"Without the payment, we can't do anything, Miss Hayes." The doctor added then walked off.
Nora felt her knees grow weak. She slid down against the wall outside her grandmother's room and sobbed helplessly.
"Please hang in there for me, Grandma. I am going to do anything... to bring the money." She muttered in tears.
The following morning, Nora rushed into the pastry shop early to seek for help from Mrs. Williams.
"Mrs. Williams, please, I need to speak with you. I need a huge favor from you, please." Nora said as she approached her employer at the back office.
"What is it now, Nora?" Mrs. Williams asked, looking up from the ledger she had been looking at.
"Please I need help... my grandmother, she is dying. The hospital asks for fifty thousands dollars for her treatment and I... I was hoping you could lend me the money. You can deduct it from my wages." Nora explained to the woman.
"And how long would that take to repay?" Mrs. Williams questioned, staring at the desperate young woman in disbelief.
"I will work extra hours, doubles, whatever it takes..." Nora said desperately.
"Girl, do you realize what you are asking? I don't even have that kind of money, other than what I owe you for these past weeks." Mrs. Williams said after scoffing.
"Please, there must be something—" Nora was pleading but got interrupted.
"Get to work, Nora. Those pastries won't arrange themselves." Mrs. Williams cut her off without batting an eyelid.
Throughout her shift, Nora worked distractedly and that led to one disaster after another.
"That is the third tray you have dropped! What is wrong with you today?" Mrs. Williams yelled.
"I'm sorry, I just—" Nora trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore.
"Just get out of my kitchen before you ruin anything else!" The older woman yelled angrily.
~~~~~~~~~
Later that afternoon, as Nora hurried to her diner job, a black SUV pulled up beside her.
Before she could react, men in suits grabbed her.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Nora yelled as she struggled.
"Get into the car, miss." One of the men said to her in a gruff voice.
"Get into the car with people I don't know? Why would I do that? Aren't you basically kidnapping me? Somebody help me!" Nora asked in disbelief then yelled for help.
"Please don't make this difficult." Another man said flatly.
"Hey, listen. I don't have any money, I don't have anything valuable that you can steal, so just let me go. I am not your customer!" Nora snapped.
At that, the men didn't bother to reply her, two of them just bundled her up and threw her in the car but not too roughly.
Amidst Nora's protests and screams, the men drove her to a massive corporate building.
"Where is this place?" Nora wondered inwardly. She couldn't even look at the top well because it was a massive skyscraper.
"What is going on? What are you people doing?" Nora questioned as two men led her through the halls, but those fell on deaf ears.
"Which company is this?" She asked herself inwardly as she observed her surroundings.
She knew it was a company by its appearance and the interior even though no one was in sight but the surrounding was well lit.
"Of course it is way past closing hours for any company. So, what the heck am I doing here?" She gritted her teeth.
Finally, they brought her to an elegant office where a handsome man with stoic expression, sat waiting.
"This man?" Nora mumbled as she laid her eyes on Ethan Black.
"Was she handled with care?" Ethan asked the man who had brought her.
"As best as we could, sir." He replied.
"What is this about?" Nora demanded instantly.
Ethan waved to his man to leave them alone and he did.
"I have been looking for you." Ethan informed Nora after they were left alone.
"Why?" Nora asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"You intrigued me. Our encounter was... unique." He told her flatly. Nora scoffed in disbelief.
"And that was why you ordered me to be brought in like this? Look, I don't have time for this nonsense." She snapped.
"I assure you, I'm far busier than you are, being a businessman and all." Ethan replied smugly.
"I am leaving." She announced angrily but his voice stopped her.
"I have an offer for you. I see potential in your resilience, your way with words. I need someone like you working for me." He announced.
Nora narrowed her eyes in surprise and disbelief, then she asked the question that had been lingering on her mind.
"What happened to that man from the bridge?"
"I finished him off." He replied, his expression turning colder if possible.
"You... you killed him?" Nora gasped.
"He knew the consequences." Ethan replied with a shrug.
"You are a monster! I would never work for someone so heartless." Nora said, turning to leave.
"Fifty thousand dollars per month." Ethan said.
Nora's hand froze on the doorknob.
"As my personal assistant that is what you get monthly. Plus benefits, health insurance... other perks." He added.
"Fifty thousand... per month?"
"That money would more than cover the medical bills..." Nora's mind raced to her grandmother in the hospital.
"But how can I work with a ruthless, merciless man?" She contemplated, her back still turned on him.
"Are you interested in my offer or not, Miss Hayes. What I have learned about your situation, you are running out of time." He said firmly.
Nora was taken aback, then she turned to face him.
"How do you know about my situation? Have you been stalking me?"
"I make it my business to know everything about potential employees. Just background check. Standard procedure." He replied simply.
"So, I believe this is a generous opportunity for you. What is your response? Do you want the job or not?" He added.
The question threw Nora into a deep quick thinking.
"Should I start working with this ruthless man who kills at whim for the sake of my Grandma?"