Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

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He knew what he had to do. He grew up with Nusra, but he never fancied her in that way. Not even during his dating spree days back in highschool.

He was going to find a woman fit enough to not be dragged down by his family,

*'but how?'* he thought.

He remembered his friend– Albert saying something about how people upload escort contracts to women on this exclusive site, it's disguise was as a dating site. Maybe he could get his secretary to upload a contract marriage proposal on there.

It might not be the same, but he could get lucky. He smiled satisfactorily to himself, it seemed like a sure first resort.

He placed a call to becca, his secretary.

She picked on the first ring.

"I want you to write an inviting two paragraph proposal of a contract marriage ready before tomorrow. I want it uploaded as soon as possible, so make no mistake." He demanded, ignoring her greeting.

He was well aware of her frivolities on her desktop, he had caught her on different dating sites multiple times even though he didn't care, so he knew she would deliver.

"S.. si.. Sir, where?" She stuttered, startled that he knew what she was always up to that she sometimes forgot to place appointments and remind him of them, and of what he was requesting.

"Love prints, I'm sure you are familiar with that site, yes?"

"Y.. ye..yes sir." She answered, fumbling.

"Well then, send it to me for reviewing before you post it, that's the first thing i want on my desk tomorrow morning." He added, ignoring her again before cutting the call.

' He was going to interview the applicants himself.' he thought as he made for the kitchen to get a glass of cold water– it has been a hectic day.

* * *

I slowly turned on my back as my phone rang nonstop,

*'who could it possibly be at this time of the night?'*

I wondered as i swiped on the green phone call icon.

"Hey sis, are you awake?" A familiar voice drawled out on the other end.. My sister?

I brought the phone down to check the caller ID, it wasn't her. But why did that sound like her? Was she using a different phone?

"Amanda?" I ask, my voice slurred from sleep.

"Yes, Allie, it's mandy. Are you awake?" She answered and asked again. I rolled my eyes, *of course I'm awake.*

"No, I'm still sleeping, this is my voicemail." I replied sarcastically.

" Allie I've got no time for jokes, i need your help." She said sucking her teeth, her voice slightly shrill.

"You always need my help Mandy, what is it this time?" I asked her, knowing fully well that it was something that had to do with money.

"I'm somewhere, you need to come get me." She let out softly. We both knew I wasn't going to if she demanded rudely.

"At 11 this night? Are you kidding?!" I exclaimed, springing up from the small bed in my room.

"No allie," she replied sighing, "I'm not. Are you coming?" She impatiently asked again.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, knowing i had no choice. It was really bad if she was calling anyway.

"Where are you?"

She hesitated, and then sighed loudly again, i could here someone telling her to cut the call, that she had used out her call time.

"I'll have them send you the address," she suggested, "who are they? And why can't you just tell me?" I asked worriedly.

"I can't say, just uhm.. come with some money too, enough money." She added completely ignoring my questions.

"What money mandy? I'm bro-.." she cut the call before i could finish. I sighed heavily.

I sluggishly rolled out of bed and threw on a hoodie over a pair of jeans. It had rained so the weather was a bit cool. I ordered for an uber and grabbed my

ATM card from my dresser table and shuffled out the door.

The night was more chilly than i expected, so i wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. A message of the address popped up on my screen as i was checking how close the uber driver was.

The uber showed up shortly after. I showed him the address to which he nodded and started out.

I sucked in my breath as the car pulled to a stop, " A police station?!!" I exclaimed inwardly as i got out of the car, stretching the uber driver's pay to him. He collected it and drove away.

i watched him do so before i began to thread slowly along the curb, apprehensive of what lay in store for me.

"Wait here," the officer who introduced himself as steven commanded, his tone coarse from smoking too much.

He beelined into a slightly narrow hall spaced with iron bars separating each prison room from the other. One or more women dotting each of the cells.

Officer steven reappeared dragging Mandy with him, her head sunken and her hair falling onto her face.

"Mandy." I croak out. My voice, raspy from fear of what she might have done.

They both walk out, the officer mostly dragging her cuffed hands along as they did. Her left eye was slightly purple and bruised, and she wore on a scowl.

"You took long enough Allie." She sighed, slumping unto the bench just by the counter.

I rolled my eyes at her, "so much for being grateful." I thought as i rested an arm on the counter.

"What did you do this time, huh?"

"She..! Physically assaulted her employer." Officer steven chirped in, slapping a white file on the wooden counter. "And also caused some damages." He added as he flipped through the file.

I turned my head slowly to look at her, and to ask with my eyes if it was true. She raised her hands up in a surrender-like manner and shrugged, wincing and rubbing her shoulder at the action.

I stopped to think for a moment.

"Wait. An employer? You had a job, mandy??" I queried, my voice a bit high.

Mandy had been looking for a job for a while now, but for whatever luck she got, she couldn't even keep.

The first one was as a sales girl at a telecommunication's store. She was let go for flirting with every customer.

The second one was an errand girl in this advert company. She actually ditched the job after collecting all the workers lunch money and promising them a feast from some promo sales restaurant– she luckily hasn't been caught till today.

And now this?

She got a job and i didn't even know until she beat up her employer?

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Today has been really tedious.

"You aren't saying anything Amanda, what does he mean by 'an employer'?? I asked again, a bit stricter this time.

She raised her head up for the umpteenth time and looked at me. "Well, this officer guy isn't wrong, i almost got the job." She replied casually, wringing her fingers together in thought.

"He wanted a little action before i could get the job so i gave him some. Besides, you told me to never let anyone degrade me like that." She continued.

What was she even talking about?!

I had only told her to defend herself if she was ever harrassed. I didn't tell her to punch every Tom, dick, and Harry!

"Why didn't you just leave?! Why did you feel the need to beat him up!" I shouted now, my head was pounding from thinking too much about the broken ceramics and now i had to add this untop of that.

"You CAN reprimand her later, but for now, you have to pay for the damages SHE incurred." The officer said hurriedly, lacking the patience to wait through my "The Talk".

i glared at him for interrupting before finally asking.

"How much, officer?" I asked softly, i was not too keen on hearing the amount.

" Oh well, the guy from the supermarket said that he had summed up everything. It's exactly a hundred and seventy five thousand. You look responsible, you can afford that, yes?" He asked sarcastically after watching my jaw drop.

That was basically everything in my savings currently.

What has she gotten me into!? I wondered to myself as i hit my head softly on the peeling wall of the station.

How was i going to pay for the ceramics, and my online fashion school?

I was doomed!

* * *

I walked hastily away from the station, away from my life savings and my sister's consequences from her incorrigible actions.

"Sis, wait up!" Mandy called out as she jogged to my side.

I scoff, fuming.

"Wait up? Wait up?!" I shouted, rhetorical.

"All my life I've been "waiting up" for you! Giving you everything i can and to the best of my ability! But you never see that, do you? Beating up an employer who hasn't even hired you! Are you insane?! That was the last straw keeping me together Amanda! Everything is in shambles now because of you?! You always find a way to wreck my life, huh?! You enjoy doing it, huh?!" I vented, with tears in my eyes.

Mandy stood transfixed in shock. Shifting back a little.

"It was just a punch, he retaliated, y'know!" She screamed too, pointing at her blackened eye.

"He was already touching my thighs suggestively! A f*cking sick man! He beat me up! And still got the win because i threw the first punch, i never meant to involve you in any of this." She confessed, incredulity marring her face.

"Does it matter? Huh Mandy? Does it?! .. my online fees are gone and i was supposed to pay tomorrow! And sacrifice two months of my meager salary to pay up for the things i broke at work today! I had it all planned." I said sobbing, my voice cracking from screaming too much.

"Now the money is gone, and i honestly don't know what to do." I cry out even more, sobs wracking my body as i bent over.

"I'm sorry Allie, i didn't know." Mandy replied, remorseful. She rubbed my back softly, trying to console me.

I nodded and straightened up, she was right, she had no idea of what i was going through. i never told her these things afterall.

" Are you okay?" She asks, concerned. I nodded again.

"Lets go home." it was late, and i had to be in the boss' office before him tomorrow.

'It was all gone now, all of it.'

I thought to myself, sniffing as we both slowly walked down the road. Each of us basking in our thoughts in the silent night.

We were trekking home though, i had spent enough for one day.