Chapter 111: Begging for Extra Time

Jude shifted into drive and pulled smoothly onto the road, checking his mirrors before looking over. "You okay? Need me to take you to the police?"

Clutching her bag against her knees, she took a shaky breath and shook her head.

"No, no police," she said softly. "I just lost track of time. I was hanging out with friends, got lost in the side streets, and my phone died right at sunset. I was just looking for the subway when those guys started following me. If you hadn’t come down this road, I don’t know what would’ve happened."

"Good timing," Jude said, turning onto an open avenue. "I’m Jude Lawson."

"Luna Ning," she replied politely.

As the SUV hit a bump in the road, Luna winced, clutching her bag tighter. Jude noticed right away.

"How bad is the ankle?"

"Twisted it pretty bad on that drain," Luna admitted.

Jude put on his hazard lights, pulled over by the curb under a streetlamp, and put the car in park. "Let me see it before it puffs up."

Luna hesitated for a second, then untied her shoe and took off her sock.

The side of her ankle was swollen, with a dark bruise already starting to form.

"Nothing broken," Jude said after checking it. "Just a bad twist with some swelling. Let me fix the tension."

Luna nodded carefully. "Okay... thank you."

Jude held her heel with one hand and pressed his thumb firmly against the strained tendon, rubbing in smooth circles to push the swelling away.

The pressure eased the sharp tension, sending a warm feeling through her twisted ankle.

Luna took a slow breath, biting her lip as the stabbing pain faded into an easy ache.

After a minute, Jude set her foot down on the floor mat. "Try rolling your foot around."

Luna made a slow circle with her foot, her eyes going wide with surprise. "The pain is gone! How did you know how to do that?"

"Learned it growing up out in the countryside," Jude said with a light smile, pulling back into traffic. "Doing chores and hiking trails teaches you how to fix a sprain fast."

"You grew up outside the city too?" Luna looked at him. "Same here."

"Small world," Jude said.

"Though you’re doing way better than me," Luna smiled, glancing around the luxury interior.

Even without knowing the car’s brand, she could tell it was crazy expensive, yet Jude was driving it while wearing a cheap delivery vest.

"Building a company from the ground up must take serious grind."

"Just running a business," Jude replied. "What about you? Still in high school?"

Luna shook her head. "I just look young in this uniform. My family couldn’t afford school after ninth grade, so I came to the city to work. A talent scout signed me a few months ago after seeing me hand out flyers on the street. This outfit is our practice gear... I’m an idol trainee in a five-girl group."

"Tough business," Jude remarked.

"Thousands of girls are training in basement studios all over the city," Luna said. "Less than one in a hundred ever get to debut on stage."

"Focus on getting good," Jude said evenly. "The fame comes after the skill."

Luna smiled and nodded, then gave him the address of her studio in the Garment District.

As the Cullinan turned onto 38th Street, traffic ground to a halt...

Right ahead, outside a six-story building with a Starcrest Talent Entertainment sign, over a hundred people were gathered in the street, pointing their phones up at the roof.

Luna leaned forward, worried. "That’s my agency’s office. Why is everyone gathered outside?"

Jude pulled over to the curb and killed the engine. "Let’s go see."

They stepped onto the sidewalk and looked up at the roof six floors up.

Standing right on the edge of the narrow concrete roof, seventy feet up, was a chubby man in his late forties with his jacket unbuttoned.

"That’s Harold Wang... my agency boss!" Luna cried out in panic.

Jude looked down toward the building entrance. Standing in a cleared circle on the sidewalk, flanked by two private bodyguards, was a young man in a sharp double-breasted suit.

Lucas Vanguard.

Jude kept a straight face, taking it all in.

Running into the Vanguard heir outside a tiny talent studio in Midtown was a surprise...

"Mr. Vanguard, you’re killing us before we even get to show our girls!" Harold yelled down from the roof, his voice shaking.

Lucas checked his watch, not caring in the slightest. "The deal was clear, Harold. Pay back the loan tonight, or we take everything."

"Taking your money back right before our stage debut will bankrupt us!" Harold shouted, grabbing the rooftop railing. "I put twenty years of my life and money into this! Give us the three extra months you promised, or I’m jumping right now!"

Lucas looked up. "Threatening to jump doesn’t pay your debt."

"I’m just asking for the extra time in the contract!" Harold begged, falling to his knees on the ledge. "Just give Starcrest a chance to launch!"

"We’re not a charity, Harold," Lucas replied. "Whether your company goes broke or you jump off that roof is your choice."

Up on the ledge, Harold slumped forward in despair, while a few people in the crowd just complained about traffic being blocked.

Terrified that her boss was about to fall, Luna pushed through the crowd toward the sidewalk.

"Mr. Wang! Get away from the edge!" Luna screamed.

Harold looked down and spotted her under the streetlights. "Luna! Talk to Mr. Vanguard... beg him for the three months! We don’t have anyone else to borrow from!"

Luna froze. A nobody trainee had zero say against a billionaire lender, but she couldn’t just stand there and watch someone die.

She walked up to Lucas. "Mr. Vanguard... our agency put everything into this debut. Could you please just give us the extra time from the contract?"

Lucas turned around to head back to his car, but stopped dead in his tracks the second he saw her face.

He looked her up and down, taking in her natural beauty, clear skin, and school rehearsal outfit.

He tilted his head toward the roof. "Harold. Who is this?"

"Luna Ning... one of our top trainees," Harold called down.

Lucas turned back to Luna, a smirk spreading across his face.

"You’ve got the look," Lucas said, taking a step toward her. "Ditch this sinking ship and sign with my office tonight. I’ll make you a star before the month is over."