The dimly lit hallway seemed to close in around Jason as he stood frozen, his eyes fixed on the two men who had just arrived at his doorstep. The air was thick with tension, and the only sound was the distant hum of the TV in the living room.
“Good… Good day, what can I help you with today?” Jason stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He shook the tall man’s hand, his palm sweating with anxiety.
The short man stepped forward and brought out his shiny white ID card once again, showing Jason who stood rooted at the doorway after getting their identity. He had been avoiding this visit for a few days now, who knew they would come to visit so late at night? It’s like they have been hiding somewhere secretly just for his arrival.
“We are here to discuss your loan, Mr Jason. You have been avoiding us and also not picking up our calls for a while now. We would advise you to pay up quickly to avoid further embarrassment.” The short man didn’t beat around the bush. He goes straight to the point. They have been waiting for Jason’s arrival since noon, so when they saw him in his car earlier, they didn’t waste time following him into the villa after talking to the security man.
“Can we go in to discuss?” Jason looked around fearing one of his workers was listening to their conversation. The men were about to decline the invite when they heard a seductive voice.
“Yes Mr, can we go discuss inside? At least we can offer you something to drink.” Mira chimed in, her sultry voice echoing as she twisted her body in a slutty way as she stood in front of them, enticing the men who swallowed their saliva as their throats suddenly went dry.
“Of course, we wouldn’t mind.” The tall man was the first to respond enthusiastically.
“It’s settled then.” Mira smiled before moving her body that was blocking the way. She knew her methods always worked on men. Daniel was also gotten just like this. Jason also moved out of the way.
The man entered the living room, their eyes taking in the luxuriously decorated room. They nodded in approval that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get this house if Jason didn’t pay his loan as soon as possible.
Rebecca watches as her daughter and husband bring two strangers in. Her questioning gaze locked on her daughter. Mira signaled her mother with her eyes that she would explain to her later.
“Here, come sit.” Mira pointed at a two-seater sofa. The men nodded as they walked forward and sat beside each other. Mira smiled sweetly as she sat down in the armchair across from the two men. “Can I offer you something to drink?” she asked, her voice dripping with hospitality.
The tall man smiled back at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “That’s very kind of you, Miss…?” he trailed off, waiting for her to fill in the blank.
“Mira,” she replied, her smile never wavering. “And please, call me Mira.”
The short, fat man grunted, his eyes fixed on Mira’s face. “We’ll have some water, please,” he said gruffly.
Mira nodded and stood up, her movements fluid and sensual. She walked over to the bar and poured two glasses of water, her hands moving with precision.
As she handed the glasses to the two men, Jason spoke up, his voice tight with anxiety. “So, what can I do for you gentlemen?” he asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the two men.
The tall man took a sip of his water before speaking. They didn’t acknowledge Rebecca who was also sitting in the living room. “As we said earlier, Mr. Jason, you have been avoiding us and not paying your loan. We’re here to collect it.”
Mira’s eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on the two men. She knew that her father was in deep financial trouble, and she was determined to do whatever it took to help him. She didn’t know he had gone to borrow a loan. Before her father could speak, she spoke.
“Can the deadline of the loan be extended? As you know, we are tight on funds right now. Mira hurriedly said, her heart raising at the consequences of not being able to pay the loan.
“That’s not negotiable Miss Mira. The tall man who was attracted to Mira said. Even if he was interested in her, the purpose of their visit can’t be forgotten.
“Mr Jason, you knew our agreement on this loan. If you are unable to pay after the two-week deadline, your company and this house you use as collateral will be taken. I hope you started preparing in advance.” The short man said professionally, not minding the deadly glare Rebecca was giving him.
After going back and forth without a positive solution, Jason finally agreed on the consequences of not paying in two weeks. A moment later, the two men left the villa in high spirits, while the tension in the Lockwood villa was thick.
The family of three sat in the living room, deep in their thoughts. The awkward silence was deafening. The tv sound had been turned off by now making it even more awkward. Rebecca, who had been impatient and wasn’t allowed to speak when those loan shark men were around earlier, broke the silence.
“Jason, when did you go get a loan without informing us? What are we going to do if you are not buoyant enough to pay in two days?” Rebecca’s words tumble from her mouth impatiently. After tasting how sweet the rich men lived for more than a decade, she didn’t think she would be able to go back to living in the slums. This thought alone was enough to send her heart into a panic attack.
Jason, who was already in a bad mood glared at his wife. “Did you think I’m happy to go get a loan, huh? What else can I do? The company is on the verge of bankruptcy with no one to help revive it. If I didn’t get this loan, did you think you would still be here dressed in luxury?”
As Rebecca was about to respond, Mira cut her off. “Stop it you too. This isn’t the time for us to be fighting.” Mira stood up from the armchair she was sitting on pacing around in her heels she didn’t take off earlier. “What we need now is to join heads together and come up with a solution. Or did you guys want to be thrown out and wander around the street?”
Rebecca and Jason looked at each other, both of them knowing that Mira was right. They couldn’t afford to fight with each other now, not when they were facing such a huge problem.
Rebecca took a deep breath and nodded. “Mira’s right. We need to focus on finding a solution.”
Jason nodded, his expression softening. “I’m sorry for talking to you that way, Rebecca. I know I shouldn’t have taken out the loan without telling you, but I was desperate. I thought with the money, I would be able to come up with something to save the company.”
Mira stopped pacing and turned to face her parents. “It’s not about whose fault it is. It’s about what we’re going to do to fix it. We need to come up with a plan, and a fast one at that.”
Rebecca nodded. “Okay, let’s think. What can we sell to raise the money?”
Jason shook his head. “We’ve already sold most of our assets. There’s not much left.” Jason rubbed his temples tiredly. Lina would be so angry if she found out almost all her mother’s properties had been sold by Jason, her irresponsible father. Her mother worked hard to gather all this together, and now? Everything has been devoured by these heartless humans.
Mira’s eyes narrowed. “What about the company? Can’t we sell that?”
Jason sighed. “I’ve tried, Mira. But no one wants to buy a failing company. And even if they did, it wouldn’t be enough to pay off the loan.”
Rebecca stood up, her eyes flashing with determination. “We’ll figure something out. We have to. We can’t let those loan sharks take everything from us. How would I cope without all this?” Rebecca couldn’t hide her greediness for wealth.
Mira’s eyes narrowed at her mother’s word, a fierce glint in her eye. Why can’t she just keep quiet? Looking at her father’s angry face, she knew her mother’s words had made him angry, but there was nothing he could do about it.
“I will try to get Daniel to help out. I’m sure he would be able to come up with something.” Mira said with unease, praying her father doesn’t know the problem the sunshine group is facing at the moment.
“If you know you can’t get reliable help Mira, don’t promise what you know it’s impossible.” Jason stood up, his fingers running into his already disheveled hair. I know the Sunshine Group was also in a financial crisis right now due to Daniel’s incompetence after becoming the C. E. O.”
“The best solution I can think of is for us to go meet Lina and ask for help. And if what you said earlier about her marriage is true, that’s a plus for us. Before the end of this week, you must get me her contact information and also find out how true her marriage is.” After saying his piece, Jason’s footsteps echoed all over as he walked up the stairs.
Two angry gazes followed Jason’s back. He didn’t care what they were thinking at all. All he cared for was how to get out of this mess.
“Mira,” Rebecca walked up to Mira, who stood rooted in the middle of the living room. She placed her palm on her shoulder, “I also don’t want to admit this, but it seems that bitch is the only solution to our predicament.”
Mira shook her mother’s hand from her shoulder. “You also think Lina is more useful than me Mom? Am I still your daughter?” Mira’s eyes were misty.
“Don’t be unreasonable Mira. This isn’t the time to be thinking about who is more useful. Look into the bigger picture Mira.” Rebecca tried soothing her daughter while reasoning with her. Instead of Mira accepting that Lina was the only solution to their problem, she would rather die.
She circled the room, picking up her Chanel bag from the coffee table. “Since you don’t believe in me anymore Mom, I would do anything to prove you and Dad wrong that Lina is nothing compared to me. After leaving her speech, Mira stomps out of the living room angrily, leaving the villa not minding it’s already late in the night. No matter how Rebecca called out to her, she didn’t answer. All that answered her was her back view.