Chapter 208 Don't Take Her Money
"Today, we ain't leaving without the cash!" The stick-thin man stood behind the tattooed man with his arms crossed.
A bunch of people looked pretty intimidating, making the teachers in the office peek out and gossip.
Seeing this, Katniss put her phone away and said firmly, "Loan sharking is illegal. Turning a $50,000 debt into $500,000, ten times the interest, is way over the legal limit..."
She just wanted to check with Aaron if he really borrowed the $50,000, not to get ready to pay them $500,000.
But before she could finish, the tattooed guy pulled out another piece of paper from his pocket and slapped it on the table, looking even more confident. "I knew you folks would try to use the law against me. I've been doing this for years; I'd be an idiot not to know the basics."
The receptionist gathered the courage to step forward and grab the paper from the table. It said that if Aaron's repayment didn't satisfy the tattooed guy, he could choose to forgo the money and have Aaron work for him for two years to pay off the debt.
The note didn't mention the amount owed, just whether the tattooed guy was satisfied.
"You're an educated person, so I won't make this hard for you. How about this..." The tattooed guy stood up, grinning, "By this time tomorrow, either bring the money or bring Aaron."
After saying that, the tattooed guy left with his crew, many of them giving Katniss nasty looks.
Those looks made Katniss frown. She turned to the receptionist and said, "Clean this place up. It's fine. Get back to work."
She went back to the second floor, gathered her stuff, and headed home.
As she drove away, her departure was photographed by the tattooed guy's crew and sent to Eudora.
Finally, they sent Eudora a message: [thank you], confident that Katniss would find a way to repay the money.
Soon, Eudora called back, "I'll give you the $500,000. Don't take her money. Just have Aaron drop out and join you."
Hearing this, the tattooed guy was stunned, "Are you his real sister? Whether it's now or when he turns eighteen, following us for two years will be a stain on his life."
In fact, the tattooed guy wanted money, not to ruin someone's life, and he was curious why Eudora was doing this.
"It's none of your business. I'll give you the money, so don't take their money instead. Just raise the price high enough, and they'll naturally give up on repaying!" Eudora said decisively and hung up the phone.
Everyone in the car could hear their conversation and looked at each other, puzzled. The stick-thin man, asked, "What does this mean? What should we do?"
The tattooed dude didn't hesitate, "Whatever, as long as we get the $500,000, we can live it up!"
"You're right. I've been dying to hit up a nightclub. You gotta take me!" Even though they hadn't gotten the money yet, they were already acting like they had, and the vibe in the car was electric.
Meanwhile, things were totally different with Katniss.
She got home and immediately called Aaron downstairs, showing him the IOU she had snapped a pic of on her phone.
Aaron took one look and his face went pale, "They messed with the IOU!"
"Whether they messed with it or not, tell me the truth. How much did you borrow, and are the fingerprint and signature yours?" Katniss sat on the couch, her golden hair falling over her shoulders.
Her piercing eyes locked onto Aaron, like an invisible hand squeezing his throat.
After a moment, Aaron guiltily said, "I only borrowed $500. They asked me to repay $2,000. I thought the interest wasn't too bad, so I agreed. But how did it become $50,000?"
And the $2,000 repayment had somehow turned into $500,000!
So the signature and fingerprint were his.
"So you also signed the clause that if your repayment didn't satisfy them, you'd work for them for two years to pay off the debt?" Katniss asked.
Aaron was stunned for a few seconds and quickly nodded, "Yeah, I thought it was just $2,000, and I could definitely repay it, so I... "
Before he could finish, Katniss grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at him.
Aaron didn't dare resist, covering his head with his hands and curling up on the couch, "Ms. Grey, I know I messed up. I thought if you didn't come for me, I had nowhere else to go. Following them for two years would at least keep me alive. If you came, $2,000 wouldn't be a big deal."
That made sense.
If the loan was still $2,000, Katniss wouldn't hesitate to repay it for Aaron.
However, the seriousness of the situation infuriated her. "You're only sixteen. If they had any bad intentions, you wouldn't even know how you died!"
The room's atmosphere dropped to freezing point. Tristan, who had just come back, immediately sensed something was wrong.
He changed his shoes and walked in, his gaze falling on the two sitting on the couch.
One was curled up in the corner, trembling, while the other sat with arms crossed, looking grim.
"Tristan." Seeing him return, Aaron got up and ran over, quickly explaining what had happened. Tristan frowned, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Aaron.
Aaron gave him a pleading smile, "Ms. Grey is mad. Tristan, help me out."
He was actually more scared of Katniss being angry, though he didn't know why.
"Go back upstairs. No dinner for you tonight." Tristan took off his jacket, unbuttoned the cuffs of his black shirt, and rolled them up.
His well-defined forearms were exposed, like he was about to handle something serious.
"As long as you can calm Ms. Grey down, I can go a day without eating!" Without another word, Aaron bolted upstairs.
As soon as he disappeared around the corner on the third floor, Katniss moved and looked back.
Once she confirmed he was out of sight, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Not mad?" Tristan sat down beside her, crossing his long legs and tucking her messy hair behind her ear.
Katniss leaned into his arms, "A bit mad, but I don't need to be calmed down. I was just putting on a show for him so he won't forget this lesson."
Since the IOU was forged, there were traces to follow, but it would take time to deal with those people.
However, her job was different, and being tangled up with those people for too long could have an impact.
"When I first came to Nightfall City, I spent a lot of effort looking for him. If he didn't have the skills to survive among the thugs, he would have starved to death." Tristan clearly remembered the first time he saw Aaron.
It was one of Aaron's ways to survive, a choice made out of desperation.
This time, Aaron was indeed wrong, but he was gambling that they would come for him.
"I get all that, but now that he has a way out, I need to make sure he doesn't entertain such thoughts again. He can't just run away from home whenever he feels like it." She tugged at a black button on Tristan's shirt, gently rubbing it with her fingers, feeling a knot in her heart.
"So, how did you talk to those people?" Tristan draped his long arm over the back of the couch, looking down at her face.
Her slightly lowered eyes and curled lashes reflected in his gaze with every expression.
Katniss pondered for a moment, "They said they'd come to the educational institution again tomorrow, so I need to consult a lawyer and figure out a way to handle them before resolving this issue."
Hearing this, Tristan thought for a moment and said softly, "Leave it to me."
As he spoke, he took out his phone and sent a message before Katniss could see what he was typing.
"Alright, but we need to be strict with Aaron for the next couple of days," Katniss said.
Tristan agreed, tightening his grip around her waist and pulling her onto his lap.
Feeling his firm thigh beneath her, Katniss instinctively wanted to escape, "Stop it. Aaron is still in the house!"
Tristan didn't care, "He won't dare come down."
Especially now, Aaron still thought Katniss was angry.
He gently stroked Katniss's cheek with his thumb, his head tilted back, revealing his Adam's apple and the faint veins on his neck.
"I'm hungry." Katniss pressed her hands firmly against his chest, refusing to fall into his embrace fully.
His voice was low and hoarse, with a certain emotion stirring in his dark eyes.
After a long while, he rested his head on her chest and let out a long sigh, "Then let's get you fed first."
"It's getting late. You should hurry and make dinner. After I eat, I still need to take Aaron to the Wilson Manor for tutoring." She reminded him, knowing that once she was full, he wouldn't get his way.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a warm sensation on her collarbone, followed by a sharp bite that made her frown instantly.
"I'll drive you both there." His hoarse voice came from his thin lips.
After biting her, he gently kissed the spot, as if that would make it hurt less.
Tristan straightened his messy shirt and told her to rest for a while, then went to the kitchen.
In the end, Katniss couldn't bear it and asked Tristan to call Aaron down for dinner.
Aaron ate uncomfortably, cautiously glancing at Katniss.
While Katniss was tutoring Aaron and Donna, Tristan chatted with Daniel.
During a ten-minute break, Katniss overheard them talking about a new project that Daniel was trying to get Tristan to invest in.
Tristan was seriously considering it.
The next day was Saturday. Katniss had planned to visit Sophia, but because of Aaron's situation, she had to go to the educational institution in the morning.
At eight o'clock, just as she opened the door, she saw the car parked by the roadside open its door, and the same familiar faces from yesterday got out.
They swaggered over, but Katniss stopped them at the door, "Guys, I've reserved a private room at the coffee shop across the street. It's the weekend, and students are here for tutoring. I hope you understand."
"Alright." The tattooed man turned and led his group away.
The sudden arrival of such a group at the coffee shop scared the staff.
Katniss reassured them, "Mr. Forbes reserved a private room."
"Please follow me." The server led them to the second floor and opened the door to a private room.
Katniss entered first and saw that besides Tristan, Eudora was also there. She paused in her tracks.
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