Chapter 3: MORTGAGE

𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛'𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟

A week later~

"You can't sell my house!" A lady in her late twenties thundered furiously, her voice reverberated the whole room but it didn't move the man who sat across her. Nino wore a tenacious look on her face, staring the man across her down. If eyes could kill, they would have murdered the man before her.

"Without my consent?" she added up, throwing daggers at him with her eyes. "That's the only possession I have of my parents!" she blasted with the anger radiating in her eyes.

The house she grew up in. The only thing that bound her with her deceased parents. She has so many beautiful memories with her parents in that house and she can't give it away just like that all because she wasn't able to pay back the loan her parents took from him years back.

The elderly man who goes by the name Mr Warren swiveled his seat instead, Nino followed the way he pivoted his chair and on each turn increased the burning bitterness in her. How could he sell off her parent's house without consulting her first? Selling off her parent's house without her notice.

Her blood boiled at what he did. Why sell off the house she was still residing in?

She jabbed her hands on his desk, startling Mr Warren but his back faced her? "Over my dead body, am I gonna watch you sell my parent's house, my parent's house to some stranger…..…"

She trailed off and raked her fingers on her hair, feeling frustrated and tired. Her mind pondered at the thought of another taking ownership of her parent's house. The house they labored so much to build.

"My parents only mortgaged the house," she gaped at his back and felt the urge to rip this man before her. She bit her lower lip and heaved a breath. Waiting patiently for him to turn because she was already losing it.

"Request for something else, not the house, huh?"

"Young lady, don't dicker words with me," his satirical tone proved he wasn't in the mood to counter words with her. Mr Warren whirled to face her, leaning his elbows on his desk and giving her a sharp look.

"Your parents requested a loan from my company for the production of a cartoon they were working on which turned out to be a loss but the good side of it was that they already mortgaged the house to me. Since they couldn't pay up before their dismissal, I have the right to do what I want with the house."

"And the HOUSE is mine," he spurred, in an unyielding tone.

"You can have my car or something else." Nino shuddered at the thought of giving up her house to him if she didn't come up with the very amount her parents borrowed from him. Why would her parents borrow that huge amount in the first place?

"I do not need your car," his voice remained firm. "I have many of them. Until you pay up the loan your parents owned me, the house is mine. Why do you find that hard to grab?"

Nino slumped down on the black lounge adjacent to Mr Warren's desk, across his face was a stoic look. His untrimmed eyebrows puckered together creating a straight line as he gave her an assiduous look through the rimmed spectacles shielding his eyes. His lips were tugged together in a thin line but he didn't utter a word. Instead, he peered at her with eyes that looked like they were accusing her.

Nino contorted her face, taking in the beautiful interior of his office. Though she might be here a couple of times, she was always in awe of his office. The design looked like it was inspired by Greek temples and at the same looked like something created out of the ordinary. The architect that designed his office gave it so much thought before mapping out the plan.

She wiggled her head, focusing on the news of him planning to sell off her parent's house, it hit her like a bullet. Crushing her bones. Wasn't there any other thing he could request other than the house? That was not just a house but her home, a place she had sweet and bitter memories in. It was physically impossible for her to let go of something so dear, so precious to her. Her heart thundered against her chest that she could hear the sound.

She went into her bag and fetched out her inhaler, inhaling the air until she could feel her nerves calm down and all this while, Mr Warren's eyes lingered on her. He seemed unflappable at the fact the house mattered so much to her than her own life. If she gives it up, where would she go? She got no other place except the house. She shut her eyes as a single tear rolled down her face.

"And yes, I forgot to add that the owner of the house will be moving in very soon," his voice was steady and it hurt Nino that he wasn't being considerate of her feelings.

"And he will be moving in very soon- I don't know when but I suggest you find a place to live in when the owner arrives."

"You already sold the house and A HE!?" She yelped to her feet and thumped a fist on his desk the second time. "Not only did you sell off my house but the buyer is he and you expect me to stay under the same roof with a total stranger?"

She twisted her face into a scowl but Mr Warren remained impervious at the furious look she was sending his way.

"I'm being considerate but if you feel uncomfortable, find another place…..as for the house, it's gone, Kiss it goodbye."

A knot built in the pit of her stomach at the thought of another taking ownership of her parent's property. She shut her eyes momentarily, finding it impossible to believe her ears. Her house is gone, and her parent's house is gone.

She opened her eyes and met Mr Warren going through some files on his desk. She knew that the more she got angry or stayed here, it won't alter his mind. His mind was already made up.

"I will get my house back," her voice was low but firm. She yanked her bag and dashed out of his office.

The day was done, Nino drove herself back home although the weather forecast said it would rain any minute soon. Her mind wasn't on the weather but on the fact that Mr Warren sold off her house to a total stranger. She intensified the pressure on her steering wheel as his words replayed in her head. She drove downtown towards her house, her parent's house. He could have taken something else in exchange for the house.

And why would her parents mortgage the house instead of something else? She was going to pay for something she wasn't even aware of when the transaction was done. The thought of letting go of something as precious as that devastated her. The clouds rumbled as dusk slowly rode in but the fact that her parent's house now belonged to someone else left her mind in deep unrest.

The clouds devoured the sun, and low grunts were heard from the skies. Nino increased her tempo as she rode home. Not only did she recently end her relationship with her shady and untrue boyfriend but she was also gonna lose her house to someone else. Where would she go? Didn't Mr Warren think about her well-being before selling off her parent's property?

She wished everything that was going on was nothing but a completely surreal one, one she wished not to wake up from. She focused on the road, ignoring the rumbling in the skies and the enormous calls from her boyfriend. What does he want? He made it clear why he was after her.

Her company wasn't doing that well but yet she tried to balance everything by making time for him and all he cared about was her money? He and his secret girlfriend already mapped out their plans and he still has the nerve to call her?

She killed the engine as she halted in front of her house, she took in a couple of breaths and descended from her car. She looked at the house before her, brushing back the bang shading her forehead. 𝑁𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑚𝑒.

She took in another couple of breaths and dipped her hands in her bag, she fumbled out the keys and inserted them inside the door hole but something was off. She placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it, the door opened without jangling of the keys to open it.

𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑟𝑑

How was that possible? She remembered vividly bolting the entrance door of her house before leaving for work. She never left her door unlocked before leaving for work, something was off. She quickly pushed the door open and went inside, everything was unscathed like she left it in the morning to deal with Mr Warren for selling off the house.

Throughout the day she couldn't concentrate on her work even when her secretary asked what was wrong. Was the owner here already? Mr Warren affirmed he didn't know when the owner would come. What owner? She was the rightful owner of this house.

This was quicker than she expected but then another thought crossed her mind, what if it's a burglar? She heard stories from her neighbors or staff about how burglars raid someone's home and make away with their assets. Frisson ran down her as the hairs on her nape pricked up in fear.

She scanned her sitting room hoping to find an object to serve as a weapon when she discerned a low hum coming from her kitchen. Her heart battered furiously against her chest as her eyes landed on a table lamp placed on the edge of the triangular window. She unhurriedly tiptoed towards the kitchen, making sure her feet left no sound. Nino pressed her back against the outer wall of the kitchen.

With heart hammering against her ribs, she clamped her only source of defense and readily braced herself for the danger ahead. She snuck out a little of her head, peeking from her hiding place into the kitchen. Her eyes caught sight of a man whose back was facing her, he was cooking something. Her eyes darted around her kitchen as the unknown man continued to hum some song making use of her kitchen utensils.

Not only did he loot her house, but he was also treating himself to dinner. What sort of burglar acts in this manner? She slowly and quietly crawled out of her hiding place, she raised the lamp ready to whack the life out of this being whoever he may be.

Unfortunately, the man turned towards her when she let out a shrill and tried to hit him with the lamp. The unknown man held the lamp from coming in contact with his head wearing an apathetic look on his face.

Okay, no one told Nino it would turn out this way and the man standing before her didn't look like a burglar to her. A strand of his jet-wavy hair fell over his forehead, his eyebrows were thick and black and his light hazel eyes seemed to lance through her skin and his lips were pressed in a thin line.

She was rooted to the ground, falling prey to the man's intense gaze. Not only his gaze but he was shirtless except for the apron covering his upper body. She focused on who he was and what he was doing in her house.

She yanked her weapon from his hold which made her topple, along with the man whose weight was pressed on the lamp. The man snaked her waist as he landed on the floor with her, Nino's head crashed on the planes of his chest. The lamp fell and crashed on the floor above their heads. Nino widened her eyes at the man's other hand draped on her chest.

"What do you think you are doing?" She abruptly stood to her feet, pushing the man away from her. "And who are you? What are you doing in my house and kitchen?"

The unknown man rose to his feet, wearing a puzzled look. "Your house? Your kitchen?"

"Yes," Nino tried to sound sure even though mere looking at him sent a chill down her spine. "A burglar won't be treating himself to dinner so who the heck are you?"

"I should be asking you this," his cold unapologetic voice came again. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

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