January 19, 2021: Desenrascanço

"Enter," The muffled voice of a man was heard from the other side of the door.

Without a delay, Syn turned the doorknob and immediately entered the room. But before she could even take another step, her arm was forcefully dragged, followed by the door slamming shut.

Right away, the chapped lips of an old man greedily pressed on her plump ones. His tongue then licked her bottom lip, asking for entrance to her mouth. While he waited for her response, he went on to shower small kisses around her lips, shortly going down on her neck.

Although, when he remarked that the lady was unresponsive to his actions, he stopped and queried, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling it?"

Upon noticing the professor's hesitation, she flashed a grin and closed her eyes halfway. She perfectly knew that the allure of her droopy eyes excited the old man, much to her delight because he could be easily manipulated. With her frosty fingers, she lightly traced his jawline and whispered into his right ear.

"We've been doing this for so long. You still don't know what I want? Hmm? Roman."

Her delicate voice, along with her breath that landed feathery kisses on his skin, sent shivers down his spine, serving to turn him on even further. Again, she was exploiting his inclinations as her impatience began to crawl back to her rationale.

"Y-you see, I don't have the money yet."

"Yet?"

Syn jerked her head to the side. It was apparent that her mood shifted in that instant. She raised an eyebrow, promptly erasing her smile, and that effectively displayed that she was discontented with the situation.

When he sighted her expression, Roman joined his hands to beg for her understanding. He hurriedly declared, "I promise I'll have it tomorrow!"

"This is the second time you've said that. I am not having any of it. I will contact the agency and report your violation of the contract. Have a good day professor."

"No! No! Don't go, please! I will double the amount! I swear!"

Roman knelt in front of Syn, hoping for her mercy. Regrettably for him, he was asking it from the wrong person. The lady merely stood there, silent and unmoving, and refused to deal with the unpaying customer. Withal, the professor mistook her quietude as an approval.

"Let's continue, okay, Syn?"

In the process of standing up, a fist landed on Roman's nose, breaking its bridge. The impact pushed him down the floor, writhing in agony.

"You!"

Roman wanted to scream and glare at the woman who hurt him, to make her afraid. However, the moment that their eyes met, he cowered against the ferocious glint hovering on her eyes.

Maintaining a casual tone, confident that she wouldn't be castigated for her assault, Syn addressed Roman's laments.

"A representative from the agency will be contacting you soon to collect the payment, with additional charges for the interest of the two unpaid sessions. I will also be asking for the cancellation of our contract due to the said violation. Well then, I will be taking my leave."

Then and there, she abandoned the professor sans paying him another look.

In a haste, Syn walked towards the building where her first class would be held. Granted that it was not palpable on the surface, the lady was seething with anger, burning her insides with a prickling sensation.

'What the hell is up with this day?! A teenager in heat and a desperate old man with no money? Freaking ridiculous.'

Her feet soon stopped from moving. She could care less that she was in the middle of the pathway, interrupting the traffic of the passersby.

'I need to be able to deposit today or else they will harass my mom again. What to do? What to do? Should I take in more clients? More part-time jobs? I absolutely won't quit university. I am graduating this semester. I cannot afford to miss any of my classes. Any additional workload will be unwelcomed. Oh right, our agency has some VIP Clients. I should set aside my stubbornness for now.'

At the time of sorting out her thoughts, she searched for a location within the campus that would give her the privacy that she needed. Since it was the height of winter, she had several options outside the buildings.

'Hmm, the garden behind the economics building is quite secluded. I think it's fine there.'

Syn duly pursued her train of thought, reaching the place in a matter of a few minutes.

Ahead of starting the call, she first made sure that no one was in the area. Latterly of checking, she fished out her phone from her backpack and dialled the number of the supervisor of the agency she was employed under.

"Hello?"

{{ "Syn? Aren't you in class? What's the matter?" }}

"I have ten minutes. I called to request something." Syn ceased from speaking to ponder if she was making the right decision. She heaved a sigh, sounding as if she had no choice. "If it is possible, could you endorse me to one of our VIP Clients?"

{{ "Huh? You were the one who opposed this idea. Saying that it was a pain in the ass to be in an exclusive contract." }}

"I don't really have a choice. All I care about is the amount they're willing to settle in the contract."

{{ "Alright, alright, I will get back to you in an hour or two." }}

"Thank you, Mina. I know you're very capable."

{{ "Such empty words. It won't work the next time okay?" }}

"I understand. Goodbye."

{{ "Bye" }}

For the second time, Syn exhaled deeply when she dropped the call. There was a nagging feeling at the pit of her stomach that she merely ignored, yet managed to tire her out. She was very reluctant in signing an exclusive contract, since it would entail that she might have to cut off all of her other affairs, work included.

But considering her circumstances, she knew that the merit would overrun the risks and losses.

'I have to bear with it for the time being.'

Not long after her contemplation, Syn's phone vibrated. A laugh escaped from her mouth upon seeing the message that Mina had sent.

'Ha?! What's with this amount?! It's preposterous. Do rich people really have this amount of money to spend on guilty pleasures?'

She received another text message from Mina that indicated the conditions of the client.

'Well, it works fine for me if they want to meet tonight. With that many zeroes in my paycheck, I'd even agree to hike Mt. Everest just to see them.'

Syn, satisfied with the fast-paced turn of events, light-heartedly strolled in the direction of the building where the College of Accounting was located, conjointly the room for her first class.

'Sors Bar at 9 pm, I will be having a date with you, Mr Tristan O' Connor.'

Little did the lady know, that was how fate would intertwine the destiny of two individuals who never believed in it.