CHAPTER 2

Elena opened her eyes slowly, she was scared. She did not feel any pain, was this what death was like? She was blinded by the headlights that were still blinking at her but the car had stopped a few feet away from her. Elena stumbled backwards and blinked several times, trying to understand what was going on.

The owner of the car opened the door and walked towards her, "Are you okay?" Elena was still trying to understand her surroundings so she could not fully register his words or what he was saying.

"Lady, are you okay?" Elena looked up at the man now, her vision was coming back and so was her memory. "I— I am,"

"You were not paying attention." He deadpanned. Elena walked backwards and tried to get a better look at him. He was so tall, he towered over her, dressed in an expensive-looking suit; his dark hair was messy, his nose pointed, lips pursed, his jawline was one of the best she had ever seen with a smooth stubble coating it and his brown eyes examined her to see if she was okay.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Where are you going?" The strange man asked her, he looked uninterested but sounded like he was willing to help. It was hard to tell when his facial expressions barely changed.

"My house," was all she could reply.

"Okay, get in the car." He told her and then started walking towards his car, when he had gotten to the driver's door, he turned around and she was still fixed in her spot.

"Are you having trauma or something?" He asked, the same uninterested look on his face.

"What?"

"You're not moving," he stated and leaned against his car. "I— I do not know you." She stated.

"My name is Marcus. Can you get in the car now? I'm holding traffic." Elena did not know why but his voice was so authoritative and hypnotic, it made her want to do what he said immediately but she stopped herself.

"I still do not know you." Marcus sighed heavily, he looked too tired for this, "Get in the car. I'm not going to kidnap you I promise, I'm holding traffic. Please."

Elena reluctantly followed him and entered the car. "Where is your house?" Marcus asked once they started moving.

"Crescent Street." Marcus's face changed from confused to irritated in seconds. "You live in Crescent? They only have rundown apartments," Elena had only just met him but he was so judgemental already.

"Some of us can not afford expensive houses and cars," Marcus did not reply to this, he just kept driving.

"You did not have to offer me a ride," Elena said quietly.

"I had to beg you to get into the car, I not only offered, I begged." He corrected, his eyes still on the road and his face still passive.

"I'm sorry I just have a lot on my mind right now. My sister is sick, my landlord is threatening to kick me out and I think I have to sell my car." Elena felt stupid for telling all these things to a man she just met but she said it anyways. She had bottled up her problems for so long it felt good to just say it out loud.

She did not have friends, she only had her sister but she could not burden her sister with her debts, so now that she had the opportunity, she had to tell someone.

"That is a lot of problems for a little lady," Marcus pulled into her street, his features moving from passive to irked. "I'm not little. But yes, it is a lot. Thank you for the ride though, you did not have to do it. You can drop me here if you feel uncomfortable by us poor people."

"If I was uncomfortable by you being poor and in debt, you would not be in my car." Elena found Marcus intriguing and different. He only had one particular look on his face, the uninterested one, and it only changed once in a while. He was also slow to replying her as if he was thinking about what to say or just taking his sweet time.

"Thank you for the ride. This is my stop." The car came to a slow stop in front of Elena's apartment building.

"What is your name?" Marcus asked as he killed the engine.

"Elena," she replied. Elena unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to leave when Marcus stopped her. "You said your sister is sick,"

"Yes."

"And you cannot afford your rent?" Elena nodded, she did not understand this man, he was weird and different. He just nodded, his brows furrowing in thought, "Okay." He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a bundle of dollars.

"Would this do?" Elena's eyes almost popped out of her socket. Her mind raced, how did he have such an amount of money lying in his car? What did he do for a living? Why was he willing to offer it to her?

"You are not speaking," Marcus noted.

"I— I can not take such an amount of money from you, I do not know you."

"And yet you rode in my car,"

"At your insistence." She countered.

"You can take the money if you want. Just know it was not made illegally, I am an upright businessman and I am offering it to you because I almost ran you over with my car."

Elena wanted to do many things, she wanted to thank the heavens for such an opportunity, she wanted to take the money and thank him, and she also wanted to run far away from this man. "You are still not speaking."

"I can not take your money," she said out loud, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind

"Even if you need it." She could not help but stare at this man, he was countering everything she said at his own pace. It made you wonder what he was thinking about before he replied.

"I need it, but I just met you and—"

"The fact that I am a stranger seems to be a big barrier here," Marcus noted.

"It is. How can you offer such an amount of money to someone you just met?"

"Because you need it." He deadpanned.

"Is there another reason you are offering it to me? Men like you do not give things for free, it comes with a price. What is your price?"

"I do not want anything from you. You could not give me anything even if you tried, I am trying to be helpful." Marcus dropped the bundle on the console and started the car.

"In five seconds I am going to drive away. I need you out of my car by then, you can decide if you want the money or not." Elena was too in shock to move, she thought he was joking until he started counting.

His eyes were on the road, he was intently focused as if planning his next route but his mouth was moving, "1…2…3…4…"

Elena was at a crossroads, take it or leave it?