Chapter 4

Blue's pov

I stood before my manager in the dimly lit office, my hands trembling. "Please, Mr. Jerkins, I need this job. I can work extra hours and take on more responsibilities... Just don't fire me," I pleaded, my voice breaking.

He just leaned back in his chair, a scowl etched across his face. "You think this is a charity, hmm, Blue?" "You're always just apologizing, always acting pathetic. Maybe if you're in such desperate need of money, you should consider other options. You have a great body; go sell it or something and stop messing up my office floor with your filthy hands." He waved me dismissively, his tone dripping with annoyance.

My heart sank. I had just been fired from my part-time jobs at the supermarket and cafe this morning, leaving me with only my dwindling delivery tip, which I had until next week to leave.

Why is this happening to me all at once? It seems like someone deliberately wants me to just suffer for walking on the face of the earth.

My mind couldn't help but drift to the happenings of last night. Could he somehow be connected to this? Maybe he was the cause... Or maybe I was just overthinking the whole situation and I just wasn't worth the hire.

I walked round the busy streets seeing posters and billboards of Damian Gates, the man I had met yesterday. I never knew he was this known till today.

God! I didn't even have the luxury to stare at posters and billboards till today. He looked so perfect, having a pretty perfect life while people like me struggled for the scraps and leftovers of people like him.

I held back the tears stinging to fall off; my life had always been a mess, and things didn't seem to be getting better.

I tried calling Tom a few times, but there wasn't a response at the other end. I wished he would call me back soon because I needed someone to lean on at these desperate times, and he was the only one I could think of.

I was currently unemployed, with countless loan sharks at my back, unending bills to pay, and a new apartment to get. I felt the weight of pressure crushing me down. I walked around a little more, trying to stall time to avoid the loan sharks that would be waiting at my front door.

I wanted to hear Coco's voice, but I didn't want to cause her worry. She has her own problems to deal with. As I walked down the dimly lit street, the shadow loomed longer than my sad life.

"Look who we have here." I was cornered by three hefty-looking men, their faces awfully familiar. "You think you could run away from your debts, huh?" One sneered, stepping closer.

My heart raced, and I took a step back, my instincts screaming at me to escape."I don't have any money right now; please give me some time; I'll get the monthly payment ready before the end of this week," I pleaded... shit! That seemed to be the only thing I could do, plead and beg like a little mouse.

"Time's sweetheart, we can't just let you go like that after all our efforts to find you." they inched closer.

"How can we be sure you'll pay us when you have been avoiding the shit out of us lately, hmm? Plus, this is just the interest rate. We haven't even started the main money we lent, yet you're acting so haughty already."

The other hissed, grabbing my chin aggressively, "Are you playing with us, hmm, pretty?"

I felt trapped; panic surged through my veins, and it seemed as though the walls were closing in. "I promise I'll wire you the payment, I barely managed to whisper, and they laughed drily.

"Oh, you better," the leader spat, "but don't you think you should at least appease our anger a little before then?" He drawled close to my ears, and the sound of him licking his lips sounded so vivid, that I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, the mix of anger and fear.

You wanted to scream, to cry; instead, you just tried to get out of their hold. But one dragged me back, ripping my shirt. Their hungry stares gazed at my body as they laughed in glee.

I tried to push through, but one grabbed me, ripping the remaining fabric into pieces. Leaving my chest bare but my bra As soon as they wanted to pounce on me like a pack of hungry lions, I felt a presence.

"You do seem like uncivilized idiots," a deep voice saved me from impending danger. "What do they call scenes like this?" Yeah, rape, first time witnessing one."

The figure leaned on the wall, his demeanor spoke of strength and confidence with mischievous intent.

The men laughed at first, but there was a certain authority in his tone that made them hesitate.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" One of them sneered, stepping forward. "Someone who doesn't take kindly to bullies, especially rapists," he replied, blowing off dirt from his fingernails nonchalantly.

"Fucker!" They launched a punch at him, but fortunately, it didn't reach him as people who seemed like his bodyguards appeared, busting into the alley with calculated intensity.

"BACK OFF!" The warning was clear. The loan sharks hesitated, glancing at each other, then at the bodyguards, before recklessly charging forward.

A surge of aggression propelled the leader's fist swinging, but the bodyguard was faster, sidestepped, and delivered a sharp kick to his knees, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Did you really think you could take him on?" the stranger, who seemed like the boss, asked with a perplexed look on his face, the second bodyguard standing in front of him in a protective stance.

I shut my eyes, unable to withstand the violence being displayed. Hugging my knees tightly, "You can open your eyes now," a gentle voice coaxed me, and I reluctantly opened them. His face was just one word; beautiful.

His gaze scanned through me, reminding me I didn't have a shirt on. He removed his suit jacket and covered me, and for the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of safety.

"Do you live around here?" he asked, adjusting his tailored suit, and I just nodded. "My bodyguard will drop you off at your place," he notified me before leaving me.

The alley was left silent, the loan sharks were long gone, but tension still hung in the air... An unspoken danger could lurk in any corner. If he hadn't saved me, the unthinkable would have happened.

"Thanks." I was grateful to the bodyguard who had escorted me back. "Please tell your boss I'm deeply grateful." I entered home; my mom and sister were already fast asleep.

I snuggled in between, to get a good rest, but I couldn't; nightmares of what-ifs and the trauma stung me hard, waking me up, so I decided to surf online, applying for any job I could find.

My phone chimed; a new message came in. To my disappointment, it wasn't Tom checking up on me but a message from the interview.

You have passed the interview for the nanny hiring. You are expected to be present at 9:00 am tomorrow morning at the designated location for terms and conditions to be discussed.

My heart skipped a beat, not sure if it was out of relief or fear of the known.