Love money and use people.
Heather was a perfectionist. Everything she plans must be exact and in her control. People, however, can be more interesting to control. Sometimes, they can be infuriating and rebellious. Heather knew this most of all.
Her long ash hair was carefully braided into an up-do. A cream-colored blazer was worn over her light heather blouse.
The large room was overflowing with lies and chatter. Heather milled around the room that was holding a career fair. Perhaps she seemed a bit young to be in a place like this, but there were so many opportunities. She can possibly find a job opportunity of course, but she can also build relationships, build her reputation, and most importantly, make some money while she's there.
Unfortunately, there was another matter to attend to. She finally spotted who she was looking for. A small, curry-skinned man in a standard suit stood in her sight and looked at her with alarm. Hurriedly, he stepped out of her view. The little bastard seems like he has been trying to avoid Heather.
She walked out of sight behind the waves of nicely dressed people. She slowed her breathing and focused on her Aura. The people around her slowed down and all conversation fell quietly. The entire world felt blurry. It almost felt like Heather was under water, but she was still able to move around normally. She promptly made her way behind a presentation board and let time play out normally. She took a few quiet breaths to cope with the fatigue and regain her composure.
She casually walked to the man's side. "Good to see you here, Raja."
"The man nearly choked on air. "H-hello, Heather."
She kept up a sincere façade. "I'm not nearly as disappointing as your other business partners. But, I would like to discuss our.. relationship soon after you're done here."
Yes, Raja can make dumb choices, but he seemed to understand Heather's cryptic words. "Of course, Heather. Just give me a few more minutes here and we can.. talk.. in my office."
"Of course."
Heather waited patiently, plotting and planning for her next moves. Finally, Raja walked up to her, and together, they walked to the man's car. Before Raja's fingers touched the handle of the driver seat's door, Heather interrupted his actions.
"Now, why don't you let me drive? I already know the way to your office, and I wouldn't want your nervousness to distract you from driving."
"O-of course."
Her sweet demeanor disfigured itself into a cold grin. "Very good."
The inside of Raja's office was very cluttered and full of family pictures. Heather took a chair across from Raja and stared at him straight in the eye.
"I've waited over a week now, Raja. I've been very kind by not sending bookies over to you, but now I see that there's no money to force out of you."
"Heather, I swear I'll get you the money. Business hasn't been very good-"
"I've seen your accounts. I've seen your books. You don't have a single Lien. In fact, you're swimming in an ocean full of debt."
Raja remained silent. Heather continued. "I played a bet with you because I believed that you were a friend who stands by his word. You told me that you could pay me over three grands of Lien on the spot, and your professionalism had me deceived. Even your brother, Anit, would have paid me within two days tops if he lost a bet with me."
"Heather.. I'm sorry.."
"I'm sorry too." She stood up and hovered over his small form. "I'm sorry that I trusted you. But this is how I make business. This is how I bring home money that my mother cannot. Gambling with you could have been our greatest hope or our greatest risk. Clearly, it was far from any kind of hope. Just remember that you still owe me something, whether it's Lien or favors. I'll keep in touch."
With that, Heather walked out onto the sidewalk still thinking of how Raja can come in handy. She definitely appealed to his sense of family by mentioning her mother, which she honestly couldn't care less about. She was still disappointed in Raja's false promise of Lien, but there was no use of crying over spilled milk. She'd learned her lesson. Besides, there were other places to earn money. She pulled out her phone and called, "Hey, Anit, wanna go to the casino with me?"
