LATE RELEASE

TheToll

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound came again, louder and more impatient.

Zoey's hand trembled as she reached for the door handle and pulled it open.

Four men dressed in black walked in. Their bodies were built to perfection — tall, broad-shouldered, muscles rippling beneath their tight black shirts. They wore dark glasses that hid their eyes, their faces expressionless and cold. They stepped inside and stood in formation, then parted to create a pathway.

Two guys walked in after them.

They were the definition of dangerously handsome — the kind of handsome you find only in novels. Built like gods, with bodies carved from pure muscle and power.

The first one, Leo, was a bit taller than the other. He looked to be in his late twenties, with a razor-sharp jawline and cheekbones that could cut stone. His skin was a warm bronze, his black hair slicked back with a few strands falling carelessly over his forehead. He wore a black shirt with the top two buttons undone,

"It took your husband just a day to collect the loan, and it took you two years to pay it back. And you're still asking for more time?" Eden said coldly.

"Let's make this easy for you," he continued. "We take your daughters. They work for us till the debt is cleared."

"No! Please!" Mrs. Jude begged, dropping to her knees. "Not my daughters! They are all I have!"

Elora looked at Zoey with tears in her eyes. She couldn't understand why Zoey was so cold, so still, like she felt nothing.

Mrs. Jude kept begging, her hands clasped together.

"Do you think we came here to negotiate?" Eden asked, his voice dropping.

Finally, Zoey spoke. Her voice was ice.

"We didn't ask your dad to borrow my dad money. We didn't borrow it. My dad did. From your dad, not you. Give us time to pay it off. My sister and I are going nowhere."

Leo chuckled.

Zoey pulled her mother up from the floor, her eyes blazing with aggression as she stared them down.

"Since you won't comply with the easy way, don't blame us for using the hard way," Eden said.

Leo signaled. Four men stepped forward and grabbed Zoey, Elora, and Mrs. Jude. A knife was pressed against Mrs. Jude's neck.

Leo finally stood up.

"The more you refuse to comply, the more you lose," he said. He slipped on a pair of black gloves and struck Mrs. Jude across the face.

Tears finally rolled down Zoey's eyes as she watched her mother being beaten.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"STOP!" she screamed, her cold mask shattering. "I'll follow! I'll follow!"

She crawled to her mother, who already looked half-dead on the floor, and held her hands.

"Mom, I'm sorry," she wept. Tears streamed down Elora's face as she watched her sister and mother in pain.

"Drag them to the car," Leo ordered, glancing at Mrs. Jude one last time before walking away.

The car zoomed off.

Tears rolled down Mrs. Jude's face. The house was a mess. She was in pain, jobless, and alone.

Where was she supposed to start from?