The restaurant buzzed softly around Evan, but his mind was elsewhere, trapped under the weight of everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. He could still feel Lila's fingers threading through his hair, controlling him without effort. The memory lay heavy in his chest, like an invisible chain pulling him back toward despair.
Now, as he walked toward Lila and Danny, seated together at a corner table, that weight felt as if it might finally pull him under.
Danny sat with his usual smug expression, leaning back with a glass of whiskey in hand. His frame was large and bulky, his expensive suit stretching tightly over his stomach, but he wore it with an air of careless confidence. Rings adorned nearly every finger, gleaming under the restaurant's dim lights, and a thick gold chain peeked out from under his shirt collar, adding a touch of garish flamboyance. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement as Evan approached, alight with a predatory interest that sent a chill through Evan. Everything about him screamed excess, from the heavy cologne that hung in the air to the way he waved his glass lazily, as though savoring his own theatrics.
While Lila remained calm and composed, observing as if she were merely watching a scene play out, fully confident of its ending.
Evan hesitated, stopping just out of reach. He wasn't sure why Danny was here, but whatever was about to happen, he knew it would pull him deeper into Lila's grasp.
"What's this about?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow at Lila, dismissively gesturing toward Evan. "Him? What's a nobody like him got to do with me?"
Evan swallowed hard, his throat tightening, his hands trembling as he tried to contain the panic building inside him.
Lila didn't answer Danny. Instead, she turned to Evan, her gaze cold and calculating. "Evan," she said softly, her voice carrying a weight that made his knees weak. "Sit down."
He wanted to run, but something in her eyes held him in place, compelling him to obey. Slowly, he sank into the chair across from Danny, his heart hammering in his chest.
"There's something we need to discuss," Lila continued, her voice smooth as silk. "Your debt."
Evan froze, his pulse quickening. "What?" he stammered. "I—I don't understand."
"I'm wiping it clean," Lila said, her eyes never leaving his. "Your debt to Danny—gone. But now, you'll be repaying me instead."
Evan blinked, cold dread washing over him. "But… how? Why?"
Danny chuckled darkly, leaning forward with a predatory grin. "What's it matter? Your debt's gone. You should be thanking her."
Evan's mind raced, trying to make sense of this twisted generosity. "No… No, wait. You can't just do this. I… I didn't agree to this. The debt—it wasn't mine to begin with! It was Jason's! You can't just transfer it to me!"
His voice cracked with desperation, grasping for any way out of the tightening noose. Lila's expression remained indifferent, as if his protests were inconsequential.
"Jason's gone," she said simply, "and you're the one left holding the bag. Whether you like it or not, it's yours now."
"No!" Evan's voice shook as he struggled to keep his composure. "It's not fair! I didn't ask for this! Jason—he's the one who ran. Why should I have to pay for what he did?"
He felt his face flush, his hands trembling. He wanted to scream, to run, anything but sit here and let them crush him with their indifference.
Lila raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of amusement tugging at her lips. "Fair? This isn't about fairness, Evan. It's about responsibility. Jason ? He left you with his mess, and now, you're the one who has to deal with it."
Evan shook his head, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "No, please, you can't just do this. I won't let you. Find Jason! He's the one who owes you, not me. I—I'll help you find him!"
Lila's smile widened, but it wasn't kind. It was the smile of someone who knew she'd already won. "And what would you do for me in return, Evan?" she asked, her voice soft and deadly. "What could you possibly offer me to find Jason for you?"
Evan opened his mouth, but no words came out. His mind raced, trapped in the cold reality of his situation. He had nothing to give her—nothing that could begin to match what she was asking.
Danny's laugh was low and cold. "Look at you. Scrambling for crumbs. You got nothing. The sooner you realize that, the better."
Lila leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other as she regarded him coolly. "I'm wiping your debt to Danny clean, Evan. But now, you owe me."
Evan's stomach twisted, his body trembling as he processed her words. His debt to Danny—$47,000—was gone, but he was now even more deeply in Lila's debt, a cost he couldn't yet fathom. The weight of it pressed down on him, suffocating.
Danny, sensing Evan's vulnerability, leaned in closer, his grin widening. "Look at you, shaking like a leaf," Danny sneered, leaning in to savor Evan's discomfort. "Were the three days at the brothel really that horrible? Even after I went to all that trouble to find you the best men to… take care of you." He chuckled, his tone dripping with false sympathy. "And now here you are, hiding behind Ms. Crane's skirt. Funny how things play out, isn't it?"
Danny put on a fake, exaggerated frown, shaking his head with mock sadness. "I'll miss you, Evan. But something tells me… you'll end up missing me too."
Evan flinched, nausea rising as he recalled the brothel—the hands, the voices, the suffocating stench. He'd tried to block it out, but now it returned, flooding him, threatening to drown him all over again.
Lila's eyebrow arched, her gaze moving sharply between Danny and Evan. "Men?" she asked, as though the thought had only just occurred to her. "You were given to men?"
Evan didn't respond, his face burning with shame. He wanted to disappear, to vanish from the humiliating spotlight they'd cast on him.
Danny laughed, clearly enjoying himself. 'Of course it was men. Women might've been too gentle. But men? They know how to break someone down without a second thought.'
Evan trembled, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he tried to hold himself together. He felt like a child again, helpless under the hands of cruel bullies, with no way to fight back.
Lila smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Three days," she murmured, her tone soft and cold. "That's all you could manage?"
Danny, emboldened by Lila's words, sneered, "Yeah, three days. Pathetic. And then what? You ran. Couldn't handle it. Tried to throw yourself off a cliff?"
Evan flinched, his body jolting as if struck. The memory of standing at the cliff's edge, staring down at the crashing waves, filled his mind. He had been so close, ready to end it all.
"You should've finished the job," Danny taunted. "No one's going to stop you next time."
Lila's smile vanished instantly. Her eyes narrowed with a dangerous glint as she turned to Danny, her voice low and cold. "Careful, Danny. He's mine to break, not yours."
Danny froze, his grin faltering. He glanced away, understanding he'd crossed a line. "Sorry, Ms. Crane," he muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "Didn't mean anything by it."
Lila held him in her focus for a moment longer before returning her attention to Evan, her expression softening just enough to show a glimmer of satisfaction. "You're safe now, Evan. But remember—you owe me. Okay ? "
Evan didn't respond immediately. He was hollowed out, lost in a whirl of fear, shame, and confusion. He didn't know what to do, didn't know how to feel. All he knew was that he was trapped, with no way out.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he whispered, "Okay… "
Lila's smile returned, satisfied. "Good."
She turned back to Danny, dismissing him with a wave. "Your debt to me is reduced by $47,000. But don't think for a second that you're free."
Danny chuckled weakly, still shaken by her earlier warning. "Yeah, yeah. Of course"
As Danny stood to leave, Evan remained frozen, feeling the weight of his reality crash down on him. His debt to Danny was gone, but he was now bound to Lila—and he had no idea what she'd demand of him.
The rest of the day passed in a blur. He moved through his tasks at the restaurant on autopilot, his body following instructions while his mind was trapped in that morning's conversation. Lila owned him now. He didn't know when she'd call in her debt, but he knew it would come eventually. And when it did, he'd have no choice.
Toward the end of his shift, William, the restaurant's manager, approached him. "You alright, kid?" he asked, his voice gruff but not unkind.
That simple question was all it took for the floodgates to open. Tears filled Evan's eyes, blurring his vision as he tried to hold them back. He turned away, wiping at his face, but it was no use. The tears wouldn't stop.
William watched him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a heavy sigh, he muttered, "Of all the people to get in trouble with, it had to be her."
And with that, William turned and walked away, leaving Evan alone with the weight of his new reality.