Chapter Four

Furina didn’t even have a chance to take a breather when he got into the car, seated next to her, and slammed the door shut. She heard him speak to the driver in French and the car began to move out of the lobby.

“Wait. Wait. Wait. Where are we going?” Her initial plan was simply hide from plain sight for a moment until her mother went back in. She didn’t expect him to shut the door or even for the car to start moving.

“Around,” said the man without a smile.

“Around?” She reiterated in her confusion.

He spared one look at her before focusing back to his phone. “Around and about.”

“Wait. I need to get off.” Furina closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. “I’m very sorry to barge into your car like this. I was only trying to escape someone I know. If you could please stop the car, I will gladly get out and be out of your hair.”

The man put his phone away and shifted in his seat so he could face her. “Are you well?”

“No. I mean, yes.” She shook her head as if it’d help clearing her distressed mind.

He went quiet for a heartbeat, his gorgeous eyes scanned her face before meeting her eyes. “You don’t look well. How can I help to make it better?”

Under normal circumstances, she would’ve told him that she didn’t need his help and that she’d be much prefer it if he would simply let her get out of the damn car. However recent situation begged otherwise and even without closing her eyes, the image of her dad’s bruised face and cut lips flashed in her mind.

“How can I help to make it better?” Not one soul had ever asked her that before. Everyone always asked what was wrong first, instead of asking if they could be any help.

Furina wasn’t sure if it was her desperation for help or her unstable emotional state, nonetheless she opened her mouth and replied, “If you can lend me one point two million pounds that’d really help.”

Surprisingly, the handsome stranger bobbed his head. “Sure. Do give me your bank account number.”

Furina stared at him, waiting for him to break the silence by telling her that he was joking but his face was dead serious. “You’re taking a piss, right?”

He frowned. “No, I don’t need to go to bathroom.”

She shook her head. This guy was evidently not from the UK, he wouldn’t understand the slang. “I mean you are joking, right?”

“No.” He pulled out a notebook and a pen from the pocket of his suit and hand them to her. “Write your bank account number and I will wire the funds to you.”

She hesitated. “If you’re not joking then why would you give that much money to a stranger?”

“I do not give it to you. I lend it to you, no?”

“Yes, but still. How would you know I could afford to pay you back? I mean, look at me.”

“I am looking.”

Furina narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “If you think that I’ll sleep with you or do any weird things you asked just because you agree to lend me the money, you’re dead wrong.”

His eyebrow twitched. That was the only reaction she got from accusing him of being a pervert. “If I need someone to sleep with me, it won’t require any money.” He turned into an empty page on the notebook and wrote a simple LOU before handing it back to her. “You can sign that along with your bank account number.”

Even though the whole thing felt strange and she didn’t actually believe that he would wire the money and go through with it, she wrote down her account number but left the space for her signature alone. “I’m not going to sign something before receiving the money.”

“Femme intelligente,” he muttered under his breath. (“Smart lady.”)

He reached for his smartphone and she leaned back in her seat, looking out at the window. The car had stopped on the side of the road. She watched people walking at the sidewalks, they looked really carefree, like they had no burden in life. Her life was like that for the last two years too. Maybe not without burden but somewhat manageable.

“You know, just when I started getting used to the normalcy in life, life took a drastic turn and brought chaos into it,” she whispered in a low voice, unsure whether she was telling herself or him or maybe both. This current situation alone surprised her. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have had this kind of conversation with a stranger, let alone jumped into a stranger’s car. It seemed that her current predicament had affected her mind.

“Do check your account. The funds should be there.”

“Right.” Furina rolled her eyes. “You know this whole thing has been fun but I’ve got to go.” Her hand reached for the door handle but she felt a touch on her elbow and looked over her shoulder.

“Check your bank balance,” was all he said.

The sooner she did this the sooner he’d let her go. She pulled out her phone and opened her bank app with no expectation. The six digit figures, however, rendered her speechless and immobile. In disbelief, she forced her eyes to meet his beautiful blue eyes. “How?”

“C’est juste.” (“Just is.”)

His hand grabbed the discarded pen and held it toward her. With his face remain impassive, he asked, “Ready to sign this now?”