One week ago…
Natalie wrenched her arm away from the loan shark who had grasped her elbow tightly in the middle of the metro station.
"I will pay you," she hissed, "My debt is not even due yet!"
He grinned revealing a row of yellow teeth before his creepy eyes shifted to her new phone.
"I see you have already spent the money."
She looked straight into his mocking face because she had nothing to be ashamed of. The flashy phone was a necessary upgrade; her old one embarrassed her during interviews and shows.
He raised his hands up, "Hey, what you do with the money you borrow is none of our business as long as you pay it back with interest when we ask you to. I'm just here to tell you that there are other ways to settle things between us."
From the tip of her head to the bottom of her boots, the way he seemed to be mentally undressing her was utterly repulsive.
"I can make an honest woman out of you and put a ring on that finger if that's what you want. You wouldn't even have to work another day in your life."
What a lowlife, she thought to herself as she glared down at him.
"I will give you the money back in time so don't follow me around again, you hear me?"
The man pursed his lips and raised his forefinger then waved it in her face threateningly.
"Little girls like you shouldn't go around bossing big men like me," said the skinny man who was slightly shorter than Natalie.
She clenched her teeth while contemplating creating a scene to stop this bullying. But a swift survey of her surroundings showed her a sea of indifferent men or cowards who averted their gaze the moment they caught her eye. Why bother? No real man was left in this world after her father died anyway.
"…I'm not bossing you; I just don't want to be late for my job interview," she lied.
"A job interview at this hour?"
"Would I be up at dawn running around metro stations otherwise? I do have a job interview," she lied again. "Now let me go so I can give you your money back as soon as possible."
He narrowed his eyes but looked more convinced this time.
"Don't even think about running away without paying us back with interest. It would be a big shame if something happened to that drunk uncle of yours, right?"
A sick grin appeared on his face when she couldn't conceal her fear.
"Off you go now, little bird. You'll be paying that money back one way or the other."
Natalie ran out of the metro station as fast as she could and tried her best not to care about all the heads turning her way. They were just strangers, their low opinions of her should not matter.
Forget it, just move on.
She focused on the weather rather than dwelling on the shark loan's threat to her only living family. The ice-cold wind stabbed at her eyes and she felt her nose and ears about to fall off as she continued running. She only stopped when the sign she had marked in her mind appeared across the street.
"Finally!" she panted.
Her destination was in sight: a coffee shop in the uptown area famous for baking only one cake for each of its many flavors. A clever trap designed to fool all those desperate housewives seeking reassurance of just how special they were. She would never have set foot in a place like this if it were not for the strange chestnut cake the shop made—it was the only thing her uncle asked for on his birthday.
She felt a burst of happiness at the thought of being the earliest customer and securing the cake, but her satisfaction was short-lived when she noticed a fancy Audi parking by the shop's door.
Ignoring the stinging in her feet, she ran towards the entrance of the shop and tried to reach it before the tall man who stepped out of the Audi, but she ended up bumping into his shoulder and falling back onto her behind.
"Argh!" she groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead where she had taken the hit, but the part that hurt the most was her butt which had landed on the cold sidewalk.
"Are you okay?"
The man who had managed to stay on his feet despite the impact asked with a concerned tone and extended a hand toward her. She looked up from his manicured hand to his face, squinting to see him more clearly.
From his perfectly styled gray hair to his long brown coat and his shiny leather shoes, he looked filthy rich to her.
"…I'm fine."
Her butt throbbed as she rose to her feet without taking his hand. She reached for the doorknob, but the manicured hand beat her to it.
"After you," the charismatic man's deep and warm tone contrasted with the sharp bell that rang as he pushed the door open for her.