Chapter 3

The large men beat Zach mercilessly. Over and over, Zach pleaded for them to stop, but the punches and kicks kept coming.

"You won't be able to escape, Zach," said a man who acted like the boss, approaching and planting his shoe on Zach's heaving chest. Then, he pressed down hard. "Your debt won't decrease by hiding. Don't be a coward!"

Zach had no intention of running away, but he didn't know what else to do. His mind felt blank. There was no one willing to help him. A few days ago, Zach had approached friends who might have been able to help, including his former employees. He humbled himself before them, apologizing for not being able to pay their wages on time, and even asking for their assistance.

Of course, that didn't go well. Zach also had no wealthy acquaintances he could rely on. He had no family, and even his friends were distancing themselves from him. He recalled Sam's words: maybe it was true that Zach's dreams were too high.

"Pay off your debt by next week. If not, I'll be forced to do something to you, Zach!" threatened the loan shark boss.

They finally left Zach lying helpless in the deserted street. Tears fell involuntarily, and then he laughed. "Damn it! How did it come to this?"

Zach was living like a homeless person. He had no place to stay. Additionally, he was looking for part-time work to meet his basic needs. However, that was easier said than done. Sometimes he felt like he was being watched, and in reality, he was. The loan sharks were always around him. Until the deadline approached.

It was impossible for Zach to pay off the debt and interest in a week. He had become a homeless person with no steady job. Where could he get tens of millions of dollars in a week? The thought of robbing a bank or another big institution crossed his mind, but that would only make his life more chaotic.

"Damn!" Zach saw the loan sharks as he stepped out of the laundry store where he worked. He tried to stay calm and act like nothing was happening. However, the large men followed him everywhere, until he was cornered in a narrow, deserted alley.

"I don't have the money yet. Give me a little more time," Zach said, summoning the courage to look the man in the eye.

"Collecting pennies from that store? Are you kidding?!" mocked the loan shark boss.

"I've always worked as a trader! I have no other skills! Do you think it's easy for me to find a job?" Zach shouted, fed up with the disgusting face of the thick-mustached man.

The next moment, Zach was pummeled by the large men. His body became a punching bag, resulting in bruises, and he even spat out blood.

"How dare you yell at me!" the loan shark boss shouted. He then smiled wickedly. "What else can I do? Your organs might cover half your debt." He pulled out a shiny object from his jacket pocket. A special knife with a blade that split like a snake's tongue. "My patience has run out, Zach."

Zach, held by two men on either side, could only look in horror with trembling eyes. The knife's edge landed on his cheek, creating a cut that let blood flow like dew on a leaf. Then, the knife moved to Zach's throat.

"Tell me, all your organs are still functioning well, right?" The man grinned like a hungry devil.

Zach hoped they were only bluffing, but given how brutally they had beaten him and the pain on his neck, his body began to tremble in mortal fear. "So, I'm going to die at their hands?" he thought, laughing at himself. "I'm going to die for something I never did?"

There was nothing Zach could do but surrender. Besides, he had long been feeling hopeless about his life. So he began to close his eyes, the sweat pouring down making the wound on his neck sting even more.

Zach thought he would die that day, but something happened. The men, including the loan shark boss, suddenly stepped away from him. They were involved in a fight with strangers in neat suits who came out of nowhere.

Freed, he stared at the chaos for a moment, then decided to run. To hell with who they were, this was Zach's chance to escape.

However, as he turned down another alley, he almost bumped into someone. A man in a neat and fragrant suit, wearing glasses with a blank expression.

"Oh holy shit!" Zach cursed, startled. When he tried to move to the left to continue running, the man with glasses also moved in the same direction. It happened repeatedly in the opposite direction. "Get out of my way, you bastard!"

"Zachary?" the man said, "Zachary Hayes." There was no expression on his face, but his words were full of emphasis.

"You know me?" Of course, Zach was shocked. In a situation where it was hard to think, let alone remember if this man was someone he knew. Zach looked at the man from head to toe.

"I am offering you help. I will help you, Zachary."

Zach felt uncomfortable with the way the man said his name. "I don't know you." Besides, what did a stranger know about his problems? Zach needed to escape before the thugs noticed him again. "Forget it! I'm busy!"

"You will live comfortably and your debt will be paid off," the man said, turning as Zach managed to pass him. As if predicting that his target would stop, he smiled slightly.

Zach turned and faced the man. His brow furrowed deeply. "Listen, I'm in a hurry. A gang of thugs is after my organs! Don't joke around!"

"I know they are loan sharks. You owe them, and the bank."

Zach raised his eyebrows, looking surprised. "You know that?"

"You were also betrayed by your friend and your girlfriend, weren't you?"

Zach became wary. There was no way this man with glasses was part of the loan sharks. "What do you want?" he asked sharply, keeping his distance.

"I told you, I want to help you."

"Who are you?"

The voice of the loan shark boss calling Zach's name, accompanied by the sound of footsteps echoing in the alley, made Zach panic.

"I don't have time to—" But Zach's words were cut off when someone struck the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

The man with glasses instructed his subordinates to carry Zach to a car that had just arrived at the end of the alley.

Zach felt soreness all over his body. The bruises and cuts on his face and neck had been treated. But when he opened his eyes, the unfamiliar ceiling view made him immediately get up from his lying position.

Zach saw the man with glasses standing with his back to him. "Where am I? What did you do to me?"

This place was too nice to be a loan shark's lair or a place where his organs would be harvested. The decorative lights on the ceiling, the plush bed, and the furniture with silver and gold hues left Zach puzzled.

"You just need to follow my words. Then your debt and misfortune will be resolved."

"What are you talking about?"

"Become part of the Bennett family, and you will be saved from the loan sharks and your debts."