A Lifetime With You

Chapter 62

“We don’t have a problem with letting you go, but this is a business we’re running here, not a charity. Just pay up what you owe, and we’ll happily leave you in peace, otherwise…” Ava knew that these loan sharks were no different from gangsters, and they dared to use despicable methods. If they were provoked, they would not hesitate to dish out the cruelty. But this was five million dollars at stake. Where was she going to find that much money? Right now she was just an unemployed woman who had been disowned by her in-laws, and she had no one she could rely on. But of course, her mother did not know yet that Ava had been driven out of the Radbury family. She declared to the loan sharks, “As I said, my daughter is going to be the wife of Radbury’s family! My son-in-law can easily pay you back even if it’s fifty million dollars, let alone five million dollars! But first, let me go!” The loan sharks merely laughed it off and said, “You expect us to believe that you’re related to the Radburys? What a good dream. If that were true, then why are you living in a slum like this, and why are you borrowing money from us in the first place?” “That’s because.” “Bullsh*t, if you’re the daughter-in-law of the Radbury family, then I’m Prince William himself! Haha hahaha…”

The men burst into raucous laughter as they were in total disbelief of Jessica’s story. Jessica turned to Ava and begged, “Please, Ava, say something! Help me settle the debts!” “I don’t have that much money…” Ava whispered, “Mom, why did you borrow such a large sum of money?” “If it wasn’t for you being so heartless…” The men interrupted their conversation and barked, “Alright, time’s up. Stop your scheming already and give us the money right now, or else we will kill you!” One of them had already unsheathed a sharp knife. Though they probably would not commit murder, it was enough to scare Jessica and make her cave. “Don’t… Please don’t… My daughter has money, she’ll repay you! Ava, say something quick! Are you waiting to see them disfigure your own mother?” As the knife crept closer to her mother’s face, Ava tightened her grip until her knuckles had gone white. She shouted, “Stop!”

“Oh, you’ve changed your mind, then?” “Just give me three days, and I’ll have your money by then!” The loan sharks exchanged looks of doubt. They did not buy into her claims. But Ava had no other options at this point. She put on a brave face and tried to convince them, “You’re debt collectors, and all you want is the money. How are you going to get the money by hurting my mother? You have my word, in three days, I’ll pay you back in full!” :

“Alright, let’s say I believe you for now. You have three days. I don’t give a dimn if you’re really an in law of the Radbury family or some stray wh*re from the village…as long as you pay me back in full, you hear me?” The group of loan sharks finally relented and left. Their home had been destroyed. Most of the items were broken or confiscated. Ava leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor. She then soaked in her own perspiration. Jessica crawled over and urged her, “Quick, you have to call Damien right away and ask him to send the money now!” She held her mother’s hands and spoke sternly, “How did you get yourself so deep in this mess?”

“… I had accidentally fallen victim in a scam…”

“What the hell did you do with all that money? Ava was losing her patience,”Don’t tell me you’ve been gambling?!” “No, I only tried my hand in the stock market, as I saw many people doing it too. I never expected to lose this much money…”

“You’re lying! There’s no way you can lose five million dollars from stock markets alone!”

After Ava’s hounding and interrogation, Jessica finally spilled the truth and told her, “The man said he had insider information, and promised us lucrative profits if we entrusted our money to him. Alli wanted was to make a bit of extra cash, but I didn’t have enough savings, so I went to borrow some money and thinking it would be a worthwhile investment.” Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“So you borrowed five million dollars? You’re crazy!” “No! I only borrowed three million. The remaining two million dollars are the interest for those loan sharks, which they insist I pay! Also, I did not expect

the man to be a con-man. I have lost all of my initial three million dollars investment!” Ava almost fainted upon hearing this.

“Then did you call the police?”

Jessica nodded, “I did. Two months ago, I reported the scam to the police, but they said that the con- man had already vanished and that it was impossible to recover my money.” “This was two months ago? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Ava was distressed and irritated at the same time. If it wasn’t for her dropping by today, she wondered whether her mother was ever going to tell about this whole incident?

Nobody knew how much her mother must have suffered from the loan sharks’ harassment over the last two months.

Jessica somehow felt aggrieved and complained, “Damien did give me a bit of cash last time, if it wasn’t for you who refused to take it, and forced me to return the money to him, the interest for the loan would not have compounded this much!” “If I recall correctly, you used the money Damien gave you to buy a handbag immediately, no? Mom, when are you going to act maturely?” “Why should I act like one? I thought you marrying into the Radbury family would mean that I could enjoy a luxurious life as well. But instead, you’re such a let-down that I have to find my own ways of making money. What a tough life…”

“Don’t blame it on your luck. You’re delusional if you think that there’re a rags-to-riches story waiting for you.”

“Ava, you can’t pin it all on me! I’m doing all this just so you can have a more dignified existence in the Radbury family! Now I’m in trouble. Are you really going to leave me to suffer?” Ava staggered as she got to her feet. She went to her room and locked the door. Her mother continued her nagging, simply

because she wanted Ava to take the easy way out. She expected her daughter to convince Damien to help clear all of her debts.

“No matter what, you’re the rightful daughter-in-law of the Radbury family. It’s merely five million dollars, I believe that’s just spare change for someone like Damien. Surely, he won’t just stand idly by as his mother-in-law is being hounded by loan sharks?” Ava plugged her ears, and she did not want to listen anymore. How could her mother have known that Ava had just been kicked out of the Radbury house? Indeed, asking for money from Damien now would only invite further ridicule. Even if she sold off her mother’s house, nay, even if she sold herself to human traffickers too, it still wasn’t enough to get five million dollars within three days! For the first time in twenty-odd years of her life, Ava was truly desperate. She could not bear to see her mother driven to suicide by debt. After a long silence, Ava plucked up some courage and dialed the number she had come to memorize so well.