CHAPTER FOUR

~Lucy’s Pov~ 

~~~Next morning~~~

My head spun as I woke up as a result of the continuous banging on my door. I was in a state of fright but I managed to stand up to check who was at the door. 

“We know you're in there!!” The banging continued. A man’s voice came from behind the door, making my stomach churn.

“This is the right address so come open the damn door right now before we smash it down.” One of them said,

I staggered backward as the door slammed open. My heart raced as two men walked into my apartment. The man in front had a scar running from his eyebrow down to his jaw, while the other, came with a briefcase, dressed in a black suit. One would think he was a lawyer.

"You’ve got five minutes to come up with what you owe, or you'd not be happy with the way things may turn out" The briefcase man commanded, his face laced with excitement as he scanned my tattered apartment. 

My breath caught in my throat. I knew exactly what they were talking about, but the money… I didn’t have it. How could I? The loan shark I had borrowed from had promised me a way out, but now, this. "Please, I don’t have it," I begged, the panic creeping into my voice. "I’ll find it. I just need more time."

“Well, we knew you'd say that.” The briefcase man said as he brought out a form to show me. “Here!! I believe you can read. This is the form you signed when collecting a loan from us.” 

I reluctantly collected the file from him and began reading. 

“Read it aloud,” the scarred man commanded with a croaky voice which made me flinch. His eyes were filled with venom, making me scared for my life. 

"If the borrower fails to make payments within the given time frame, the lender has the right to forcefully seize the borrower’s assets without prior notice.“ Fear shivered down my spine as I read the document. 

The terms were written in lowercase, ensuring the reader would overlook them while signing. The reality of what I had gotten myself into just struck me.

”Please give me more time. I promise to get the money by the end of the week.” I fell to my knees, begging.

“A deal is a deal, there is no way we can compromise for you.” the briefcase man insisted. 

"Please, I swear I’ll get the money—"

Just as I opened my mouth to beg again, the scarred man began rifling through the closed boxes in my apartment, searching for something valuable. He stumbled upon a piece of jewelry in one of the boxes. It was the jewelry my late father gave my mom on their 20th anniversary before he died. 

I had to sell my late father's house to cover up my previous loans. Ever since then, it has been loans upon loans.

“Please you can't take that, it's the only valuable thing I have left from my late father,” I begged.

It felt like I was talking to a way as my words were falling on the floor. They totally ignored me as they left through the door. 

I was completely heartbroken as I lay on the floor crying my eyes out. Reluctantly, I stood up to prepare for work. 

*******

“Lucy, I’ve been waiting for your arrival “ Mr Mark began as he saw me walking through the door. 

“Good …..morning Mr Mark I. I came ..as early as I could sir” I greeted with a stuttering voice unsure of the present situation. 

“You always have your way of creating issues right?” He asked, coming very close to my face and giving a half smile. 

“I‘m not sure what you’re talking about sir.” I immediately defended myself. 

“I told you not to cause any problems for me and also yourself but you found a way of doing that. “ 

My heart pounded as I listened to him accuse me of causing a problem. How? When? 

“I’m … I’m sorry sir but you must be mistaken. The time is 8:50 am. That is 10 minutes to my resumption time.” I confidently said making eye contact with him. 

“Tell me what happened between you and the CEO that made him insist on seeing you as soon as you arrived.” Mr Mark inquired, his jaw tightened. 

“The CEO wants to see me? Why? I … I promise, sir, I didn’t do anything wrong.” My legs were shaking. I was about to lose my job. My mind flashed back to the ridiculous stunt I pulled yesterday. 

“He is waiting for you at the VIP lounge. I don’t know what God you serve but pray he comes to your aid today.” Mr Mark grinned at me.

Suddenly my legs became too heavy for me to move. I felt like I was taking a walk of shame, my colleagues looked at me and were whispering some words to each other. Today was Daya’s day off. How could I cope today without a friendly face at work? 

As I got to the VIP lounge, the door was slightly opened and I locked eyes with Mr. Drey. My palms become sweaty, so I quickly cut eye contact before stepping in. The room became quiet. Mr. Drey sat with another man beside him. Even with the air conditioning, I felt unbearably hot. 

“Good….morning Mr. Drey.” I swallowed hard, avoiding any eye contact. 

“Have a seat, Miss.” The young-looking man instructed. 

I nervously took my seat on the opposite chair and a huge silence filled the room. 

“Well… we are not here to talk too much” Drey finally broke the silence. 

At that moment I was terrified of what might happen to me. I dropped on my knees with hot tears on my face.

“I’m deeply sorry for crossing the line yesterday. I know I overstepped, I’m just a poor girl trying to raise money to pay for my mother’s treatment.” I kept on begging, crying for my life. “But please, please don’t take this job away from me.”

“Oh my God this is so embarrassing, such a big mistake. Look at her crying like a child.” I heard those words come from Drey’s mouth. 

Me acting like a child? I asked myself. 

“Relax Drey, she’s scared.” The other man uttered, letting out a laugh. “It’s quite a wonderful show “ he mocked as both of them started laughing loudly. 

I was in a state of disbelief, why were they laughing at me in that manner? I was begging and crying and all they could do was laugh.

I raised my head to look at them. It wasn’t what I expected. Were they laughing at the fact that I begged or it was too late for me? These questions were running through my head. 

“I.I’m sorry?” I cut in their continuous laughter. 

“Are you here to embarrass yourself or what? We called you to have a chat with you not for you to come display your acting skills. It’s not an audition. Now sit your ass down before I change my mind.” Drey rudely commanded me. 

I took myself from the floor and sat on the chair, stylishly adjusting my skirt and cleaning off my tears. 

The other man brought out a file from his suitcase and laid it on the table. I took a sneak peek at the file. The words ‘AGREEMENT OF MARRIAGE’ were boldly written on it.

“Take it and go through it. You don’t have to rush while going through it. Take it home and when you have an answer. You should contact us.”

I slowly took the file, unsure of how to react. My mouth snapped shut. I was short of words at that very moment. 

They both stood up to leave immediately. As they approached the door the other man gave me a business card. 

“I’ll do it!” I shouted.

They both turned to look at me. 

Drey walked closer and whispered into my ears, his voice low and menacing. “Don't think for a second this is as simple as you may think. You have no idea what you're signing in for.“ 

My heart pounded in my chest.