Chapter 5

Waldo watches his dad intently. The moment Geoffrey puts down the phone, Waldo blurts out, “So? What'd he say, Dad? Did he agree?”

Geoffrey beams. “Success!”

Waldo's eyes widened.

“Seriously? Already? I thought this would take forever.”

Geoffrey chuckles.

“Me too. I guess Grandma and Grandpa were right. Even the toughest guys fall for a pretty face.”

Waldo raises an eyebrow.

“So what took you so long on the phone?”

Geoffrey grins mischievously.

“He was trying to get Mrs. Katy's number. Looks like last night's 'diva' made quite an impression!”

“Wow, so he's into that kind of thing,” Waldo says, shaking his head. “You never know, huh?”

Meanwhile, Ryan has Katy's number and is already calling her to set up a meeting. He can't wait any longer!

Katy isn't fazed when she sees the handsome, rich guy again. She has a lot of “adopted daughters”, and it isn't unusual for them to make some guys go crazy.

“Alright, let's cut to the chase,” Ryan says. “How much does Eudora owe you?”

Katy laughs.

“You're mistaken. Those girls come from tough backgrounds. I help them out because I feel sorry for them. There's no debt involved.”

Ryan raises an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine. How much did you help her with? I'll pay it back.”

Katy hesitates.

“Well…” She hopes Eudora will help her make a lot of money in the future. She isn't about to let someone else take that opportunity away from her.

Ryan doesn't wait for Katy to come up with some excuse. He just cuts right to the chase, “I can easily get the cops on your case.”

Ryan has done his homework before showing up. This woman, Katy, is a real pro at picking up pretty girls, loaning them money at crazy interest rates, and then forcing them into prostitution to pay it back. It's totally illegal, but she's a smooth operator. She always finds a way to make it look legit and rake in the cash.

Katy just laughs, but it's a fake laugh.

“You're mistaken, honey. I'm a legitimate businesswoman. Those girls are just enjoying themselves, doing what they want. It's all their decision.”

She has to play the game to stay in this business. She isn't completely buying Ryan's threats, but she isn't going to brush them off either.

Ryan says it again, “I'll pay off Eudora's debt. You're not allowed to contact her anymore.”

Katy gives a forced laugh and throws out a number to scare him. She doesn't believe that after one meeting, he'd just hand over a huge amount of money to cover Eudora's debt.

Ryan's eyebrows shoot up when he hears the amount Katy has loaned Eudora.

“That much? What did she need all that money for?"

“I'm not sure exactly. She said it was for family stuff and some of it was for a makeover. You know Eudora is from the countryside, she looked very rustic when she first came to the city. The rest was...interest.”

“Alright, bring me the paperwork. I'll pay it all off, principal and interest.”

Katy is blown away by Ryan's generosity. But she isn't ready to let Eudora go just yet. If she could get Eudora to cooperate, she could make a fortune—this current payment is nothing compared to Eudora's potential earnings.

“But… I put a lot of work into finding someone like Eudora. You’re taking her away from me after just one day, it’s like you’re leaving me with nothing! I’ve already helped her plan out her future, I want to help her become a big social media star, then…”

Katy’s intentions are pretty clear: she wants to use Eudora’s fame to turn her into a high-end escort. Ryan can’t let that happen.

Before she can finish, Ryan signs a check and tosses it on the table.

“Here’s an extra 20% on top of what I already offered. Give me the loan agreement and cut off all contact with her.”

“But…”

Katy isn’t backing down.

Ryan’s face goes dark as he shoves his business card across the table.

“Don’t push your luck. You know what they say: ‘Greed will get you nowhere.’”

Katy glances at the card, and her whole demeanor changes. She's been around the block a few times, and she knows guys like Ryan, real big shots, you gotta keep them happy, you can't mess with them.

“You're getting the wrong idea, I swear. I'll do whatever you want. I was in a hurry this morning and forgot the loan papers.”

Ryan just gives her a cool look and says, “My assistant will go with you back to your place to get them. We need to wrap this up today. And no more contact with Eudora, got it?”

Katy gives him a fake smile and replies, “Sounds good to me. Thanks, Mr. William.”

Ryan stands up and walks out, but not before telling his assistant to stay and take care of things.