"You're late," snarled the small boss of the Mafia, his voice dripping with anger. Levi stood to talk despite the fear hinged in his eyes. He faced a group of hardened criminals.
"You need to be patient. It's not as if I'm running away or anything." Levi said with a gentle voice.
He avoided anything that would cause any further commotion since he had already angered them enough.
"We shouldn't have lent the money to you, you're just nobody." Came the voice of one of the scowl-looking Mafia men as he spat on his body.
Levi was disgusted, but he could t do anything, he only asked for more days, and he didn't even know if he was going to afford such a huge amount of money in the span of one week. He surrendered to them, his life now in their hands.
Ten days ago, his girlfriend; Olivia got sick and passed out. She owned a big organization and had a lot of work to cover up since her father had huge expectations from her.
He took her to the hospital only for the doctors to break the most heart-rending news to him. He had to pay a huge sun of money before any treatment would be commenced.
He couldn't reach her family because he wasn't able to access her phone. Olivia was Levi's life. She met the world to him, and he couldn't leave her to die. He had to borrow a high rate loan with interest just to save her life thinking that she'd give him back the money if she was awake but unfortunately, Olivia recovered and dumped Levi's ass, calling him lazy and poor.
Thinking about what Olivia did to him made his heart clenched as he didn't expect her to be cruel to him, even after saving her life.
The mafia's boss voice resounded in his ears, jolting him back to reality as he was asked to pay the double amount of the money he owed as interest.
"But 200k?" He asked, confusion etched on his voice. "I said it was 100k. That's what we agreed on!"
The boos smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Interest, kid. You thought we'd lend you that kind of money for nothing? You're lucky we didn't triple it to 300k."
Levi clenched his fists, struggling to keep his temper I'm check. "I borrowed that money to save her life," he said, the words bitter in his mouth. "I thought…"
"You thought wrong," the boss cuts him off, histone mocking. "And now, you'd pay."
Levi was dumbfounded. He just couldn't leave Olivia like that without sorting the bills and this was what his generosity had landed him. "I just need a few more days," Levi pleaded, swallowing his pride. "I'll get the money."
The boss chuckled darkly. "You have a lot of nerve, kid. But alright, let's see if your little princess will bail you out." He tossed a phone to Levi, a challenge in his eyes. "Call her. Put it in speaker. Let's see how much she cares."
Levi's heart sank as he dialled Olivia's number. The phone rang twice before she picked up, her voice sharp and impatient. "What do you want, Levi?"
"Olivia, please," Levi started, trying to keep his voice steady. "I need your help. I borrowed money to save you, and now they're asking for double. Please, can you…"
Her laughter, cold and cruel, cut him off. "Double? So now it's 200k? You really think I'll believe that? You must be desperate to pull a stunt like this."
Levi's face flushed with shame and anger. "I'm not lying! They increased the amount…"
"Listen, Levi," she interrupted, her tone ivy. "I never asked you to save me. That was your choice. And If you can't handle the consequences, that's your problem. Goodbye."
The line went dead. For a moment, the silence in the abandoned house was deafening. Levi felt as if the ground had slipped from under his feet. Betrayed and abandoned, he turned to the boss, his voice hollow. "She's not helping."
The boss's expression darkened. "So, you have nothing to give us?"
Levi shook his head, his resolve hardening. "I have nothing. Do what you want. Just know that I've been betrayed by the one person I loved the most."
The boss eyed him, anger vivid on his face and grinding respect in his gaze. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. But we can't let you off easily." He pulled out a gleaming knife, advancing toward Levi. The tension in the air thick, every breath of Levi was a struggle.
Keeping Levi wouldn't be of any use to them…he was weak, poor and didn't even have any means to fend for himself. However, Levi stood still, his head lowered as he unfortunately embraced his fate.
He couldn't believe Olivia could do this to him. He wanted to ask her why she'd pay his good for evil, but he wouldn't get a chance to since his life had already come to an end.
Levi felt the cold steel on his neck, he gulped hard as he waited for the knife to pierce into his skin. His face expression was filled with fear as beads of sweats gathered on his forehead. Seeing how helpless, he looked, the mafia's mocked him as the mafia boss who was about chopping his head off raised Levi's head and gestures Levi to look into his red eyes.
"You've given up already?" The Mafia boss asked with mocking tone.
"It's not like I can do anything about it. All I needed is more time…"
A resounding slap fell in Levi's cheek as he spat a thick blood from his mouth, the Mafia boss's palm visible on Levi's face.
"More time? Why don't I just kill you a put an end to this charade?!" The boss said angrily, and he pointed the knife to Levi's forehead when some cars broke inside the abandoned house, to both Levi whose eyes flung open and the Mafias surprise.
Some cars rolled into the abandoned house, catching the Mafias and Levi off guard. The cars headlights flooded the space, forcing them to shield their eyes with their hands.
The Mafia boss, still held the knife to Levi's forehead, but both of them turned to see who had arrived.
A group of men stepped out from the cars that were parked, all dressed in sharp black suits and polished shoes. Each carried a pistol and handcuffs, aiming it at the gangsters.
The Mafia boss's face paled. The only person the mafias we're scared of were the FBI's, and they thought the FBI's must have caught up to them. He thought Levi must have shared the location to someone who must have called the FBI. Thinking about the possibilities of Levi calling the cops on them made him frown at Levi, gritting his teeth which sent shivers down Levi's spine.
Seeing that the boss had already surrendered, the other mafias played along a dropped every weapon they were holding onto in suit, visibly intimidated.
Levi watched with deep curiosity and apprehension. The arrival of these strangers was unexpected, and their demeanour suggested they were not ordinary thugs or cops.
Since the Mafias all surrendered, this was his time to escape. He examined the abandoned house that was already occupied with cars, each pathway we're already block. He couldn't help but ponder on his escape route, but to no avail. He was jolted to reality by the sound of a car door opening. A sharply dressed man stepped out of the luxurious Maybach truck. The man was roughly around his mid-thirties as he looked older than the rest of them. His presence was commanding sending shivers down Levi's spine.
The man introduced himself as Griffin Gluck, his voice authoritative as no one dared to even breath while he introduced himself. His eyes scanned the environment before settling in Levi, his gaze intense and calculating.
"I've been searching for Levi Monroe," Griffin Gluck declared, his voice clear and authoritative.
Levi's heart skipped a beat. The mafia members turned their attention to him, their expressions a mix of shock and pity.
"Looks like you're in hot water no?" one of the mafias muttered, their tine mocking. "Maybe they're here to collect a debt." another suggested with a smirk.
Levi overheard their whispers but chose to focus on the old man. He had no idea what he'd these men were his saviours or something far worse. He stood still, contemplating on whether he should announce his name to the man who was in search for him. Why were they in search for him? What wrong has he done? He believed Olivia must have sent them since she was rich, but they seemed far richer than Olivia, their aura alone screamed luxury, their cars, everything were something he hadn't seen in his life.
Griffin Gluck's face remained impassive as he approached Levi whose heart skipped a beat as he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. He had gone through a lot in the span of ten days. With the ma standing in front of him, Levi decided to tell him he was the one they were searching for.
"I'm Levi Monroe," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
To everyone's surprise, the old man's stern expression softened. Without warning, he stepped forward and slightly bowed to Levi and the men in sleek black suit followed suit.
"Finally, we've found you, Master Monroe!" Griffin Gluck exclaimed, his voice trembling with relief and emotion.
The scene left Levi and the Mafias bewildered. The shift from menace to affection was disorienting.
"Forgive my outburst, Master Monroe. I and simply overwhelmed with joy," he said, wiping his eyes with a handkerchief offered by one of his associates.
Levi watched in disbelief. Just moments ago, he had been on the brink of danger, and now, he was being treated like royalty.
Is this some kind of joke? Was this reality? What was going on here? Did Olivia want to send him up?
He rubbed his eyes I'm confusion, waiting for the man to explain further.
Griffin Gluck had already shifted his gaze away from Levi to the mafias, hi once softened gaze turned icy. "What's your relationship with our master?" He demanded sharply.
Levi found the term "master" strangely fitting, but he was more concerned about the situation, more concerned about his life and the turn of events in such a shot span.
The Mafia boss, now visibly shaken, stammered, "He's a debtor!"
Levi was embarrassed. They didn't have to make it obvious that he was a debtor, he at least used the money to save someone who's ungrateful.
To their surprise, Griffin Gluck signalled to another of his men, who brought forward a large, livid case. The mafia's eyes it warily, wondering what it contained.
Levi could tell the Mafia boss was trying to cover up his wrongdoings but not on his watch. He scoffed.
Griffin Gluck patience wore thin. "You dare call my master a debtor. You're quite bold." He moved closer to the Mafia boss with an imposing aura. "Now, tell me, how much does he owe you?" He asked, his voice rising with frustration.
The Mafia boss, now trembling, admitted. "Just a hundred thousand dollars, sir." Levi wanted to burst into laughter. Why didn't he add the interest to it since he was asked?
Griffin Gluck instructed one of the men to bring him a briefcase and handed it over to the Mafia boss who was trembling in fear. "Open it."
Without hesitation, the Mafia boss opened the briefcase and gasps in disbelief. He thanked Griffin Gluck repeatedly.
"Now who's the boss?" Griffin Gluck asked, folding his arms.
"Levi Monroe is the boss!" The Mafias said in unison.
Levi was enjoying every bit of what he was receiving. These were the men who wanted to kill him just because he owed them some money, and now they were bowing to him.
Griffin Gluck made them repeat it all over and over again before asking them to leave the abandoned house, and he didn't want to see them close to the master again.
Without hesitation, the Mafias left the abandoned house, as they held onto the briefcase as if their life depended on it.