The weather was balmy. The April sky clear and bright. In an alleyway, Belinda coughed vigorously and slumped to the ground. The thug who had been choking her with his hand looked at his counterpart.
They exchanged glances before he leaned down and gripped her collar, snarling into her ear, "Don't forget the promise you made, if you don't get the money by tomorrow—I want you to know there will be consequences."
Were they making reference to her sister again? What they would do to her. Belinda trembled in fear.
The thug released her collar, looking behind her with a slight frown before he rose to his full height and left with his friend, but not before throwing over his shoulder threateningly. "Remember, you have until tomorrow to pay up. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's get out of here, Jake."
After saying that, the two men turned on their heels and left her there.
On the floor, Belinda patted her chest and then frantically started to gather her things from the floor where her purse had been strewn earlier by those guys.
Her hands trembling as she did this. Suddenly, Belinda stopped and reached a hand to touch her neck. Wincing as she felt pain there.
This was all happening because she hadn't been able to pay up, so the loan shark sent his boys to harass her.
Belinda didn't think it would come to these points. Earlier, Belinda had thought they would be able to raise the money.
Because after that birthday party where she had met Stavros, her mother had gotten a job shortly, and they had begun to save up. Belinda was happy. At least, the possibility of them going through with their threat about her sister became less and less every day as they saved up more money.
However, that happiness became short-lived when out of the blue her mother lost her job out of negligence and refused to pick up another one, returning to her old drinking self. Which meant that Belinda had to work twice as hard as she was already working in other to complete that sum. However, despite her efforts, it wasn't enough.
The deadline reached, the loan shark found her, and proceeded to do to her what they seemed fit.
If Belinda hadn't lied through her teeth and told them she promises she would bring the remaining Money, the next day, she didn't know what they would have done to her.
Her lie had saved her, but was she really saved?
Thinking about that encounter, and what she had just gone through, fresh tears appeared in her eyes and her body trembled in despair. Belinda wiped her tears away with her fingers.
Crawling on her knees, she stretched out her hand to grab her phone from the floor. Unawares, a car had pulled up beside her until she heard the roaring sound of an engine and a car door opening.
Belinda looked up and saw Stavros Xenakis.
He was wearing a black pinstripe suit and was sitting in the back seat of his Jaguar. His handsome face slashed into a frown as he gazed at her.
And there was something about the way he held himself that spelled anxiousness. As though he wanted to jump out of his car, but couldn't. "Get in," he rasped out. Then turned and asked his bodyguards to help her.
Belinda noticed that one of the bodyguards didn't come in the car with them. He came from somewhere behind her.
And as they bent down to help her pack her things. He gripped her arm and asked her if she was alright. That he hoped they hadn't arrived too late.
"What do you mean?" Belinda asked the bodyguard, but he simply looked behind him at Stavros and clamped his mouth shut. He wouldn't say a thing.
That was when she realized they must have been here for some time now. She had always thought it was strange how those thugs suddenly left.
Now she thought of it. That guy had been looking behind her after hurling those threatening words into her ear. Could it be that the presence of Stavros' bodyguards had threatened them, was that why they left?
Also, Stavros was sporting a fresh bruise on his fingers. What has he done?
Sensing her gaze on his hand, he hid his hand behind his back and rasped out. "Get in, Belinda. You don't have to keep staying on that dirty floor."
Belinda rose to her full height. Her heart hammering in her chest. Her thought flying everywhere. She was trying to figure out what had happened, but no matter how much energy she put into thinking, she couldn't piece that puzzle together.
But somehow, she knew the bruise in his hand had something to do with her. Belinda looked up into that impatience face of his and felt a little touched at that gesture. She hadn't seen Stavros since that day he had asked her to get out of his room. In fact, after what she did do to him, Belinda didn't think he would want to lay eyes on her again, but here he was.
And strangely enough, his presence today sort of made her feel safe, like an unspoken feeling that told her she could rely on him. Maybe because he was a familiar face in this chaos around her. So, without thinking, and without waiting for him to ask her to get into the car again, she climbed into the back seat of his car and curled herself into a corner.
The door closed shortly after her and before she knew it, they were on the road.
Stavros didn't say a word to her, but she felt his gaze on her person.
And it was comforting.
How did he know to find her here? Her lashes fluttered.
Now that the danger had passed, Belinda began to notice other things which her brain had refused to acknowledge because of the danger she had been in earlier.
Like how her head was pounding, and that she was feeling dizzy and weak.
Her eyes were closing, and the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was Stavros calling her name and tapping her cheek.