Chapter 23
Is there any way out of this?
Christian repeated the question out loud, not to Minji, but to the room.
Cassian leaned against the far wall of the gym, arms crossed. Junior sat on the bench, listening without interrupting.
"There might be," Christian said carefully. "But not individually."
Cassian frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means the only leverage here is scale," Christian replied. "Stories. Patterns. Volume." He rubbed his eyes. "If enough people speak at once, it stops being invisible."
Junior nodded slowly. "So we gather them."
"Yes," Christian said. "One by one."
Cassian hesitated. "What about Amber?"
Christian didn't look away. "In an ideal world? We help everyone."
Cassian waited.
"But her case doesn't fit this pattern," Christian continued. "It matters—but it's different. If we mix them now, we lose clarity." He paused. "She has to wait."
Cassian didn't like it—but he understood.
—--------------------------------------------------
Minji sat across from a man she didn't recognize.
He hadn't introduced himself yet. He didn't need to.
"It is possible to get out of this," he said calmly, folding his hands on the table. "Not completely—but enough."
Minji's shoulders tensed.
"We can help put in a good word to restructure your loan," he continued. "Twenty-five down to ten. Monthly payment around two-twenty."
Her breath caught. "That's—"
"Manageable, far less than what you pay now" he finished for her. "I know."
She hesitated. "What do you want in return?"
He smiled slightly. "Your story."
She looked down.
"I'll be honest with you," he said. "The other guy you spoke to—the one with the channel—he wants your story too. But he probably can't help you."
Minji looked up.
"You're free to give it to anyone you want," he added, standing. "I just wanted you to have an option."
He left a business card on the table and walked away without waiting for an answer.
When Christian arrived, Minji didn't waste time.
"Can you help me with the loan?" she asked. "I'll tell my story. I want people to know—but I can't do this if I'm drowning."
Christian froze.
Just for a moment.
He wanted to say yes.
He wanted to lie.
Instead, he swallowed.
"I can't promise that," he said quietly. "All I can do is put this in front of people. Enough of them. And hope the system reacts."
Minji's face closed—not angry. Just tired.
"I understand," she said.
She stood, opened the door, and waited until he stepped outside before closing it.
Christian stood there for a second longer than necessary.
Then he walked back to the car, shoulders hunched, eyes on the pavement.
Cassian didn't say anything.
Not until they were inside.
Francis picked up on the third ring.
"Hey," Cassian said. "Quick question."
A pause. "This is never a quick question."
Cassian glanced toward the far wall, lowering his voice. "That waitress. Amber. The ex-cop who hit her—he's still out there."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"I already helped Mom with that one," Francis said.
Cassian stiffened. "Helped how?"
"Doesn't matter," Francis replied. "It's fixed."
Cassian frowned. "Fixed how?"
"You don't need to know," Francis said. Not irritated. Not rushed. Just final. "Stay out of it."
The line went dead.