Chapter 3 Medical Expenses

The cell gate creaked open, and Jojo emerged, her eyes fixed on the figure standing before her. It was Colin, Mr. Perfect's trusty sidekick, sent to relay a message that would no doubt seal her fate. She cleared her throat, trying to sound nonchalant. "I heard he did a CT scan, how is he?" She asked, not because she actually cared about Mr. Perfect's well-being, but because she wanted to know just how much trouble she was in.

Colin's expression remained neutral, his voice flat. "He is fine." Jojo released a sigh of relief, thinking that maybe, just maybe, she'd get off lightly. But then Colin continued, his words dripping with an air of superiority. "Mr. Sullivan demands you compensate for his medical expenses." He pulled out his tablet, his fingers flying across the screen as he brought up the bill.

Jojo's head tilted to one side, her eyes narrowing as she listened. "How much?" She asked, her voice low and cautious.

Colin's response was swift and merciless. "$660,000."

Jojo's jaw dropped, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "What?" She asked, her voice loud and incredulous. "$660,000?" She repeated, her eyes wide with shock. Her mouth remained agape, refusing to close, as if her brain was struggling to comprehend the absurdity of the amount.

Colin's expression remained stoic, his eyes fixed on Jojo's stunned face. "Yes, ma'am. That's the total." He said, his voice firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Jojo scoffed, her voice laced with disdain. "Isn't he demanding too much?" She asked, her eyes fixed on Colin's stoic face. "$660,000 my ass," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief.

Colin handed her the tablet, and Jojo's eyes scanned the list, her expression growing more incredulous by the second. "Loss of business opportunities: $100,000?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Damage to his designer suit? When did I damage his suit?" She asked, her voice laced with indignation. "This is really unfair," she murmured, her eyes scanning the rest of the list.

Colin collected the tablet from Jojo, his expression unyielding. "Here," he said, handing her a printed-out file. "It contains his demands and bank details, in case it slips your mind," he trailed off, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jojo's eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed on the file. "You know, it looks like you're enjoying this, aren't you?" She asked, her voice laced with accusation.

Colin's expression remained neutral, but a hint of a smile played on his lips. "Just doing my job, ma'am," he said, his voice firm.

Jojo snorted, her eyes scanning the file. "Well, I'm not paying this," she said, her voice firm. "I'll go to court before I pay a single cent."

Colin's smile grew wider, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'll make sure to inform Mr. Sullivan," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear that."

As he turned to leave, Jojo's hand shot out, grasping his arm and holding him back. "When is the deadline to pay?" She asked, her voice laced with a hint of desperation, knowing that dragging the matter to court would only lead to more trouble.

Colin's expression remained neutral, his eyes fixed on hers. "You have three days to pay," he replied, his voice firm.

Jojo's grip on his arm tightened, her eyes wide with panic. "If after three days you don't pay up, then we'd really be seeing each other at the court," Colin continued, his voice dripping with an air of inevitability. He then took a slight bow, his movements fluid and calculated, before turning and walking away, leaving Jojo alone in the cell.

The printout file fell from Jojo's hand, her fingers loosening as she slumped to the floor, her expression blank. "Three days," she huffed, her voice barely audible. Her eyes darted back and forth, her mind racing with calculations and desperate schemes. How was she supposed to come up with that kind of money? She was a struggling artist, not a millionaire! The thought of being indebted to Mr. Perfect for the rest of her life made her stomach turn, her mind reeling with the implications.

***********

Jojo sighed as she opened the gate to her house and trudged inside, her feet heavy with the weight of her own misery.

"You're back, Jojo?" Her younger brother, Josh, called out from the dining table, where he was busy serving himself a generous portion of their mother's famous three-alarm chili.

Jojo's mother and grandmother emerged from the kitchen, carrying an assortment of side dishes that would put a Thanksgiving feast to shame.

"I'm back," Jojo announced, her voice low and resigned, as if she was declaring her surrender to the universe.

Her grandmother, a feisty little woman with a tongue sharper than a razor, took a seat at the table and fixed Jojo with a piercing stare. "We're not blind, we can see you," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jojo slumped into her chair, her eyes fixed on the tablecloth as she picked up her spoon.

Josh, ever the observant one, took one look at her face and declared, "Looking at your face, your day must have been bad."

Jojo's mother, a woman with a heart of gold and a sense of humor to match, murmured under her breath, "Has there been any day her day was good?" The family erupted into laughter. She tsked, her eyes fixed on the bandaged forehead, a mixture of exasperation and concern etched on her face. "Again?" She sighed, shaking her head. "I told you, if acting isn't paying the bills, just get married to a rich man." She said, as if it were the simplest solution in the world.

Jojo's Grandma, a wise and kind woman, intervened, her voice soft but firm. "Just let her be, can't you see she's had a long day?" She said, pushing some side dishes towards Jojo. "Eat up, Jojo, you must be starving."

Jojo's mum turned to her mother, a hint of defensiveness creeping into her voice. "You're always taking her side, Mum." She said, as if Jojo's Grandma was somehow enabling her daughter's questionable life choices.

Jojo pressed her lips into a thin line, already tired of her Mum's lecture. She knew what was coming next. "You're already 27, when will you get married and start having kids?" Her mum said, dropping her usual line, as if Jojo's biological clock was ticking away like a time bomb.

Josh, Jojo's younger brother, sighed, feeling sorry for his sister at their Mum's constant nagging. He knew Jojo's strugles, her passion for acting, and her determination to make it big. He also knew their Mum's relentless pressure was suffocating, and he wished she would just let her be.

But Jojo paid no attention to her mother's nagging, she just kept eating, scooping big portions of food into her mouth with a determination that would put a hungry wolverine to shame. Her mother's words were like water off a duck's back, and Jojo was the duck, quacking away in blissful ignorance.

Jojo's Mum was taken aback, surprised that Jojo wasn't responding to her expertly crafted nagging. She looked at her daughter, expecting to see a hint of guilt or remorse, but all she saw was a woman on a mission, shoveling food into her mouth like it was going out of style.

Jojo kept eating, her hunger fueled by her pissed-off state. She was starving, not just for food, but for a solution to her problems. She needed her stomach to be full, her energy levels to be high, and her wit to be sharp, all in preparation for the battle ahead - dealing with Mr. Perfect and her nagging mother.

Jojo gulped down the glass of water like a parched traveler who had just stumbled upon an oasis, then got up from her seat with a sense of relief, like she had just escaped a firing squad. "Thank you for the food," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as if to say, "Thanks for the fuel, I'm going to need it to deal with all this drama."

Josh looked into Jojo's plate, his eyes widening in surprise, seeing that she had finished her food with the precision of a vacuum cleaner, not leaving a single grain of rice behind. It was as if she had been possessed by the spirit of a hungry bear, devouring everything in sight.

Jojo entered her room, her feet heavy with exhaustion, her mind still reeling from the events of the day. She fell onto her bed like a rag doll, her body surrendering to the softness of the mattress, her eyes closing in blissful surrender.

Just as she was about to drift off into a peaceful slumber, her phone rang, shrill and insistent, like a nagging conscience. She groggily brought it out, her eyes half-closed, and saw that it was a joint call from her two closest friends, Phoebe and Nora. She picked up the call, her voice still husky from sleep. "Hey, guys."

"How was your stay at the cell?" Phoebe started, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't even start," Jojo replied, her voice laced with a warning. She didn't want to remember today's events, thank you very much.

But Nora was not one to be deterred. "I heard you caused trouble at APEX Ventures," she said, tutting her tongue. "What did you do this time, Jojo?"

Jojo sighed, knowing she couldn't avoid the truth forever. "Mr. Perfect is suing me for $660,000 in medical expenses compensation, to be paid in three days."

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end of the line before Nora exclaimed, "$660,000? Isn't he asking for too much?"

Phoebe chuckled knowingly. "Typical Mr. Perfect. You should count yourself lucky he gave you the grace of three days and didn't request it at that moment." Jojo rolled her eyes, knowing Phoebe was right. Mr. Perfect was notorious for his crankiness and unreasonable demands.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Nora asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I warned you about him," Phoebe reminded Jojo, her voice laced with a hint of "I told you so."

Jojo sighed, recalling the encounter with Mr. Perfect. "He was so rude, and I just couldn't hold it in," she said, her voice still laced with the anger and frustration of the day's events. "I mean, who calls someone an evil spirit and a little rat?" She added, her tone incredulous.

"You should have held it in," Nora said, her voice firm but gentle.

Jojo sighed, mumbling to herself. "I should have held it in, I'm used to taking insults, but why didn't I hold it in?" She sounded like she was questioning her own sanity.

"It's too late for that," Nora said, her voice practical. "I'll see if I can lend you some money," she added, her generosity a beacon of hope in Jojo's dark moment.

"Thank you, Nora," Jojo said, her voice filled with gratitude.

"I'll also see what I can do," Phoebe said, her voice equally supportive.

Jojo smiled, feeling a warmth in her heart. She was grateful for the supportive friends she had in her life, the ones who would be there for her no matter what.

"Rest up, you must be tired," Nora said, her voice soft. They bid each other goodnight, hanging up the call.

Jojo stared at her room's ceiling, her mind still racing with thoughts of Mr. Perfect and his ridiculous demands. But she pushed them aside, focusing on the positive. "Tomorrow will be better," she said, the words she always told herself before going to bed. And with that, she drifted off to sleep, her heart filled with hope and her spirit renewed.