Melissa moved back a little as the men approached her. The man with black long hair stood in front of three men. He was smirking at her, a smirk that felt like mockery to Melissa. He moved closer to her, while the other men stood in the same spot.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Mel."
Melissa grimaced and moved back again until she felt her back, touching the door.
"What do you want?" Melissa asked, trying as much as possible not to let her anxiety slip through her voice.
"What a very stupid question to ask me don't you think? The man said in a harsh tone.
The small fox shaped pendant dangled from his chain as he bent over to look at her in the eye.
"Your payment for this month is due, isn't it, Mel?"
Melissa felt her body tremble and small beads of sweat form at the top of her head as he stared at her dead in the eye. The man from a company she had burrowed money from, the loan shark that demanded money from her each month.
Jack Torez, a tall attractive man in his thirties and the owner of a small business that lends money to people, with interest. Melissa had burrowed a huge sum of money from him years ago and had been paying back in bits. He usually came over to hassle her whenever her payment was due, and today was one of those days.
"I-I paid half of the money already." Melissa stuttered.
Jack scoffed and stood up straight. Melissa hated the way he looked down on her. It invited unwanted goose bumps, popping up on her skin.
"Well, I need the full payment Mel."
Melissa cringed at the sound of her name emitting from his mouth. She bit her inner lip and looked up at him.
"I'll give you the full payment for this month in a week, j-just give me more time."
Jack looked up to the sky, his hand in his chin as he pondered her proposal. He shook his head and looked at her.
"You know Mel, I'm always so lenient with you. It's because I really like you."
He moved closer to her and there was no place left for her to run. Their bodies were an inch away from each other. "I hate to see you working yourself to the bone, I really do. You remember the offer I gave you right? It's still open if you're interested."
Oh, she could remember it, the sick offer he had presented her. The first time Melissa was unable to pay, Jack had come to her with a job offer. He told her to be his doxy, a concubine that would be at his beck at call whenever he wanted. It made Melissa sick to her stomach, utterly sick. She declined his offer without hesitation. Since then, he had pestered her with the same offer over and over again, and today was no different.
"I've told you already, I'm not interested in that."
"Well, that's a shame. It's a great deal if you ask me. Just be with me, and I'll give you money for it, enough money for you to pay off your debts with ease." He said with a smirk.
He looked down at her, his eyes skimming her body.
"Such a waste of a good body." He muttered as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
He moved away from her quickly and rejoined with the men, who were waiting for him.
"I'll give you till next week. If not, then that job offer I gave you, won't be an offer anymore." He said firmly.
Without looking back he walked down to a black car parked at the other side of the room and drove off.
Melissa unlocked her door swiftly and breezed into her apartment. She locked the door and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was breathing so loudly, she could hear it. Melissa slumped down to the ground and covered her face with her hands as she began to sob. The whole situation was heavy on her chest and she couldn't take it anymore. All she could do was cry, cry out every single pain she felt.
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Gabriel Marshall sat down on the chair the waitress had pulled out for him and adjusted his suit jacket.
"You're late." The woman sitting in front of him said.
"Good evening, mother."
Diana Marshall waved off her son's greeting and picked up her wine glass filled with red wine and took a sip.
"Your father couldn't be here with me, but I couldn't wait, I needed to tell you as soon as possible."
Gabriel sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"What is it mother? Get straight to the point." He snapped.
Diana out down her glass and glared at her son. "More than you hate it, I too detest sitting with you. I'd like to hurry this up as much as possible."
She signaled for her secretary, a tall, slim brunette who stood at the corner. "Nelly, bring the file."
She scurried over to Diana, with a file in hand. Dian took it from her and slid it across the table to Gabriel.
"What is this?"
"Open it and take a look."
Gabriel clicked his tongue and flipped the file open. The picture of a woman was plastered on the first page with a couple of writings at the bottom. She had Auburn brown hair, and wore make up. Her neck was adorned with expensive jewellery, and so was her ears.
"Who is this?" Gabriel asked impatiently.
"It's the girl who you're going to marry. She's the daughter of Mr Reed, a long time partner."
Gabriel was displeased and he didn't hide it. "This is the important thing you needed to tell me? Arranging a marriage for me?"
Diana looked at him sternly. "I don't want to hear any complaints from you. I know how much you can't keep that thing between your legs in one place, just like your father, but this marriage is important to us, to the company."
She paused and picked up her glass of wine, twirling it around.
"This marriage is why we need to merge both companies together. If we do that, out stock will rise, meaning more returns for us." She said as she smiled, enjoying the thought of it.
"You will marry Mr Reed's daughter, and that's final."