"I don't even have a dime on me to pay back for taking your leftover...how do I... how is your investment business relevant to me? I don't have funds you would love to allocate to somewhere nor do I have...like I said a dime to plant for it to grow."
"And what are you doing here when you don't even have a dime with you?" Lorenzo probed, staring at the woman with a renewed interest.
Somehow, Lorenzo enjoyed staring at her who seemed to be doing her best to keep her eyes open. Moreover, she looked strangely familiar to someone he once knew.
For a moment, Senorita decided to let out her problem for a stranger. Seeing that he was much older than her real self, she thought he might render good advice but the next moment, she changed the notion.
'No. I can not tell this man about what I am facing through.'
'But...but will I really survive if whoever owns this place decides to send me out once it closes?'
'He looks pretty rich, at least, he can help me with a place to stay tonight even though... Goodness, should I just lie that I am interested in his business but right now, I got no money because...'
'I think I need a stronger lie. I should say that I was robbed and...'
Not knowing where exactly to arrive, Senorita dipped her left finger in her almost golden hair and then sighed.
"Can I ask you a question, Mr Qin?"
"Go on," he replied, "I will be happy to help a drunk woman who is still in her right senses."
"Imagine you are a woman..."
Not expecting that sudden question, Lorenzo burst into a huge peal of laughter and stared at her unbelievably while Senorita looked baffled, not getting the reason he was thus affected by her words. He hadn't even heard her complete what she had to say.
Lorenzo on the other hand, surprised that he had rather been laughing too much, sat properly, and buried his laugh, his expression slowly bouncing back to what it was some moment ago—cold and distant. "Young Lady, you should go on."
Clenching her hand on the empty bottle, Senorita sighed and dropped her hand from it. "For an instant, you were you, and suddenly, you ended up murdered by some people. The next moment, you are alive again but in a different body. What will you do?"
"Simple. Become a detective," Lorenzo replied.
Senorita blinked before she swallowed hard, "But what if the life you've taken on is even more dangerous, and you start losing your memories of your old self? You're afraid you won't be able to avenge your own death but will get caught up in avenging someone else's."
Lorenzo looked at the woman with a serious look, not understanding where she was getting at this point but he replied nevertheless. "In that case, I would focus on trying to piece together my fading memories and regain my sense of self while also taking necessary steps to ensure my safety. And surely, if I can help someone else along the way, I will consider—"
"The problem is, HOW?!" Senorita screamed, exhausted. Her outburst drew the attention of others in the bar, and she weakly rested her head on the table. "It's hard."
"Young Lady, why are you so troubled by this?" Lorenzo inquired.
Senorita blinked and raised her head, her disheveled hair giving her a cute look. "Hm?" She feigned innocence and quickly came up with a lie. "Oh, it's just a plot from a Chinese drama I watched recently. You know, transmigration and all..."
Lorenzo's eyes squeezed before he nodded. "So this question is inspired by a Chinese drama and if I am right, the main cast is enduring too much and you are so affected by it?"
Senorita nodded her head, seeing that somehow, she could free herself from exposing too much about her not being her.
Senorita dropped her head, feeling too tired while Lorenzo watched her for a moment, contemplating how he would put down his intention.
He couldn't help but feel that she might be the right woman. The women he had encountered earlier in the day had been dull and uninteresting, but this woman had managed to make him laugh.
In her semi-drunken state, Senorita felt the weight of her troubles press upon her. She couldn't hold back any longer and began to pour out her heart.
"Mr. Qin, you have no idea how desperate I am. I'm running from a husband who's been abusive, and now I'm pregnant with his child. I have nowhere to go, and I fear for my safety. Please...can I...can you help me? At least for this night? I have no places to go?"
Mr. Qin listened, his icy exterior giving way to a glimmer of compassion. He saw a possible solution that could benefit both of them.
"Young lady," he said gently, "I may have a proposal that could offer you safety and security. My mother has been insistent on me marrying, and though I've resisted, perhaps this situation presents an opportunity. What if we entered into a marriage agreement? You'd have my protection, and I'd have a way to satisfy my mother's wishes."
A silence reigned and Senorita contemplated. Not knowing what exactly to do. She was getting off from a marriage to another and that alone was enough to scare her.
The responsibility of a woman in a marriage. She wasn't young to know what marriage entails but she found it hard to comply with it. At the same time, she felt too familiar with marriage, like she was experienced.
But the horror of marriage...after what the old Senorita had faced, scared her.
"I..."
"I am sorry but I won't give you a whole day to think about it. Don't think of this as a serious marriage. Think of it as an act or a game. It's for your safety after all and if you are 'publicly' married to me, then at least, you are safe."
Hearing the word, 'safe' Senorita did not hesitate anymore. Her safety was rather too important at the moment. "I am in, Mr Qin."