Chapter 2 The Debt Collectors

That empty promise was embarrassing! "How do I repay them? What can I do?" Hazel looked up, gazing at the bright blue sky. "Damn...." Hazel regretted trusting, but she regretted even more that she was now lost.

"Where should I go?" The blue-eyed girl walked sluggishly along the sidewalk, trying to find a way out. One thing Hazel didn't predict was the takeover of the residence. The luxurious mansion in Evony Park had now disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Mom... Dad... Forgive me. I’ve lost our home," Hazel sobbed as she continued dragging two suitcases. She walked towards the bus stop; Hazel might contact one of her friends.

Her eyes stared fixedly at the phone screen as the bus she was about to board still hadn't arrived. Evony road should have been crowded, in the heat of summer like this, it seemed most pedestrians chose to stay home.

"Why hasn't it come yet?" Hazel muttered while continuing to search for a contact of a friend she could ask for help. Nothing. Many of Hazel's friends had moved abroad or were on vacation.

"I'm stupid for this summer wedding thingy instead going on vacation! Now, what should I do without my best friends’ help?" Hazel lamented her picky nature about that broken wedding arrangement that Alfred’s made. She’s now left alone with nowhere to go. The summer vibes brings joy to the fresh graduated students, as she was before the cheating incident!

The dry wind blew through her blonde hair, while the leaves swayed, as Hazel saw several men approaching her.

'I have a bad feeling,' Hazel thought, but she tried to stay calm. Panicking or being afraid in situations like this was very dangerous. Moreover, Hazel was alone.

"Shit...." The girl in orange dress just looked down and pretended to be busy with her phone, and the people were getting closer.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Hazel Stevenson?" A stout man with a Spanish accent came to ask Hazel. One of his gold teeth gleamed in his eye. His breath smelled of alcohol and tobacco, enough to make Hazel's stomach churn.

"Y-yes? Wh-who are you?" Hazel answered nervously. Her facade of not pretending to be afraid had been shattered. Hazel looked trembling!

"Sanchez, check his notes!" The man turned to another taller man. They brought some kind of notebook and read it carefully.

The tall man approached Hazel with a sharp gaze. "Miss Stevenson, we're here to collect your debt."

Hazel blinked, trying to understand the increasingly worrying situation. "D-debt? I don't owe anyone!"

Sanchez laughed cynically. "Oh, glad to hear it, but our records say otherwise. You owe our boss $100,000."

Hazel felt her heart pounding hard. "Sorry, I thought there was a mistake. I have money, although not much now. And I never borrowed from loan sharks!"

"Oh my God!" The stout man frowned and Hazel became even more alert.

"We have evidence that you borrowed money from Don Ramón. The man... Alfred Andersen who brought the money. Isn't he your fiancé?" This time, the tall man blocked Hazel's path. His voice didn't sound friendly.

"A-Alfred? Oh my God! That bastard!" Now, Hazel understood why all this suddenly came to her. "Listen! Alfred has nothing to do with me! If you want to collect from him, collect it from him—"

"¡Eh, Señorita! Don't try to evade!" the stout man cut in quickly. He then nodded to two other men, and now they all intercepted Hazel right in front of her.

"We're not interested in your reasons. We just want the money."

Hazel felt increasingly trapped. "But I don't have the money to pay off that fake debt!"

"Too bad, Miss. Not paying off debts to Don Ramón can have dire consequences for you."

Hazel felt like her world was collapsing. Not enough suffering from losing everything in an instant, now she also had to face threats from unauthorized debt collectors.

"Please, I apologize; I can't pay off that debt."

"You can pay it off with your body," The stout man approached even closer, and this time looked at Hazel from head to toe like a hungry wolf. Hazel's self-defense instinct kicked in, and she was trying to find a way to escape.

"Boys!" With their employer's command, the other men grabbed Hazel's arms.

"Let go!" Hazel struggled but their grip tightened.

"Let's go to the playground, Miss Stevenson. Those men will have fun with you, My Love!" the gold-toothed man invited while whistling. "Your body and face could be a good debt payer."

"No! Let go of me!" Hazel screamed but unfortunately, the street was deserted. She could not ask for help, and no one wanted to save her. "Let me go!"

"Quiet, Niña! You'll thank me because I'm a good uncle."

"No! Bastards!" Hazel kept struggling and trying to break free, but the men's strength was overwhelming. "Kyaa! Let me go!" The more Hazel screamed and moved, the tighter the men's grip became. Hazel felt overwhelmed.

"Naughty kitten."

However, when a strange car tire burst and surprised them all, Hazel only had a gap to escape. "Damn! Your old truck has scared me!" the stout man grumbled to one of his man. However, not so long because Hazel was found running away from them!

"Hey, the woman is escaping! Catch her!"