Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 157

Bonnie tried to get lost in her work. With her phone notifications silent, she finally enjoyed a peaceful morning. But as soon as lunch rolled around and she sat down with Helen, the spam calls started flooding in again.

First, there were sales calls from pretty much every kind of company you could think of—private tutoring, banks offering loans, people pushing apartments, places trying to rent out offices. Then came a wave of calls from international numbers that didn’t even look real.

Bonnie barely touched her lunch, and Helen just pushed her food around, looking frustrated. They both searched online for a solution and managed to find a ‘high-frequency spam call protection’ feature through their phone provider’s app. They switched on every filter and blocker they could, and finally, things got quieter. Only the occasional overseas number managed to slip through.

Still, Bonnie felt like she was running on nerves all day.

By the time work was over, she let out a shaky breath and rubbed at her temples, trying to shake off the tension. She got a message from Aiken. He was waiting in the parking lot and told her to come down.

She put on her jacket, grabbed her bag, and headed for the elevator. Right as the doors closed, another call popped up—not some crazy foreign number, but a local one. She stared at it, decided she wasn’t in the mood, and ignored it.

As soon as she stepped out on the ground floor, the phone rang again. This time she picked up. All the lunchtime calls had been from out of town, but this was different.

A man’s voice came through, talking fast. “Hey, they won’t let delivery inside your building. I checked your order for 1208. The guard said I can’t bring it up. I’m just gonna leave it at the desk, okay? I’m about to be late on my next delivery.”

Bonnie could practically feel her headache pulsing. “I… I didn’t order anything,” she said, sounding tired, even to herself.

“Don’t know what to tell you. Maybe someone sent it to you. Anyway, I’m leaving it with the doorman.” He hung up before she could reply.

Bonnie stood in the lobby, the warm air from the heaters somehow making her feel even colder.

She wandered outside and spotted Aiken leaning against his car. She handed him her phone, but before he could say anything, the screen lit up with another call.

Aiken tried to reassure her. “We’re not going to let it go. It just might be tough if there’s someone international involved. Your main job is to stay calm. Don’t let it mess up your life.”

She nodded again, appreciating that he wasn’t giving her empty promises.

Aiken must have sensed she wasn’t up for much talk, so they rode the rest of the way in silence—or at least they tried to. Bonnie’s phone rang over and over, dozens of delivery and package drivers saying the same thing. Couldn’t get into the building, leaving stuff at the doorman.

At first, she felt anxious, but soon it turned to simmering anger. Frankly, she was just trying to hold herself together. When they pulled up to her apartment, she got out and immediately saw a long table set up outside. There was food everywhere—bags on top, boxes underneath, deliveries piling up. People were coming in and out, holding their noses and throwing her curious glances.

Bonnie turned pale. Yesterday, there had been cockroaches crawling out of the garbage, and the memory still made her skin crawl. Now this. What was waiting for her today?

Aiken put a comforting hand on her shoulder and walked her toward the entrance.