy.
"I'll talk to her," said Sarah softly, a thick emotions in her voice. She stood up and headed towards Clio's room with light but certain steps.
Ben sat in the living room, letting his thoughts spin, spiral out of control. How did it come to this? He had built his empire from the ground up, but he now found it so fragile, so tenuous. What would happen to his family? How would they survive without the company?
Clio opened her door later that night, and red eyes gave evidence to her having been crying. She walked over to her father, her small body shaking with the fear. "Dad, I don't want to suffer," she said in a small, child-like voice, "Poverty is not good. I don't want to live like that."
He reached out and drew her into his embrace. His heart resigned itself to the power of the corridor. "Hold on, sweetheart," he said softly, his voice steady even though it rang with resolve. "We're going to get through it. I promise. Clio held on tight to him, her body quivering as if a massive weight bore down on her.
Ben stroked her hair, his mind racing in a quest for a solution. No answers, no plans. Just the promise that he would fight for them. The family sat for dinner in an unusually quiet way. Clio hardly ate, her head somewhere else, while Ben tried to come up with cringingly hollow words of encouragement even for himself. Sarah did her best to make the whole thing somewhat normal, but even she wasn't able to get around the fear in the air.
Ben stayed in Clio's room after dinner, watching as she drifted to sleep. When he walked away from her side, however, he lit a prayer into the silence of the night. "God please help us," muttered his heart with a heavy weight of uncertainty. Later, in his own room, Sarah was already in bed turned on her back to him. Ben climbed beside her, holding her next to him as much as he can.
"The weather external is very bad and we cannot lose everything," Sarah whispered into his ears, choked with emotion.
"We won't," Ben promised, but even he wasn't sure he believed it.
Clio was the first to wake up the next morning. "Good morning, Mum! Dad!" she said, enthusiasm infusing her voice though it was not free of worry.
Ben smiled faintly and hugged her. "Good morning, my love."
"So what are we up to today?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know, Mum," Clio answered, her eyes showing a trace of sadness. "I'll just go to my friend's house. Maybe she'll distract me for a while."
"That's a good plan," said Sarah, smiling faintly. "Go and have some fun."
Ben kissed her forehead and offered a faint smile. "You deserve this. Don't let the worries bother you." While Clio was on her way to meet friends, Ben prepared for work. His head was still clouded over debts, but he tried to clear his mind of all those things to focus on the next things coming. However, a cloudy situation hovered over him.
Endless seemed the day so he sat at his desk in the office. Despite being in a busy office, he was so pained deep inside; with the impending financial disaster, his thoughts lingered back to that. The staff noticed he was distracted, but he brushed them off.
By the time he returned home that evening, Clio was waiting for him there. She ran toward him, bearing a smile that couldn't hide worry in her eyes.
"Dad, how was work?" she asked.
"Everything's fine," came the reply of Ben, his voice strained. "Nothing I can't handle". However, he knew it was far from the truth.
The night wrapped up with Ben and Clio together in a peaceful moment. However, just as he was about to take a shower, a loud sound ruptured the silence: "Daddy!" Ben shot toward the noise. Clio slipped in the shower, hitting her head against the hard tiles. His heart skipped.
"Clio, stay with me!" he shouted in panic.
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