They Were Loan Sharks

The sound of items crashing and breaking startled Arianna from her sleep. She didn't have time to groan and stretch because she was already on her feet thanks to the racket coming from downstairs.

With a frown furrowing her brows, she stared out at the wall clock, it was barely six in the morning. Arianna sighed, running her hands through her hair, hoping to God it wasn't another of Claudia's fit of rage.

Claudia was no other than her uncle's only child and daughter - the princess of the family. Thanks to the fact that she was a spoiled brat, Claudia never takes no for an answer. She's a bitch who thinks the world revolves around her and when she doesn't get what she wants, the girl begins an outburst. Arianna likes to call it "episodes'' because she could swear, the girl was losing it.

And yes, Arianna's an orphan, neither does she know what her mother looks like. Her father had died from cancer when she was ten and ever since, her father's brother, her uncle, has been acting as her guardian. But then, living here was equivalent to living in hell.

They abused her to the point it was quite a miracle she had lived up to this age under their roof. Although her uncle has never laid a finger on her since he brought her into his household, he was greatly aware of what his wife and daughter used her for - a maid, a punching bag to pour out their frustration.

Thanks to that realization, Arianna didn't bother to go downstairs. If Claudia was having another of her meltdowns, she would want to be as far away from her as possible. Trust her, Claudia was the type who hurls whatever she could get her hands on and she - Arianna- wasn't a sucker for pain.

However, Arianna hardly put her head back down on the pillow when a knock came on her door. It wasn't just a knock; it was hurried, hard, almost a bang.

"Young lady!"

She shot up to her feet, something was not right. That was the voice of their housekeeper and the only one who treats her like a human being here. For her to sound panicked means something was not right. 

"Susan!" She opened the door at once, "What's going on? I hear noises," 

"I'm sorry miss, but you have to come down and see for yourself," Susan said, already dragging her along before she could think of a response.

They covered the flights of stairs in a hurry, rushing down the spiral staircase. With each step she took, the noise from downstairs became louder and her heart leaped in her throat. What was happening?

Arianna didn't have to wonder for long because as soon as she made it downstairs, she saw them. A group of hooligans destroying stuff in the living room. Her heart began to pound in her chest, how had they bypassed the security? 

Moreover, gangsters don't just come into someone's home unless they are offended or do business with them? Now, which was it? What did her uncle do this time? 

A look to the left showed her aunt and daughter, Claudia huddled at a corner of the room shivering in fear on the sofa. They screamed in fear each time something was smashed against the wall and she was sure these troublesome-looking men did it on purpose to scare them.

Although she was frightened, Arianna took a deep breath and stepped out. As much as she would love to mind her business in this situation, this was her home as well, plus she would be the one to bear the brunt of her aunt's anger.

"What is going on here?" She asked. 

However, no one replied to her. In fact, it seemed her question aggravated the whole thing because the gangsters went about their destruction, behaving as if it was a mere air that spoke. One of them smashed the flat-screen television with his hammer while the other broke the large flower vase. 

That attitude infuriated Arianna and she stomped her feet mentally. Rage flowed through her veins like molten lava and she spoke louder this time. 

"Sec. 19-77. - Entering property of another for purpose of damaging it: It shall be unlawful for any person to enter the land, dwelling, outhouse, or any other building of another for the purpose of damaging such property or any of the contents thereof or in any manner to interfere with the rights of the owner, user or the occupant thereof to use such property free from interference. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor!" she said in one breath.

This time, she garnered the attention she wanted. The gangsters turned to her, at least half of them - the rest that didn't look at first followed after the others. Their heated gaze stared at her with probing intensity and Arianna wished the ground would swallow her at this point. What person in their right mind would cause trouble with these delinquents. 

They stared at her. 

Arianna stared back. 

It was awkward. 

What was she going to say now? It was not like she prepared an opening speech for this epic moment. 

Suddenly, one of the gangsters walked out of their midst, slowly clapping with a mocking smirk tilting his lips.

"Finally, a lawyer in her midst," He said. 

Arianna lifted her head, "I'm not a lawyer but every citizen knows their rights. Now, what's the meaning of this madness? You can't just come into someone's place and exert your dominance just because you can," she couldn't even believe she was the one saying those words fearlessly. She means, look at those people, they had weapons -hammers and daggers-  in their grasp - and probably guns were hidden in their waistband. One of them could easily shoot her in the head or something. 

"Yes, you're right, I can't," the arrogant man said, "But then, the law should have taught your family never to take a loan without paying back," 

"W-what?" Arianna croaked, "A loan?" her face paled. And then it dawned on her that these people weren't gangsters, to be precise, they were Loan sharks. God, this couldn't be true.