chapter two

Three Months Earlier

The first notice came on a Tuesday. Mia found it pinned to her apartment door, a folded piece of paper, wet from the rain.

FINAL WARNING.

Her stomach turned before she even opened it. She didn’t have to because she knew what it said.

For weeks now, men had been showing up at odd hours, leaving messages, calling from strange numbers. At first, she tried ignoring them, then blocking them. But it didn’t matter because they always found her no matter where she went.

That night, she sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her brother’s old photo on the table. He was smiling and carefree, the way he always was before everything fell apart.

“Why did you leave me with this?” she whispered, her eyes watering. It was filled with anger, guilt and exhaustion.

He had taken out a loan two years ago without telling anyone, trying to keep his small auto shop open. Then came the accident that ruined her entire family, and then the bills that came with everything, leaving her completely drained. Now, all she was left with was the silence every day that reminded her how pathetic she felt. The debt didn’t die with him.

Now, it was hers. No one cared if she didn't know anything about it or had nothing to do with it. All they cared about was her repaying it. She had tried taking out another loan to repay one of the loans, but everything just seemed to get worse the more she tried to fix things. She had to give up her apartment and move into a smaller place.

A soft knock echoed through her apartment suddenly breaking through her thoughts.

Mia froze, her heart dropping to her stomach, before she could even try to act like she didn't hear the first knock another knock came again, and it was louder this time and harder to ignore.

She stood up slowly, her pulse racing.

“Who is it?” she asked in a shaky tone. No answer came, just a third knock. Mia cursed under her breath as she walked towards the day, she wondered if she would ever get a single day of peace.

She reached for the door, half-hoping it was a mistake.

But when she opened it, three people stood in the hallway staring back at her.

A man in a leather jacket, with tall, sharp eyes and a scar cutting across his cheek. Beside him, another man was chewing gum and smirking and in front, a woman with long dark hair and red lipstick was calm as stone.

“Mia Lewis?” the woman asked, her eyes scanning Mia from head to toe.

"Who is asking?" Mia replied, her eyes scanning them too. She was trying her best to hide her fear, but it was hard to hide her fear in her tone as she spoke.

The woman smiled faintly. “Good, you must be her, saves us time.” Before Mia could say anything or try to close her door, the woman placed her leg between the door and grabbed it, she pushed it open and stepped inside like she owned the place. The two men immediately followed her in causing Mia to step back in surprise.

“I’m Jessa,” The woman said, setting a folder on the small table in the room, her eyes scanning the cramped room, a satisfied smile appeared on her face

“These are my associates, Rico and Blaine. You know why we’re here don't you?”

Mia swallowed hard. Of course, she did. Why else would anyone come knocking on her door looking all confident?

“Look, I’m trying to...” She started but Jessa held up a hand. “Your brother owed us one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He’s gone now sadly, that makes you the next of kin, he put you down as his next of kin before you try to make silly excuses"

Mia felt her stomach churn; she wanted to disappear. She was already overwhelmed and was standing at the edge of losing it. This felt like the last straw for her. She wanted to scream out loud in anger and frustration, but she knew that wouldn't do a single thing for her but make her reality press harder on her shoulders.

“I don’t... I don’t have that kind of money,” Mia whispered, her face already pale. She could tell these people weren't here to joke around. If they could find her so easily, then anyone could.

“We know. You are already knee deep in debts,” Jessa’s tone didn’t change. “But we’re not unreasonable, there’s another way.”

Hearing this didn’t put Mia at ease one bit, it only made her stomach churn further because her brain immediately started going through ways they could ask her to pay back the loan.

Jessa opened the folder on the table and slid a photo across the table toward Mia.

Mia looked down and immediately froze. It was a man’s face. He had cold grey eyes, his expression unreadable. She recognised him immediately, Max Hult.

The name alone sent a ripple through her memory. Everyone in the city knew it.

He was the Billionaire CEO ghost. The man who avoided the spotlight so completely that people joked he was allergic to it. She had only heard about him because of how much people gossiped about him, and she had seen his picture a few times on the Internet; it was the same pictures each time because he was rarely seen out and about, but she had never fully paid attention to matters regarding him. Her plates were full with her own matters.

Mia frowned, confused by the turn things were suddenly taking “What does he have to do with this"

Jessa leaned forward. “He has something that belongs to us. Some documents are hidden in his estate. We’ve tried to get them, but he’s… careful. Super private and kind of untouchable.”

She paused, her lips curling into a cold smile. “That’s where you come in.”

Mia shook her head immediately. She had no idea what they wanted her to try to do, and she didn’t even want to know. She wanted absolutely no part in any of this, and if she could turn back time, she would ignore their knock on her door. “No. I don’t even know him,” she said, hoping they would just leave and leave her alone.

“You will,” Jessa said in an icy tone. The look in her eyes made Mia’s stomach churn.

“I’m not doing this...” Mia stood her ground, there was no way she was agreeing to whatever crazy thing they were trying to pull.

"Please, I need you to..."Before Mia could finish speaking, Blaine slammed his fist against the wall, making her flinch, her eyes growing wide in shock.

Jessa didn’t even blink. “You owe us, sweetheart. We’re giving you a chance to clear that debt. One year, just a year. All you need to do is get close to Max Hult, find the documents and bring them to us. Then you walk away free. It's so simple.”

Mia’s throat tightened, she wanted to scoff, simple! This was far from simple; they were asking her to do something crazy and a crime. What if she got caught? It would only lead her into more trouble. "And if I don’t?”

Rico smirked and glanced at Jessa, Then we start collecting piece by piece.”

Silence stretched in the room between Mia and the three people standing in her house. What did they mean, piece by piece? She didn't want to even imagine the meaning. There was no way she could come up with that amount of money; she could barely pay rent or feed herself because of the high loan interest she had been paying.

Finally, Mia whispered, “How am I supposed to get close to a man like that?”

Jessa closed the folder, stood up, and adjusted her coat. “He’ll be attending a charity event two nights from now. It's going to be a rare occasion and a chance for us. He shows up every year, writes a check, and leaves. That’s your opening, you just need to be there. We will give you instructions on everything you need to do from now on”

She reached into her bag and handed Mia a small envelope. Inside was a forged invitation and a photo of the event location.

“You’ll go and make him notice you. Do whatever it takes, I don't care how you do it.”

Mia stared at her, her heart pounding like crazy in her chest. “And if he doesn’t?”

Jessa’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Then you’d better start running.”

_________

Mia didn’t sleep for the next two nights. How could she? When she left her house, she could feel someone watching her every move.

She knew it was them; they would try to stop her if she tried to run away. She would be lying to herself if she said he hadn't contemplated it, but running away cost money, and she didn’t have it.

She sat by the window, watching the city lights, her brother’s photo beside her. She told herself there had to be another way, that maybe she could find the money or disappear. But deep down, she knew the truth, they’d never let her go. They made sure to call her to remind her that backing out wasn't an option and they would find her everywhere she went, as if following her around all day wasn’t enough.

By the time Saturday came, she had made up her mind.

She found a dress at a thrift shop with the little money Jessa had dropped in an envelope by her door with a note "GET SOMETHING NICE TO WEAR". It was a soft blue satin dress, a little too tight at the waist but still decent. She borrowed a pair of heels from her neighbour and tied her hair back with trembling hands.

When she looked in the mirror, she saw someone else staring back. Someone desperate enough to gamble her life.