The two turned around and started climbing up the mountain, Henry Sullivan slowly reminisced about the past.
That year, he was 25 and had just gone through a breakup. That day, he went to a bar to drown his sorrows. The bartender was a female mixologist who, seeing his mood, mixed him a cocktail called Lament.
After drinking that cocktail, Henry felt as though the gloominess in his heart was somewhat suppressed by the alcohol.
Unexpectedly, he gave that girl a second look.
The first time he genuinely scrutinized her, he felt her eyes could speak, but he didn’t think much beyond that.
That day, there was absolutely no interaction between them.
The next evening, he went to the bar again, intending to just have a drink and leave.
But, unknown to him, he arrived just as she was running into trouble.
Some high-interest lenders came to the bar to drag her out.
The bar owner knew his place and naturally didn’t interfere.
At that moment, she caught his eye from within the crowd, her gaze filled with sorrow.
He didn’t know why, but something compelled him to step forward and block the path of the crowd.
The lenders, seeing someone meddling, arrogantly said: "Buddy, mind your own business, or you’re going to regret it."
He scoffed coldly at them: "How much does she owe you?"
Upon hearing this, one of them said, "Oh, you want to pay off her debt? We’d truly appreciate that. The total, with interest, is eight hundred and seventy thousand. Come on, buddy, no, indebted people are like lords nowadays, come on, lord, make the payment."
The girl got agitated hearing this: "That’s nonsense, when you first came to find me, you said my dad borrowed one hundred and eighty thousand from you."
"Listen, young lady, we too need to make a living. It was one hundred and eighty thousand, yes.
But in these two months, with compounded interest, it’s become this much.
We have the contract to prove it. Are you going to deny it now?"
After finishing speaking, the lender looked at Henry Sullivan again: "So buddy, can you handle this or not?
If you can handle it, pay up; if not, better scram and don’t delay our work here." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net
Henry Sullivan took out his phone and made a call: "Send me a check for eight hundred and seventy thousand, I’m at Summit Bar."
After hanging up, he looked at the lenders: "The money is coming soon. Let her go, and get the IOU her family signed."
"Wow, it’s rare to encounter good people these days," one of the lenders turned to the girl: "Lucky girl, your life is really good. Guys, let’s sit, have a drink, collect the money, and leave."
Half an hour later, a secretary from Henry Sullivan’s father’s company delivered a check for eight hundred and seventy thousand, asking no questions.
After the lenders took the IOU and left with the check, Henry Sullivan handed the check to the girl.
After staring at the IOU for a long while, she finally took it. Taking the IOU, she tore it up, wrote a new one, and handed it back to Henry Sullivan.
"Sir, thank you for saving me. I will definitely repay this eight hundred and seventy thousand. My name is Isla Linton, and this is my identity card."
Henry Sullivan glanced at her ID. She was three years younger than him, but her eyes were filled with determination.
He took the new IOU: "Was it your father who borrowed the money?"
She lowered her gaze and nodded.
"What happened to your family?" Henry Sullivan was not usually a nosy person.
That day, he didn’t know why, but he was moved to help her just by her gaze.
Now that he had already helped, he didn’t mind asking a few more questions.