A Lifetime With You Chapter 62


    Chapter 62


    “We don’t have a problem with letting you go, but this is a business we’re running here, not a charity.


    Just pay up what you owe, and we’ll happily leave you in peace, otherwise…” Ava knew that these loan


    sharks were no different from gangsters, and they dared to use despicable methods. If they were


    provoked, they would not hesitate to dish out the cruelty. But this was five million dors at stake.


    Where was she going to find that much money? Right now she was just an unemployed woman who


    had been disowned by her inws, and she had no one she could rely on. But of course, her mother


    did not know yet that Ava had been driven out of the Radbury family. She dered to the loan sharks,


    “As I said, my daughter is going to be the wife of Radbury’s family! My son-inw can easily pay you


    back even if it’s fifty million dors, let alone five million dors! But first, let me go!” The loan sharks


    merelyughed it off and said, “You expect us to believe that you’re rted to the Radburys? What a


    good dream. If that were true, then why are you living in a slum like this, and why are you borrowing


    money from us in the first ce?” “That’s because.” “Bullsh*t, if you’re the daughter-inw of the


    Radbury family, then I’m Prince William himself! Haha hahaha…”


    The men burst into raucousughter as they were in total disbelief of Jessica’s story. Jessica turned to


    Ava and begged, “Please, Ava, say something! Help me settle the debts!” “I don’t have that much


    money…” Ava whispered, “Mom, why did you borrow such arge sum of money?” “If it wasn’t for you


    being so heartless…” The men interrupted their conversation and barked, “Alright, time’s up. Stop your


    scheming already and give us the money right now, or else we will kill you!” One of them had already


    unsheathed a sharp knife. Though they probably would notmit murder, it was enough to scare


    Jessica and make her cave. “Don’t… Please don’t… My daughter has money, she’ll repay you! Ava,


    say something quick! Are you waiting to see them disfigure your own mother?” As the knife crept closer


    to her mother’s face, Ava tightened her grip until her knuckles had gone white. She shouted, “Stop!”


    “Oh, you’ve changed your mind, then?” “Just give me three days, and I’ll have your money by then!”


    The loan sharks exchanged looks of doubt. They did not buy into her ims. But Ava had no other


    options at this point. She put on a brave face and tried to convince them, “You’re debt collectors, and


    all you want is the money. How are you going to get the money by hurting my mother? You have my


    word, in three days, I’ll pay you back in full!” :


    “Alright, let’s say I believe you for now. You have three days. I don’t give a dimn if you’re really an inw


    of the Radbury family or some stray wh*re from the vige…as long as you pay me back in full, you


    hear me?” The group of loan sharks finally relented and left. Their home had been destroyed. Most of


    the items were broken or confiscated. Ava leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor. She then


    soaked in her own perspiration. Jessica crawled over and urged her, “Quick, you have to call Damien


    right away and ask him to send the money now!” She held her mother’s hands and spoke sternly, “How


    did you get yourself so deep in this mess?”


    “… I had identally fallen victim in a scam…”


    “What the hell did you do with all that money? Ava was losing her patience,”Don’t tell me you’ve been


    gambling?!” “No, I only tried my hand in the stock market, as I saw many people doing it too. I never


    expected to lose this much money…”


    “You’re lying! There’s no way you can lose five million dors from stock markets alone!”


    After Ava’s hounding and interrogation, Jessica finally spilled the truth and told her, “The man said he


    had insider information, and promised us lucrative profits if we entrusted our money to him. Alli wanted


    was to make a bit of extra cash, but I didn’t have enough savings, so I went to borrow some money and


    thinking it would be a worthwhile investment.”


    “So you borrowed five million dors? You’re crazy!” “No! I only borrowed three million. The remaining


    two million dors are the interest for those loan sharks, which they insist I pay! Also, I did not expect


    the man to be a con-man. I have lost all of my initial three million dors investment!” Ava almost


    fainted upon hearing this.


    “Then did you call the police?”


    Jessica nodded, “I did. Two months ago, I reported the scam to the police, but they said that the con-


    man had already vanished and that it was impossible to recover my money.” “This was two months


    ago? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Ava was distressed and irritated at the same time. If it wasn’t for


    her dropping by today, she wondered whether her mother was ever going to tell about this whole


    incident?


    Nobody knew how much her mother must have suffered from the loan sharks’ harassment over thest


    two months.


    Jessica somehow felt aggrieved andined, “Damien did give me a bit of cashst time, if it


    wasn’t for you who refused to take it, and forced me to return the money to him, the interest for the loan


    would not havepounded this much!” “If I recall correctly, you used the money Damien gave you to


    buy a handbag immediately, no? Mom, when are you going to act maturely?” “Why should I act like


    one? I thought you marrying into the Radbury family would mean that I could enjoy a luxurious life as


    well. But instead, you’re such a let-down that I have to find my own ways of making money. What a


    tough life…”


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    “Don’t me it on your luck. You’re delusional if you think that there’re a rags-to-riches story waiting for


    you.”


    “Ava, you can’t pin it all on me! I’m doing all this just so you can have a more dignified existence in the


    Radbury family! Now I’m in trouble. Are you really going to leave me to suffer?” Ava staggered as she


    got to her feet. She went to her room and locked the door. Her mother continued her nagging, simply


    because she wanted Ava to take the easy way out. She expected her daughter to convince Damien to


    help clear all of her debts.


    “No matter what, you’re the rightful daughter-inw of the Radbury family. It’s merely five million


    dors, I believe that’s just spare change for someone like Damien. Surely, he won’t just stand idly by


    as his mother-inw is being hounded by loan sharks?” Ava plugged her ears, and she did not want to


    listen anymore. How could her mother have known that Ava had just been kicked out of the Radbury


    house? Indeed, asking for money from Damien now would only invite further ridicule. Even if she sold


    off her mother’s house, nay, even if she sold herself to human traffickers too, it still wasn’t enough to


    get five million dors within three days! For the first time in twenty-odd years of her life, Ava was truly


    desperate. She could not bear to see her mother driven to suicide by debt. After a long silence, Ava


    plucked up some courage and dialed the number she hade to memorize so well.