Chapter 10 Unexpected Opportunity

Aviah's POV

Hearing this offer, I thought it over. I had nothing to lose except for enduring a bit of a scare, and getting ten thousand dollars as compensation didn't sound bad.

He was certainly a clever man.

I could tell that even though Sebastian was the one in control of the situation, I was actually the person who would determine the outcome.

After all, I was the one who'd been wronged. Sebastian might give me some respect because of the masked man, but if I, the victim, decided not to press the issue, Sebastian naturally couldn't say much either.

Besides, Jeremy wasn't an employee here—he was a customer. And what business would mistreat its customers?

But facing this rare opportunity, I wasn't about to let it slip away. I decided to negotiate. "Ten thousand dollars? Are you trying to insult me?"

My words left everyone in the room stunned.

Clearly, no one had expected me to respond this way.

I noticed their expressions and blushed slightly, but quickly recovered.

I could guess what they were thinking.

But I had no choice. Even if they beat Jeremy up, what would I gain from that? I barely had enough money for three days' worth of meals.

Today's incident made me realize that this place wasn't right for me.

Although this time Jeremy was deliberately causing trouble, what if one day I actually broke an expensive bottle of wine? I probably couldn't afford to pay for it even with a month's salary.

I should find a new job.

But in the meantime, how would I cover my expenses?

This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Jeremy was quick to respond. "Thirty thousand dollars! Just don't pursue this matter, and I'll give you thirty thousand!"

Thirty thousand dollars! Thirty thousand!

That would be enough to get me through the winter.

I held up five fingers and said, "Fifty thousand, and I'll drop the matter."

Jeremy glared at me, grinding his teeth. "Fine! Fifty thousand! I'll go back and get the money for you. Come with me to collect it."

I rolled my eyes. Did he think I was stupid? His scheme was so obvious.

I gave the masked man a pitiful look. He seemed startled for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Sebastian.

Sebastian spoke up, "I'll send someone to go with him to get the money."

After dealing with this situation, only the masked man and I remained in the room.

He sat on the couch, pushing medicine toward me along with a glass of water.

I thanked him and took the medicine. Just as I was about to speak, he said, "That bottle of wine you broke earlier is a rare vintage. It costs eighty thousand dollars."

When I heard this figure, I literally spat out my water, spraying it all over his mask.

The pain medicine also sprayed onto his face.

Though I couldn't see his expression behind the mask, I could guess he wasn't pleased.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that," I apologized profusely.

I was filled with regret. Eighty thousand dollars for a bottle of wine!

Was it made of gold or something? How could it be so expensive?

I hesitantly asked, "Could you maybe give me a discount? I only have fifty thousand dollars."

The masked man smiled. "You're not referring to the money you just got from Jeremy, are you?"

I nodded weakly and explained, "I'm so broke I can barely afford to eat. Please have some pity on me."

The masked man thought for a moment. "Alright, fifty thousand it is."

My mouth twisted into a frown, clearly unhappy.

I'd finally managed to get fifty thousand dollars from Jeremy, and now it was gone just like that.

If I had known the bottle was so expensive, I would have asked for a hundred thousand.

The wine bottle that Jeremy broke was definitely not my fault—I wouldn't pay for that no matter what. But the one I broke was undeniably my responsibility, and no matter how reluctant I felt, I had to take responsibility.

I looked at him, an idea forming. I quickly took out paper and pen from my bag, which I'd prepared days ago when I went to August's company.

I quickly wrote up a promissory note and handed it to the masked man.

"Look at this note. It clearly states that for the next six months, half of your salary goes to me. Sign it, and we have a deal."

The masked man didn't hesitate, signing it cleanly and efficiently.

I took it and looked at the signature—Ryan Kane.

Still feeling it wasn't secure enough, I took his hand, intending to bite his finger, but then thought better of it—what if he had some disease? Instead, I used a fruit knife to prick his finger and pressed a bloody fingerprint onto the paper.

Ryan looked at me. "That's rather extreme, isn't it?"

I ignored him, happily putting the note away. "From today, I'm your creditor. Serve your clients well, earn more money, and work hard to pay off your debt. If you slack off, I'll complain to your boss."

"We should exchange contact information to make communication easier," Ryan said.

I recorded his number and saved it with the note: [Damn Ryan.]

I gave him my bank account number, instructing him to transfer money on time each month.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "You should know, our base salary isn't high. We mainly rely on daily tips. If you please the clients well, you can earn quite a bit in tips."

I wasn't sure why he felt the need to tell me this—I already knew how it worked.

I quickly revised my terms. "Then we'll settle accounts daily! From now on, give me half of what you earn before 10 PM every night."

Ryan smiled again. "Since you've scared away my only client today, should I offer my body as compensation instead?"

"No need, I find you—" I suddenly realized my mouth had run ahead of my brain. "That's not what I meant, I didn't mean to look down on you, I just—"

At that moment, my phone rang, and I felt grateful for the interruption. The call came at the perfect moment.

"Hello? What? My car was vandalized? Who did it?"

I hung up the phone and stormed out, furious.

When I reached the parking lot, my car wasn't just vandalized—all the windows were shattered, and the tires were punctured.

I could guess who was behind this—either Jeremy or that manager.

It had to be one of them, undoubtedly retaliating out of spite.

But I had no evidence. Even if I knew who did it, calling the police wouldn't help—they couldn't do anything without proof.

Realizing this, I collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by exhaustion from the day's events. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

"What's wrong?" Ryan's voice came from behind me.

I quickly wiped away my tears and stood up, pretending nothing had happened. "It's nothing. Some jerk vandalized my car. If I find them, I'll beat them to death!"

Ryan looked at me thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "I'll handle this. Your car will be fixed in a day or two."

His words were like a ray of light in the darkness. I could hardly believe my ears. "Ryan, do you really mean that?"

"If you're still going to treat me with that attitude, then no, I don't mean it!"

I quickly changed my tone. "Ryan, I promise I'll respect your profession from now on."

We both paused, realizing how awkward that sounded, and I could only manage an uncomfortable smile.

Ryan was about to say something else when his phone rang. After answering and exchanging a few words, he turned back to me. "I have a client now. If you're okay, head home first. I'll let you know when your car is fixed."