The rest of the day dragged on like an endless shadow over Lila Hart. Her nerves were strung tight, and exhaustion pressed down on her shoulders like a weight she could no longer carry. After her meeting with Adrian Wolfe Blackwood earlier that day, she had tried to convince herself she could wait until the contract was signed, that she would hold on just a little longer before fully surrendering to his cold but tempting offer.
But life had other plans.
Her phone buzzed violently against the fabric of her skirt pocket as she walked toward home. The name flashing on the screen made her stomach knot—Jake.
"Hello, Jake?" she answered, already sensing panic in his voice.
"Lila!" her brother's words tumbled out in a rush. "They came to the school… the loan sharks. They dragged me out in front of everyone. Now the whole school knows, every single person, even the teachers." His voice cracked with humiliation. "They said they'd take everything we own if we don't pay soon. Sis, what are we going to do?"
Lila stopped in her tracks, her hand trembling as she clutched the phone tighter. Her heart raced with a sickening thud. "Jake, listen to me. Go home. Don't stay there a second longer. Call Mom and tell her to leave the hospital and head straight to the house, do you hear me? I'll meet you both there."
"Okay, sis," Jake whispered, his voice thick with shame.
When the line went dead, Lila stood frozen in the street, her thoughts spinning. This was too much. The hospital bills, the loan sharks, the humiliation Jake had endured. Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
For a moment, she pressed her phone to her lips, unsure of what to do. And then, almost as if guided by something deep within, her thumb hovered over the last number Adrian Wolfe Blackwood had given her—his personal number.
She hesitated, her pride waging war with her desperation. But desperation won.
The call connected after a single ring.
"Adrian Wolfe Blackwood speaking," came his deep, measured voice.
Her throat tightened, but she forced herself to speak. "It's Lila."
There was a pause, and then the faintest trace of satisfaction colored his tone. "Oh? I see."
"I need your help," she said in a rush, her voice cracking despite her efforts to remain composed. "I can't wait until the contract is signed and the certificate is ready. My family… we're drowning, Adrian. My father's treatment, the debt—we can't hold on anymore. Please. I need money now."
Silence filled the line for a long, heavy moment.
When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, assured, like he had known this moment would come all along. "I knew you'd call me eventually, Lila. I just didn't expect it this soon."
Lila bit her lip, her cheeks heating in shame.
"Forward me your account details," Adrian said simply, his tone carrying no judgment, no emotion—just a quiet authority.
The tears she had been holding back spilled over at the weight lifted from her chest. "Thank you," she whispered.
The line clicked dead after his curt acknowledgment, leaving Lila staring at the phone as if she had just handed away the last of her independence.
Moments later, as she trudged home, her phone buzzed again with a new message alert. She opened it without much thought—only to stop dead in her tracks when her eyes caught the figure on the screen.
$10,000.
Her knees nearly gave out beneath her. "Ten thousand?" she breathed. That was double what she had asked for, more than she could ever dream of holding in her own name.
By the time she stepped into the house, Jake and her mother were waiting anxiously. Mrs. Bianca Hart's face was lined with worry, and Jake's eyes were still red from the embarrassment he had endured.
"You paid the loan sharks?" they blurted out at the same time when she handed her phone to Jake to confirm the transfer she had already forwarded to the collectors.
"Yes," Lila said quietly, her gaze steady though her heart pounded. "They've been paid. They won't bother us anymore."
Bianca covered her mouth with her hands, tears springing to her eyes. "Lila… how? How did you manage it?"
Jake stared at her as though seeing his sister for the first time. "Where did you get that kind of money, sis?"
Lila exhaled slowly, turning to face them both. She felt the weight of her secret pressing on her tongue, but she swallowed it down. "I have something to discuss with you both. But before that, know this—I still have six thousand dollars left from what was sent. That's more than enough to cover the hospital's upfront payment for Dad's surgery. And the rest… we can use it for Jake's school."
Jake shook his head violently. "No, sis. Don't use it on me. Dad needs that money more."
"You will take it," Lila said firmly, her eyes glistening. "You're writing your exams soon, Jake. You're smart—you deserve the chance to go to college. Dad would want that, too."
Her mother, still in shock, whispered, "But, Lila… where did you get the money?"
"I'll explain," Lila said softly. "But not here, not yet. Right now, what matters is Dad. We need to go to the hospital immediately. Let's pay for his treatment and secure his surgery. After that… I'll tell you everything."
She turned before they could ask more, disappearing into her room to change. Alone, she pressed her back against the door and clutched the edge of her blouse. The truth gnawed at her. How would they look at her when they found out the price she had paid for their salvation?
And yet, as much as it broke her heart, she knew she would do it all again. For her family, she would bear the shame. For her father's life, she would accept Adrian Wolfe Blackwood's deal.
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