The lights of the windowsill shine as smudged stars, the humid mist sticky upon the skin. As the hour passes, sunlight douses more colors around the city. And though the road still has the black look of the night, the sky is already more bluish than that of jasmine calcite. Under the fumes of the morning traffic, a tincture of the dawn lingers, like dew upon leaves, a gift of freshness bequeathed anew today.
A big bus grinds along the pavement and Marzia can hear it from her cell. She has been stuck in a prison cell for five hours. It's her first time spending a night in a place like this, and it's safe to say she hates it. It's cramped, musty, noisy, and Boris from the other cell wouldn't shut up about his pet bunny.
Eventually, a familiar voice echoes as a woman comes in, screaming, "Where is she? Where is Marzia Delta?!"
The policeman guarding the lobby asks, "Are you pertaining to the woman in the wedding dress?"
Deniece rolls her eyes. "Yes. Where is she?!"
"She's right there in that cell. Also, here. If you plan on posting bail, you need to pay that much to get her out of there." The officer pulls out a piece of paper and gave it to Deniece.
'Shit…' she thought, but she brushed it off for now and walked towards the cell area. She looks around and easily found the girl in the white dress.
"Marzia! What the heck happened to you?" Deniece asked as soon as she got near her best friend's musty quarter. She received a call from her earlier and found out the details from the cops, but she's just at a loss on how this panned out. Marzia looked up with a pout, her face looking wretched.
"Deniece… I'm sorry. I drank and didn't know what I was doing. I think I ended up trespassing some fancy place and assaulting a man," she pitifully informed, eyes pinned on the floor. Deniece sighed. "Don't say sorry to me. Say sorry to yourself, but don't be such a bummer. We got this. Hold on, I'll bail you out so you can get the hell out of there."
Marzia's eyes glisten in gratitude. She can't be anymore thankful for having an amazing best friend like Deniece. "Thank you… Deniece. I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I can."
"Don't worry about that for now. I'll handle it—"
"It has already been handled," a cold voice blares. Marzia looked behind Deniece, and the latter looked up, only for them to see a stunning man in a fancy black suit. His piercing eyes bored a hole right through Marzia's forehead. She then realized who he was.
"Oh, no…" she mutters, feeling small. "I—It's you, I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing last night! But, what do you mean by the bail has already been handled?" Marzia looked at him softly, genuinely feeling sorry yet baffled.
On the other hand, Denice had a rather bemused countenance, "You paid for it?"
Ian looked down and smiled to himself, feigning humility, but boastfully flexing, "Yeah." Then, an officer appeared beside him and unlocked Marzia's cell. The unhinging noise of the rusty metal creaked before the cop said, "Ms. Delta, you're free. The lounge is no longer pressing charge, and be thankful to this man right here because he talked them out of it." He laughingly pointed at Ian.
Marzia shyly stepped out of her cell and Deniece hugged her in delight, allowing her to see the man eye-to-eye. His expression was indistinguishable, but she felt the sincerity of her actions. When Deniece pulled away from her, Marzia wanted to thank Ian, but before she could do or say anything, the man has already turned around and walked with long strides.
"W—Wait," Marzia softly called.
"Where is he going? Didn't he want to hear you thank him?" Deniece rhetorically asked. And so, Marzia followed Ian while Deniece went straight to her car to start it.
Ian has just unlocked his car and was about to get in when he heard Marzia's voice. "Wait! Mister!" She was running in his direction, so he remained standing on his spot and internally chuckled because of the woman's funny appearance. Her white bridal gown is now stained with ashy marks. Her face has residual makeup that made her features unflattering enough. She has a few stains on her skin, and her hair was a mess.
Marzia reached him and heaved. "W—Why did you pay for my bail? Though I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing last night, I subtly remembered that I've wronged you. What's your reason?"
Her questions stunned the man, but he didn't make it obvious and only looked away, watching the distant birds soaring through the air. "Is that how you say thank you, Ms. Marzia Delta?"
Feeling her heart leap upon his recital of her name, she pursed her lips and mutters. "Yes—I mean, no! Thank you, but I plan on paying you back. You didn't have to do that. It's really shady."
Her knitted brows and kinda arrogant words made Ian huff. He couldn't believe this woman. "Alright then. How do you plan on paying me back?"
"I—I'll do it later. Uhm, how much was it?" Marzia hesitantly asks because she knows damn well that she doesn't have the money to pay him back on such short notice. She may be the fiancee of a powerful man, but she doesn't have a job and refuse to use the money Scott wires on her bank account.
Ian chuckles again in disbelief. "Okay, pay me a hundred grand then."
"One hundred thousand dollars? H—How come it's that expensive?" Marzia's voice echoes across the parking lot. She couldn't believe how much it cost. As far as she knows, bail won't pile up that much.
Ian crosses his arms whilst watching her reaction. When she has seemingly calmed down, he stated, "Do you think I can just talk to the owners of Firenza lounge for them to not sue you? You caused a public disturbance. People saw you storming inside an exclusive property that's supposed to have top-tier security. Although your bail costs a thousand, bribing the owner of the bar costs a hundred grand to ensure that news won't come out regarding your actions. You've basically put their business in jeopardy," he said truthfully, pausing and adding, "So, what time will you transfer the money?"
"Uhm…" Marzia hems and scratches her nape. "I—I change my mind. I don't think I'll be able to pay it back today. I will pay you soon, though! Can I have your number?"
"Hm, I suppose I can. I'm not interested in you, but sure!" he playfully teases as he pulls out his phone.
"No!" Marzia denied. "I'm putting my number here so we can be in contact, so you know that I won't run away." She snatches the phone from him and begins to dial her number. She then pressed call and it didn't ring at all.
"My phone's dead, but you can give me a call later. And, sorry. I'm really sorry for what I have done. Thank you for letting me loose too."
He raised his brows and nonchalantly replied, "Okay."
Hemming with a nod, Marzia stubbornly asked again, "But what's your motive for helping me, though?"
The man flashed a bemused expression and opened the car door. "Just because," he breathily whispered. "It's Ian, by the way," he said as he got in and drove off.
"Ian?" Marzia was left standing on her spot, looking at the rear of Ian's car. For courtesy, she waved goodbye at him. When he disappeared into the busy road, Marzia walked to Deniece's car and sat beside her as they tread away. "What's his motive?"
Marzia looked at Deniece, who was steering out of the lot. "I don't know. He said just because."
Nodding, Deniece comments, "I see. Maybe he found you interesting. Well, with you looking like that, everyone will pity you." With her friend's comment, Marzia was hit with the daunting reality. "Deniece, can you drive me back home, please?"
The latter almost stepped on the gas pedal upon hearing that request, but she spouted, "Are you crazy, Marzia? You want to go back there?"
For years ever since an unfortunate accident happened to Marzia, she has been living with Scott's family. All throughout her life, the Dickins mansion is the only place she has lived in the longest. Granted, not everyone living there is welcoming, but having a roof above her head, and proper food to eat is enough for an unfortunate soul like Marzia.
"Well, I don't have anywhere to go—"
"Girl, you can stay at my place!" Deniece said.
"I know, but I've troubled you so much already… I just don't want to burden—"
Once again, Deniece cut her off. "Marzia, stop acting like you can't do anything. It's time to wake up and leave Scott completely. Do you just want to live in his shadow forever? After him leaving you like that, I didn't expect that you'd still be acting like this. Marzia, you can do so much more without him. Don't worry, I'll be there every step of the way. Let's get you back on your feet. I'll get you a job, I'll help you settle, we can bond and shit! So please, stop moping. You have me!"
After saying those words, silence enveloped the car for a few seconds. Deniece briefly looked aside and saw the tear-stricken face of Marzia. The latter suddenly hugged her, touchingly saying, "Deniece, you're the best!"
"I know. Cut it out, I'm driving!"
"No, I wanna hug my best friend!"