Chapter 001: Alice's Debt

Chapter 001: Alice's Debt

"Terry, get out!"

Two burly men were shouting at a fast food restaurant in the capital. They were wearing all black clothes with a snake-shaped tattoo on their right hand.

This, of course, invited a sense of discomfort in the customers who were there. They sat in place, reluctant to reprimand for fear. Moreover, the two men were carrying pistols.

"Excuse me, sir. Who are you looking for?" Asked a man with dark gray hair who came out of his room. His name was Xavier. On his name tag, it was written that he worked as a manager at the restaurant.

"Can you stop yelling? You're scaring the customers of this restaurant."

The two burly men flashed their sardonic smiles. One of them walked behind Xavier's body, trapping him so he could not escape.

"Wow, look at this little guy," one of the men said in a dismissive tone. "How dare you stop us? Don't you know who we are?"

Xavier sighed. He was trying to be brave despite being scared to death.

"I don't know you two because it's none of my business." Xavier replied in a low, yet firm voice.

"Then, what do you two need to come here? Don't tell me if you just want to make a mess of this place."

Both of them snorted harshly, sounding displeased with Xavier's condescending words. "We're not that low to do useless work."

"Then?"

"Is there one of your employees named Terry Walter?"

Xavier nodded his head, then walked sideways to get away from the two men who were intimidating him. "Yes, he is the chef of this restaurant. What do you need with him?"

"Send him out right now," he ordered in a stern tone. Let's not forget the unfriendly expression painted on his face. "We have a need for him."

"Sorry. For now, Terry is- "

"Send him out if you don't want your head to explode!" The man's interjection was harsh when Xavier said too much.

Xavier sighed. He immediately told one of the nearby employees to call Terry from the kitchen.

In less than five minutes, a black-haired man with brown eyes came out of the kitchen. There was a dirty apron attached to his body. The man approached Xavier with a confused face.

"Yes, sir? Did you call me?"

Xavier turned his attention towards the source of the voice. His face looked confused. "Here, someone is looking for you."

Terry rounded his eyes as he met the two men face-to-face. Let's call them Kieran and Derrick.

"Please finish your business outside. Because these two men have made a mess by looking for you, Terry."

"Alright, sir," Terry nodded his head awkwardly, embarrassed by the behavior of the two men who were uninvited guests.

"Come on, follow me."

Terry stepped out of the restaurant, taking the back way that was used for the workers. Kieran and Derrick followed close behind.

Once the two were in a safe place—in a small alley—far enough away from the restaurant, Terry turned his body around.

"Why are you two looking for me?" He asked to the points. He didn't want to make small talk with the two.

"The boss said that you have to pay your debt this week." Kieran said in a quick voice.

"Debt? Didn't I pay it off last week?"

Derrick shook his head. His gaze looked dismissive, with a lopsided smile etched on his lips. "Not that debt. But the other one,"

"What do you mean?"

"Your wife borrowed 2 million dollars from us last week." Kevin paused his words to catch his breath. "And the boss asked you to pay it back as soon as possible."

Surprised, that was the look on Terry's face. He didn't know his wife had borrowed such a huge amount of money from the notorious loan sharks in his neighborhood. "But my wife didn't say anything."

Derrick pulled out a paper from the pocket of his leather jacket. The paper contained a loan agreement, with Alice borrowing 2 million dollars. Even his wife's signature was on the paper.

"This is-"

"If you can't repay your debt. Then Daisy will be the collateral."

Again, Terry's eyes rounded at the words Derrick said. His daughter as collateral for his wife's debt? Oh gosh, this was so bad.

"Can't I ask for an extra minute to pay it off?" Terry said in a pleading tone.

"I don't have the money because I ran out of my savings to pay off my wife's debt last week."

Kevin and Derrick laughed loudly. They both approached Terry and raised their hands. Simultaneously, they punched Terry in the stomach.

Terry immediately fell down. His stomach hurt so much that his mouth was bleeding. He groaned while holding the punched area with his hand.

Kieran squatted down to align his body with Terry, who was currently lying on the asphalt.

"Extra time again? Are you crazy?" He asked in a mocking tone. Kieran reached out his hand and gripped Terry's gaunt face.

"It says in the agreement that the time is one week. If you ask for more money, do you want to die at **his** hands?"

Terry shook his head. He didn't want to deal with that person again, just like what happened four years ago.

"No!" Terry replied.

Kieran pushed Terry's face until the man fell down. "If you don't want to deal with him, go pay your wife's debt!"

"Our business is done. This is just a warning, Terry. I hope you've collected the money so your daughter won't be taken by **him**," Derrick continued.

Kieran and Derrick left, leaving Terry alone, who was now in a battered condition. Terry tried to get up, although it was difficult. He limped towards the kitchen to resume his work.

As he was about to resume cooking, Xavier approached him. "Terry, sorry. You'd better go home today."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"You got a warning letter. The arrival of those two men made a lot of noise in the restaurant and made the customers uncomfortable. I'm sorry I have to do this."

"You don't have to apologize," Terry smiled slightly. "After all, it was my fault."

Terry took off his apron and put it on the hanger behind the door. After that, he picked up the bag hanging in the staff locker. Terry hobbled towards his house.

"How am I going to repay that debt? Especially when the amount is so big?" He muttered under his breath.

On the way, he accidentally met a young girl handing out pamphlets in the park. The girl looked like she was about to cry when no one received her pamphlets.

Out of pity, Terry approached the girl. "Hey, Miss,"

The girl turned her head. Her eyes turned bright as Terry approached her. "Ah, yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," the girl forced a smile. Shortly after, the girl spoke again.

"Sir, will you accept this pamphlet? I could get fired if no one takes it."

Terry, who had a high sense of empathy nodded his head. He took one of the pamphlets and read it carefully.

"Debt System? What does that mean?"