Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Alyssa looked up into his eyes which burned with passion. She understood him well even without exchanging words.
Alyssa, Jasper, and Xavier went to the top floor past a narrow corridor and stood in front of the door of the innermost unit. Before
they could knock, an old woman with a walking stick slowly made her way down the stairs.
Upon seeing the trio in black suits, the old woman appeared triggered and started trembling. Tapping her stick hard on the
ground, she hissed, "H-How dare you show up at the Madisons' again?
"Do you think you can easily bully the poor single mother and her daughter, thinking they don't have anyone to stand up for
them? They said they would retract the lawsuit, so what more do you want? Do you want them dead?"
Alyssa and Jasper exchanged glances, knowing that the Schmidts must have shown up to threaten and harass the Madison
family. They could imagine the snicker on the faces of those bullies from the Schmidt family.
"No... Ma'am, please calm down. We're not the same as them! We're here to help," Xavier explained while approaching the old
woman, but she immediately waved her stick at him without bothering to listen.
"Get lost! I've lived long enough, and I'm not afraid of your threats! I'll fight you!" bellowed the old woman. "I watched Maggie
grow up. What a nice and kind girl she is. She's like a granddaughter to me, and I will not let any one of you bully her. Get lost
now!"
She waved her stick again, and from the looks of it, she seemed ready for a showdown.
Xavier did not manage to dodge the attack in time. He was hit on the arm and grimaced in pain. When the old woman waved her
stick for the second time, Jasper hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed her stick to stop her.

"Jasper! Don't hurt her!" Alyssa worriedly warned him.
Her heart was drumming wildly.
"Ma'am, we come in peace." Jasper slowly dropped his arms. With an earnest gaze, he explained calmly, "We're here to help
Ms. Madison. We're not the same group of people who visited her before this.
Please trust us."
The old woman scrutinized the good-looking young man and the ravishing young lady standing beside him. They looked like a
match made in heaven, and more importantly, they seemed much kinder than the group of hostile hooligans who had visited the
Madisons.
In the middle of the confrontation, the door to the Madisons' creaked open. Alyssa, who stood closer to the door, turned and
stared into the face of Maggie's mom.
"Who... Who are you?" Gina Ricci stared at the visitors warily.
"Mrs. Madison, how are you?" Alyssa greeted Gina with a gentle and polite tone. "Don't be afraid. We're not gangsters, and we're
not from the Schmidt Group. We learned about Maggie's situation, and we're here to seek justice for her."
"You're. You're seeking justice for Maggie?" The expression froze on Gina's pale face.
"Yes. We're ready to subject the culprit to the law. He must pay dearly for his actions," Alyssa declared with a burning passion.
Gina was shocked by the sudden offer, but she found it difficult to let down her guard after days of intimidation and fear inflicted
on them by the Schmidt Group. "Who exactly are you?"

"My name is. Alyssa Taylor." Alyssa suddenly hesitated, not knowing how best to introduce herself.
No matter how she went about it, she felt she would only add to the pressure on poor Gina and Maggie.
"Alyssa Taylor?" Gina's temples throbbed in anger. Her chest rose and fell. There was a gleam in her eyes. "Are you the
daughter of that Belbanks tycoon, the young lady who operated on David Schmidt's leg?"
Alyssa's chest tightened in fear. "Mrs. Madison, I."