Chapter 43: Losing Battle

It was only now that I have truly witnessed the persuasive power of money.

I’ve read in an article before that the two greatest inventions of the human mind were writing and money - the common language of interest being intelligence and the common language of self-interest. Money has been a tool that we could use in order to attain goals that we could not attain directly - and I was only able to truly see the persuasive power that it holds as I watched Arthur pull out a check and a ballpen that had his name engraved on it.

“How much did he pay you?” Arthur asked nonchalantly as he placed the check down and clicked the ballpen. The man pursed his lips as he rubbed his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

“No, I can’t.” He said firmly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked away. Arthur arched an eyebrow at him before he started writing a number on the check. I stretched my neck a little bit to get a closer look of the amount that Arthur planned to give him and my eyes widened in shock as I saw the number of zeros that he was writing.

“Arthur is that o--” I cut myself short when he moved the check face down towards the guy. The man eyed the check then looked at us before he reluctantly picked it up to check the amount.

“Would that work for you?” Arthur asked calmly as he stared at the man expectantly. The man pressed his lips together, struggling to mask the surprised expression on his face. He let out a long, exasperated sigh as he placed the check in his safe.

“Which footage do you want to see again?” He asked attentively now as he placed his hands on his hips. He still looked hesitant to help us but the amount on that check was enough to convince him to search it for us.

“The last day that Kevin Butler went to this building.” I said confidently, making him roll his eyes at me.

“I need a date, ma’am.” He said curtly.

I furrowed my eyebrows at his rude actions and responses. “March 28.” He nodded in response as he started typing on his computer. His eyes widened in realization as he looked at us apologetically.

“Mr. Butler asked me to delete other footage that had him in it, but don’t worry, it’s possible for me to retrieve it.” He explained, his voice was laced with panic. It was my turn to frown and cross my arms at him.

“How long will this take?” I asked, my voice had a hint of annoyance in it.

“A few hours, but I can give it to the both of you by the end of the day.” He retorted as he busily worked on his computer. I opened my mouth to speak but Arthur beat me to it.

“Contact me when it’s done.” Arthur left his calling card next to the man and he nodded at me, signaling me to just leave. I let out a sigh as I hunched my back in defeat. I reluctantly walked out of the room, a bitter expression was on my face.

“Did you really have to give him that much money?” I said in frustration as he finally walked out of the room as well. He gave me a small smile and patted me gently on the head, making me scowl at him.

“Trust me on this, now let’s go have coffee while we wait.” He said cheerfully as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it assuringly. This definitely eased the tension in my body as I decided to just go with the flow.

We walked hand in hand to the nearest coffee shop. While passing a large number of people walking along the street, a few of them were giving side glances to the both of us. Arthur must have not noticed this since he just walked confidently. Meanwhile, these looks definitely made me feel self-conscious. I tried to ignore them and held my head high as we approached the cafe.

Arthur, being the gentleman that he is, opened the door for me. As soon as I went inside the chattering suddenly died down. I can feel all of their eyes on me. This made me freeze in my steps. I didn’t want to take any step further inside. I was not accustomed to this kind of attention so it made me feel sick in my stomach. But Arthur was in such a good mood, so he still urged me to go inside. Maybe he was just oblivious to the people’s stare.

I heard people’s inaudible whispers as we walked inside to find a seat. It made my palms sweaty and my stomach churn. I wanted to turn back and just go home but Arthur already found a table for us.

He pulled out a seat for me. “Don’t mind them, babe.” He whispered as I sat down. I just nodded in response to acknowledge what he said. “You stay here, I’ll get us something to drink.” He placed a kiss on my head before going to the counter to order. I tugged on his arm because I didn’t want him to leave me alone but he reassured me that he’ll be quick. I sighed in defeat knowing that I won’t be able to stop him. I’ll just try my best to ignore the glares and the whispers that people were giving me.

I busied myself on my phone as I waited for Arthur to come back. I heard someone yell my name from a distance. As I turned around to see where the sound came from, a bagel immediately hit my face. I felt my heart drop to the pit as the bagel slid down my face and fell on my lap, staining Arthur’s joggings a little bit. I snapped my head to the direction where the bagel was thrown, my eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. As I did, I heard a couple of guys laughing from another table. I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to do or say something. I knew that I had to stand up for myself. People cannot treat me this way for a lie that Kevin has made.

The loud laughter multiplied, almost deafening me. I felt my mind throbbing as I started to be overwhelmed with everything. I pressed my lips together, knowing that I couldn’t do or say anything yet. I will just fall into their trap, making me look like the bad person in the end. I let out a soft sigh before I wiped my face with a napkin and pretended that nothing happened.

“Sandra!” A random guy called out. Maybe if I don’t look back they’ll leave me alone. However, I was wrong to assume that. After a couple more yelling, they threw another bagel at the back of my head. I heard the nearby table snickering at me. I didn’t want to pay any attention to any of them. Engaging any of them would only end badly.

It was then that a woman suddenly passed by my table. She poured her water all over me. “Serves you right, you lying bitch!” She spat out as she walked away. Her friends gave her high fives as she sat down. I have never felt any more embarrassed than I am today. My hands were shaking so much in fear.

At this point, all I wanted was to go home and cry. I couldn’t take any more of these. I looked around to find Arthur only to see him still in line to get our order. I got up from my seat, ready to tell Arthur that we need to go. As I walked to where he was standing, someone deliberately tripped me causing me to fall hard on the floor. By this time, almost everyone in the entire cafe was laughing at me and calling me horrible names. I didn’t want to get back up, fearing that another person would trip me again.

It was then Arthur’s voice silenced the whole coffee shop. “Stop!” He shouted loudly, surprising the people in the cafe. “You don’t know what Sandra had been through. The video circulating the internet is a lie.” He explained, trying to defend me. People were at loss for words as he tried to help me up.

We walked out of the cafe but a man suddenly screamed making us stop in our tracks. “Nice try defending her here. Let’s see how far you can take her side once you read all the nasty things on the internet.” He called out. His words felt like I had been shot by an arrow as my heart throbbed painfully. Arthur stiffened beside me and clenched his fists. I didn’t want to make things worse so I turned around and walked towards the door, signaling him to just ignore the man and leave.

My phone suddenly kept pinging as I stepped out of the cafe, signifying that I had received multiple notifications all at once. I frowned in confusion and pulled my phone out to check it as I hurriedly walked back home. My hand flew to my mouth as tears started to form in my eyes. I stopped mid-step, making Arthur catch up with me.

I can’t do this anymore.