NovelOnlineChapter 225
All of a sudden, Jared jerked awake. And before | could react, he lunged at me, wrapping his arms aroundin a
death grip. | was so embarrased. | could feel those employees staring, their eyes full of gossip.
“Jared, let go,” | said, my voice sharp with anger.
“Victoria,” he mumbled. “Nightmare... Just lethold you for a second, please?”
“Get off me,” | snapped, done playing nice. | dug my nails hard into the back of his hand.
Jared's eyes fluttered open, and he stared at me, his gaze clouded and bloodshot. “Aren’t you going to ask what |
dreamed about?”
“I don’t care,” | said coldly.
Jared suddenly spun my chair around so | was facing him. He pressed his face into my chest and said in this
raspy voice, “I dreamed... You were dead
Those words hitlike a punch to the gut. “Screw you,” | spat, my voice shaking with anger. “Don’t you dare
wish that on me.”
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Just then, Ryan walked in with sother employees. He could see us reflected in the glassand Jared in this
weird embrace. Ryan stopped dead in
his tracks, then turned and ran out.
Burning with shame, | shoved Jared away. “Get off me. What the hell is wrong with you, pulling this stunt at my
office?”
Jared just slumped back in his chair, his face blank as he watched me. | got up and walked out. As long as he was
in there, | wasn’t going back.
My head was a mess. | headed for a quiet path in the small park next to the building. And after a few steps, |
spotted Ryan under a tree.
Five or six men had him surrounded. | was too far to hear, but from their postures, it looked like a heated
argument.
My stomach dropped. “Hey,” | shouted, marching over. “What the hell's going on here?”
They all turned. Ryan looked shocked to see me. It was obvious these guys were trouble. They all had these
hard, scary faces.
Ryan looked fromto the men, his voice tight with panic. “Look, | keep telling you, I'll get you your money. Just
stop following me.”
The men’s faces were all frozen in shock. When | heard “money,” alarm bells went off. | moved to stand in front
of Ryan, facing them down. “He works for me,” | said. “How much does he owe?”
The group of burly men looked at each other awkwardly. The one who looked like the leader, a middle-aged guy,
finally mumbled, “It’s... a lot.”
“Ms. Murphy, it’s fine,” Ryan said quickly, trying to waveoff. “I can handle it.”
Ryan was just scollege kid working a summer job for beer money. Whatever he owed, he definitely couldn't
pay it.
“Don’t worry about it. Were these guys planning to drag you away from here?” | said, my eyes locked on these
muscle-bound men.
These guys looked like professional thugs. They had him backed into a secluded spot. They could have easily
bundled him into a car, and anything would have happened.
The leader's voice turned hard. “He owes a debt. If he doesn’t pay, we collect. Simple as that.”
“Ryan, how much is it?” | demanded. “What do you owe them?” | couldn't just watch them drag him off
somewhere.
“150 thousand,” Ryan mumbled, staring down at his shoes. “My grandpa owed it to them. When he couldn't pay,
they cfor me.”
The thugs just stood there, looking stunned. 150 thousand wasn’t a big deal to me, but for Ryan, that kind of
money would destroy his life.
“Don’t worry about it. Ill cover it,” | said, making a split second decision, “Just sign an tOU. You can payback
when you're able. ZYJE
but | wasn’t gonna let these thugs hurt him over it.
Ryan’s mouth fell open. The tough guys looked just as stunned.
“Ms. Murphy, why are you doing this?” Ryan finally asked, his voice low and serious. “Ms. Murphy, what if I'm
running skind of scam! What's to stopfrom taking the money and just disappearing?”
| gave him a look. “Then I'd report you to the police. It's that simple.”
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