Chapter 5: Deja Vu

Annalyn’s POV

I sat in the cold hallway, numb.

The doctor’s words rang over and over again in my head like a cruel chant I couldn’t escape.

“The support application was declined. You’ll need to cover the full medical cost which totals 1.5 million dollars.”

A whopping 1.5 million.

A figure I had never touched before. My hands trembled as I clutched the paper they’d given me. My mother was stable. The surgery was a success. But none of that mattered if I couldn’t pay the bill. They’d done their part. Now I had to do mine.

I bent forward, burying my face in my hands. My breath came in broken sobs. My chest ached from holding in the scream building inside me. I had nothing left to give… no plan, no savings, not even a college certificate. Just a name and a breaking heart.

“Where will I get that kind of money?” I whispered, the words torn from my throat like shredded fabric. “How?”

“Annalyn!”

I looked up.

Lila.

She was running down the corridor, arms outstretched. The moment she reached me, I collapsed into her arms.

My sobs burst free in her arms as she wrapped me tight, her warmth and scent a balm to my shaking frame.

“It’s okay, Anna, I’ve got you,” she whispered over and over again, her hand stroking the back of my head. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. I’m here now.”

I clung to her like a lifeline, letting the tears flow freely. For a moment, just a moment, I let myself feel safe.

Once I’d calmed a little, I wiped my face with my sleeve and looked up at her. “I’m lost, Lila,” I said, voice hoarse. “My mum’s surgery was successful… but they said I have to pay the full bill. One point five million dollars, Lila.”

She pulled back, eyes wide. “What?! But I thought you said they applied your mum for that support fund…?”

“They declined it.” I laughed bitterly. “Guess I don’t check enough boxes.”

Lila’s mouth twisted in fury. “Those greedy bastards. All of them.” She crouched beside me. “Okay, breathe. Let’s think. Where can we get that kind of money?”

I shook my head helplessly.

Then she said, “Wait… what about that guy? The rich one you said offered you a job. What was his name again?”

I hesitated. “…Alexander Quinn.”

Lila blinked. “Quinn? As in Clarissa Quinn?”

I nodded slowly. “He’s her brother… Also Kristoff’s brother-in-law too.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.” I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes. “How can I possibly accept help from someone that is close to him? I’ll be seeing them… all the time. Clarissa. Kristoff. It’s already more than I can bear.”

Lila was quiet for a moment. Then she said, more firmly, “Anna, listen to me. You don’t have to work for him. Just talk to him. Ask for a loan or a compromise. Something you feel comfortable working around. He offered to help you. Take the chance.”

I looked at her doubtfully. “And if he laughs in my face? you know how these Wealthy people look at us poor folks”

“Then you walk away. But at least you can beat your chest and say you tried. Please, Anna. Just go. What do you have to lose?”

I stared at the paper in my hands. One point five million. My pride couldn’t pay that.

“…Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll go.”

*****

Later that afternoon, I stood in front of a tall mirrored building with the words QUINN TECH INT’L etched in gold on the glass doors. The business card he’d left me was crumpled in my palm.

Everything about the place screamed money. Prestige. Power.

And I… was none of those things.

I tugged at my cardigan, painfully aware of how out of place I looked. My shoes were scuffed, my jeans worn thin, my hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. I hadn’t even planned on coming. But Lila’s words haunted me: You’ve got nothing to lose.

I stepped inside.

The lobby was gleaming, all marble and glass, with a massive chandelier hanging above the reception desk. A sharply dressed receptionist looked up from behind it, her expression cool and unreadable.

“Can I help you?” she asked, eyeing me from head to toe.

“I… I’m here to see Mr. Alexander Quinn. He left me this card,” I said, holding it out awkwardly.

She didn’t take it. “Do you have an appointment?”

“No. But he said…”

“I’m sorry. Mr. Quinn doesn’t take walk-ins.” Her lips curled slightly as she added, “Especially not without an appointment. As you may already know he’s a very busy man.”

My cheeks burned. “Please… can you just tell him Annalyn is here? He knows me and it’s urgent that I see him… please”

She sighed like I was wasting her time. “Miss, if we let anyone just walk in and see him the entire city would be here to see Mr Quinn. If you don’t have an appointment, I’m going to have to ask you to leave calmly before I call security”

Those words Slammed deja vu into me like a punch.

Just a few days ago, I’d been humiliated at the Royale Hotel and Suite. Their receptionist, another condescending voice, had called security to drag me out like a trespasser.

My throat tightened.

I didn’t want to relive that again.

I swallowed down my pride and took two quiet steps back. My hand fell to my side. I turned to leave.

But instead I walked straight into someone.

I stumbled hard, nearly losing my balance, when strong hands caught me before I could fall.

“Careful… Annalyn?”

The voice made me freeze.

I looked up and stared right into Alexander Quinn’s eyes.

“What a way to not embarrass myself.”