By Zephyria 
Of course, the moment I turned the corner into the alley, whatever last shred of pride I had vanished without a trace.
“Ugh…”
As soon as I hid in the alley, I clutched my head and sank to the ground. I had spent the entire week squeezing time out of my busy schedule to visit several banks, but the answer was always the same. And now it was Friday afternoon. I had hit a wall and collapsed.
What do I do?
Even if I scraped together every penny I had, it was nowhere near the amount needed. Nor could I ask my adoptive parents for help. The mere thought of asking my adoptive father for money made me want to just hang myself.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no other way. I considered buying a lottery ticket on the way back, but I felt like I’d have better odds going to Las Vegas and hitting a slot machine.
That damn bastard, why the hell does he drive a car that expensive? Why not just leave it shoved in a garage?
Knowing full well that hurling curses after the fact was futile, I still clung to a vain resentment.
The only remaining option.
No matter how much I pondered, there was only one. I truly didn’t want to do this, but in a situation where I was completely backed into a corner, it wasn’t the time to be picky. I wiped my face with my hands, crouched there for a moment with my eyes closed, and then finally stood up. I fished my phone out of my pants pocket and looked for the man’s number. I had saved the number from the business card I received the day we first met, just in case.
I never imagined I’d use it like this.
The call didn’t connect. After a few monotonous rings, it went to an automated greeting. I tried calling again, but the result was the same. I stared down at my phone with a frown for a while before simply hanging up. I didn’t want to, but it seemed I had no choice but to meet him and speak in person. Before I could lose my nerve, I hurried back to where I had parked my car.
* * *
The black building standing prominently in the heart of the city, where land prices are notoriously expensive, belonged to Miller Law Firm. The fact that the entire 50-story building was owned by the firm made its influence feel visceral. Its sheer boldness seemed to arrogantly scream, “If you’re broke, get lost!” I stood before the building and tilted my head back so far it almost snapped, trying to gauge its height.
Is this the reality of a law firm where the basic retainer fee is hundreds of thousands of dollars?
I felt a simultaneous wave of bitterness and unpleasantness. That man would be on the top floor, looking down at the world beneath his feet with a haughty expression.
As I recalled his cruelty—how he had unhesitatingly tried to burn my eyes—I felt a momentary illusion of my eyeballs searing. Suppressing the instinctive fear rising within me, I deliberately walked faster than usual.
“Excuse me. I’m looking for someone.”
When I spoke to the employee at the information desk, they asked with a smile, “Yes, who would you like to be connected with?”
I took a short, deep breath and answered.
“I would like to see Mr. Nathaniel L. Miller.”
For a moment, the flow of air seemed to stop. The ambient noise of the space that had been humming in my ears suddenly vanished. As I waited in silence for a reaction, the employee, who had blinked in surprise, finally spoke.
“Ah, Mr. Miller isn’t in right now… I saw him leave for the day a while ago.”
“Already?”
Surprised, I checked the time, and the employee asked cautiously, “Did you perhaps have an appointment?”
“No, that’s… not it.”
Belatedly, I realized I had been a fool. There was no way he would meet me just because I showed up unannounced.
Even so, I thought I could at least leave a message through his secretary. I hadn’t expected him to be completely gone.
What a disaster.
Unconsciously frowning, I opened my mouth to at least try and leave a note with the secretary. However, the employee spoke before I could.
“Mr. Miller always leaves early on Fridays… because he always goes to parties on the weekends.”
“Parties?”
I asked back, bewildered, and the employee replied, “I heard it’s being held at Soyu’s mansion this time. If it’s urgent, you could try going there.”
I blinked at the unexpected suggestion.
“Would that be alright?”
“Yes… well, most of the staff here know about it…”
With an indifferent attitude, they gave me the address.
“Thank you.”
After a brief thank you, I left the building. Soyu’s mansion. I looked down at the note in my hand with a serious expression. I hadn’t had any complicated thoughts on the way here, but now I felt like things were unexpectedly tangling.
Should I come back another time?
I hesitated for a moment. The reason he wasn’t answering the phone was probably because he was at a party. Or perhaps he wasn’t answering because it was an unknown number. Or maybe he didn’t even have his phone on him? No, that’s unlikely. Then…
As I thought that far, it suddenly occurred to me.
If I go without an invitation, I definitely won’t be able to get in.
Should I just ask them to call him from outside?
I felt more and more pathetic by the second, but I also felt that there was nowhere lower to fall in this situation. If I turned back now, I felt like I’d never find the courage again. From the moment I decided to come here, my pride was essentially gone anyway.
Let’s go.
Having made my decision, I started walking, accompanied by self-deprecating thoughts.
Had my life ever unfolded easily?
At that time, I had not yet realized that things always tend to go worse than I imagine. Despite the fact that it had always been that way.
Following the navigation, I drove to a secluded area quite far from the city center. After passing through the iron gates of a famous country club and driving a bit further, even the few houses disappeared, replaced by dense rows of towering spruce trees. Only after driving down a tediously long road did I finally discover the mansion that was presumably my destination.
The massive mansion visible beyond the vast garden—so wide it made the road I’d traveled seem insignificant—exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation. It was my first time seeing a grand estate with such power that its mere existence was enough to make one feel exhausted; for a moment, my heart went cold. I even had the illusion that it had transformed into an ancient Titan, slowly raising its massive body to flatten my cheap rental car like a coin with an equally enormous thumb.
What am I thinking? Get it together.
I shook my head violently. I’ve come all this way; I can’t let myself be intimidated already. Because right now, I have a problem that must be solved above all else.
The men in black suits wearing earphones, who had been appearing sporadically throughout the garden, became more numerous as I approached the mansion. Finally, as I parked the car in front of the estate, a group of suits who had been watching me closely approached all at once.