Chapter 3

Dents and Debts

I had this thing of being consecutively unlucky. The most memorable one was during the sophomore year of high school. Way before I met my first boyfriend, Michael, there was this classmate named Jude.

He had long hair and his tan skin just made him look incredibly exotic. I pictured and daydreamed about the two of us in our thirties, running after each other by the coast. There will be reggae music in the background and as the waves splashed on the shore, he'd grab me by the waist and whisper sweet nothings to my ear. He'd spin me around playfully and before the world got dizzying, he'd pull me in for a perfectly beautiful kiss.

The problem was I was daydreaming in class.

"Miss Steele?"

"Miss Steele?!"

"MISS STEELE!"

I was jolted awake when Mrs. Brunswick literally screamed at my face. Blood hurriedly rushed to my cheeks when every single one of my classmates laughed around me. I was unconsciously pouting my lips when I was imagining this scenario in which Jude and I were kissing. I glanced at Kate from behind me and she was covering herself. She was experiencing secondhand embarrassment.

Apart from feeling very embarrassed, I walked home that day under the rain. I forgot to bring my umbrella and Kate couldn't join me since she was busy making out with the senior quarterback. I was walking home soaked and when Jude's car drove by, I expected him to stop and open the passenger door for me.

Then, we'd spend the entire time laughing and getting to know each other. Of course, the night will end with a solid first kiss.

That didn't happen though. Instead, when his car drove by, it splashed mud on my dress.

I felt very unlucky. My crush faded when he ruined my dress. No man should ever ruin a woman's fashion.

It had been a week since I got back from Paris, but why did it feel like I was a high school sophomore again?

My puffed eyes were already tearless when I knocked on Kate's door. When she opened her arms for me, I just cried again. She gave me a pint of Ben and Jerry's strawberry ice cream and wrapped a quilt around my shaking body. We watched The Notebook and Ethan joined us just in time even though he cringed at almost every scene.

I told the two of them about Paris and they were really angry with what Jose did.

"Don't worry Ana. You'll start out a new job. Your life will start to change. Just hold on to that," Kate comforted.

Well, let's just say, I got consecutively unlucky once more:

Yesterday...

Kate just got a new job. I already lost count of how many jobs she had and I sincerely doubted if she'll ever stay in this new company. She just got hired as a dog groomer which was odd because she hated dogs. To celebrate, she asked me and our other girl friends to go to a bar tonight. She loved wine and I surely needed one.

One week after the break up and I still wasn't okay. When will I be okay? Will I ever be okay.

I shuddered at that last question.

The bar she picked was located in this fancy area in Seattle. I had to park somewhere far and take a short walk all the way to the bar. The thing was it's a bit crowded so the parking area was packed. I drove around the place many times until I found one vacant space.

I was never the best at parking but I was driving a hatchback so I was sure that I can fit.

Concentrating hard enough, I tried my best to fit into that space.

"Okay, Ana, you're there. You'll get there." I did my usual self-help pep talk until I got into the space. Wait, I needed to make more adjustments. I glanced at the rearview mirror and fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

I miscalculated. I misjudged. I accidently reversed into the car. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. An awful noise followed and it was loud. My heart dropped. I was too shocked. I just hit a parked car with my old hatch.

I slowly looked out the window and two men dressed in suits were standing. I didn't have a choice. I stepped out of my car.

"Sir, I am really sorry," my voice was shaking.

When the man in the suit turned around, my brows raised and my jaw dropped on the floor.

"YOU?!" The two of us screamed in unison.

It was Stranger! Damn it! This was a mess. I didn't want to bump into him anymore. I just shared my entire dating history to him. I didn't want us to be connected in some ways other than being strangers forced to sit next to each other on a flight.

Stranger was still looking neat (okay, he was handsome) in his raven colored suit and patterned gray and white necktie. The middle-aged man next to him looked confused.

"Miss, you just dented my car," he sounded reprimanding.

"This was an honest mistake. I am so sorry," I apologized.

He looked really angry, "Sorry? How can your sorry fix my Lamborghini?"

"Lamborghini?!" I squeaked. Shit! I really messed up. I got a closer look at his scar and it was new and polished. This was downright expensive. My goodness! I could have just hit an old Toyota. Way to go, Ana. You just hit a Lamborghini.

"Miss, let's just settle this with. I'll get my insurance to coordinate with yours."

"Uhm . . . I'm not insured anymore," I said sheepishly.

"What?!" he gasped disbelievingly.

I turned to look at my hatch and the rear bumper just detached. Poor baby, I forgot to renew the insurance because I was too busy crying in bed while holding my phone, wishing that Jose will come back to his senses and say that it was all a mistake and that he begs to be back in my arms again.

"I haven't renewed my policy, okay? I was too busy-"

"Yes, you were listening to Celine Dion again? Is that it?" Why did he sound so aggressive?

"No, it wasn't Celine Dion. It was Barbara Streisand,"

I dumbly replied and he let out a frustrated sigh.

The man next to him let out a laugh but he warned, "Taylor, don't laugh. This matter is very serious. I bought this vehicle just three weeks ago and now it's dented."

Taylor didn't stop laughing though, so Stranger just rolled his eyes.

He rolled his eyes and said, "Let me just get your details. My insurance company will get in touch with you directly for the demands."

Demands?! That word made my heart race. I didn't want to deal with an absurdly rude and demanding recovery agent asking me to pay for money that I didn't have. His car incurred a small dent on its front bumper, but it was a Lamborghini! There's no way that the repairs would be cheap.

"Uhm . . . can we just settle this privately please?"

His voice hardened, "Privately? My car is insured for a purpose and-"

"I do not mean to cut you off, but can you just have your car repaired and I'll pay you fortnightly?"

"It's a payment arrangement then?" he sounded snobbish. Stranger crossed his arms.

"Look, I may not know who you are but I know that you are a successful businessman of some sort, so I know that you can pay for that SMALL dent. I'll pay you fortnightly." I emphasized on the 'small' because ever since we got on to the plane, he's made a big deal out of things.

"Miss, you hit my car so it's your responsibility to pay me," he said quite strongly.

That made me snap, "Listen, I didn't hit your car on purpose and I am doing the best I can to pay you. I'll start my new job tomorrow and I get a paycheck fortnightly. I was supposed to buy a new car, but the money was spent in Paris because my boyfriend-"

"Okay, okay, cut it out. I don't want to spend another nine hours hearing about your boyfriends," he looked pained.

"Boyfriends?" I gasped. "I only date one guy at a time!"

"Nice to know, but agreed. You pay fortnightly. Give me your details. Give a calling card or something." My goodness! This man sounded demanding.

"I don't have a calling card."

"I'm not surprised," he uttered.

Ignoring what he said, I just took out my driver's license and Taylor took a photo of it. Stranger handed me his phone and I encoded my number.

"Can I get your number too? I don't answer calls from unregistered numbers," I said.

He grabbed my phone and punched his number in.

"What's your name?"

"Christian," he said.

Still, I named him 'Stranger' on my phone.

"Let's go, Taylor. I'll guess we'll make a grand entrance with a dented car," he side-eyed me and I wanted to lash out at him, but I had to be grateful since he decided not to escalate this further and agreed with a payment arrangement albeit against his will.

He sat on the backseat while Taylor drove. Oh, Taylor was his driver. He was surprisingly nice to him. I would have thought that that Christian Stranger person was snobbish and looked down on people, but I guess he was nice to his staff. Still, he's an asshole.

I shook my head and called accident services. I got my car towed to Ethan's repair shop and I'd have to talk to him after he assesses the damages. I rolled my eyes and walked my way to the bar.

Kate was being her rowdy self and when she saw me drink the glass of wine too quickly, she immediately knew something wrong.

"I hit the Stranger's Lamborghini," I told her.

Shit! Saying it out loud sounded a lot worse.

Present Day . . .

It's my first day in my new job at Lotus Publishing and I took a cab. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to dress in my immaculate white suit with a cute carnation blouse beneath. I told myself that I was Carrie Bradshaw taking over the city . . . and no sex though because I no longer have a boyfriend. But, who cares? I'll have a new job and that's what mattered most.

Lotus Publishing was in this huge tall building and they occupied the fifth and sixth floor.

"Good morning, I am Anastasia Steele, your new illustrator."

"Welcome to your first day," she sounded very unwelcoming.

My direct supervisor was Elizabeth. She's this redhead woman who obviously didn't get laid. She toured me around the place and in each cubicle, she would found ways to point out a flaw.

"Your desk is messy. Clean it up."

"That shirt is inappropriate for the office."

"No food while working!"

She reminded me of my teachers in high school and most of them were unmarried. Elizabeth mostly frowned and she gave me the impression that this place wasn't a really fun environment to work in.

"Here's your cubicle," she told me as she led me to the very corner.

It was decent. It was clean. It had a functioning computer and some art materials. I smiled as I looked at my own space.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Elizabeth, I-"

"Save your flowery words, Ms. Steele. You are not a writer. You are an illustrator. There are front covers that need to be drawn. You better work!"

I winced at that. She left without saying a word.

I immediately sat and opened the email and boy, she sent a list of artworks that I needed to do and there were tight deadlines.

I shook my head, cracked my knuckles, and straightened my back.

It's time to work.

Two Days Later . . .

The past two days had felt really tiring, but one good thing about it was that I tend to not think about Jose. The authors' descriptions of how they wanted their front covers to look like were very specific so I had to be very precise with the drawings too. It wasn't all that bad translating their imaginations into a visual piece. In fact, I was more than excited to meet one author tomorrow so I can present the cover art and illustrations to him.

At lunch, I felt like Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. Maybe I could also make a map of our pantry because just like high school, this office also had its own cliques. Right now, I sat alone in a table. But at least I wasn't in a toilet.

"Hello! You're Ana, the new girl, right?" I looked up and saw Hannah.

Hannah's the sweet editor whose cubicle was just right next to mine. She's this young woman-probably in her early twenties-who I noticed wouldn't mind sharing a table with the maintenance staff. She also had Noel with her. He's another editor who's stationed just a few rows from us.

They're quite a diverse pair. Hannah's dark skin and slender figure reminded me of Tyra Banks while Noel was this Asian guy who wore neon outfits.

"Yes, I'm Ana. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Hannah smiled.

"You mind sharing a table, girl?" Noel asked.

"No, of course, not. Come, sit with me." And they did.

Hannah and Noel were the unexpected friendships I made. We spent the entire lunch time talking about the company. Just as I knew, they weren't fans of Elizabeth too. Hannah shared that Elizabeth made her cry on her first day at work because she shamed her for not knowing how to operate a xerox machine. Meanwhile, Noel explained how Elizabeth asked him to change his outfit to neutral colors because neon hurt her yes. Noel had to escalate the matter to the CEO, Carrick Grey and he was so cool about it. He allowed him to dress the way he wanted to.

In between the gossips, Noel asked for my social media accounts and I gave it to him. They followed me and I followed back.

"Carrick's really sweet, you know. He's pretty loaded. Lotus is just one of his companies. His son is-"

Hannah was interrupted when Noel squealed, "Oh, girl, you went to Paris?!"

"Yes, I did," I forced a smile.

They scrolled down my posts and saw the picturesque scenarios. I also posted my outfits and unbeknownst to them, those moments were the worst times of my life.

I didn't talk about Jose though. I wanted to talk about him, but I forced myself not to. I wasn't really the best with making friends and since Hannah and Noel were having such great conversation with me, it didn't feel right to transform this to a therapy session over the breakup.

"You're such a lucky girl, Ana!" Hannah exclaimed.

I just smiled with blank eyes.

The thing about social media was that it could deceive you by making you feel like people have it better than you do. It sparked this envy that you didn't even know existed in you. The truth was social media was too one-dimensional and it wasn't all that authentic. We chose what we post. We picked what we wanted to show. I wanted to show that I was having a perfect time in Paris, and that deception worked.

"Such a lucky woman!" The two kept on gushing.

Well, if they only knew.

Later in the Afternoon . . .

Aside from my motivation to forget Jose, the other reason why I worked so hard was because I owed money to Stranger. I received a text message from him last night.

From: Stranger

Hello Miss Steele. The Lamborghini has been repaired. The total cost is $4000. Kindly provide me your email address so I can send a contract detailing our agreement for your fortnightly payment.

- C.G.

I sent my email but I hadn't opened it yet. I was already stressed. I'll leave that stress for another day.

From: Ethan

Hey, Ana, listen, your old car's as good as broken. This should be written off. I suggest you buy a new one instead.

I sighed at that. How consecutively unlucky can I get?

"Ana, the boss wants to see you. And no cellphones while at work please," Elizabeth glared at me before walking away.

The boss? As in Carrick? What did he want?

When Elizabeth was out of our range, Hannah stood up from her cubicle next to me and assured, "Ana, don't worry. You aren't in trouble. Carrick's a hands-on type of CEO. He wants to get to know the staff. He'll just ask a few questions."

I relaxed at that thought.

His office was on the sixth floor so I had to take the elevator. Noel and Hannah looked excited for me. They said that when they had this 'meet and greet' session with Carrick Grey, he gave them gift cards for shopping. I was thinking to convert those gift cards into cash so I can pay Stranger.

As expected, you'd have to get through to his secretary before entering his office. The secretary was blonde and she's a lot nicer than Elizabeth. She gave me a kind smile and told me to wait on the leather couch. I glanced at her from to time and saw the plaques behind her back. Her name was Andrea. Familiar name. I knew I heard of that name recently.

A few minutes went by and Carrick's door swung open.

"Son, please don't-"

"Dad, this is business and you are not thinking straight and-"

I audibly gasped and stood from my seat. Their argument was cut short when Carrick's son turned to look at me. His eyes widened and the two of us screamed in unison, "YOU AGAIN?!"

It was no other than the Stranger! There he was a gain, looking cold and stern (yet devilishly handsome) in another black suit. Did he ever change suits? Okay, stop those irrelevant thoughts, Ana. The point was our paths crossed one more time and Dear Lord, can you just please get me away from this guy?

Even Andrea looked confused.

Andrea! That's the name of the woman Stranger was speaking with over the phone during the flight. It was her fault that Stranger sat next to me.

"You two know each other?" Carrick asked.

"No," the two of us said in sync one more time.

Stranger and I glared at each other and knew that our worlds just collided and there's no getting away from each other.

How consecutively unlucky can I get?

Real bad. So bad. The dents and debts kind of bad.