"Fucking hell, Keery! Come on, bro!" The black man beside him groaned in appeal.
Ian slipped his hands into his trousers' pockets. His jaw twitched, puckering his lips in agitation. He got no time with this trifling gang, and for a man like him, time was essential, more particularly in his line of work.
Folding his coat onto his forearms, he replied calmly, "If that's what you want, then I guess let's do it your way, then. If I lose, you can have the woman, but not the cheque. However, if I win, then I'll let my guys do what they want with you. How's that sound?"
Keery stepped closer to Ian in full stance. "You piece of shi—" His mouth opened but was quickly stopped when one of the members meddled in their conversation.
"Goddamn it, you twat!" The second-in-command intervened and pulled the cheque from Ian. "We'll have the money. Take the girl. We don't care."
Ian smiled triumphantly. "Looks like your guy here knows how to do business more than you, fucker." Ian slapped Keery's cheeks and mocked him. "You guys should reconsider on who's your damn boss 'cause it seems like Mr. Sicko here will be the one bringing you to your downfall."
Keery was about to rebut when one of his men stopped him. "Not now, boss! We already got the money. Let's get outta here!"
After that, the group left the building, rejoicing with the money they got from Ian, while their boss sulked in pity, as he felt his pride had been poached by just a piece of paper.
Ian, on the other hand, felt relieved that the situation didn't end in such casualties, and both Marzia and her mom escaped from the unhinged, precarious event.
A little while later, Ian helped the two ladies walk out of the abandoned factory. By the time they got back to the car, Romeo was waiting there while his back was leaning on the surface of the black vehicle.
Ian's secretary immediately guided Mary to the car when his eyes landed on her pitiful state. When all of them were inside the car, Ian sat beside Romeo, while Marzia and her mother sat in the back. Not much words were exchanged as the situation they just got out of was quite draining, but the old woman knew that everything that occurred was all because of her.
"Thank you so much for your help, sir," Mary said gratefully. She wiped the globes of tears from her eyes due to excessive sobbing as Marzia sat beside her with a serious expression.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing what an employer does to help his employees." His lips squeezed into a thin line. "We can get you to the hospital for any injuries."
Marzia interfered. "You've already done enough, Ian. You can just drop us off at the hospital and you can go back home. I'm sure Chan is already worried that you still haven't come back."
"It's fine. I've already called Barbara and told her that I might get home later." Ian pivoted to his back and looked at Marzia. "Besides, we still have some things to talk about, Miss Delta."
Marzia then remembered the cheque he had offered to the gang. She didn't know how much it was, but she had a hint that it might be larger than the intended amount that should have been given to those assholes. "I'll pay you back sooner, I swear. I apologize for including you in this mess. You shouldn't have been there…"
"You can't take those guys, Marzia. Who knows what they'll do if they realized you don't have the money they need," Ian explained. "Besides, it's already over. What's done is done."
Marzia didn't respond to him after that and just looked at her mother with pursed lips. She felt so frustrated at this moment because of Mary's actions that she could only heave out of shame.
After a little while, they arrived at the hospital. Mary was taken care of by the nurses and Marzia was there to support her mom. Outside the ward, Romeo paid the hospital bill inclusive of all the added expenses.
Consequently, Marzia and Ian were standing in front of Mary, who has just passed out. The doctors told Marzia that they had given her sedatives to let her recuperate and recover from the loss of sleep and heightened anxiety.
Marzia couldn't help but tear up a little as she watched her weak mother sleep. Black pigments around her skin surrounded her eyes and her pale complexion was evident against the bleak lights. Her mom had a hard time dealing with the gang, and her health had become a result of that.
Marzia then wiped the warm tears from her eyes and tilted her chin to Ian. "Thank you so much, Ian. I don't know how to repay you for all the things you've helped me. I'm so embarrassed for looping you in this pathetic mess…" Marzia stood up from her seat and looked up in frustration. The man could feel every inch of her anger, guilt, and shame. Eventually, Marzia added, "I'll tutor Chan for free until he gets to college just so I can pay you..."
Ian shook his head. With pursed lips, he muttered, "It's not a big deal, Marzia. It was just a small amount to me."
"Not it's not… You've done a lot. That's a lot! If you weren't there, we might have gotten into trouble." She looked back at Ian and met his piercing stares. "When my father died, my mom was so devastated. She became more addicted to gambling as it became a way out for her to forget the pain. However, it also took a toll on our life. My life!" She sighed to take a deep breath. "Our debts piled up, and we lost the money that should have been for my college. I didn't have a choice but to get three part-times day and night because of that—just so I could fund my studies…" She began to sob and couldn't even speak properly so Ian chimed in, "That must have been hard, Marzia." He dropped his arms to the side and said, "I was born into a rich family. My family had it all. I really didn't have much of that kind of grit when I was growing up. You were brave to bear that all."
Marzia softly smiled. "What a time to flex that…"
With wide eyes, the man blushed. "Was it? S—Sorry. Please, continue…"
Marzia looked up at the ceiling as she continued her story. She just wanted to vent after the series of unfortunate events that came into her life. "You know… I had an accident when I was in my college years. It was also around the time when I met my ex-fiance."
Ian's mouth formed a circle. "Oh, you mean the asshole who was supposed to be your groom?"
She nodded, giving him a lopsided smirk. "You're inquisitive, Mr. Harrison. Yes, he is that guy." Marzia then went back to her seat. "Since we got together after what happened, I was able to study because of him—Well, not really because of him, but his dad who favored me a lot." Marzia paused for a while; her eyes cast down to the white cemented tiles. "But I wasn't given a chance to work and be myself. My ex didn't want me working because he thought it was a waste of time since I won't be able to use it when we got married. I wanted to object at first, but I didn't dare to do so, out of my respect for his father and all the help they've done for me. So yeah, they shut me inside the mansion like a toddler. They trapped me in their weird family dynamic. I couldn't be myself and explore because they won't let me…"
This was the first time someone opened up to Ian that he didn't know how to react. Finding the right words to say, he curiously asked, "Oh, I see. That time we first met when you were on your wedding dress running around like crazy, was that the day of your wedding? What happened? Did he leave you?" Ian asks politely, unsure if he's being empathetic or straight-up insensitive.
Marzia buried her hands across her face when that awful memory daunted her again. Until now, she regretted that day she had made a scene in the bar, causing a lot of commotion among other customers. Although looking back, it was a good thing that she had barged into Ian's room instead of others since he also opened a way for her to escape the Dickins.
"Shit, I'm so sorry about that! Really, I am! I regret that day so much!" Marzia apologized hysterically, but seeing Ian's nonchalant face made her laugh a little. Eventually, Ian found himself laughing too. "No worries. It was actually really funny. I thought I was being pranked that night."
Marzia scratched her nape and hesitantly responded, "Y—Yeah. I'm so sorry. I acted that way because he ran away from the altar before we could exchange vows…"
Ian's eyes widened. "Oh… I see." He then cleared his throat. "What's your ex-fiance's name? Maybe I know him. This is a small town, and I might have come across him somewhere."
"Right. His name is Sc—" Marzia's response was cut off when Romeo showed up in front of them with the receipts and the prescription medicines in his hand.
"We've settled the bill, sir. I've already talked to your accountant on the phone, and he'll be updating this in your papers," Romeo reported.
"Thanks!" Ian patted his back.
Romeo then handed the medicines to Marzia while he gave the receipts to Ian. "That's all the medication you'll be needing for your mom. If you're looking for the prescription, it's also inside the paper bag, together with the tablets."
Marzia stood up and tipped her head with gratitude. "Thank you so much for this, Ian, Romeo. And you don't have to pay me for tutoring Chan until I've paid you in full, okay?"
"I told you that's unnecessary, Marzia. I'll still pay you for your services for teaching Chan and you don't need to pay me," he informed her.
"No, please…Let me do it. I'm grateful for what you did and would never forget about your help, but also, I don't want to bank on that and tolerate your kindness," Marzia clarified.
Ian pursed her lips. "Fine, but let me think about it. But as of now, you don't have to pay me for anything. I also don't think your salary could pay the cheque in a few years…"
Marzia's eyebrows furrowed. "M—May I know how much it was?"
"The cheque rolled for a million dollars, Ma'am…" Romeo meddled.
Her mouth dropped open. "Why did you give them that much, Ian? That's ten times more than what my mother owed them!"
"Those kinds of people won't leave you even if you pay them in full amount. They would keep on coming back for the added interest or so that is not even legal or disclosed." Ian chuckled. "More so, the boss looked like he wanted you more than the money, so paying him the debt won't really solve anything."
Marzia huffed in defeat. Her shoulders slumped down as she propped her arms against her chest. "You're right. But I'll still pay you. At least that would give me some peace."
"I'll think about it." Ian grabbed his coat from the empty seat across Marzia's chair. "Let Romeo keep an eye on your mother. I'll drive you home."
She didn't turn Ian down this time and followed him to the door, leaving the hospital with him while Romeo guarded Mary for a moment. On the way back to Deniece's flat, the two didn't talk much and awkward silence enfolded their entire trip.
Marzia notice Ian's occasional glance while her hands jitter in nervousness. Both of them felt the obdurate presence that was looming over them, but Marzia felt it more because there was one thing that bothered her to great extent. Earlier, during the time those hooligans talked with Ian, he called her his.
'She's mine…' These two words replayed in Marzia's mind a million times. 'What did he mean by that?'