Chapter 3 Trouble

• Lily waved goodbye to her boss as she stepped out of the flower shop, the scent of fresh blooms still lingering in her hair. It had been a long day, but she didn’t mind. The shop was her little haven. And she was lucky to have a kind, understanding boss who let her take extra shifts whenever she needed them. It made the days easier.
• The sun was beginning to set, casting an amber glow over the streets as she made her way home. She walked briskly, her mind already wandering to dinner and what she could throw together for herself and Trent, her brother. They lived in a modest flat not far from the shop, a cosy space they’d managed to secure after bouncing between foster homes for years. After their parents had died when Lily was twelve, life had been a whirlwind of uncertainty and instability. She and Trent had stuck together through it all, but the years hadn’t been easy.
• Lily had managed to finish college, scraping by with odd jobs, but Trent... well, he was still figuring things out. He was only 19, but sometimes it felt like he was drifting, unsure of what he wanted or where he was headed. Lily worried about him constantly, but she tried to give him space. After all, they both deserved a little breathing room.
• When she reached the front door of their flat, she fished out her keys and stepped inside, immediately greeted by a wave of chaos. The living room was a disaster zone. Clothes were scattered everywhere, dirty dishes piled up on the coffee table, and Trent’s gaming console was sprawled out in the middle of the floor.
• Lily sighed, closing the door behind her with a soft thud. “Trent!” she called out, but there was no answer. Typical.
• Rolling her eyes, she set her bag down and started tidying up, picking up stray clothes and folding them into a haphazard pile on the couch. She wasn’t mad, really—this was just how things were with Trent. She tried to keep the place in order, but between work and everything else, it felt like a never-ending battle.
• After a few minutes of tidying, she made her way to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge to see what she could throw together for dinner. It wasn’t much—some leftover pasta, a few vegetables, and half a loaf of bread—but it would do. She chopped up the veggies, tossed them into a pan, and started cooking, the sizzle of onions and garlic filling the small apartment.
• As she stirred the pot, her thoughts drifted to the events of the day—specifically, the odd encounter with him. Giovanni, the man from the flower shop. He was charming and very handsome. But she didn’t know what to make of him.
• Shaking her head, she focused back on the task at hand. She didn’t need to get distracted by random, handsome strangers. She had enough on her plate.
• Just as she was plating the food, she heard the front door creak open, followed by the sound of Trent’s heavy footsteps.
• “Hey, Lil,” he mumbled as he shuffled into the kitchen, his hair a messy tangle and his shirt wrinkled like he’d just rolled out of bed.
• Lily glanced at him, hands on her hips. “Really, Trent? You left the living room looking like a tornado hit it.”
• Trent rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was, uh, gonna clean it up. Eventually.”
• Lily rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips. “Sure you were. Come on, dinner’s ready.”
• They sat down at the tiny kitchen table, the clink of forks and knives filling the air.
• “So,” she said, breaking the comfortable silence, “where were you ?"
• Trent groaned dramatically. “Ugh, don’t start, Lil. I was just out with friends."
• Lily laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Just try to keep the place a little less chaotic, okay?”
• “I’ll try,” Trent promised with a grin that told her he probably wouldn’t. But that was okay.
• For the next hour, she busied herself into watching her favourite Netflix show.
• Before long, there was a knock on the door. Lily got up and walked over, pulling the door open and smiling at the figure in front of her.
• It was a man. Dressed in jeans and a dark grey t-shirt. His muscles seemed to bulge.
• He looked Lily up and down and raised an eyebrow.
• "Can I help you?" she asked.
• The man smiled. "I'm looking to speak to Trent Parker. Is he in?"
• "Can I ask what this is about?"
• "Collection."
• "Collection of what?" asked Lily, frowning.
• "The money he owes us," replied the man.
• Lily frowned further still. "What money? Look, who are you, and what has this got to do with my brother ?"
• The man laughed, "He ain't told you then? Not surprised. Your brother borrowed money from me and my associates. Now it's time to pay up."
• Lily shook her head. "That can't be right. He wouldn't-"
• The man interrupted her, "He borrowed money from us. He knew when the due date was. Obviously there's the interest as welll," he sighed. "Look, let's continue this conversation inside, shall we?"
• Lily’s heart sank as she tried to process what the man was saying. Trent? Borrowing money from some shady-looking guy? It didn’t sound right, but the more the man spoke, the more real it became.
• "Inside? Absolutely not," she said, her voice wavering but firm. "Whatever you need to discuss, you can do it right here at the door."
• "Listen, sweetheart," he said, voice low, "I don’t think you understand. This isn’t a negotiation. Either you let me in, or we handle this the hard way."
• "Who is it, Lily?" Trent called from behind and then froze when he saw the man standing at the door.