Claimed by the Alpha Luna’s Awakening (Carmine and Theo)

Chapter 6

Flustered, Carmine entered her shop and found a short, rotund man standing inside. the shop. He was

talking to Joseph as everyone other staff stood there, frozen.

“I need to speak with the owner, please,” he said in a stern voice. “I don’t have all the time!” He glanced ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

past Carmine on the street and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.

Her heart plummeted to her stomach. The OTR. She hastened to him. “Hi, I am Carmine Jones, the

owner of this wedding boutique.”

The man gave her a once over. “Ms. Jones, I am Charles Dixson, and I am here to discuss your sales

tax account.”

Carmine clenched her jaw, knowing internally that this was going to be bad. “What about it?”

“When we did an internal audit, we discovered anomalies in your returns.”

She gulped. “What kind of anomalies? I have filled all my taxes. I just have to pay two more loan

installments for this shop and then I will be done.”

He shrugged. “Well, you have under-reported your earnings for about three years in a

row.”

Her heart thundered in her ribcage so hard that her breath lodged in her throat. She squeaked, “No,

that is not possible. We have kept records of every sale and I have always filed it on time. You can

check-”

He cut her off with, “There’s a balance due, to the tune of a two million dollars and

sixteen cents.”

Carmine gasped with horror.

“Plus, there will be penalties,” Charles added calmly.

“P-penalties?” her horrified gaze turned to Joseph, who was equally terrified.

“We have always filled our returns properly, Mr. Dixson,” Joseph supported her.

Mr. Dixson shrugged. “You have to pay penalties as well.” Then he opened a folder in his hand, picked

out a document and added, “We can waive penalties if you pay the principal amount within two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” Carmine squeaked like a mouse in a trap. “Where will I get all that money

from? Two weeks is very less. Besides, I am sure there’s a mistake!”

Mr. Dixson’s voice turned icy. “You think that we at the OTR are fools? We don’t know how to do the

work?”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

“Then please proceed to pay the amount due. How will you pay? By check or by wire. transfer?”

“I don’t have two million dollars!”

“Oh, that’s terrible.” Charles clucked his tongue. “In that case, we will proceed with the collection

efforts. Do you own your home?”

“I do a small apartment!”

“Great, then we will put a lien on that and get a judgment against you so that whatever you earn will

come to us until the money is paid,” he said coldly, as if discussing how to ruin people came naturally to

him.

Carmine clasped her forehead with her clammy hand as she started shaking trickled out.

“We mailed several times at your business address, but no one responded.”

“I got no mail from OTR. You think I wouldn’t know!”

He raised his eyebrow in suspicion. “That’s what most defaulters say.”

and sweat

“How the hell am I going to come up with that ridiculous amount in two weeks?”

“I am not here to give you financial advice, Ms. Jones,” he said snippily. “If you like, you can go to the

income tax website and read the laws. You could’ve filed an appeal, but the time is over for that. We

can’t wait anymore. Either you evict this shop and put your apartment on sale or wait for the prison

time.” He pursed his lips and gave her a

don’t.” Charles business card. “You can call me if you come up with a way to pay, els Dixson turned

sharply and exited the shop, leaving Carmine with cold sweat trickling down. She was shaking so hard

that she sank to the floor.

Thor ran to her and embraced her in his tiny arms. “Mommy…” he buried his face in her neck.

Joseph came over to her and sat down in front of her. “Now what, Carmine?”

She shook her head lightly. “I don’t know.” Her gaze drifted to the car that was still standing across the

street. “Do we have a VIP customer?”

“No,” Joseph replied and hugged her.

She saw that the car’s engine came to life. After a few angry whirs in the engine, the car sped away.

“My head hurts so bad that I don’t know what to do…” she said. “What is the alternative?”

“Maybe you have to move from here. These people are like vultures.”

“But I have always filed my returns.”

“I know!” Joseph said in an exasperated voice.

That day, Carmine wrapped up the shop early as the three salesgirls kept unusually quiet while Joseph

and Carmine tried to do some math. Only four customers dropped in that day.

“You should head home,” Joseph said, looking at her from above his computer in the little office that

was above the shop. “I will take care!”

Carmine sighed, glancing at Thor, who was sleeping on the couch. “Thanks Joseph,” she said as she

picked up her bag. Lifting Thor in her arms, she shook her head. “What are we going to do?”

Joseph gave her an encouraging smile, but why did it appear shallow? She left for home soon after and

when she reached home, she laid Thor on the bed. After taking a quick bath, she switched on her

computer and searched for places to go to after selling her shop and little apartment. Surely, after all

the payment, she couldn’t afford to stay in big towns of Columbia. She had to move to a smaller place.

Moreover, with Thor growing, she had to move to a ‘foresty’ area.

Strangely, her computer would always direct her search to a property site called Gold Moon near the

Gold Moon town. What was wrong with her computer? But what caught her attention was one small

cottage on its outskirts and was so cheaply priced that it was ridiculous. It had a line of trees only a few

meters away that edged the forest. Maybe the owner was in a hurry to sell it.

She had heard of the Gold Moon pack in that area, but never about the town. The rumors were that the

Alpha of that pack was the Supreme Alpha. Well, it’s not that their paths would ever cross. She was

going to stay very low. Since the property was close to the town, she could establish a new wedding

boutique there. Excited, she called the number that was given right next to it.

“Mr. T. Wilson,” she said hesitatingly when her phone was answered. She didn’t know why heat seared

her cheeks saying that name.

There was a pause. “Speaking,” came a throaty voice that made her heart dance. Her lips. parted.

Sucking in a breath, she squirmed in her chair. “I called you about a property you’ve listed near the

Gold Moon town.”

“Yes.”

Carmine wondered if the man was even breathing. Maybe he was too old. “I am interested in buying it.”

A pause later. “I am in a hurry to sell it,” he said in a low, dark voice, making a nest of butterflies stir in

her belly. Goddess, what was wrong with her?

“Oh! I-I can buy in two weeks.” She had to look for people to buy her apartment and close the shop.

That would take a lot of time.

His immediate response came. “No, I have to sell it in a week and I have a condition- you have to move

in within a week of buying it.”

“Huh?” Her mouth dropped to the floor. What kind of condition was that?

“Call me if you agree to that,” Mr. Wilson added and disconnected the phone, leaving her in a lurch.