Corruptions Are Best Exposed In The Autumn!

Chapter 2 - Welcome To Muller's Blend!

A chilly breeze brushed against the back of my neck, causing my arms and legs to squeeze tighter against my body. The thin red scarf which wrapped around my collar bone floated like a kite every time the wind returned from behind. It wasn't nearly enough to block the cold.

I trotted down the main street of Febai City through a nearby park with the same name. Wearing a navy trench coat that went down to my thighs while sporting some casual trousers and boots, I certainly didn't look like I was homeless. A patterned flat cap covered my head to further bury my face. Reaching into my coat pocket, I sighed in relief once I felt the remaining food stamps against my palm.

"God, why is it so cold already..."

It had been a week already since I was miraculously let out of jail. After being framed by my own father and being left with half of his debt, the police handed me a week's worth of food stamps while I dragged my broke ass onto the streets.

The sound of chirps from nearby pigeons fluttered behind the blasts of wind. It was exactly this same time last week when Nancy, the office lady who revealed everything about my father, struck that ridiculous deal with me.

"Even with a lawyer, you're pinned to the ground. If you don't win, you'll be in even more debt... perhaps the other half of what your father owes may fall onto you as well."

I sat back down in the chair across from Nancy's desk and crossed my legs. My breathing was inconsistent, my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest, and every hair on my body shot up like a rocket. I could no longer keep my eyes up at her, and stared down at my lap instead, fighting back tears from my eyes.

Nancy's deep glare slowly faded into a subtle smile. She had me cornered, and this witch knew exactly what she was doing.

"That's why, I'm proposing this," she continued while closing her laptop screen. "You will have three years to pay back the thirty million don debt to the government, and I will be the officer that tracks your progress. Our office will provide you some food stamps for the upcoming week, but..."

I looked back up with eyes of fire. Three years?! Sure, it may not have been three days...but how was one supposed to bring back thirty million don such a short period of time?

I tilted my head back up with my dazed eyes as if I was daydreaming. My eyes were still watery, but at least my goosebumps disappeared.

"...your father had all his property taken away from him. All his investments and money are gone, and his reputation will be ruined once the news reaches the public."

Her hands linked together, and she rested her chin on top of them while she sat. I digested her words slowly, with new sweat drops forming by the second.

"W-Wait... you don't mean-"

"Yes. You'll be left with nothing. You'll have to start over in life."

Tall birch trees decorated in shades of yellow and orange cluttered around the edges of the park I walked through. All around me, autumn leaves danced around both the branches and in the surrounding air as they fell off the tree branches, covering the path in front of me in a mosaic of colors. Piles of them had already formed on the grass, and the laughter of children as they jumped into the piles wandered into my ears.

October in Febai was quite pretty, yet I never took notice since I was always busy in my mansion. It wasn't just the twirling colors which gave the park its array of beauty; trees and bushes scattered around the middle, bringing life to the whole area. The scent of fresh pines and the aftermath of rain was all that reached my nose. Finally, the floating leaves on top of the puddles of rainwater from the previous evening looked almost like lilies.