Chapter 116
NALA’S POV
“Ethan!” I flung myself into the room and toward my hanging brother. His pulse is weak as fuck, and if not for one of his swollen eyes slowly blinking, I would have believed he’d lost consciousness—or worse, maybe he’d died.
“Ethan. What’s wrong? What happened? Who did this to you?” I tried loosening the ropes around his neck, but the damn rope was far taller than I am. The height difference is wild, and my brother is dangling like a butchered cow in an abattoir.
“Scar,” I faced the only familiar face, tears blinding my vision. “Is this an accident? Please loosen him. What did he do? What’s going on p>
No response.
The ugly fucker didn’t reply to me. It was then I noticed the men in suits in the room. All four of them, and Scar was the odd one amongst them. Even from the look of things, he might be the least powerful.
It was then I realized that Scar might not be the villain. He actually does have a boss. Or bosses, from the look of things.
I cleared my throat, pushed my chest out, hoping I looked more intimidating than sexy.
“Hello, gentlemen. I’m Nalayna Brooks, and this man,” I pointed at my dangling brother, “is Ethan Brooks. It would be nice if you could loosen him and lay him down so he can feel better.” I said it with fake confidence, and while everyone in the room was looking at me, it was as if they didn’t see me.
“No,” one of the men in a dark tuxedo said. He was the only one wearing sunglasses in the dimly lit room, and something about him looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place my finger on it.
“No?” I asked again to be sure I heard right.
“You see, your brother did what many people would call a grave mistake. But I—I see it as an important opportunity that I wouldn’t dare risk.” He said it with a smug, taunting smile. I could feel goosebumps covering every exposed part of my skin.
My hands clamped together. I had to slowly rub my frozen hands against my arms, hoping I would feel better and prepared for whatever was coming. But what I heard next had me frozen.
“See, your brother here used you as collateral for his gamble, and it’s time he pays up p>
My heart skipped a beat. Or several beats. I wasn’t counting.
My stomach plummeted, and I could feel it splattering against the floor.
My throat went dry immediately, like I was born mute.
My armpits as well as my scalp were itching like I’m allergic to breathing. Speaking of breathing, I reminded myself to breathe.
Just breathe, Nala.
“That’s a lie. My brother would never do something like that,” I said boldly. But deep down in me, I know Ethan’s gambling has been getting out of hand recently.
He’d used my tuition to pay off gang members who beat him up for not paying his debts. I’ve cautioned him several times. I’ve even gone as far as not keeping money where he can find it. But now.
Now. Even my defense for him tastes like ash in my mouth. It wasn’t forthcoming.
“Ask him. He can still talk. Or did you remove all his teeth, Scar?” The man in sunglasses barked, and the fearsome Scar trembled before him.
“No, boss. He still has some teeth left p>
Some teeth. My brother has some teeth left. I shook my head in disbelief.
They’re lying, right? I turned slowly, like I was being operated in slow motion, and moved toward my brother. I slowly knelt beside him so my head was beside his dangling head.
“It’s a lie, right? Ethan, they’re trying to force you, right? You didn’t gamble me away… right, Ethan!?” I screamed the last words, this time letting my tears stream down my face.
“I’m… I’m… I’m sorry,” he said in a broken whisper before he started coughing, blood sputtering out of his swollen and bloodied mouth.
I’m sorry. Typical Ethan after a fuck-up. I’m sorry, as if that would change anything.
“How much is he owing? Can you give us time to get it together and pay you?” I asked coolly, smiling and wiping the tears that managed to leak out of my eyes with my hands. But I refused to back down or act coy now that I know my brother truly gambled my freedom away.
Scar cleared his throat, moving towards me, but he stopped without getting too close.
“Your brother won two hundred thousand dollars in a gamble last week, and that was based on the debt of one hundred thousand dollars he took from Mr. Calloway’s casino. After winning, instead of repaying his debt, he came here to play an all-or-nothing game, which he lost immediately. But instead of your brother accepting defeat and moving on, he suggested a human chip p>
I swallowed hard, fighting hard not to let the sobbing sounds in my throat leak out. Scar stopped briefly, as if giving me space to soak the tragedy all in.
“The human chip is you. And your brother didn’t just lose—he’s a sore loser. When he realized he wasn’t getting his money back, he destroyed the clubhouse, injured several of our customers, and if not for the timely intervention of the men on site, your brother would have killed several men and ran away with their money p>
There was silence for some seconds while I struggled to believe what I was hearing. But with the hoarse, quiet sob behind me, I knew it wasn’t a lie. Ethan really did fuck things up.
“In total, your debt is one hundred fifty million dollars, and that includes the properties destroyed by your brother as well as the loan he took and the money he stole p>
One hundred fifty million dollars? My tuition fee is four hundred dollars for this semester, and I’m yet to pay half. Where do I get that ridiculous amount?
“What if we negotiate? You give me some months and we work our asses off to get the p>
“You’re not getting things right, Carrot Top,” the man in sunglasses said. I swallowed the sharp retort in my mouth. I hate when people refer to me as Carrot Top or Ginger Head because of my blazing red hair. But now is not the time to be sassy.
“Your brother doesn’t leave here till the debt is settled. And as soon as your brother submitted your picture as well as your papers on my table, your freedom was restricted as well p>
I’m definitely not hearing him right.
“Sir, I’m saying you let me go hustle for this money and find a way to pay you back.” I tried reasoning with him.
“And I’m saying unless you have a third family member who can stand for you both, both of you are mine till further notice p>
He said it calmly, rising to his feet from the lounge settee they’d been sitting on. And while he looks familiar, I haven’t seen a man with an upper body as wide as his physically. He looked physically fit, like he sleeps and wakes up in the gym.
“You mean I’m not p>
“I mean you are mine till your brother pays his debt,” he cut me short, removing the dark sunglasses that had been hiding his eyes. I couldn’t hold back my gasp as soon as I saw the mismatched blue and brown eyeballs, as well as the faint scar between his eyebrows.
“Ivin?” I asked, still shocked and trying to figure out if I’m imagining things. But there was only one person I know with complete heterochromia—blue and brown eyes—as well as the scar between his eyebrows that matched the one on my collarbone.
My brother’s best friend.
“Hello, Nalayna. Been a while,” the gruff, deep masculine voice he didn’t have the last time I saw him said. If not for his eyes and scar, I’m positive I would never know it’s the same guy who always came to our house to hang around Ethan when I was younger.
He’d always been like my older brother. My secret crush. But right now, things are not adding up.
“But Ivin, that is Ethan. Your Ethan. My brother. Your p>
“I know who he is, but that’s all in the past, and feelings won’t repay my debt. So if you have the amount owed, you can pay Scar and walk away scot-free. But if you don’t He paused, letting the threat hang in the air.
“If you don’t, that means you belong to me now, Nalayna. And I have every right to do to you as I please.” He concluded, and I saw the men around him nod in support.
“Ivin, this isn’t like you. We can sort p>
He walked closer to me, cutting me short and seizing the air from my chest. Just like how I usually reacted with him around me back then. But now it’s not the usual admiration. Now it’s fear and something else I don’t know. He brought his mouth closer to my ear so I’m the only one who can hear him say:
“The Ivin you knew then doesn’t exist anymore p>