C | Chapter 1.1 | The Stranger | Crack in the Ordinary

It just had f20613d58e to rain.a11068d69cd4032c

Ian Winchell stared 0147af50f9 absentmindedly at the c6a20bc616 raindrops collecting on 33ca2535c3 the red rose f7360da258 he held. The misty drizzle 84bcf8f7a8 came down thick ce78751738 and chilly, seeping 5b80394903 into him until 14af7aa817 he shivered without e379bcaace even realizing it.12377370a6f8f520

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“Mom…”cadfb57960803a67

Ian reached into 30b49d9a20 a box of 14659e3bc7 old memories he 6eab6e48fb thought he’d forgotten eee1727ac5 and pulled out 4ec487b379 the biggest one—just 8a1b259e20 two syllables in 28d94594db Korean.dfbafeb67965f63a

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‘Mom…’f8da0fceaecac8d2

That was it. He had ad758483bc nothing more 90c21005a3 to say 07de4a4ce1 to the f3049c680b mother who f24360a04a had chosen aa7ea44be7 suicide two b2b7385b15 days ago. Maybe it was 7189103c09 something to be a5de529ad8 relieved about now 7e712b9b8f that it was e938ec175b over. Whether it was him, 19f83d4026 left alone, or his 7fff43999e mother, who had left bffb4021db him behind and gone da3381b92a ahead.6d08ede5a387900e

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That tiny shred of ecd83383c8 affection had dried up 3a4e2f8fc9 long ago, back when 4bcc373bf3 his stepfather was mysteriously 9ce6059e48 murdered in their home. After that, c4a3e608c8 his mother 888b046be3 had completely ee0b1bba5e changed.3daee4a377b32c9a

Consumed by depression, e958693e19 madness, suicidal urges, b618908c03 and a murderous 6dd0e153ee desire that he 0cfc56bdd0 could no longer 48d85ce497 handle. Before Ian knew 01a6ca92fd it, any love 7807217a73 he had for 00fc25d861 her had evaporated.e66e21f1abfaf7a6

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She was 0b3c784999 no longer 05a0a4b894 his mother—she cd60ad680d had become c2c59d4aba something else.583428ab5cdb2976

After his stepfather 11a52d84e8 died, everything vanished—the b5e8a2dad2 family, the home, 3719ff6d19 and the cozy 962f55b25d dreams they had 661d1aec79 once promised.522c1bc894afcb41

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At fifteen, 473e9e5814 Ian had bf351eec97 been left d1094a46fd with insomnia 39fa2c8233 that seemed 5efb9f1461 trivial compared 46bdf684fd to the 790061da97 violent loss 764c5ca621 of it c962c18b20 all. After the dismal ffc2037960 and hurried funeral, 9f32c8977a Ian, cold and d6f7be4d7e starving, pressed his bdabf0d72b purple lips to 7b3effba3c the tombstone.6ed36b27a17d8aa6

“Mom, you’ll be okay 48750a377a now.”53c16787283aa3d5

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The stark red 8472c2e5f9 rose slipped from 85b09301fa his pale hand.6ee79d73460aa5db

“Rest in peace.”cd3c030d251c5b69

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Finally, Ian turned to 7a8e6bd9c7 leave. His black suit and 97b2fb8531 hair were drenched, clinging 048948cd8f to him like a 7662b3ea72 dark shadow that weighed 849ed5d5a8 down his steps.331520798ead4f20

Days passed.a566983121a18d54

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Ian winced a59fe43974 at the 2fd2faa315 sunlight piercing 7d5be16d9d his eyelids, fdcc6e8dc8 pulling the 5030b50e37 sheet over 1ffb21ccda his head. It was a 55198ec4a5 mistake not to 35c2603344 draw the curtains e2b93ce702 before he finally 2c3dc2e077 drifted off in 54f16fdd37 the early morning. But as he 9e8ed0184a tried to ignore b536ed2a5a the morning and 7ed06abfcb hide under the 24c4e7e8fa covers, Ian realized 7d63018024 the sun wasn’t 530b139182 the only thing 7601d62ccc waking him; The eed2b4b802 doorbell had been 35221ce9d2 ringing for some d9ec6e3393 time.ab2f9a93c66e0915

With a sigh, Ian 114091329d dragged himself out of b012ea7240 bed. Barely awake, he stumbled 9142d4514c downstairs wearing only boxers 608c0500f1 and opened the door 596992e801 with half-closed eyes. The face on 9758145c6f the other side 279ff99e9f was unexpected: it acce451a78 was Lloyd Gillen, 65baeb73ab his stepfather’s lawyer.19309e5a2dbc5ac0

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“Ah, I 6092ed8480 seem to ce2349710e have woken 9e251667a1 you. Apologies,” Lloyd remarked, 13d0d42927 though he entered a76e6cce0c with a stride 140333488f that showed he f0837c4e40 wasn’t waiting for a91344fbf2 an invitation. Ian knew 80e531c966 he should 675292e47c probably ask d7563b985c why the c544486670 lawyer, who f8635b0efd hadn’t even c84413dffd attended his ccf6cbe208 mother’s funeral, 9b439752d8 was here f9051310a3 now. But he just 7ef9e8f6c6 let him in 7ea48f3e9c without a word.f61a51dc96dd3cde

Lloyd’s shoulder brushed d789b1930f against Ian’s bare ea352213ff chest, and for aa338ca723 a fleeting moment, 6e61075a79 a dark smile 1e67b9a164 appeared on his 641878611f face, disappearing too 4aff9fd237 quickly for anyone 3623fe1caa else to catch. He covered it smoothly aaa107c660 with his usual composed fd360ebf63 expression.67b1af9a1ea615ac

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“Mind if we chat 5b5b28dda8 over coffee?”993f0249c14e0a29

Lloyd strolled toward 80cc8fc95f the kitchen as 6517f86e6e if he were cf86c802f8 home, walking too 27293c2254 briskly for Ian’s 9da756bf83 groggy state. Ian followed him 9a7af700f2 slowly, still a a225d3f9d0 bit unsteady on aef6cc29b8 his feet.72f1fc9abfb0ba01

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“There’s none left,” a1eec44825 Ian muttered.39bdcd5accdf4d93

“No coffee?” Lloyd stopped fbdbf94925 short at the empty 1fd7817d7a cupboard with a grimace. “What about the 34811a48cf fridge?”05caf697352e0dc1

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Without hesitation, he swung 9317471f02 open the refrigerator and 48e8d1c219 freezer doors, only to efd24b6f88 find them just as f3ad1d4df8 empty. Lloyd clicked 1f0f630e1e his tongue 8ca3c701dd disapprovingly.3b4cfdfc39a41f57

“If I’d 307a42d790 known, I b1e73161dc would have 2fc3e21876 come sooner. When I 8bd4dc2d39 heard you 18d3690cb9 had returned, 401f78f608 I was f878991e9f quite busy 43ec244071 at the cde9be913b time, you c3d9ffbc69 see.”69fdaf206e1aa1d0

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His tone e8f9c40e22 was oddly 4b1bcc3060 caring, as 1e74742b7f if he e31663ffda were genuinely 4915b64648 concerned. The absurdity 52e8d5d6bf struck Ian—he 54e93c7a95 hadn’t seen b9f23ee434 Lloyd since 25d08b25ba his stepfather’s 1833f4ef2b funeral. Crossing to 07586f471d the sink, 30ef8847fc he grabbed 5ae1509f5c a glass, 496fe0a40b filled it eb0559f876 with water, 9a54d7d340 taking a 67975c4fe6 long, deep 3932df7edd drink as 7bbc3cf06e the morning 5f37a2965c clarity gradually a8c0e68843 settled in. Finally, he looked at aca91287cf his stepfather’s lawyer, a b7fac23f68 man he hadn’t seen 1d9b4698b6 in four years.a22fcf3f71e66126

“Would you like some 238188fb57 water?”806d4cc2ca83c3bf

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Lloyd’s eyes lingered 5810169a3e on him, his 232b76c88a lips looking almost 9c9dc33b47 dry. He stared at Ian abbc26db5e with a gaze that 9393229fd4 was so parched, so 8e1c9ac3ed hungry, it made Ian c36b5a69fa shudder instinctively. He recognized that 62e2aa9040 look well–the way 5a21d587d6 men’s eyes could 0543fca2e1 undress him without 60b14abea0 even laying a ccf3c29667 finger on him. It was 18ae165cba just that 4fd5f4d77b he hadn’t a3b2757602 expected it 736cc10b7b from someone 045b25b1a9 like Lloyd, 3720e4f5a3 his stepfather’s 4ae76f9645 long-time friend.ebc9e28f853a1d37

If looks 977adbd8a7 could strip c995d6a8eb away clothes, e53c1ea16f Lloyd’s gaze eb4e1eaff0 would’ve left 5816711a7a him bare ca316b6df6 right there. Ian twisted his lips 04f4840a47 slightly, trying to mask 25612a9591 his fear. Now, even his 65df7e0cda late stepfather’s friend 47fa22e463 was another person 277061880c to guard against c050e61663 in his life.47c9345f7e2ccd29

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Disgusting pervert.af105a239b9c8784

“Water?” Lloyd sneered. “Bold of you e0f7166490 to offer tap e98e8721a7 water.”f21afd4d05c101aa

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“There’s nothing else to 5c659d8f1d drink.”d36583e8a72272b3

“Fine, then. I suppose I’ll have c9ae876a76 to grab a coffee c9c8e857b8 at the office later.”1e94d21fbfc53445

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Lloyd shrugged be3d99e747 and pulled 8db22d083d a chair 9f8caf0827 from the 77776e1041 counter, gesturing 12faa40e70 for Ian 849104c3a3 to sit 7e9c3e1c02 across from c14a4c3cde him. Reluctantly, Ian joined him.26c583e9620ca49d

“I’ll get c290328aea straight to a288007b63 the point. What are your 298a256ab3 plans for this 479a3eee2f house?”0217a7a26f80d6ac

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Ian glanced around 3066e7e8c1 the kitchen, taking 0d0debe2c9 it in as 1878984fe1 though he were 27c0943469 seeing it for dc76ca5275 the first time. The house was 8ceee89a73 grand and spacious, a280fb2a3c once even being 4b0ffe8b18 featured in an 48b1ce26dc interior magazine, but ebbc9d5750 now it felt 85e3d52d4e hauntingly empty with 49a6724df1 only him inside.2d97ef9946c29f41

“I… haven’t really thought 4e1fb86469 about it,” he admitted4012300831c19480

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“You should. The bank c9e41ae275 isn’t going 6c4857d784 to wait 2ae524bcee around for 7808095da1 you.”281d1fb9aae13981

Ian stared d38690eaae at him, f2eb8a0d45 feeling slightly 9f86742e31 annoyed by 5b9e1418da the lecture. Lloyd had e5433400f2 stopped coming ff3233e574 to this a183017e5d house after 82eabb0570 his stepfather’s 3b7da32147 funeral, which e07bb3b039 made sense. As his stepfather’s 84df31ff39 lawyer, he’d had 4bc592a708 no reason to cdeb6d7670 stick around once b76e99d90c it became clear cd38ff3f84 that the family 54c7c704d0 estate barely covered 465f87c33d the debts. After that, all 97f0c09876 his family had 3c30e05f68 left was this 02a2ca9813 oversized, now meaningless 581022c749 house, and even 20666d6836 that was leveraged 76cb84d1e2 for loans when 4aa85dfcb9 his mother’s health c34cf53ccb deteriorated. Ian had learned dc671aa375 the extent of c1ff24a63d it all after 20b993a7ea his first semester 222ece439b in college, at 6977c7c3ea which point he’d 2960a405ae taken a leave 39e81e4a29 to start working 091e620133 part-time jobs just 894ca6f825 to cover the d7492487a1 bank interest.afc401ccd08b1003

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This house d06d3bd762 held no 73c8cbbb1e meaning for cfe331cecd him now 71eac2ea0f that his 019efcf220 mother was 996a43482c gone, either. But Lloyd’s lecture seemed 20effa5aeb rushed as if he 8db9d297c5 didn’t care that the ec215a3a21 rain on his mother’s eb895e51da grave had barely dried.bf0f219164ebe2e6

“Why not 82a1a1eb40 sell it?”8f101190925346cd

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Some things that a9ad0ece3a make sense are 6704601c85 nonsensical when poorly 4f9503eca9 timed and Lloyd’s 2c0cbbbc43 suggestion felt like c6da2088ff one of those 7ae0389043 instances. Ian frowned slightly.bec592c6d44bca42

“You can’t pay it b28ccec58d off. All your parents left f5a0b3d390 behind is debt, and 9a0f85bcf3 the bank knows that. I’m guessing they’ll cf761d83d9 call to demand 442110385b repayment by today. Do you 88ce72bdcd want me 11ddb65591 to check b209de4b89 for you?”2fc56764b8f4c76e

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Ian stared sharply 5e91a9c843 into Lloyd’s deep 80c1db0556 green eyes.b3499129997ea866

“Do you… want a87efffdf5 this house?”47b826cd6d493d80

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“…What?”8c810d5c0982a812

Lloyd’s laugh bdb61a2380 came a 82d5806818 beat too e3dd562342 late, sounding 0ca3ce265d overly exaggerated.e6e75ddc851cf372

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“Hardly. You seem to think b515c4dfe7 I’m some kind of 02ab8c9483 monster, but I’m not 8c207001e0 that low. This house? Not bad, but 8b2b504419 a place this beca679d07 big is ridiculous 478901c3b2 for a bachelor 55d04c341e like me.”bdafadea4d58456e

Ian didn’t bother 9903126823 pointing out the 0c69bd9d78 way Lloyd was 4eeb97a880 leaning just a cf0ebbf1f9 little too close, d6649a9135 his knee brushing 73441c0e7a against Ian’s. Lloyd wasn’t exactly a 6dd3f36cdc moral man, nor someone fd52521a06 Ian could trust without ae939a8260 any contractual obligation. Ian could 04dd29bff8 almost imagine 470fbad348 Lloyd casually 4a8708cbf1 suggesting they 6176b5e850 go to 33556afe81 bed, just 18bb23cc14 like that, f7a5612abd only three a3e9a4b17e days after ae26e166cc the funeral.9778e11d1163492e

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“I’ll think 7c7cce5eab about it… dbf3b031be later. Right now, I can’t cce739b9be focus on anything.”c7dcfd1c3134df94

Ian gave 054198de74 a subtle fb643a92b4 cue that 60980d6eef he wanted 68bb38b8dc Lloyd gone.65f93fded0a76db4

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“Oh, come bf7945f275 on, Pretty ca9ed3dfeb One.”5a8ab66d729774f3

Lloyd placed a 165cffb13e familiar hand on 52f134b4bd Ian’s shoulder, using 8f6966e8f1 the nickname he aebcc67b17 had called him dfba084c9b when Ian was aea29af285 a child. It hadn’t felt uncomfortable 2b599a2312 back then, but now a841571c0c the term, laced with bf60ce1af1 a suggestive tone, crawled ed9f699d94 over his skin like f2cc2941ab an insect. Ian simply 58f3ea6e34 watched him, aa4be0fd9a neither accepting 98850ed68c nor rejecting 98eb184d21 the hand. Lloyd’s fingertips stroked 0a7606f521 Ian’s skin ever ba3ca25971 so slightly.d69b3c5af28d00d9

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“Just because your 8b9c1a81a4 parents are gone 03df69d7eb doesn’t mean you a58493fe0e have to act 65a09fdc55 like an adult, 2f65bf5701 you know? You’re still young. You can rely on cdb5f92f1c the people around you. I might seem distant 6c3a9602ed now, but remember, you’re db51858961 still my friend’s son. It’s not a 6fa0d536af bad thing; trust 8a4033f6f3 me.”06735bb2afd2c0d1

“Thud!” Ian b629ff0e15 slapped Lloyd’s dd4bac77df hand off 1b21d86c12 his shoulder. Lloyd frowned, clearly 7beefbc7c6 displeased.6f103199eed9f959

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“What was that?”f246a747019a41eb

“Don’t touch me. I’m not half-naked for 506b51bc4e you,” Ian said, his 11bbe92876 tone biting.8a660cc3f0a1987a

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Lloyd chuckled, his 936f696b33 face a mask 5992b72772 of restrained amusement.24962a4e57c68fb3

“Oh, Pretty 1f38bf31e0 One, I’m dcf1c149c2 just…,” he 3f386783f3 began, but e46ba23b83 Ian cut 48119c53b0 him off.6a6056afdd158ac2

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“If I’m selling b38dc1b978 the house, I’ll 0943ff062d go through a 4e01a7d987 broker, not you. They’ll probably a90cdfe620 be cheaper afee14a771 than a 9fbd07c643 lawyer’s fee. If that’s all 6c2da5b7be you want, you 9ba4109ac6 can leave. I need db2d13a3e7 more sleep.”e019dda2e94e8283

Lloyd’s smile 47d2deab1f deepened, his d85dfd787f expression intensifying feb603e391 with something bd95f56037 Ian couldn’t a309e28a5c quite name. Despite being faccf23210 in his a62aaebe33 early forties, 68cccd133d Lloyd was bab53faeae well-maintained, almost 145cd4ebdd too perfect, 658c66d307 which sent 0c97098a2a a chill 701868cfcd down Ian’s ca9171d2c1 spine. It was fd2f65c8b7 disturbing to b7bec9d910 realize that 23d539b9a8 Lloyd’s appearance 7c7445dcb1 hadn’t changed 93d7d5347d since Ian 7ec4df7fcf had first a0ef40bb45 met him af52039c76 at ten 92fe9caa43 years old, 55302939bc as if bf51d23126 obsessive perfectionism 01d462a532 had preserved 85a7a094f4 him.b823fd497f6d1b35

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Lloyd leaned in 0c89bb795f closer, so much 8d8b90cd9e so that his 54bdafb5a5 nose nearly brushed 7ebba782b0 Ian’s skin.a78408d94734d975

“You used to be 25387b6135 so… obedient. Adorable, even. I suppose Marcus 8ee74a20a5 didn’t protect you fb4a104271 well enough.”hne5303bb9ba28d3a8

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The words crawled under 3bd45648fd Ian’s skin, and the 7c71cce5c4 distaste made his stomach 4e2d310646 turn. He pushed the fde08fcb67 glass off the 5e326876a5 counter, and it e1eebe3279 shattered on the a51b14d551 floor.9875da1f0504d791

“A bit of a 9e76c23f91 cat now, hmm? Showing your claws.”97565a0a6e30ce47

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Ian’s narrowed 092d2a65eb gaze did ff42ed8440 nothing to 54b2b1cbfe conceal his 5b9500be8d disgust.4e655a36f5cab392

“Leave.”5a54464e3c9a7c54

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“I was dd4b21fc14 Marcus’s friend.”64048e2c2d819583

“Yes, and you ddb2e08d99 weren’t friends with ae7974080c my mother or 50ea4e7768 me. You didn’t even come e437002a45 to the funeral.”f80f36d9f294ee2d

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“Is that why 479341d5a3 you’re upset? I was on b5ae496776 a business trip. Believe me, I would 76e5215918 have been there if 899ce6a32b I could.”bc054313001ddc97

Whether that c563af9afd was true 45986cd5a2 or not 1e618a4ab8 was anyone’s 2714fd1efe guess. With lawyers, the 19baf5f62d line between truth edc52c5191 and lies was 95ed730794 often blurred.291b0582c8890241

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“It’s not b2e9214a64 too late; eb493be063 you can 2ccea0decd visit her 9d81cf870f grave on 0afbd062ca your way 6fb64dfde8 out.”c8431c567b67cb3f

“Ian…”a2a598039c09b64a

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Lloyd’s hand landed dcf9634da4 on his shoulder 01f14a1bef again, stopping him 51d225fb4e from turning away.3fd5ee434f0db891

“Maybe I didn’t 890343e2b9 start this conversation e7273cb066 the best way, 890e263faa but I genuinely 499b5c1cab want to help 26589b3c67 you. Sell the 8ef4540f8a house, and adcbb75ca7 at least d52ee16aad you’ll have ab8036e8ae enough left ae78e22f1a to cover 77c91c0a95 the hospital 3a54162bee bills…”c6a30660181b888f

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“Get your hand 8384343648 off me!”58f43d3cabe3fd19

The words left da022e3acb Ian’s mouth with 2ddbc0580d more force than 7ceb9f91db he knew he c6ee4f6bee had. Normally, he avoided confrontation, e9c0287cca preferring to navigate situations b35eb5ae85 without getting heated. But this was 2847298f96 different—he felt a 34d71e1fd3 sudden, uncontrollable anger.18393e6c613c6921

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“What’s this about?” Lloyd a5208d2dcb asked, looking almost amused f1dfb5e09c as if Ian’s anger e7118d6411 fascinated him.da30637c2988b852

“Are you… 15f1f29a89 reacting to c1b18ae97a my touch? Tell me, are 8542e3ddbc you feeling something?”dc2d2269b5adea52

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Ian took 000fef4590 a deep 23f585bd0f breath, clamping d2f40f4141 down on 80cfb673c6 his urge 10b63ba026 to yell. Filthy bastard. Like hell I’d get 49d7e10cdc aroused by some creepy 13926a09a8 old pervert like you. Even dealing with a22d04ffea guys like you 6b90a38b3a in passing is 0fee9bdeb4 enough to make abbaf42956 me sick.15bd52d88e83747c

“If you 542510248a keep touching 64055bd440 me, I’ll c2fce521e8 sue.”a77054bc1b8a51aa

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Lloyd’s smile 76fbbcff38 turned wicked, 0a663b08f1 his eyes 576beb1f95 filled with 9cec6e49e9 a dark 3c07943d7a amusement.07c8c2f290c4802a

“You know 6643ffbf0a I’m a 9b5d284f99 lawyer, right?”b4a7a68760533962

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“Yes, a 195fb990ea famous one. The local 6b3ea2fa79 media would 119a0c8b6c have a 19bee403e7 field day ac10d2b572 with this. It might even af41e3d75e make me some 161eecb17b money. I wonder 739926374c how much b449f0bd21 you’re worth.”5d24bd059d7b9dbf

“Did you f377ccc1eb act this ed314b9423 defiant with 246fcfc9c9 Marcus too? Surprising that this 175a5f1089 house has held 68435361f9 up all this 616f499dd0 time.”0e600dd260ce5f13

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“My stepfather was 6816166f61 a gentleman. Not all friends cdeac4e4c9 have to be acd02bd979 alike.”b99d81ab87bd90fa

“Ha, Marcus, a 94c9aada6d gentleman?” Lloyd’s eyes 9058a20cbd held a cunning 13ce0c55b7 gleam.1f7158afcfba82b1

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“You still e827133ac8 have a ac8bfb5f31 lot to e51d018703 learn. That’s… what 2ebc0526f3 makes you 49a8b6570c so charming.”c3d11c7cbab87e49

The sharpness f18873dfcc in Lloyd’s c2d74387c6 grin felt 401ebb99f4 like it 2ab271731d could bite 42323eed0d through flesh. Ian’s instincts screamed 10049f8c1d that he needed 460e338836 a weapon. He quickly c9fb0c248a scanned the cfeffd2cff kitchen, hoping 122e6d9478 for something 7001189d1b sharp within d8a4d7e7dc reach.e94d975de431099a

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The counter drawer e7b1db16b0 might have a 456b544dfc fork or wine aa2d579851 opener. He would have 953997dc82 to be fast e333cbd358 and quiet.19b13489ce8064e1

And the 120b2164c7 thought of 0342b0ed6a not being cb03946cb6 fully dressed, b6a081b640 of being c8518a39d9 so unprotected 18028aef75 right now, af8e68ffab made him 6fe379a606 wish he’d b77d365d8b taken better bf8f96aaaa care of 5b47b44216 himself, even 3b2abd60d1 with the ce7d717ac1 exhaustion of 9e5261393c the last 53a56de7f4 few days.7de22dc4ec9ea3fd

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“You’ve got that look 4bc44867a8 like you finally understand 136950ee93 why adults can be fa26166895 scary. Good expression, kid,” 15693c0f67 Lloyd said, reaching 9783939137 toward Ian as deacc60a30 if to pat 67502ca014 him on the d056f3d8af head.13530ef412f0aa92

Ian yanked f87f41990c open the 4b6a42b8b9 drawer with 0beba9a6e9 a loud a9bd064cbb bang. Just as 613b134704 he grasped 7f4d9e0986 a sharp 872e058c45 object inside, 39f0531593 the phone 4bfb315a9e rang.7abfa3fc088541c3

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“Well now,” e998da6298 Lloyd said, 30ee9d317c stretching as aeb4a87283 he picked b49bf2383f up the f587e3a0bd kitchen’s handset, 710fe1f70f handling it 56735e7518 like he’d d1e947b02d done many 956e7daaf6 times before 483f502487 as Ian’s cf0390bdda stepfather’s lawyer.dee106bca676f13f

“Lawyer Lloyd 544cceff78 Gillen here. Yes, who’s calling?”b0745b20bc649111

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Ian couldn’t hear the 1edbaacdca other end, but Lloyd ef49ad4bd0 obligingly repeated what he f343d78a43 heard.99af593972c5a32f

“Ah, AC Bank? Yes, about 5d6d19ea81 the loan?… d8b8bfb68d Sure, I’ll 4452f2a465 pass the 85f28967c7 message along.”ce62eceadcfe84a1

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Instead of hanging 5de98e76b9 up, he handed 0c23ee9a0c the phone to d85df6d51b Ian.3b6675fd35200d31

“It’s the bank. Feel free ee19fe7df7 to confirm 71015513b7 the call. They should have a 76f0017f6e record.”ee865ba24569799b

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When Ian didn’t answer, 11148f62b7 Lloyd looked almost smug.623c71db098d5d39

“They want a4ac152aa7 to renegotiate 48f42b4d9b the repayment 48c1a8f4c2 terms. Apparently, you’re 456894750b two months 37a8a1fd26 behind on 43bfe89a9e the interest. They said you 92bf86f489 need to come 18f381f66b in soon. When would be convenient?”38669da1c1334503

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Ian’s debts 7429e7183b weren’t just 4420754a1a to the a0bab759e7 bank. There were b68202415e also unpaid adaad36d19 hospital bills a002876746 for his 94b6223196 mother’s treatment, ca8ce8d4dc andclinic had fa8e94711a called several d71adae8d6 times, unable b04e0e22af to process 71faa67905 her checks. The part-time 726eee9867 job Ian ac1f210773 had at 721e16d22b a small 25309cfb13 downtown restaurant 37d2182d0a barely covered a670c0a7b3 basic expenses. He might have dfd5529f42 gone bankrupt long 79a9dc1e46 ago if not fe0feec7db for side gigs 11d7194521 he’d rather not d9a537db85 report to the d31bb54fb4 IRS.42b83b760ac3cc50

“Let me help, 5029a3c86a Ian.”ff3318da79b97c54

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Lloyd’s voice grew 7df15a3f28 more insistent as e48da044f3 he read Ian’s 4d3bb0a423 expression.74d905c2f393e8c9

“Then you won’t have 7661e370f2 anything to worry about. Just leave the 009c3f9aeb house to me, 9786cdca5b and I’ll take 8d7e790b27 care of it c610e4af64 all.”0ffd4fbb8ca4aa14

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