Being the daughter of the once most dominant street racer in town, Alystabella Cassidy was a force to be reckoned with, winning street race after street race in her beloved car, Obsidian. But when her driving talents were recognised, she was offered...
In the middle of a serene summer night, two beams of light illuminated the streets. A lavender purple BMW E46 crawled its way through town, not making a sound and disturbing anyone in its vicinity. It eventually pulled into a dark alleyway, where a black sedan had already been parking there for who knows how long.
A man got out of the BMW. His auburn hair reflected the dim lights, glowing a palette of iridescent reddish-brown colours around his silhouette. He was neither muscular nor tall, but looking at the way he stood, and how his sharp, hazel eyes were locked on the black sedan, there was a ray of confidence radiating out of him.
Shortly after, a woman exited the same car from the passenger's side. She had a petite figure, and was a few inches shorter than the man. She wore the same, sharp expression as him. But with a few strands of white hair sticking out of what would otherwise be a perfect head of amber, she looked exhausted, like she had just solved an impossible rocket science problem after countless attempts.
Nonetheless, they looked like husband and wife.
The man grabbed a suitcase from his car, and took three steps forward towards the black sedan. "As promised, we're giving you what you want, Damien."
Suddenly, the rear door of the black sedan opened, revealing Damien. He stepped out of the car with a smile plastered on his face. "Well, well, well," he began, his low-pitched voice as distinctive as ever, but his light tone contrasted the dark atmosphere. "The one and only Andrew Cassidy. Welcome! Show me what you have brought."
"Cash," the man, Andrew, announced. He stepped ahead, laying the suitcase on the ground, and then opening it for Damien to look. "A hundred thousand pounds of it, all here in the suitcase. I know it's fifty thousand pounds less than what you asked of us, but this is all we could give you for now."
Damien analysed the suitcase, flipping through the stacks of cash inside. Once he was done, he looked up at Andrew with an amused smirk. "Very good, Andrew. That's two-thirds of your debt paid. I'm sure you two have worked extremely hard to earn all that money. Is that right, my lovely Ellie?"
Upon hearing her name, the woman's gaze jolted to meet Damien's, but her stern expression remained the same.
"Aww, don't be so grumpy, Ellie. It's only a question," laughed Damien. He turned back to face Andrew. "But as you know by now, Andrew. Debt unpaid leads to consequences."
Andrew tensed at that. "I am well aware," he said in a low voice.
"Great!" The word came out of Damien's mouth like a teacher praising their best student. It was calm before the storm, really. "As punishment for not paying the total amount on time, you two will have to pay an additional hundred thousand pounds by the end of next month."
His fist clenched as his blood began to boil. "You can't do that!" growled Andrew. "You know we don't have that sort of money to play with!"
Damien pretended to be surprised by Andrew's sudden outburst. "Oh no... help me! Andrew's angry..." he mocked, before finally letting on a serious expression. "The deal is out, there's no room for negotiations."
Damien closed the suitcase, picked it up and took his first steps back towards the black sedan. "And you better have that money ready," he said as he opened the car door. "Or else..."
With that, the black sedan drove off out of the alleyway and into the distance, leaving the couple to deal with their problems alone.
Silence ensued, but it was Ellie who broke it. She turned to Andrew, who was as still as a rock, fists clenched, and deep in thought. "Honey, we can get through this," she rubbed her hands on Andrew's shoulders, trying to soothe him. "We just need to know how."
Andrew sighed. "We can't get through this, Elle. A hundred thousand pounds in a month really is too much. We'll have to win the lottery to get that sum of money."
Ellie squeezed his hand. "Then what can we do?"
"We run."
"Are you sure about this?" asked Ellie, worried. "What about our daughter?"
"It's the only way I know that works, Elle," Andrew replied. "She'll be safe, I assure you."
Ellie was only half convinced, but what could she do? Andrew dialled a number on his phone and waited as it rang. Five rings later, the person on the other side finally picked up.
"Hello?"
"Richard? We need your help."
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Oh? What happened here?
Questions!
1. Any fan theories to explain what in the world is going on?
2. Are you a science student or an art student? (I am very much a science student who somehow has a deep interest in art)
