3 - Quick! Save her!

CHAPTER 3

“Please…” she begged, knowing her life was at stake. “Please don’t kill me.”

One of the men caught her by the arm with a skewed smile.

“I’m afraid your life has been requested. The only thing we can do is make you have the time of your life before killing you now, June Rivera.”

When June heard the sound of belts loosening, she became desperate. “Please! I will pay you double the amount! Just let me go! I promise!”

One of them laughed. “Are you trying to dupe us? You think we don’t know that you have nothing to your name?”

“Mrs. Rivera warned us that you might try to sweeten your way out of the deal. She told us what a scheming wench you can be,” he spat. “I intended to make the experience at least pleasant before you die, but you don’t deserve that!”

June's eyes widened when she heard her mother’s name. Her mother had sent them. Her own mother had tried to assassinate her!

The men took in her reaction and swore when they realized they had unintentionally exposed the name of their benefactor.

“Who cares if you know who sent us? Your life will end here anyway!” one of them said. “Hold her to the floor! I will go first! We don’t have time.”

June was pinned to the floor in seconds, and she felt like her world was about to come to an end, but at the last minute, she decided to try her luck.

“I might not have anything to my name as a Rivera, but I just got divorced! I was married to Ethan Lontoc, and now I have half of his assets! I promise I can pay you double whatever was given to you for my life.”

June knew there was no way she could afford to pay them. Ethan had her sign a prenup before marriage, but now she was desperate to get out of the tight corner with her life.

She prayed to the gods above that they would throw some luck her way and help her out of the sticky situation that threatened to cost her life.

At the sound of money, one of them perked his brows, and they all exchanged glances. Everyone knew of the LT Construction Company. It was the biggest in South City, internationally recognized and pulling its weight as the No. 1 architectural and construction company.

Her ex-husband was a known millionaire in this city.

One of them scratched his head and looked stuck between crossroads. Just before he could make up his mind, a car flashed by, and the headlights shone upon them.

Afraid of getting caught assaulting a woman, the men fled, swearing as they ran from the unknown. June jumped to her feet and tried to flag the car down, but it didn’t stop.

The tinted car sped past her like she didn’t matter, leaving her all alone. Scared to her bones, June broke into a sprint, rushing into the road in search of a motel.

She had a little cash that would help her spend the night, and when she arrived at a motel, she believed that by some divine intervention, her life had been spared.

Despite the odd looks thrown her way by the receptionist, she paid for a day and lodged in her room. In the brief moments she spent before getting to sleep, she thought of the terrible day she had and swore to get back at the ones who hurt her and sought her life.

Starting with her mother.

Meanwhile, back at the Rivera mansion, Evelyn Rivera stepped out of her bedroom, away from her husband, whom she married after June’s father’s death.

She walked into the hallways with her phone in her ear. “Is it done?” she whispered into the phone.

“Yes, ma. The lady has been taken care of.”

Hearing those words brought joy to her heart. Finally, she could rest well and take over the Rivera properties with her new husband, child, and family. Everything was right in the world with that cursed child out of her hair.

“The remaining money will be brought to you shortly. Do not speak a word of this to anyone.” With that, she cut off the line and dialed another number.

The phone rang once before it connected. It seemed like he was waiting for her call. “Take care of those idiots,” she ordered and ended the call.

That night, the three thugs were murdered in cold blood.

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June woke up the next day, had her bath, and planned her day. She wanted to confront her mother for her evil ways and pay a visit to her husband's family.

She wasn’t going down without a fight. She was done taking all the things life threw at her without a fight. If she was getting divorced, she deserved alimony, seeing she wasn’t the one who cheated in the marriage.

She also wanted all her architectural designs made in the name of LT Construction to be conferred to her name and all the royalties she ought to have earned from her years working for her husband without payment.

June was determined to take everything she owned back, and no one was going to stop her. Except she didn’t have a dime to her name. The last cash she had was spent on getting a change of clothes and some food in her stomach.

She needed to get some money, and she needed it fast. Immediately, she hit the roads, searching for a part-time job. She wasn’t stupid enough to think that all her rights would be handed over to her the moment she asked for them, so she needed something to sustain herself, seeing she was homeless and broke.

June took to the busy streets of South City in cheap clothes, looking for a restaurant in search of a waitress position. Although she was a master’s degree holder in architectural design, she couldn’t look for a job with no work to her name.

She had worked for Ethan like a fool for years without a formal employment procedure or salary. At the time, she didn’t want to be a housewife and thought if she could work for her husband’s company, it would bridge the growing gap between them.

However, it only widened the girth between them—a space her sister must have occupied until she was kicked to the curb with a divorce. The sun shone on her hair as she looked into a bustling restaurant that had put up a sign for a waitress.

She made to enter but caught sight of a ruckus playing out on the roadside. A young boy was running out of a coffee shop, unaware of the traffic light and an incoming trailer vehicle.

June looked between the child and the vehicle, whose driver seemed to be having a rough time stopping the vehicle. If she didn’t do something, the child could die.

Bystanders watched in shock, no one able to rescue the little boy who stood in the middle of the road, staring shell-shocked at the oncoming vehicle—a boy who had no doubt been written off as a casualty waiting to happen.

Unable to stomach the thought of a little boy meeting such a tragic end, she ran into the road and pushed the little boy to the other side, saving him from the incoming trailer.

Fortunately, the boy tipped over to the sidewalk, safe from harm. Unfortunately, June took the hit that sent her flying over to the other side and left her unconscious.

“Quick! Save her!” someone shouted, and chaos ensued.