The air was thick with the usual market smells—fresh vegetables mixing with the stench of wastewater—but Ryan had gotten used to it by now.
His stand was just a few feet from the main thoroughfare, where the old and the young hustled side by side, trying to eke out a living. He watched the chaos, feeling oddly at peace. There was something almost beautiful about the mess—life happening in real time, right in front of him. But then he heard that voice. Jake. The kind of guy who thrived on other people’s fear. His gut twisted because he knew whatever Jake was up to, it would not end well. Ryan turned hishead, just in time to see Jake grabbing Mr. Lee by the collar. The old man was barely hanging on, his face red as Jake spat his words. "Don't tell me that, old man! Enough of your excuses." Ryan's calm shattered, replaced by a scrunch of worry as he watched. The crowd, which usually moved like a restless sea, had stopped. They just stood there, eyes wide, but no one dared do a damn thing. Behind Jake, his lackeys loomed, grinning like they were in on some big joke. "If you know you can't pay that small amount of money that is used for the benefit of you and others here, why don't you shut down your business and go back to your family?! Don't you have children?!" "These scumbags," Ryan muttered under his breath and shook his head. He didn’t need to be close to the scene to figure out what the fuss was about. It was the protection money—same thing Jake and his crew demanded from everyone on this street, and he was no exception. He was behind on his payment too. They claimed it was for protection of their goods, but that was a joke. Their stalls and shops had been broken into more times than he could not count anymore, goods stolen, and they never did a thing to help. It was just another way to squeeze money out of them, but no one dared refuse to pay. No one except him, and even then, he had just been laying low, trying to avoid any heat. Mr. Lee was gasping for breath, pleading with Jake to give him more time, explaining that he was already drowning in debt. But Jake wasn’t having any of it. Instead, he barked at his boys to trash Mr. Lee’s shop and they sent his fruits rolling all over the place. As Ryan watched Mr. Lee struggle, knowing how fragile his health was, he could notjust stand by. The old man didn’t deserve this. Without hesitating, he stepped in to try and defuse the situation. “Here, take it,” he said, holding out twenty dollars to Jake, his expression calm even though Jake still had Mr. Lee by the collar. "Let him go and tell your boys to stop," Ryan added. Jake locked eyes with him and let out a low chuckle before releasing his grip on Mr. Lee. “You messing with me?” Jake asked, shoving Ryan in the chest. Ryan didn’t budge. “How dare you play the hero when you haven’t even paid up yet? Or do you think I’ve forgotten?” Theywere standing face-to-face, so close Ryan could feel Jake's breath, but Ryan held his ground. “I know,” Ryan said calmly. "This is Mr. Lee’s payment. I will settle mine tomorrow.” Jake stared him down for what felt like an eternity, then suddenly snatched the money from his hand. Jake jabbed a finger at Ryan, his eyes narrowing. “Tomorrow… you know what?” He let out another dark chuckle. “I hope you can’t pay tomorrow. Then you will learn the hard way that heroes sometimes regret their choices—and end up with a sad ending if they think they can be one.” With that, he signaled his boys, and they turned to leave. After they were out of sight, Mr. Lee turned to Ryan, gratitude in his eyes. He promised to repay Ryan before tomorrow evening, but Ryan shook my head. “Don’t worry about it,” he insisted and told Mr. Lee that he would settle his payment the following day. "Hope you are not hurt?" After checking his neck and confirming that Jake’s grip only left a bruise, Ryan and a few others helped himgather up the scattered fruit. Once everything was back in place, Ryan returned to his stall. Later that night, after closing up shop, he made his way to a nearby bar called “Rose.” It was named after the owner, a wealthy and stunning woman, and it had become his sanctuary. He did go there virtually every night to unwind with hisusual drink before heading home. “Your usual?” Zach, the bartender who was about his age, asked as he took a seat on the stool outside the bar stand. Ryan nodded, and Zach started pouring whiskey over ice. As he did, he mentioned that Rose had called a few minutes ago to ask if Ryan had shown up yet. “Call her and let her know I’m here,” Ryan said, my expression unreadable. Zach paused, then looked at Ryan with curiosity. “So, how did you manage to get her attention? I mean, plenty of rich and powerful men have tried to marry her or get involved with her, and she has turned them all down.” Without looking at Zach, Ryan asked him. "Why is it strange?" Ryan's voice dropped low. "Because I’m just a poor nobody?" “No…” Zach quickly waved his hands, denying it. “That is not what I meant.” “Well, I don’t care." Ryan shrugged. "We are just friends. There is nothing special going on between us.” That was what he always say whenever people ask about hisrelationship with her, but no one ever believed him. She didn’t help either; she would take any chance to tell people he was her boyfriend, showing him off like a trophy. He had met her in this same bar six months ago. He was minding his own business, nursing a whiskey, when some rich brat started causing a scene. The best was throwing a fit, breaking glasses, and threatening her because she had turned down his proposal. Ryan couldn’t just sit there and watch, so he stepped in and put the best in his place—literally brought him to the ground. Since that day, they had been drawn to each other. The connection was real, and he did enjoy her company every night. But he kept his distance emotionally because he was not ready for any kind of commitment, let alone love. Today was her birthday. She wanted them to spend the day together, but he turned her down and said they would celebrate here instead. Weird, right? A few moments later, he heard the echo of heels clicking on the floor. He knew it was her from her scent. “I thought you were going to ditch me again tonight," she teased, her voice pulling hisgaze toward her. With a faint smile, he wished her a happy birthday. “No hug?” she asked, spreading her arms wide. He stood up and pulled her into a tight embrace, holding on a little longer than usual. They found an empty table in the corner and sat down. He apologised for being late, explaining that business was unusually good tonight. “It’s okay,” she replied, her voice soft and forgiving. Then she reached into her purse and handed him a small envelope. Inside was an invitation card. "I will be having a small party for my birthday this weekend and you are invited. It is compulsory you attend if you really want me to forgive you for turning me down and to make up for showing up late tonight," she added. "Okay, I will think about it," he replied even though he had decided to go. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, the bar’s door flew open, and Lancelot, a fellow market trader, burst in, looking like he was running for his life. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on Ryan. Gasping for breath, Lancelot shouted, “You need to get out of here—right now!”With a calm demeanour, Ryan asked Lancelot, "What is wrong?"But before Lancelot could explain what was happening to Ryan, two police officers walked in.They scanned the bar before locking eyes with Lancelot and asking, "We were told Mr. Ryan Reyes is here. Where is he?"Slowly, Lancelot's eyes drifted towards Ryan."There he is," he muttered.Even though Ryan was curious about why the police were interested in him, he kept his cool.As the officers strode towards him, their gazes were locked on him.Reaching his front, the one that asked Lancelot of his whereabouts, who seemed to be the boss, brought out his police identification card."I'm Captain Frank Bowers, and this is Sergeant Alex Miguel. You are being accused of assault and attempted murder in connection with an altercation involving a Mr. Chad," the officer said.Ryan chuckled, remaining calm. "When was this report made?""Just some hours ago," Captain Frank replied.As Lancelot started to explain that Ryder had been at his
"You've really screwed yourself over now," the composed officer sneered, wiping blood from his split lip as Ryan was dragged away."Just wait until Commander Johnson hears about this. You are done for, punk."Ryan twisted around, grinning despite the bruising grip on his arms. “Commander Johnson? That's Chad's cousin, right? I can't wait to meet another corrupt piece of sh*t like you.""Watch your f*cking mouth!" one of the cops who was gripping his arms snarled. "You got a death wish or something?"Ryan laughed. "Seriously? You guys have zero shame, huh? Is this how officers act everywhere, or are you all just special kinds of assholes?""Why you little—" The composed officer lunged forward.In a burst of adrenaline, Ryan broke free and landed a vicious kick to the cop's knee. The man crumpled with a howl of pain.It all happened in seconds. Some officers rushed to help their fallen comrade, while others descended on Ryan like a pack of wolves. Fists rained down on Ryder from all s
Emma looked shocked and shifted her gaze between Ryder and the commander."Are you sure?" She asked the commander, who then nodded in affirmation."I will be right back. I want to speak to him."With that, she left the room, leaving Ryder and the commander in there.Suddenly, the commander did something totally unexpected. He bolted over to the chair where Emma had been sitting earlier, looking as nervous as he had been when he first walked in. He leaned in close, like he was about to spill some major secret.Ryan was completely lost. The commander's eyes were wide with panic as he leaned in, his hands clasped together like he was praying. "I'm so sorry, sir. I had no clue you were not just some random dude off the street. Please don't hold this against me. Look, I will come clean; nothing actually happened to Chad. That picture of him getting stabbed? It was fabricated. We faked the whole thing."His voice dropped to a desperate whisper. "I'm begging you; don't let this blow up in
Jane's usual air of superiority since Ryder had met her some minutes ago shifted to vulnerability when he locked eyes with her. It made him curious about why they were there in the middle of the night, especially considering how serious she sounded."What is it?" He asked her, her expression unreadable.Slowly, she walked closer to him, closing the gap between them.But with every step closer, his curiosity grew.When they were just a few steps apart, she finally spoke. “I don’t even know where to start. I had it all planned out in my head, but honestly, I’ve forgotten it.”She closed her eyes momentarily, holding her breath, and opened them, a faint smile plastered on her face. "This might sound weird..."She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Oh God! I had this all planned out."She apologised to him for her lack of composure while he stared at her, his mind consumed with curiousity.He could see the hesitation in her eyes from the way she shifted her weight f
After Ryan was dropped off at his home, Jane reminded him that she would be picking him up the next day to go to the courthouse and register their marriage. It was all about keeping up appearances and making sure no one suspected anything.As he stepped inside his small, cramped room, he could not stop thinking about the whirlwind of events that had unfolded that day, especially that moment on the bridge with her. The idea of marrying someone he had just met was still ridiculous to his ears.He let out a dry laugh. "If someone had told me this would happen, I would have said they were out of their mind."But despite the absurdity, he could not shake the memory of her determined gaze. Whatever her reasons were, she was set on this, and he found himself committed to helping her achieve whatever goal she had in mind in the space of three years—the length of their marriage.Still lost in thought, his mind drifted to Mr. Lee. He remembered that Mr. Lee had told him earlier that he would no
As Ryan and Jenna walked towards the gate, he decided to have an important discussion with her before he left."Jenna," he began, his voice gentle but firm, "have you ever thought about living on your own?"She looked up, surprised. "What do you mean? I’m fine here.""I know," he replied, stepping closer. "But... you are smart and capable. It might be good for you to think about having your own place someday, maybe very soon, since you've gotten yourself a big job. It could give you some freedom and particularly a chance to really figure things out for yourself."She bit her lip, considering his words. "I don’t know... it is just so comfortable here with dad and the family.""I get it," he said, nodding. "But comfort is not everything. Sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow."She stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to read his intentions. Finally, she nodded. "I will think about it.""Good," he smiled. "That’s all I ask, and it is for your o
The constant knocking on the door dragged Ryan out of sleep the next morning.Groaning, he stumbled towards the door, still in his undershorts. Yesterday had been exhausting, and he had stayed up late. But when he opened the door, his eyes widened in surprise—it was Jane. She looked just as startled, clearly not expecting him to be so unprepared on their big day.“Have you forgotten the significance of today for us?” she asked, frustration edging her voice.He quickly apologised, promising he would be ready in just a few minutes. He invited her in and hurried off to get prepared.When he walked out of his small bedroom, she was taken aback by how good he looked.Even though he was just wearing a simple white shirt with black stripes and black trousers, he looked handsome enough to make any woman turn her head."No wonder he has a reputation for attracting women," she thought inwardly.Still, even though he was exactly her type, she did not feel any romantic interest in him."This i
The morning air was still cool when Ryan's phone buzzed. Groggy and annoyed, he answered it to hear Jane’s voice on the other end."I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to pick you up as promised. I’ve got an emergency meeting out of state," she said, her tone brisk."What about your driver? Can’t he come and pick me up?” He asked, his irritation seeping into his voice."No,” she responded sharply. "You will have to find your own way to my house.”Before he could protest, she hung up. A few moments later, his phone pinged again—this time, it was a text with the address and some money for transport.He stared at the credit alert, his annoyance growing. "She is such a rude asshole,” he muttered, pocketing his phone. Even though they had agreed to keep things strictly business, he had hoped she would show a bit of common courtesy. Instead, it felt like she was going out of her way to make things difficult.“I guess that is what I will have to deal with for the next three years,” he sighed