Chapter 1

The clock struck 8pm on a peaceful Wednesday night, the wind gentle and had a touch of serenity. A good night to die some might even say.

In an isolated warehouse down the streets, the atmosphere inside was not the same with the one outside, far from sedated. 

"What do you mean double? That's just too outrageous!” Ethan hollered in fury.

"The rule is the rule. Pay up or face the consequences." An average height man answered back. He had a scar that ran across his face.

Following the man’s utterance, the five bodyguards that stood behind him flashed their weapons at Ethan.

Seeing how stupid it would be to be stubborn, Ethan calmed down. "Listen, I-I didn't expect the interest to become this high."

"It's nothing personal. It's simply business,” the Mafia Boss responded as he took a seat, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"Look paying back the initial hundred thousand dollars is extremely difficulty, but now you want two hundred thousand dollars? Please I'm going to need more time to come up with such amount of money,” Ethan pleaded.

"Time itself is money my friend, or didn't they teach you that? The more you delay the higher you have to pay back,” he said, a devious smirk edging his lips.

"Please have mercy,” Ethan begged close to tears. There’s no way he’s raising such high amount of money in a week, unless he considers robbing. 

"The money wasn't even used for myself. I used it to save my girlfriend from dying. I-I couldn't just stand and watch her die,” Ethan fessed, his voice now breaking as the reality of the mess he was now in began to dawn on him. 

"The things we do for love,” the Mafia Boss muttered dryly.

A couple of days ago, Ethan's girlfriend Laurel got terribly ill and fainted. The medical fee to treat her was hundred thousand dollars, which Ethan didn't have nor had no way of raising.

Laurel came from a very wealthy family, and although Ethan knew this, but he couldn't reach out to them since he didn't know his girlfriend's phone password.

This apprehensive situation led him to the arms of the Mafia where he received a high-rates loan of the hundred thousand dollars.

Not too long after, Laurel regained consciousness and recovered from the illness. Hoping that once she's back to normal health, Laurel would return the borrowed money to Ethan. 

However, in contrast to his belief Ethan was in for a tumultuous shock when Laurel not only dumped him, but refused to also return the hundred thousand dollars back.

"I do not have all day young man,” the Mafia boss snapped Ethan out of his reverie. 

"Let me call my girlfriend and ask for the money,” Ethan suggested, hoping that she would listen to him and help him out.

"Very well" The Mafia Boss signaled to one of the men behind him to give Ethan a small phone. "Use that to call her, and put it on speaker,” he instructed.

The phone rang for a few seconds before the line connected...

"Who's this?" A female voice asked from the other end of the call.

"Laurel it's me, Ethan,” he voiced extensively. 

"And why are you calling me?" Laurel questioned, her voice raging with disdain, “Or you’re just deaf to the core you couldn’t keep to the instruction of staying the fuck out of my life?” She further said, her words stinging harder than a wolf bite. 

"Laurel I-I-“Ethan struggled in articulating his mass disarray of thoughts. He never expected his girlfriend to treat him this way, never. 

"Go straight to the point, because the next time you reach out with a strange number. I’m having the cops pull up on you," Laurel urged, backed with so much impatience that made Ethan uneasy.

"I need you to give me two hundred thousand dollars Laurel,” he quested, palm lifting to rub his forehead with his lids briefly closing. 

"Two hundred thousand dollars? What for?"

"To pay the debt I owe for your medical bill,” Ethan clarified.

"Who sent you to pay my medical bill? Cause I know I certainly did not ask you to do that so why are you bothering me with that?" Laurel flared on the phone. Albeit she wasn't in the room, everyone could feel her anger.

"Laurel I-I did that because I love you. How could you say that?" Ethan just couldn’t believe the words sprouting from her.

"Oh please, spare me all the grieving and don't try and guilt trip me. Oh and didn’t you said the medical bill was hundred thousand dollars ten days ago, so why are you begging for two hundred thousand dollars now?"

"Laurel it was a loan and I didn't know the rates would get this high,”

"Yeah right,” Laurel spat in sarcasm. "You must think I'm a fool don't you? Well let me tell you, I’m far from that you good-for-nothing liar. Don’t, I repeat don’t you ever call my number ever again,” she stated, ending the call.

"Laur.." Ethan made to speak but the sound of the call getting disconnected rang out.

As the call dropped, Ethan felt a chill chiller than getting buried in a bucket of ice. 

He sighed, “We all heard that didn't we? My girlfriend betrayed me,” Ethan said afterwards. "She was my only hope of paying back the debt, now that she has turned against me, I have no way to pay the loan,” he added.

Closing his eyes, Ethan went down on his knees. "Whatever it is you want to do to me, I suggest you do it,” Ethan proffered, all gloomy and solemn.

The Mafia boss let out a small laugh "You have guts kid. I like that. But unfortunately no debt goes unanswered for." As he said that, one of the men behind him handed him a knife.

Two of the many bodyguards on standby went to Ethan, gripping his shoulder to hold Ethan down from ever struggling as the Mafia boss approached him to eliminate him.

Ethan remained still, not caring about his approaching death and rather stuck trying to believe all that had happened. His girlfriend of 5 years shattered him irreparable to the core. He knew he wasn't as rich as her, that he was very below her, but he did all he could to love her within his means, and this was her fine repayment.

With Laurel out of the question, there was literally no one else in Ethan's life who could save his life by rendering to clear the debt. 

The end was inevitable. He had loved the unlovable. He had trusted the wrong person. Life's not fair, he had always known that but as his end drew nearer it became clearer to him again.

As the Mafia boss lifted the knife to cut Ethan's throat, the door to the warehouse flew open halting his action. 

Befuddled, the mafia boss stood straight with his gaze pressed on the opened entrance, where an expensively dressed man came into view, his presence exuding such danger.