.

Kudos to you...
A very great job
Weldone

ONE

Shane had never been more embarrassed than he had been the previous week. He had been shunned by a lady—an extremely beautiful lady—who didn't even think twice about drowning in his good looks. Derrari hadn't helped matters either. He had laughed to his fill when he heard of what had happened, but that wasn't what really bothered him. He couldn't get his mind off Lara. His mind kept replaying what she had said, much to his annoyance.

You have ruined me. And thanks a lot, okay? Because now I have to lose it all.

What could she mean by that? Was she trying to imply that she could have all she wanted with that ugly dwarf of a man?

It was incredible. Preposterous.

There had to be more to it.

He recalled what George said about a deal being over. That attested to the fact that whatever was going on between the two wasn't based on attraction but more on intimidation, of which Lara was undoubtedly the victim.

Why did he even care?

He had no idea who she was.

Brushing aside his thoughts about her, he settled back on his work but was unable to focus as his mind kept visualizing Lara's tearful face at George's words and what she had said about her life being ruined over that.

Frustrated, he shot up from his desk and walked to the window. He needed to stop thinking about her. He looked out the window, taking in the activity of the busy road outside—the swift movement of cars, people perambulating here and there, the gentle breeze of the wind caressing his face—yet his mind flickered to Lara.

Heaving out a sigh, he made his way back to his seat. He needed to gain control of his mind again and forget about her, and there was only one way that could be possible.

Picking up his cellphone, he dialed Derrari's number while shutting down his laptop. "Are you up for a drink?"

"No problem," Derrari replied.

A few hours later, he was in 'The Broken Shaker' with his buddy, swigging cups of beer.

"Man, I can't believe you haven't gotten over the lady yet. I'm really disappointed, though. I already made a bet that you would have gotten over your obsession with her and gone back to shagging bitches by now," Derrari said.

"You can't understand." Shane took a drink from his cup.

"Yes, I can't," Derrari agreed, his voice laced with sarcasm, "as I've not been bewitched as you have been. There are hundreds of ladies out there, all ready to be at your service."

"Made-up beauties," Shane corrected. He leaned back with a sigh. "There's just that thing about her."

"She's exceptionally beautiful; you can't set your mind straight, blah-blah." Derrari rolled his eyes. He had heard those words without counting over the previous week. "Although, truth be told, she is ethereally beautiful," he admitted. "I can't believe a man like that," he chuckled, "is her fiance." He laughed, recalling Shane's description of the man. "Man, you're good." He could picture the man in his head in the explicit way he had been described by Shane.

Shane looked pensively, ignoring Derrari's jest. "She needs help," he thought aloud. "She needs to be helped."

"Alright. Prince Charming to the rescue! Am I here to be bored with your silly talks about your infatuation with a stranger, or to have fun?"

"Both," Shane answered. "I can't stop thinking about her, and I need to get my mind off her. The only way that can be achieved is this." He raised his cup in the air in Derrari's direction and took a long gulp, emptying the contents of the cup and refilling it with another serving from the bottle.

"Suit yourself, then," Derrari told him, tipping his cup in his direction before swigging its contents down his throat. "Ah!"

Despite all his attempts to drown out the thoughts of Lara, his mind kept torturing him by bringing up images of Lara's tearful face, his subconscious mind never ceasing to remind him that he was to blame for it. After futile attempts at trying not to care, he finally threw in the towel.

He had gone back to the bar and requested an audience with the owner, who had helped him source the CCTV footage from the night.

Upon sighting her, he directed the man to zoom in on her and had her picture saved on his phone. Tipping the man handsomely for his help, he thanked him and employed his private investigator to find out what exactly was the deal with her and why her life would be ruined over the fact that George cancelled the deal between them.


 
 
 ★ ★ ★

Lara counted the money she had with her with a heavy heart as she approached the place texted to her by George's henchman to make the rendezvous. She grumbled at how crazy it was. Someone else had taken up the loan; someone else had died over it; and she was stuck paying a loan she had never obtained.

She had known her father from childhood to be a good-for-nothing and irresponsible fellow. He never took part in taking care of the household or funding her education. All he ever did was splurge the little he was able to get on drinking, gambling, and chasing after 'chicken-legged and pork-hipped ladies'.

If only her mom had listened to her advice and divorced him, she could have lived and as well spared her the misery of toiling around, trying to pay a debt she couldn't dream of paying up—if ever—with the menial jobs, from which she earned meager incomes, she had, but she said she loved him, and he would come around someday to his senses.

Well, even with her dead, he hadn't come back to his senses.

She sniffed and held back tears at the memory of her mom's death. The bastard of a man, whom she called her husband, was the reason why she had died. Still suffering from the shock of his elopement with a younger woman, the loan sharks had come to inform her about the loan he had obtained before his elopement, with her as collateral.

She was in high school then. Her mom had broken into hysterical sobs at the thought of losing her daughter following the loss of her husband. Her mom had worked virtually all day and night to save up enough to sustain both of them, ensure she did not drop out of school, and had given her all into working off her bones to raise money for the loan as well as for their upkeep.

She had also taken up part-time jobs after school to assist her mom in shouldering the burden. However, her mom eventually died from stress and exertion a year after her graduation from high school.

"How much do you have there?" One of George's henchmen demanded the envelope in her hand.

"Ten thousand dollars," she replied flatly.

She paid on a three-month basis. She received an hourly wage from the jobs she shuffled together—five, to be exact—working overtime occasionally. Adding up her savings and the tips from her friends, she had been able to save up that much.

She wouldn't think about how much her father had cost her with his useless act. If she had invested all the money she had been handing over to George and his henchmen from the time she took up the burden of paying up the loan solely, she would have been on the track to becoming a billionaire by now.

The envelope was flung back at her. "What the hell do you think this is?"

"Money, idiot! What else would it be?" She retorted.

Working over the years with pent-up frustration at just working with hardly any saving for herself had changed her from the sweet little girl she once was to the depressed lady who channeled her emotion into anger and rage.

"You watch your mouth there," he warned. "Do we look like thrift collectors? You owe over two million dollars, yet you are here with that." He snickered.

She scoffed. Was he kidding her?

"I've paid over two million dollars, and you are telling me sh*t about still owing the same two million dollars. You are crazy. Senile!" She spat.

"Shut the Bleep up!" he growled, plastering a gun to her forehead. "I'll blow your pretty damned head off right now, if I could."

Lara smiled. "Shoot me," she challenged. "Shoot me, bastard!" She kicked him on the knee.

Death was most welcome to her at the moment. At least she would be free from having to continue with her miserable life. She had no life, precisely.

Groaning with a curse under his breath, he pushed her roughly to the ground and fired into the air, his gaze fixed on her with a murderous glare and a furious scowl on his face.

A black SUV screeched to a halt on the premises, its door pulled open by one of his goons, who had immediately gotten down from the car and moved swiftly to open the door for his boss.

George stepped out of the car and ordered, "Stop!"
The shooting ceased.

Lara scrambled to her feet.

"Geor.." She was hushed by a death glare from George.

"Don't you dare!" He hissed through his teeth, and his hands balled tightly into fists.
 
"Let me explain," she pleaded, desperation taking over reasoning.

"You have a week to pay up your loan or else..." He gave a warning look if otherwise, turned abruptly, and headed back to his car.

"What did I do to deserve this?" She cried. "I never took up the loan. Why am I being threatened over it while the bastard who is responsible for all this is somewhere enjoying himself?"

She was fed up. She was tired of being extorted. She had spent her life working to pay up a loan that wasn't hers, but despite all that, she had never come close to paying the real money thanks to the interest that accumulated over the years. All the money she had paid was still interest to them; if she had invested it in a business, she would have a greater chance of being financially stable at present.

George turned back to face her with a smirk on his face. "You are the collateral, and you should be appreciative of the fact that I'm giving you another chance to help yourself out despite your betrayal."

"It.."

George raised a hand to hush her. "I want no more of your tantrums. The next time I see your face, either be with my money or say goodbye to your misery-filled life here. Look forward to your new life in Japan. You will enjoy it, I bet." He covered the distance to his car, followed by his henchman, got in, and was driven off.

Lara watched as the car zoomed off, tears spilling down her cheeks as she knew deep down that there was no hope for her.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Good day, everyone.

Thanks for taking the time to read the story above. Don't forget to like, comment, and follow up for more updates.

Next chapter will be coming up by next week Saturday. Anticipate!🥰😍

It's like no one is interested in the story. Not even a dozen comments despite the views.
Don't be a ghost reader and comment, please.

Well, you don't worry missus. You've found your first and best audience in me.

You're doing just great, by the way.

Salahdin:
Well, you don't worry missus. You've found your first and best audience in me.

You're doing just great, by the way.

Thank you. Your support means so much to me.

easeconsultent:
Kudos to you...
A very great job
Weldone

Thanks.😘

DebbieGg! You are really Wonderfull with your writeup.

Keep The Fire Burning .

Lutherblaq:
DebbieGg! You are really Wonderfull with your writeup.

Keep The Fire Burning .

❤️

TWO




The more he dug into her records, the greater his need to be her knight increased. He couldn't fathom what destiny was thinking by allowing her to be born to an irresponsible man as a father.

Her father was a gambling idiot and drunkard, whose sight was practically lost not to have been able to see what a precious gem he had for a daughter, and was even shameless enough to run off with a loan while placing the burden of paying it back on his daughter.

What a complete fool he was!

She deserved a better life, and he was more than willing to see to it that she wouldn't be subjected to a life of dejection from getting married to the ugly beast she called her fiance.

Shane smiled to himself as he would finally be meeting with his...

His? Why was he calling her his?

Pushing aside the silly thoughts in his head, he made his way toward the perfect beauty, whose beauty had made his mind fuzzy with images and thoughts about her over the weeks.

Insane.

She sat calmly in a plain black gown, her hair packed in a ponytail, giving a full highlight to her face. She looked dazzling.

On seeing him, her calm expression had changed into a cute, angry face. He almost swore he had fallen in love with her all over again. His heart leaped in admiration at the sight of her. She grabbed her bag and stood abruptly.

He deliberately stood in her path, obstructing any further movement. She narrowly walked into him.

"Move aside." She glared at him.

"We need to talk, Lara."

"I wouldn't talk with you if you were to be the last person on earth." She hissed.

"You are furious. I get it. But you might be interested in the offer I have for you."

She rolled her eyes. "Spare me the fib, will you?"

"Just calm down and listen. It will be of great advantage to you."

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him suspiciously.

He gestured towards the seat behind her. "Have a seat, Lara," he told her. "Please," he added.

She did.

Taking a seat as well, he said, "I apologize for the trouble I caused you the other day. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be," she told him.

He had saved her from an eternity of misery with George, but he also implicated her, as she had to source out a whopping sum of two million dollars plus within a week to avoid being sold off to Japan as a sex slave.

A shudder coursed through her as she remembered George's threat and the consequence of her inability to meet the stipulated deadline, a fact both she and George knew was very close to nil.

"Are you okay?" Shane asked, pulling her focus back to the present.

"I am." She swallowed. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"I said I was sorry and..."

"Apology accepted. Could you please excuse me?" She needed time to plan her next course of action. There wasn't any time to dilly-dally with a delectable young man with her life hanging on a thread.

Shane was offended at her rudeness. However, he let it slide. "If you would just hear out my offer before rudely dismissing me," he said with as much calm as he could muster.

She shifted impatiently in her seat. "Alright."

"As I was saying, to express how deeply sorry I am, I am willing to strike a one-in-a-million deal with you. I will absolve your debts with George."

She paled at the information and got off her seat in the blink of an eye. "Am I a joke to you or what?"

Shane raised his fingers lightly in the air. "I mean no offense, Lara. I only want to help."

She rolled her eyes. "Indeed." She nodded, her tone inflected with sarcasm.

"After what you said about your life being ruined because of what George said about whatever the deal there is between you being over, I made inquiries, and I knew I had to help because, partly, I was the reason your life could have been ruined, and as a matter of fact, I doubted you were really in support of your relationship with that man as your fiance."

He knew what the deal was about, and that was more of the reason why his desire to help her out of George's clutches was spiked.

"But why?" She looked disbelievingly at him. His offer sounded just too good to be true. "Do you know how much it is we are talking about?"

"Two point five million dollars," he replied smoothly.

Lara shook her head. "You are crazy. Don't tell me you are just trying to prank me. I'm not in the mood to be played for a fool right now."

He looked serious.

"I'm sane, Lara. I told you I made inquiries, so you should know I'm fully aware of all that is going on, including the fact that you have an ultimatum this week to pay up the rest of the debt."

Her mouth formed a silent O. Pressing her lips tightly, she gently took her seat, her bag, although still strapped over her shoulder, resting on her lap.

"Why?" She asked again. "I don't understand. You don't know me. Why do you want to help me?"

She really needed the miracle of his help right then, but she was still skeptical about the risks the miracle might entail.

She didn't want to have to borrow from the devil to pay Lucifer.

She wasn't a kid not to know a man's help wasn't rendered without a reciprocation, which essentially would not be monetary.

"I believe you deserve better than to be with George or sold off to some Japanese merchants. You are a very beautiful lady, Lara. I see a lot of potential in you, and I couldn't just let that all go to waste."

She pressed her lips tightly, still taking in his words and assessing them.

Her mind wavered on making a decision to trust him or not. It kept bringing up scenarios that kept her having second thoughts and contemplating saying yes to his offer.

Her mind was warped with fear, indecision, and impatience. There was no time for her to raise that colossal amount by herself. It had taken her mom and her years to pay up to that extent.

"So, what do you say?"

She looked at him, holding his gaze. She knew he wanted something from her. He wanted her body. It had been all over his face at the bar.

"No," she said abruptly.

Shane arched an eyebrow. "What?" 

"Look, Shane. Although I appreciate the offer, it's just too good to be true. There's no way you are offering to pay that much money just to express an apology. It's incredible." She bit down on her lower lip. "Who the hell does that, really?" She chuckled dryly.

He tried as hard as he could to still the reaction her biting down on her rosy lips set in his body. It was definitely not the right time for that.

"I doubt any man will pay that much money just for an apology without expecting something in return, and with the recipient being a lady, we both know how it goes, Shane. I'm no fool."

Shane nodded thoughtfully. "You are right; my offer is not just about an apology, and it's not free either."

"I'm not having sex with you," she hissed heatedly, stamping her palms flat on the table.

He chuckled at the look in her eyes. Fierce and unwelcoming. He suspected she would be standing up again.

She made it.

"Who said I wanted to?"

She stopped, falling back into her seat. "You don't want sex?"

The hell he did!

"Just how lowly you think of men!"

"I'm not joking, Shane. Don't toy with me."

"I am not joking either, Lara. I'm interested in helping you. I am loaning it to you, Lara."

Lara scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, you expect me to take up a loan to pay off a loan? Funny."

"A job goes well with the package."

"My answer is still no." She shook her head, rising from her seat. She knew she was being foolish by rejecting his offer, but she couldn't bring herself to trust him completely. "If you would excuse me, I have to go to work."

"I will pay you $100,000 annually."

She hesitated to move at first.

"Still no," she said over her shoulders, desperate to move out of there as fast as her legs could take her and get down to working her bones off to hit her expected target for the week.

She would try. Although the probability of the outcome being a success was bleak, she would remain optimistic nonetheless and wouldn't give up.

He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her turn her back to leave. "Wouldn't you rather take a loan from me than be stuck with George, who is only willing to waive off the loan on the basis of your marriage to him, and trust me when I say you will regret every second of your life with him?"

She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "And on what basis are you giving the loan?"

"Philanthropy." He swept a hand in her direction.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't expect me to believe that sh*t, do you?"

"You don't have to believe it," he said, leaning up. "Accept it. It will be a lifesaver."

She looked skeptically at him. His offer seemed good enough and verifiable. However, her gut told her there was more to it. "I still think there's more to this than just an apology and a supposed philanthropic act. You want something from me."

He checked his wristwatch. "I really wasn't expecting you to drag this this far, Lara. It's becoming exhausting."

She pressed her lips tightly, and a ghost of a smile tipped them.

He rose from his seat and walked toward her. "A loan with a job to pay it back, or a loan that you might not get the chance to pay up in due time; hence, you risk being sold off as a slave. You are smarter than this, Lara. Make a choice now."

"Is that really all there is to your terms? You are not going to pull anything out of the blue."

He clicked his tongue and nodded. He took out his business card and handed it to her.

"Meet me in my office by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Let's have this drafted into a document and finalized."

She took the card from him. Holding his gaze, she said, "Thank you."
 




Good morning! Merry weekend to all!😁
Now, don't forget to like, comment your opinions on the story as it is progressing, and follow for more updates.

Next chapter will be coming up by Thursday. #Smiles.

Salahdin:
Well, you don't worry missus. You've found your first and best audience in me.

You're doing just great, by the way.

i guess her father was not a human created by almighty

Mhizzard:

i guess her father was not a human created by almighty

I am lost on the joke here, bro.

Salahdin:

I am lost on the joke here, bro.

her father was heartless

THREE



It still felt like a dream to Lara. She couldn't totally take it hook, line, and sinker that the agreement she had with Shane was actually credible.

It looked too good to be true. She shook her head and huffed a deep breath to be certain she wasn't caught up in a phantom.

It really happened!

She looked down continually at his business card, scoffing in disbelief at how miraculously her meeting with him had played out.

He would really be paying up the loan leveraged over her by George?

The logical part of her still played the doubting Thomas, despite his assurance that he meant his words.

She raked her fingers through her hair and blew out air from her mouth as she flagged her arms out to hail a cab.

Her shift at the store would be starting soon, and unless she wanted to be laid off from her job, she would not let her emotions get the better of her.

She mentally lectured herself to calm down and not raise her hopes too high.

She wouldn't yet believe he actually meant what he had promised to do until he did exactly that.

She earnestly looked forward to sunrise the next day and affirmed his promise.

A cab pulled over in a few minutes, and she got in quickly.

Time moved at a slow pace as she worked through her shifts at the different part-time jobs she held. It was as if it could sense her desperation for it to be morning already and to have her doubts erased about the incredible offer Shane had made.

She worked as hard as she could to keep her mind off the worries that were bothering her.

There was no thinking about George or Shane's offer.

Despite her will, her brain was still structuring the new plans for the future if Shane's offer were to be genuine.

That was exactly the reason she struggled to blank out her mind. She couldn't afford to get her hopes up at the expense of the probable disappointment she might end up having by taking his words into account.

Her phone's ringtone gave off in her pockets while she cleaned the floors.

Wiping off the bead of sweat on her head with the back of her hand, she pulled out the phone from her apron pocket.

A smile tipped the edge of her lips as she saw the name of the caller: Kyle.

She picked up the phone and raised it to her ear.

"Don't tell me you will be bailing out on dinner tonight again, Lara." Kyle's voice came in disapprovingly through the phone.

She choked out a wry laugh. "I won't, Mom."

Kyle had been her best friend since high school and had been very supportive in assisting her both emotionally and financially in the little way she could.

Through her, she had also gotten to know Meredith, Joe, and Laura. The four were as inseparable as a shadow from oneself, and she had immediately been taken into their closely knit group through Kyle's influence.

And it was through Kyle's persistence that she had been able to attune herself to being friends with them over the years that Kyle had introduced her to them.

"Don't let me down, alright? Everyone's here already."

"I will try not to. I will be getting off work soon."

"Alright then. I will be expecting you. " She made a noisy, kissy sound on the phone and disconnected the call.

Lara tsked and put the phone back in her pocket to quickly wrap up her work for the day. She mopped the rest of the floors and disposed of the water.

She was in the changing room in record time. She kept track of the time on her watch as she changed out of her uniforms and into her clothes.

She wanted to meet up with the time she had promised she would be at Kyle's, and if she wouldn't be able to meet up with the time, it wouldn't be an hour later than it was.

Kyle loved chocolates and cookies, so she mentally noted to stop by the sweetshop after her leave for the day from work was permitted by her boss.

How time flew!

She pressed a hand to her forehead and sloped her head down her neck in exhaustion as she realized how long she had worked within the day.

The day had turned into night; the initial glow of the sky was eclipsed by dark gray clouds.

She flagged down a taxi immediately. She walked down the road and gave the taxi driver the address she was heading to, then settled in for the ride as the car moved.

She felt a tap on her ankle and jolted awake, startled.

"Jeez!" A shiver racked through her body as she became aware of her surroundings.

She slapped her palm to her forehead, stifled an hiss through her lips, and mentally shook her head at herself for getting paranoid over nothing.

"You seem to be in need of a long and good night's rest," the taxi driver pointed out as he took the car fare from her.

She couldn't argue any less.

She shook her head with a fatigued sigh, twitched her eyebrows in agreement with what he said, and alighted from the taxi while suppressing a yawn at the back of her throat.

Her body ached to be laid on something soft and comfy. Her eyes begged to revel in the reprieve they had been denied earlier.

She should just turn back and get that much-needed rest. Her legs itched to change directions. However...

Ding-dong!

Her fingers moved reflexively, against her genuine will, to her dismay.

The door was pulled open in a twinkle of an eye, a giddy Kyle beaming with surprise and thrill upon seeing her.

"You made it!" She squealed excitedly, leaped at her, and threw her arms around Lara's neck.

Lara flattened her lips and twitched her nose reflexively, her arms out to brace the impact as Kyle leaped at her.

She winced and moved back a step at the collusion—exhaustion and fatigue bore down heavily on her.

Finally, she settled into the hug and managed a smile as she hugged her best friend back.

"And I come bearing gifts," Lara said, raising the bags of goodies she had bought from the sweetshop.

Kyle pulled back with a smirk on her face. "Of course you will, Santa Lara."

Both ladies laughed.

"Manners!" She planted a finger lightly on her lower lip with a disapproving frown. "Come in quick." She ushered her in and took the bag from her.

Lara blew out a satisfied exhale as she walked into the house. Kyle caught up with her pace after she had locked the door.

"You look worse for wear. I shouldn't have asked you to come. I'm a bad girl."

Lara turned to look at her briefly with a pout. "You're just figuring that out now?" She hissed out a tsk, a smile cupping one side of her cheek.

Kyle threw an arm playfully around her shoulders with a bounce and leaned her head against her shoulder. "And that's why you love me."

Lara snickered. "Silly girl."

A round of applause echoed over the room as they walked into the sitting room.

Lara looked taken aback. She furrowed her brows and asked, "Guys, what's the occasion?"

Kyle jumped in front of her with her arms outstretched and mimed, "Ta-da!"

"You are an hour early. They are impressed," Laura explained laconically, raising her glass of wine to her lips and taking a sip.

Lara rolled her eyes as she walked to take a seat on one of the cushions.

"Hi, everyone." She waved at them all and plopped down onto the cushion, reveling in the comfort that cocooned her aching body immediately.

She leaned back against the headrest with a sigh.
Just what she needed at the moment.

"You need a massage?" Joe asked and extended a glass of chilled juice toward her.

She rolled her eyes at him, muttered, "Thanks," as she took the cup from him, and took a long drink from the cup.

"Ah!" She sighed as she lowered the cup from her mouth. "Refreshing!" she commented.

"You look really tired, Lara. Just how much did you have to work today?" Joe asked worriedly.

He attempted to press a palm to her forehead, an attempt Lara quickly prevented, playfully swatting his hand off and clicking her teeth at him.

"We are having dinner, Joe, not a counseling session."

"Joe's right, Lara. You should cut back on how much you exert yourself." Meredith nodded, as a matter of fact.

"What's cooking?" Lara sat up, shifting the subject of discussion from her to the exact reason she was over at Kyle's and not snoring away in her bed as she would have loved to.

"You will be amazed!" Kyle smiled with a suspenseful glitter in her eyes.

Surely, Lara was amazed.

She knew Kyle was an amazing cook, but the night's special was superb.

"Wow! This is so good!" Lara moaned as she ate, raising two hands in kudos to Kyle.

"I would gladly marry you if you had not been taken already," Joe said, shaking his head at the heavenly taste of the food Kyle had prepared.

Meredith cleared her throat, while Lara peeked a glance to gauge Laura's reaction.

Her face was blank. But zero emotion mirrored a volcano on the inside.

"What about Laura, then?" Meredith inquired.

"Laura?" He leaned back in his seat, threw an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her toward himself for a kiss on the cheek, then fully on her mouth.

"Bad joke! She will always be my number one," Joe murmured over her lips.

Laura smiled and kissed him back.

"Awnn!" Kyle, Meredith, and Lara mimicked an embarrassed sigh as the two kissed.

"Come off it. Get a room, will you? Don't leave a heartache in the wake of the single ones here!" Meredith snapped.

"Who exactly are the single ones? The only single one here, ironically, is Lara," Kyle pointed out.

And, once again, Lara was at the center of the discussion.

"How soon will the loan be fully paid off? You've worked half your years off by now." Meredith looked extremely worried.

Was she ever going to come around to paying it off? The last time she calculated, Lara should have been absolved of her loan four months ago, but given the outrageous interest charged by her creditors with every delay in paying it off, she was stuck working more hours than an average human did and living less than they did as well.

She felt really disgusted at the epic failure of the father she had, who had burdened her with a debt as overwhelming as that.

Lara contemplated whether to tell her friends about Shane or not. She clenched her teeth in hesitation.

"There's something, Lara. Isn't there?" Kyle was quick to gauge her expression. "Spill it out."

The attention of everyone in the room was focused on her. It made her squirm in discomfort on the inside.
She hated being in the limelight.

"Spill it, Lara. What's going on?" Joe urged, that protective side of him etched in his tone.

"It's not certain yet." She toyed with her fingers. "I met this man, alright?"

"A boyfriend?" Kyle squealed, throwing her arms in the air in excitement. "Finally!"

Lara hissed, rolled her eyes at the absurdity of her exclamation, and clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth. "Shane Williams. He..." She paused with a frown as they all sucked in deep breaths.

"As in the same Shane Williams?" Meredith looked astounded.

"The legendary Shane Williams!" Kyle gasped breathlessly.

"A legendary playboy," Laura stated with that horror-movie villain tone she had.

"What did he do to you? Joe spat out a frown. He looked eager to pick a fight with Shane, in Lara's defense.

Their reactions made Lara reconsider nurturing the false hope within her about Shane being a savior sent from above to aid her.

"What about him?" "What did he do?" "Don't tell me..."
They all spoke over each other.

"Is he bad?"

"You don't know him?" Kyle looked bewildered. "Wow!"

"I shouldn't be surprised. You spend all your time working rather than keeping up with the latest news," Meredith said, holding Lara's gaze. "How did you two meet?"

"This might be a good thing for you and might be bad as well," Kyle mused aloud.

"He proposed a deal to me," Lara informed them, looking at their faces.

"A deal?" They all choked.

Kyle waved her hand dismissively in the air. "If he wants you to be his girlfriend, bad news. He's not the typical picture of the kind of man you will need to be involved with."

"He actually offered me a job and a chance to pay off my debts," Lara said, voicing out the words one at a time.

They all stared at her, awestruck.

Kyle had her jaw hanging open. Meredith's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you kidding?" Kyle leaped off her chair and rushed to hug her.

Meredith joined in as well, with a loud cheer.

"You mean the Almighty Shane Williams offered to help? How did you two meet? How did that happen? God! I must not be dreaming!" Kyle rambled in excitement, smiling widely in exhilaration.

"I can't believe this, Lara. Congratulations." Joe came over to hug her as well.

"At what cost is he helping you, though?" Laura voiced out the question everyone had been dying to ask Lara after she congratulated her with a hug as well.

Lara shrugged. "I've been assured he has no ulterior motive for his gesture, and besides, I will be working with him to pay off the loan."

"At a rate better than the ones you earn from all your part-time jobs combined," Meredith reasoned. "I'm pleased you will have a semblance of life from now on rather than the shadow you've been enduring."

"I will be meeting with him on Monday to discuss more of the terms. Then I can fully jubilate. Although I will give nothing to be free from George's confines, I have no idea how being indebted to Shane will turn out either."

"I will be optimistic. Although he is an unrepentant playboy, I trust things will work out fine from now on." Kyle huffed a deep breath with a single nod.

"I'm scared, though. But let's close the ailing chapter first. We will cross the bridge when we get to it," Meredith stated.

They all nodded in agreement and enveloped her in a group hug.

"I'm just so happy for you," Kyle cooed.

"Not as much as I am," Lara muttered under her breath as she embraced them.

That wasn't so hard, was it?

She huffed and exhaled, looking forward to her meeting with the legendary Shane Williams.

Hello, readers.
My apologies for not updating all these while; I've been occupied.
Next chapter will be coming up by Saturday.
Anticipate!!!☀️

DebbieGg:
Hello, readers.
My apologies for not updating all these while; I've been occupied.
Next chapter will be coming up by Saturday.
Anticipate!!!☀️

I love your story

Please don't give up on writing this beautiful piece

DebbieGg:
Hello, readers.
My apologies for not updating all these while; I've been occupied.
Next chapter will be coming up by Saturday.
Anticipate!!!☀️

Nice story, am following. Why the 2 months hiatus?

Good morning, everyone, and happy Sunday to you all.

I posted the next chapter, as promised, by this time yesterday. However, it was taken down, just as my previous post had been as well.

I have no idea what's going on, but I may have to discontinue posting my story here.

I will be posting updates rather on my Wattpad account.

I won't share the link here for that may result in this post as well being pulled down, but for those interested in following up on my story, you can search on wattpad: The Playboy's Crush by Deborah A. Olaleye.

There, you can read from my weekly updates there.

It is well. I wish you a lovely weekend ahead, everyone 👐😘