Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen


    “Where’s Mum?” Daniel asked immediately upon entering.


    “Getting some tea,” Lila replied, watching her Dad take a seat in his desk chair with a heavy sigh.


    “Tea sounds excellent,” her Dad said warmly. “Especially since this sounds incredibly serious.”


    As though his words summoned Lila’s Mum, she appeared with a tray full of cups, a pitcher of milk and a teapot. Asher instantly crossed the room to her, collecting the tray from her hands.


    “Oh, thank you,” she smiled, though her tone was incredibly surprised. “You didn’t have to.”


    “This is pretty heavy,” Asher replied, setting it down on an empty space on Lila’s Mum’s desk. “Thank you for preparing it.”


    “You’re most welcome,” Lila’s Mum beamed pleasantly. There was silence, except for the clattering of teacups and liquid being poured before Lila’s Mum took a seat. There weren’t any more chairs in the study, but Lila didn’t mind standing. She placed her teacup on one of the filing cabinets before turning her attention to Daniel. Everyone else also started looking expectantly at Daniel.


    The shakiness of his hands almost forced some tea out of his teacup, and he placed it on top of the filing cabinet as well, wiping his hands anxiously on his pants.


    “Uh, hi,” he said, his face looking extraordinarily pallid.


    “Hello,” Lila’s Dad stated with a nod. The corners of Lila’s mouth twitched, but she managed to suppress her impending snort.


    “I… uh… have something to tell you,” Daniel continued, glancing at Lila. She smiled encouragingly at him and he took a deep breath.


    “I’ve… been running a business.”


    “Oh,” Lila’s Dad blinked, setting down his teacup. “What kind of business?”


    Daniel placed his hands over his eyes for a moment before answering. “It… started really small… where I was lending money to a friend. Then, it got a lot bigger, after I realised a lot of people wanted to borrow money too. I also went into, um, delivery services. Like, for lunch, my employees-” Lila’s Dad spluttered, but Daniel soldiered on, “-they take orders for Uber Eats and bring the deliveries back and hand them out.”


    The room was unsettlingly quiet as Daniel’s words seemed to hang unnecessarily long in the air.


    “So… you’re a loan shark?” Lila’s Dad finally murmured. Daniel lowered his hands and nodded.


    “At school?” Lila’s Mum’s question was sharp and wavering with poorly hidden anger.


    “… Yes.”


    “Do they know?” Lila’s Mum’s eyes were narrowed, as though she already knew the answer.


    “No… not yet. Kinda. It’s, um, underground,” Daniel replied, twisting his hands together. Lila’s Mum’s eyes flashed, and she made to stand before Lila’s Dad spoke.


    “Now, Edith,” his voice was a measured warning. “Let’s hear him out before we get too hasty. Son, how much money are we talking?”


    Daniel looked uneasily at Lila and Asher, who both nodded. He inhaled slowly before passing over the notebooks to his Dad.


    “Here,” he said quietly. “This… was my last notebook before-” he cut himself off, pressing his lips together tightly.


    “Before?” Lila’s Dad looked up at Daniel over the rim of his glasses, the books still unopened.


    Daniel shot Asher another uneasy look.


    “It’s okay, Daniel,” Asher said softly. “Don’t worry about me.”


    “Don’t worry about you? Did you put him up to all of this?” Lila’s Mum’s voice was verging on shrill, prompting Lila’s Dad to raise a hand.


    “Edith, I’ll kick you out if you’re not going to listen to the full explanation.”


    Lila’s Mum crossed her arms, her face a silent pout, though she rolled her chair closer to Lila’s Dad.


    “Alright Daniel, before what?” Lila’s Dad asked again, his voice firm yet not unkind.


    “Before… I got Asher to help me.”


    “Help you with what, exactly?” Lila’s Dad probed. Daniel gestured to the notebooks, and Lila’s Dad finally opened them. Lila’s Mum peered over his shoulder, taking in what was written with wide, shocked eyes.


    “Daniel,” Lila’s Dad whispered. “This isn’t a business. This is a whole operation.”


    “It got too big… I was drowning. Lila and Asher found out about it, and they helped me to make it more manageable. Here’s where it’s at now,” Daniel pulled out his phone, tapping on it for a couple seconds before handing it over to his Dad. His Dad blanched as soon as he registered what he was looking at.


    “How long has it been running for?” Lila’s Dad eventually asked after returning Daniel’s phone.


    “Since the start of this year… I had to hire some people for security and to run the daily operations after a couple months. Now basically all the teachers use my services too.”


    Lila’s Mum looked like she wanted to say something else, but remained silent.


    “The teachers?” Lila’s Dad looked thoughtful as he pressed the tips of his fingers together. Lila’s Mum gave a long, disappointed sigh before shaking her head.


    “Daniel,” she said sternly. “Daniel, you say you’re a loan shark. I know that means people are in debt to you. That’s not a good line of work to be in. It’s… not for a kind boy. It’s greedy. It’s dangerous. Daniel, it’s illegal in my home country – your other home country. That’s not how I raised you.”


    A flash of guilt passed through Daniel’s face as he swallowed, his fingers starting to pull at his fingernails. He shifted his weight as if on the brink of bolting out of there. Lila had no idea what she could say in Daniel’s defence – or whether she should say anything at all.


    Lila’s Dad passed Lila’s Mum the notebooks. “Look at his work, Edith.”


    “I did,” Lila’s Mum insisted.


    “Look properly.”


    Lila’s Mum opened the notebooks with a click of her tongue, before falling entirely silent. It was a few moments before she looked over at Daniel, incredulity in her eyes.


    “You… did all this?” she asked, glancing at Lila and Asher. “By yourself?”


    “I did,” Daniel confirmed. “Well, Asher checked my work before transferring me to Square.”


    “There wasn’t anything wrong with his work,” Asher confirmed after clearing his throat. “He’s been very diligent, since the beginning.”


    “I made a lot of mistakes at the start, but I did some research how to do accounting and I double checked it every night,” Daniel added.


    “He had to quit sports, Mum,” Lila piped up. “Because he was spending all his time balancing the books and getting everything right.”


    “You sacrificed your sports for this?” Lila’s Dad queried, looking very seriously at Daniel.


    “Yeah… but after Asher helped me, I had some time given back to me. I’m doing touch footy again, at least.”


    “Not soccer?” Lila’s Mum asked, lowering the notebooks into her lap.


    “Nah. I prefer touch anyway,” Daniel replied with a shrug.


    Lila’s Mum fiddled with the top corner of one of the notebooks. Lila’s Dad gave his wife a sideways glance before shaking his head.


    “Daniel, why’d you hide this from us?” he asked, gingerly pinching the bridge of his nose.


    “I… I knew it was bad. I was taking advantage of people who needed money. I took the interest that they paid for as my own money, or to pay my employees. I was ashamed, but by the time I realised it wasn’t the best… it was too late. Then… Lila found out and promised she wouldn’t tell you guys and that she’d help. But, well… some of the employees were doing some things behind my back and so Asher started campaigning for the school to sanction the business… and he’s set up a meeting with the Headmaster for Monday… they’ll probably want to talk to you guys about it. Hopefully it won’t be underground anymore.”


    Lila’s parents both exchanged a look before shaking their heads, seeming more astounded than anything else.


    “I know your Mum will probably yell at me later,” Lila’s Dad began, a mischievous glint in his eyes, “but, son, I’m proud.”


    “Rob-” Lila’s Mum attempted to interject.


    “I’m proud because I can see how hard you’ve worked at this. The dedication, attention to detail, and even the idea – at thirteen, no less. You also prioritised it, even though you were in over your head, for your customers. Touch footy and soccer – you love both of those, but you sacrificed them for your business. Not to mention dealing with that much money and not falling apart entirely. That takes mettle, kid.” He finished speaking with a proud, fatherly beam which relaxed all of the tension from Lila’s shoulders that she didn’t know she’d been holding onto. She gulped down her tea, placing the empty cup back onto the filing cabinet as she waited for her Mum to speak.


    Her Mum looked flabbergasted for a moment before sighing.


    “I’m very disappointed. It’s still not how I raised you… but I also raised you to be a smart boy, and I can see you take after me with your accounting. You’ll go far – but please let it be honest work,” she eventually said, her voice breaking slightly at the end. “People can get very desperate.”


    “I’ve… noticed,” Daniel murmured, earning a suspicious look from Lila. Was someone giving him trouble that she didn’t know about?


    “If it gets sanctioned, will it be honest work?” Lila found herself asking. She wished she hadn’t, with the wince her Mum gave.


    “Tell them, Edith,” Lila’s Dad said gently, reaching over to grab her hand. Lila’s Mum bit her lower lip before, to Lila’s surprise, a small tear slid down her Mum’s face. She looked as though she’d aged a decade from just this conversation alone as she met Lila’s eyes, then Daniel’s.


    “… I told you that I had five siblings, though one has passed away,” her Mum began quietly, squeezing her Dad’s hand. “That was true… recently.”


    Lila’s breath caught in her throat, her mind jumping through many different conclusions and scenarios stemming purely from the word ‘recently’.


    “You know about Uncle Adrian, who… committed suicide a few years ago,” her Mum stopped speaking for a moment as another tear tumbled down her face. She shakily wiped it away before continuing. “Then, there’s Aunt Christine and Uncle James, who live in Australia, and Uncle Andres, and Aunt Lillian, who are both still in the Philippines. But… I’ve never told you about Uncle Danilo. We… mainly called him Daniel. You were actually named after his memory.”


    Lila’s heart dropped into her stomach. Uncle Danilo? She cast a look at her brother Daniel, who’s face looked to be drained of colour. It seemed as though he had no idea about the existence of another Uncle – let alone one that shared his name, even if it was a nickname. Lila’s Mum gave them both a watery smile.


    “He was a loan shark,” she explained softly. “He was five years older than me. I was always the second oldest – meant to be, from beginning to end. Until he was murdered at 24. He was supposed to be married the next month, but he got greedy. Increased the pesos for the interest… and paid with his life. I… I saw it happen, in the street outside our home. Suddenly, I was the eldest. I couldn’t grieve Daniel. I had to settle the wedding funds, and figure out how to send our siblings to school. As you know, the next youngest is Christine, but she’s four years younger than me. It was her last year of school, and she almost had to drop out to work until I found a way to keep us going. It…” Lila’s Mum stopped speaking, the flow of her tears requiring both her hands to wipe them away.


    “It’s okay, Edith. You don’t need to say more,” Lila’s Dad whispered, digging around his desk for some tissues. She gratefully accepted them, nodding as she dabbed at her eyes.


    Lila felt Asher’s hand brush against hers and she held it tightly, her knees suddenly feeling weak. He followed her lead in sinking to the floor, not letting go of her hand even once. Daniel was already kneeling on the carpet, his head in his hands. Their Mum… had seen her brother be murdered, for the crime of being a loan shark? She’d never spoken about him – and neither had her siblings or grandparents, whenever they visited family.


    It was incredibly eerie, finding out that Daniel shared both his namesake and business with an Uncle they’d never known about. Suddenly, Lila felt as though, perhaps, he’d end up sharing the same fate – murdered.


    “I never imagined that my son, who’s name easily came to me, would follow in his Uncle’s footsteps,” Lila’s Mum muttered, blowing her nose into a tissue. “But… we’re not in the Philippines. S-So… maybe it’s safe.”


    “I… I can see about stopping it,” Daniel said stiffly from behind his hands. “I don’t need to be the Banker.”


    “No,” Lila responded quickly. Everyone looked at her in varying states of surprise.


    “… Why?” Daniel looked up from his hands, his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. “You were all for me cancelling it before.”


    ‘Shit,’ Lila thought, her eyes darting to her parents and back to Daniel. ‘It’s still too early to say anything about the morphine ring.’


    Now that the presence of danger lurked overhead, what with their Uncle’s untimely death for the exact same business Daniel was in, the stakes had exponentially increased. Rocking the boat… wasn’t something she was willing to risk, for Daniel’s sake – before knowing all of this, and certainly not after. But it was getting harder to protect him from a threat he knew nothing about – especially when an apparent, tangible one had just been disclosed.


    “We’re already at the finish line,” Asher said, squeezing Lila’s hand. “The Headmaster hasn’t agreed that it will be sanctioned. But if it does, then your safety is almost guaranteed.”


    “My safety…” Daniel trailed off, his face now taking on a sickly green undertone. He looked ready to throw up.


    “Cutting it cold turkey does sound like an excellent way to get into trouble with your clients and employees,” Lila’s Dad said sagely. Lila’s Mum choked back a sob as she wiped at her eyes again.


    “You can’t undo what’s already been done, especially since it’s been, what, six months of running the business,” Asher added. Lila glanced down at Asher’s hands to find them trembling. Her eyes travelled up to his face, which looked stoic – but his eyes betrayed the fear that had clearly rattled him. It was a look she was unfortunately far too familiar with.


    Lila’s Dad passed her Mum more tissues before leaning back in his desk chair, his own expression incredibly pensive. Lila could almost see him considering multiple possibilities as his eyes moved between both of his children. Finally, they rested on Asher, producing a grim expression across her Dad’s face. He leaned forward, looking now at Daniel over the rim of his glasses.


    “It appears that you’ve backed yourself into a corner, my boy,” Lila’s Dad uttered slowly. “One that… you can get out of, with a lot of difficulty. The easiest way to stop it is to rescind all the debts that are owed to you and quietly change schools.”


    If it was even possible, Daniel looked more pale, his eyes wide and fixated on his Dad.


    “Or… we go along with this… business, with you as the ‘Banker’, or whatever you said just now. We finish out the school year, and see what we can do about stopping it then, or whether you want to continue until you graduate. Truthfully, it’s rather shady, but your business sense is ticking away in that mind of yours. As much as I’m reluctant to go along with it, I can’t deny that it’s invaluable experience. If it’s sanctioned, it will also be somewhat controlled for at school… but, for your poor mother’s heart, this will have to stay at school. Once you graduate, no more. We can invest the money you’ve made into a proper, legitimate business after graduation, or whatever you decide to do with it.”


    Daniel rubbed his eyes, more so as a habit he’d had since he was young when he was trying to make his mind up, rather than because he was tired.


    “It’s a lot,” Lila’s Dad continued. “You can think on it. When’s your meeting with the Headmaster?” He looked right back at Asher, who seemed bewildered that he was being addressed directly.


    “Monday. After school. He just wants to talk to Daniel, and get as much information about it to make a decision,” Asher responded.


    Lila’s Dad rubbed his forehead for a second. “I assume he wouldn’t make a decision instantly. I do think you’re right, though – he’ll want to talk to me and Mum first, especially since it seems you’ve built quite the following so far. He would be pretty aware of that fact – either already or soon.”


    The atmosphere remained tense, though Lila’s Mum seemed to have calmed down now.


    “Thank you for telling us,” Lila’s Dad finally said, smiling at Daniel. “That also took mettle, Daniel. While I wish it would’ve been earlier, it’s better late than never.”


    “Y-Yeah,” Daniel stammered in response, pulling his knees to his chest. “Sorry.”


    Lila’s Mum stretched her arms out, in a wordless request for a hug from Daniel. He stumbled to his feet, wrapping his arms around her. They remained like that for a few moments, with Daniel sniffling every so often, before she gently pushed him out of the hug. Lila’s Mum reached for Daniel’s face, gently taking both sides and rubbing her nose against his affectionately.


    “Mum’s not angry with you,” she whispered. “Just… scared.”


    “I’m sorry,” Daniel’s voice cracked, his shoulders slumping in defeat.


    “You didn’t know,” Lila’s Mum said, brushing the hair out of his eyes. “You’re young. Mistakes are how you learn.”


    Daniel grimaced, and Lila’s Mum smiled at him. “Go on. Go play some games, or relax. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”


    Daniel looked hesitantly at Lila and Asher, who were still on the floor.


    “You’ve earned it,” Lila said lightly. “You did well.”


    He pressed his lips together before nodding. “Okay. See you guys later.”


    Daniel slipped out of the doorway, softly closing the door behind him. There was total silence in the study as everyone seemed to collect their thoughts following their conversation. Then –


    “How long have you known for?” Lila’s Dad sounded tired as he wiped his glasses with a lens cleaner.


    “Early June, I think,” Lila replied reluctantly, glancing at Asher.


    “It was just over a month ago,” Asher clarified. Lila’s Dad paused his cleaning to peer at them both.


    “I’m guessing,” he said slowly, raising an eyebrow at Asher, “that your ‘tutoring’ was not for schoolwork.”


    “You caught me, Mr Moloney,” Asher responded with a small grin. Lila’s Dad’s eyes flickered to hers, though he looked away again as he finished cleaning his glasses.


    “You’ve been running circles around us,” Lila’s Dad stated plainly.


    “Not… necessarily,” Lila said tentatively. “Asher was tutoring Daniel… just in how to do the books better, and use Square.”


    Lila’s Dad snorted. Then, he placed his glasses on his face with a weary expression.


    “Is there anything else that we need to know in relation to this situation?” Lila’s Dad’s voice was incredibly stern. Lila hesitated. There was… but she really needed far more proof, especially since it related to his investigation that she should know absolutely nothing about.


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    She bit her lower lip as she tried to think of a noncommittal response.


    “… Not… for this,” Lila replied tentatively, bracing herself for further questions. It wasn’t necessarily a lie – since Daniel wasn’t a part of the morphine ring, despite his money being siphoned out by the Grade 12s, it was just far enough removed.


    “Lila,” Lila’s Dad looked dead straight in her eyes. “What else is there?”


    She looked away, fiddling instead with the folds of her pants. “Nothing you need to know for this matter.”


    “Is there something I need to know generally?”


    “… Not that I know of.” This was, of course, far more of a lie. But, to be able to get into it with him, she’d need to know more about it. At least, that’s how she rationalised away the sticky, murky feeling of distaste settling within her stomach as she added a nod, sealing her lie.


    “I’ll make it known that I don’t believe that,” her Dad said after a pause. “But… I’ll believe that you have your reasons. We did raise you to have a good head on your shoulders. I just hope you tell me some day.”


    Lila looked up at her Dad, who gave her a comforting smile.


    “I will,” Lila promised. He surveyed her carefully before heaving himself to his feet.


    “Thank you, you two,” her Dad said fondly, reaching a hand out to help Lila’s Mum stand. “For helping Daniel with his business. Though we would have preferred to have known earlier, at least you two were there for him. And it seems as though updating to Square was a good idea, Asher.”


    “T-Thanks, Mr Moloney,” Asher replied, slowly rising to his feet. He helped Lila up as well and she smiled appreciatively at him.


    Her Dad collected the empty teacups, placing them on the tray. Lila’s Mum opened the door, gesturing for Lila’s Dad to go through. He did so before turning on his heel and looking back at Lila and Asher.


    “Congratulations, by the way,” her Dad said warmly. “I’m glad to see you two are finally together.”


    “Really?” Asher seemed perplexed by this revelation.


    “Of course,” her Dad smiled. “It was painful, watching my daughter mope around all the time because she was waiting around for you.”


    “Dad!”


    He winked at her before chortling his way down the hallway. Lila’s Mum chuckled as well, smiling at them both and gesturing for them to leave, which they did so promptly.


    Lila heard her Mum close the door behind them. They immediately headed towards her room when her Dad called Lila back into the kitchen. Asher looked curiously at Lila, who gestured for him to head up without her.


    “What’s up, Dad?” Lila asked, stepping just inside the kitchen. He turned around, the teapot in his hands already soapy.


    “Door open, Lila.”


    Lila felt her face redden. “I know, Dad.”


    “Just reminding you,” he shrugged, turning back to the sink. “You mentioned last night that you’re going over to Asher’s tomorrow. Do you keep the door open there, too?”


    “Y-Yes,” Lila replied unconvincingly, stepping backwards out of the kitchen.


    “Lila.”


    “… No. Never have, even before we were dating. His house is very echoey, I guess. We didn’t want the whole house to hear our English presentation for hours on end.”


    ‘Plus, we want to keep at least some kind of barrier between our investigation activities and Marlene’s nosy ways,’ Lila added privately. She recalled with a shudder Asher’s text to Lila about Marlene hovering outside the library door the second time she visited.


    Her Dad stopped moving for a moment. “Alright. Well, when you’re here, you have to follow our rules. Door open, please. For now.”


    “Okay Dad.”


    “Good. Go on.”


    Lila didn’t have to be told twice. She dashed off to her room, bounding up the staircase at two stairs at a time.


    Asher was sitting on her floor again, the same book he’d been reading in his hands once more. She sucked in a deep breath, the sudden exercise after this morning’s brutal hockey match leaving her winded.


    “You made it,” he smiled up at her. “What’d your Dad say?”


    “To keep the door open,” Lila replied breathlessly, sitting down across from him, resting her back against her desk.


    “Ah,” Asher’s eyes flicked back down to the book, his cheeks growing rosier by the second. “Makes sense.”


    He continued to read, but he seemed to be going at a much slower pace than normal. Lila observed him for a moment before crawling towards him, a mischievous grin across her face. His eyes darted to hers, his expression bewildered.


    “Wh-”


    Lila cut off his attempted question with a kiss. He made a small sound of surprise and she felt him drop his book onto his lap. He placed one of his hands on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. She held back from doing anything more with this kiss, breaking away to look past his shoulder at her bookshelf. She plucked a book out and began to back away again when he gently held her arm.


    “Hold on,” he whispered, his eyes focused on her lips. “Come back here.”


    She smiled at him, obliging his request with one more kiss, the book in her hands slipping out of her grasp.


    “Whoa guys, do I need to petition with Mum and Dad to let you close this door?”


    It was Clare’s voice. Lila unwillingly pulled away from Asher, looking up at her sister in the doorway.


    “What do you want?” Lila asked shortly, shuffling backwards towards the desk again.


    “Wanna know why you guys held a family meeting without me,” Clare replied, folding her arms across her chest, her expression incredibly displeased. Lila sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.


    “Ask Daniel.”


    “I did. He told me to ask you.”


    Lila pursed her lips. He was probably still processing, but Clare didn’t look as though she’d be budging anytime soon.


    “Fine. But he needs to be there,” Lila relented, wearily standing up. Asher closed his book and stood as well, clearly preferring to look at the ground rather than at Clare.


    The trio left without another word. Lila raised her hand to Daniel’s door, ready to knock, when he swung it open.


    “Oh,” he blinked. “Hello… everyone.”


    “Can we come in?” Lila asked. Daniel looked behind her, towards Clare, before he stood back, giving them room to head inside.


    “I was about to get some juice,” Daniel explained once everyone entered, with Lila and Clare settling on his bed, and Asher sinking into his desk chair. “You guys want some?”


    “Yes please,” Lila smiled. Asher and Clare also indicated their acceptance of his offer and he left, clomping down the stairs.


    “Were you listening in at the study door?” Lila asked, looking towards the board of students still hanging above Daniel’s desk.


    “No. I have more class than that,” Clare replied haughtily. Lila turned to her with a doubtful look and Clare sighed.


    “Couldn’t hear anything.”


    “Bingo.”


    “What were you guys talking about?” Clare pressed.


    “It’s not my secret to tell, Clare,” Lila said firmly. Clare sighed, folding her arms across her chest again, a thoughtful expression on her face.


    “… Should I tell him about my job?” she asked in a low voice, looking towards her knees. Lila and Asher exchanged a look.


    “That’s up to you, sis,” Lila said softly. “I… think he’s too young still, but he is surprisingly mature.”


    Clare nodded, unfolding her arms. “You’re right. He’s only thirteen. Hopefully when he comes of age, I won’t be doing it anymore.”


    “Hopefully? Are you not enjoying it?” Lila queried.


    “It’s… not that. But, I guess, it’s shameful, to have a sister that does that for a job.”


    “Is it?” Lila smiled, reaching out a hand to touch Clare’s shoulder. “I haven’t noticed.”


    Clare gave her a half-hearted smile, opening her mouth to say something else when Daniel reappeared in the doorway, a tray holding cups and a juice box in his hands.


    They watched in silence as Daniel poured a cup for each of them and passed it along.


    “Thanks, Daniel,” Lila said once he picked up his own cup. He inclined his head towards her before taking a sip and setting it down on his desk.


    “So, why are you all in here?” Daniel asked expectantly, though he looked as though he knew the answer.


    “Clare wouldn’t leave us alone,” Lila replied.


    “Yup,” Clare confirmed. “You can’t just have family meetings without me.”


    Daniel rubbed his forehead, a pained expression across his face. “It… doesn’t concern you.”


    “I’m very concerned,” Clare retorted, sitting up straight. “Like, very.”


    “Sorry, sis, but… it was a really intense conversation,” Daniel said quietly. “I’m not prepared to talk about it.”


    Lila shot Daniel a sympathetic look, though Clare still appeared stubborn as she continued to sit on his bed expectantly.


    “We don’t have to tell Clare about what Mum said,” Lila murmured. “Let’s just tell her about the Banker.”


    “The what now?” Clare whipped her head to look at Lila.


    Daniel rubbed his left eyebrow before sighing in defeat.


    “The short of it is that I’ve been running an underground loan shark business at school, that also went into food delivery services for students,” Daniel said monotonously. He gestured to the board of students. “Those are clients who are the most in debt.”


    “I remember that weird board,” Clare shared a look with Lila. “Wasn’t Isaac on that board?”


    “You remember that?” Lila looked incredulously back at Clare.


    “I never forget a face,” Clare replied simply. “It’s very handy at my…” she faltered, taking a sip of juice.


    “At your what?” Daniel queried, placing a hand on his hip.


    “My… Uni,” Clare finally said, placing her cup in her lap. “Easy to find study partners when I know who’s in my classes.”


    Daniel seemed to consider this for a moment before continuing on with his explanation. “Basically, I had to tell Mum and Dad before they found out through the school. It got to the point where we had to get it sanctioned or shut down.”


    Clare continued to look at him expectantly. He sighed again.


    “Here,” he opened up his phone and passed it over to Clare. Her eyes bulged as she saw what was on it.


    “Hold up, that’s your revenue?” Clare was astounded, passing back his phone. “This is why you needed a new bank account?”


    “Yeah, to both. Though, some of the money goes to my employees.”


    “E-Employees?”


    “Mostly Grade 12s. I have someone who’s the face of the operation, then some muscle. Oh, and a few runners for deliveries.”


    Clare eyed Asher, who was still sitting at Daniel’s desk and looking utterly innocent.


    “Asher, why do you know about this?” she questioned, arching her eyebrow.


    “U-Uh, well, we found out about it,” Asher replied vaguely, his eyes darting to Lila.


    Daniel sighed again. “He went to pay off a 3k loan, but because it was so high, I had to collect it personally.”


    “You were in 3k of debt?” Clare looked surprised.


    Asher shook his head. “It was for a friend.”


    “After Lila and Asher found out, they helped me redo my system and now we use Square instead of just using cash or the occasional bank transfer.”


    “… So how’d the conversation with our parents go, then?” Clare asked.


    “It… was fine, I guess. It looks like if the school sanctions it, I’ll be stuck doing it for a little bit, though.”


    “Do you not want to do it?”


    Daniel paused, his eyes conflicted. “It’s… not that. I like being the Banker, most of the time. I feel really accomplished, and the money’s hectic. But… it’s a lot of responsibility. And… I guess it can be dangerous.”


    Clare pressed her lips together. “Yeah. It can be. Plus, a lot of people would want to use you.”


    “Yeah. At the moment, hardly anyone knows I’m the boss of the whole thing. But that might change, depending on what the school wants to do about it.”


    “Alright, well… thanks for telling me,” Clare said with a tone of finality. Then, she looked at Lila through narrowed eyes. “Lila, you sure are a secret keeper.”


    Lila tried to keep her facial expression neutral as she casually shrugged. “I suppose so.”


    “Who’s keeping your secrets?” Clare raised both eyebrows suspiciously at Lila who shrugged again.


    “Don’t have any.”


    Clare’s eyes flickered to Asher, who drank some of his juice. Lila could see the subtle way his hands were quivering, but hoped that Clare wouldn’t notice.


    Clare shook her head, clapping her hands onto her thighs before standing.


    “That’s that, I guess,” Clare announced. “I’ve got to get ready. I’m going out for lunch, then going out tonight.”


    She gave Lila a meaningful look and Lila guessed that Clare’s lunch was probably with Alex, and that her ‘going out tonight’ was for work, given it was a Saturday.


    “See you,” Lila said pleasantly. The boys said their goodbyes and Clare left, closing the door gently behind her.


    “Clare’s… reaction was a bit different to what I was expecting,” Daniel muttered, looking at where Clare had departed.


    “Well… she is trying to stay out of everyone’s business this year,” Lila replied with a shrug. “The old Clare would’ve freaked out, but I’ve found that she’s a bit more reasonable recently.”


    Daniel exhaled loudly, running his hands through his hair.


    “You okay?” Lila asked softly. He shook his head.


    “How am I supposed to be okay? It… it feels like I’m playing with fire here. What if I end up like Uncle Daniel?”


    “You won’t,” Lila said firmly, looking towards Asher who nodded. “That’s what sanctioning it at school is for. It protects you with some regulation, at least.”


    “But what if they tell everyone who I am?” Daniel bemoaned, sitting heavily on his bed next to Lila. “I’m so screwed. See that guy there? He owes me 1.5k. And that one there? $900. All the others are at least hundreds in debt, with admittedly no hope of paying.”


    “Have you been checking whether these people you’re giving loans to are able to pay before giving them the loan?” Lila inquired, furrowing her brow.


    “I do, when I take the loans. But… like I said, Livi’s gone off the rails. I think she enjoys getting people in trouble, me included. So, even if she does check and it doesn’t look good, I think she just goes ahead with it.”


    “Is there any way to forgive the loans?” Asher asked, leaning forward on his chair.


    “I’ve got too many investors. I mean, maybe? But it’d take a lot of work and money out of my funds, which I need to have stock of to give out more loans.”


    “Okay,” Asher said, leaning back again. “We’ll need to add that as part of the conditions of running this still.”


    “Conditions?” Daniel looked perplexed.


    “Yeah. You’ll need to propose a few things, including how this whole thing is going to run from here on out after it gets sanctioned. I’ve already written up a list which I have in my bag, but we’ll need to add that checks will need to be done regarding serviceability.”


    “Service-a-what?” Daniel glanced at Lila, who shrugged.


    “Just whether can people pay it back or not,” Asher clarified. “I’ll go grab it, hang on.”


    He left without giving anyone the chance to deny him.


    “You’re keeping him, right?” Daniel asked in a low voice. Lila gave him a sideways glance.


    “Planning on it,” she replied. “As much as he’s useful to you, he’s… everything to me.”


    Daniel gave her a shrewd look before wrinkling his nose. “Ew. No need to get sappy, it was just a simple question.”


    She grabbed one of his pillows and bonked him on the head with it.


    “Hey! Oi! Precious cargo!” Daniel whined before grabbing another pillow and hitting her back.


    Lila grabbed his pillow and threw it onto the ground, immediately placing him into a headlock and ruffling his hair wildly. He struggled against her for a moment before the door opened again and Asher entered.


    “Uh, did I miss something?” he asked cautiously, remaining in the doorway. Lila instantly let Daniel go.


    “Nothing,” Daniel grinned after getting his breath back. “She’s just sappy.”


    Lila glared at him and he laughed.


    “Sappy?” Asher inquired, approaching them with a spiralbound notebook in his hands.


    “Don’t worry about it,” Daniel smirked. “See, I can protect your secrets too, sis.”


    She rolled her eyes at Daniel, though she did appreciate it deep down. She… wasn’t quite ready to admit what she said to Asher’s face, after all. Asher still looked curious, but shook his head and rolled the desk chair towards Daniel’s bed. He passed the notebook to Daniel before sitting down.


    “I added the serviceability thing just now,” Asher said. “The list is in the front.”


    Daniel nodded, opening the cover. Lila leaned over his shoulder, taking in the list. A lot of it was procedural, and involved some colour coding that noted whether it was a negotiable condition or not.


    “Thanks, Asher,” Daniel said after he finished reading through it. “Makes sense to me.”


    “You can chop or change it, but I did gather some intel from the teachers about how to make it more agreeable to the Headmaster. Think on it, and don’t forget to take it on Monday.”


    “Thanks,” Daniel repeated, closing it. “Are you coming to the meeting on Monday, Lila?”


    Lila glanced at Asher, who shook his head. “You can be nearby, but the condition of the meeting was that it was basically between the Banker and the Headmaster. I’ll be there as a conduit, but Daniel’ll have to do all the talking.”


    Daniel closed his eyes, his face paling once more.


    “You’ll be fine,” Lila said comfortingly. “You did most of the talking with Mum and Dad.”


    Daniel looked unconvinced. “I’ll definitely need tomorrow to prepare,” he said after a few moments.


    “If you need anything, you can let me know,” Asher added. “Like Lila said, you’ll be fine.”


    Daniel exhaled heavily, tapping the cover of the notebook. “Okay.”


    Lila stood up. “I guess we’ll get out of your hair,” she said, meeting Asher’s eyes. He stood as well and they crossed Daniel’s room towards his door. She paused, turning back to Daniel. “You did well. That was a big discussion.”


    He smiled weakly at Lila. “Thanks, sis. See you later.”


    Lila and Asher left him to his thoughts, treading quietly to her room.


    “Well, that went well, all things considered,” Asher yawned, stretching his arms. “What should we do?”


    Lila shrugged, her mind quite consciously aware of the open door policy. “I was hoping to read that book I grabbed before.”


    Asher glanced down at it before bending down and picking it up. “Reading sounds good,” he said, passing it to her. She grabbed some cushions for both of them before settling down onto the floor, facing Asher. He smiled at her as he cushioned his back against her bookshelf and opened his book.


    They read in silence for a while before Lila felt Asher move. She looked up and saw that he had made his way over to her, his face extremely serious.


    “You’re looking really cute over here,” he whispered, hovering just above her. “I can’t resist anymore.”


    Lila’s heart jumped to her throat. Resist… what, exactly?


    Just as she thought that, he leant down, gently grazing his lips against hers. She reciprocated his kiss, which immediately picked up in intensity. Her breathing grew heavy, and he grasped one of her hands, the intimacy of this subtle touch sending shivers down her spine. The feeling of dizzying intoxication returned, and she felt his fingers twitch around her hand. Sparks of electricity rushed through her in tandem with each heart beat, and she felt as though she was beginning to melt in his hands.


    He halted for a moment, as if contemplating something, and broke their kiss entirely. She pouted at him and he grinned at her, his face flushed with red. Then, before she could react, he lightly brushed her neck with his lips.


    She’d never felt this sensation before, her body shuddering involuntarily with pleasure. It left her breathless and she gripped his shirt, pulling him closer in a silent demand for him to keep going. He did, and she felt goosebumps trailing down her neck, which he followed with more kisses.


    Her breath returned in the form of a gasp as the feeling gathered in potency. The sound seemed to excite him somehow, his own breathing sounding heavier with each passing second. He slightly pulled her shirt down, exposing more of her skin that he quickly continued to explore with his lips. A moan that she didn’t expect escaped her mouth, as though the tingles she was feeling had taken control of her vocal cords.


    Asher chuckled, the sound reverberating through her neck and producing yet more pleasure. Lila wasn’t sure whether she even had a brain anymore as it was entirely blank, giving in to the feelings he was imparting on her.


    Then, the telltale sound of someone coming up the stairs shocked her brain right back into its rightful place and she pushed him off her in a panic, her strength surprising even herself.


    He landed next to her with a small “Oof!”, and she almost threw his book at him before opening her own to a random page, trying to calm her breathing as best she could so that whoever it was wouldn’t suspect that anything had happened between her and Asher just now.


    She chanced a peek at Asher, who seemed to be similarly attempting to calm down, having brought his knees up to his chest and hidden his face behind his book.


    “Lunch is ready,” Lila’s Mum called, poking her head into Lila’s room. “Ah, reading, I see.”


    “Y-Yup,” Lila stuttered, promptly closing her book. “We’ll come down now.”


    Lila’s Mum smiled before advancing towards Daniel’s room, knocking politely before telling him the same thing. Lila strained her ears to hear further activity, but she didn’t need to. Clare burst out of her room with a “Bye guys!”, rushing down the stairs as though escaping a fire.


    “That girl,” Lila’s Mum tutted. Then, Lila heard footsteps returning to the stairs and make their way down it. As Daniel hadn’t left his room just yet, Lila assumed that her Mum had headed back downstairs.


    She turned to Asher to find him smirking at her. She felt her face immediately turn red and she set her book aside.


    “Asher,” she whispered desperately, “I thought you just wanted to keep to kissing.”


    “I was,” he whispered back, his tone conveying an air of innocence. “Seeing you tremble like that was starting to drive me crazy, though. If you hadn’t pushed me off, I think we would’ve been caught red handed.”


    Lila’s blush deepened even further, suddenly feeling very embarrassed by his observation. He swiftly kissed her forehead before getting to his feet.


    “Let’s not keep your family waiting,” he said softly, reaching down to help her up. She accepted his assistance and they left, meeting Daniel in the hallway.


    Lila couldn’t concentrate on her lunch, which consisted of thin slices of barbecued meat in a bed of seasoned rice, in the slightest. Luckily, Asher took the reins in regaling her family with a summary of his win against St Peters, which suitably impressed Lila’s Dad and Daniel. No one dared broach the topic of the Banker situation, even though Clare had already left for the day.


    Lila otherwise tried to act as casually as she could, her attempts at dispelling her intrusive memories of how Asher kissed her neck just moments earlier failing miserably. Worse still, her thoughts would loop back to what Asher had said – “Seeing you tremble like that was starting to drive me crazy”.


    “Is everything okay, Lila?” her Dad finally asked, having exhausted all points of discussion about Asher’s soccer match.


    “Y-Yeah,” Lila replied, staring intently at her half-eaten food. “Just… tired, after hockey.”


    “Ah,” her Dad nodded in understanding. “I bet.”


    He moved on to another conversation topic, which Lila zoned out entirely, deciding to instead focus on eating the rest of her food so that she could go back upstairs. It didn’t take long for her to accomplish her goal, and it seemed that everyone else had finished around the same time. She picked up her bowl, quickly placing it in the sink, and hurried up the stairs.


    She sank down onto her bed, nervously touching the pendant of the necklace Asher had gifted her as she waited for him to join her. She didn’t have to wait long, and he entered her room with a sheepish grin.


    “Sorry,” he said quietly, taking his place by her bookshelf.


    “For?” Lila asked as she slid off her bed and to her spot by her desk. He held her gaze for a moment before looking down at their books.


    “I lost myself for a moment. It… was a bit much.” He leaned forward, collecting both the books and passing hers over. She placed her hand over his, shaking her head.


    “It wasn’t,” she murmured. “But… I don’t think here’s the best place.”


    He nodded solemnly, tenderly caressing her hand before retreating to his book. This time, they read for quite a while longer, though Lila couldn’t comprehend what she was reading. Her mind was still swimming through her growing bank of tantalising kisses, touches and words of desire, overriding whatever her eyes were seeing.


    It was strange how, at some points, he seemed so shy – but at others, like just before, he exuded a confidence that drew her in, linking with her body in a way that somehow severed her connection with her mind.


    She tightly gripped the edges of her book before slamming it shut, done with pretending to read. He looked up at her and lowered his book.


    “Yes?” he questioned, tilting his head slightly.


    “I’m bored,” she sighed. “Can we do something else?”


    “… Like what?” Asher seemed tentative, a hint of rosiness decorating his cheeks.


    “Dunno. Maybe some board games.”


    “Oh,” a glimmer of disappointment crossed through his eyes. “Yeah. Let’s play that one from before – Catan, I think it was?”


    They set aside their books and climbed downstairs. Her parents were watching TV in the living room, and Lila carefully moved across it to the board games stash. Asher hung around by the couch, his eyes lingering on the Filipino drama playing at full blast with interest.


    Lila rifled through their collection, pulling out Catan and a couple others that were suited to two players. She quickly moved across the TV again, gesturing for Asher to follow her to the dining room table.


    They wordlessly set up Catan, settling themselves opposite each other. A board game was definitely a good move, as it suitably distracted Lila. They played a couple games, only pausing for a brief moment when Lila’s Dad appeared beside her.


    “What’s up, kiddos,” he said affectionately, looking down at their game. “Looks like Lila snagged the good port.”


    “She did,” Asher nodded, “until you look at how many cities I have alongside sheep, and my sheep port.”


    “Good work,” her Dad laughed. “Anyway, I’m not here to critique your game. How do you feel about fish and chips for dinner?”


    “Yes please!” Lila grinned, looking up from her cards. “Not cooking tonight?”


    “After today’s conversation? Nah. I’ll place the order now. Are you a crumbed fish man, or a battered fish man, Asher?”


    “Crumbed for me, thank you Mr Moloney.”


    “Much healthier. And yes, I’ll ask for extra chicken salt and lemon, Lila, don’t fret.”


    She beamed at her Dad. “You know me so well. Almost like you raised me.”


    “I’d hope so,” her Dad chuckled, leaving them to it.


    They continued playing until her parents returned, the savoury smell of fish and chips immediately making Lila’s stomach rumble. As her family and Asher ate dinner, they discussed a myriad of things, such as the coldness of this year’s winter, and upcoming school activities. It turned out that Daniel was gearing up for his touch footy season to start, proudly boasting about how easily he’d caught up to his other teammates besides his break. Though it teetered on the edge of what they’d discussed in the study, no one dared open that door.


    Once dinner was finished, Lila and Asher got stuck into another board game – one that enticed Daniel to hang back and play as well. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before Asher forlornly announced the arrival of Marlene mid-game.


    “Running away, are we?” Daniel teased as he moved his Meeple forward on the board. “Scared of losing?”


    “Don’t be an idiot,” Lila replied, poking him in the head. “You’re fifty points behind. You’d never catch up.”


    “Rude,” Daniel huffed. “I so would.”


    She rolled her eyes at him and he stuck his tongue out at her before he started packing away the board game. Lila followed Asher upstairs, double checking that he hadn’t left anything in her room.


    “What time should I come over tomorrow?” she asked softly once he pulled his backpack onto his shoulder.


    “Whenever you want,” he responded casually. “It’s not like I have any other plans, besides seeing you.”


    “What were we going to do?” she queried as they went back downstairs. He made sure to say goodbye to her family as they passed before answering.


    “I was thinking of planning.”


    “For?”


    He glanced behind him, as if expecting one of her family members to be there. They were quite alone. He shoved his feet into his soccer boots.


    “Well… there’s unfinished business still,” he said, giving her a meaningful look.


    “That could mean anything,” she replied with a laugh.


    “That’s why we need to plan,” he grinned. She opened the door for him and he shuffled out.


    “Shit, it’s cold out here,” he grumbled, hoisting his backpack in front of his stomach. “You should stay inside. I’ll be fine.”


    “I’ll come wi-”


    He turned around, kissing her lips softly. She faltered, her heart beginning to race inside her chest. He pulled away, smirking as he gently pushed her back inside her house and promptly closed the front door.


    “See you tomorrow!” he called. She heard him dash down the driveway, complaining once more about the cold. A car door slammed, and the lights shining through the frosted glass dimmed by the time she regained control of her limbs.


    ‘Unfair,’ she thought petulantly, locking the front door. ‘I wanted to say that too.’