Roxana

"Roxi, for fuck's sake, answer your damn phone. You ghosted me at the mall for being half an hour late and you don't even have the courtesy to answer the ten times I have called you. Don't tell me Marco came to visit the 'clock museum' and that's why you ditched me, bitch," says Kary, mildly irritated but smiling, when she sees me entering the apartment at eleven in the evening.

"I wish..." I answer exhausted, collapsing on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Fuck. What happened?"

"I met Vitali Bulgakov."

"And who is the fucker?" she asks, looking me up and down, rather concerned. 

"The one that took Ivan's place. I need a drink."

Kary opens a cupboard, takes a tequila bottle out, and hands it to me. I take a big sip and sigh.

"He wants the million dad owed Ivan, in one month and fifty thousand in one week."

"We have to go to the police."

"We can't."

"The police officers in Switzerland are not as corrupt as the ones in Moldova; they are going to help you."

"No. He knows where we live. There is even now someone outside surveying the building. He said he is going to hurt you and Dani if I don't comply."

"We have to find a way. There are witnesses protection programs."

"I don't know. I am frightened. I have a new job, that makes my credit score lower, and I am afraid no bank is going to give me that much money as a default." I say all these thing on a palcid tone, rather matter or factly. 

"Roxi. We go to the police right now."

"Where is Dani?"

"Having a sleepover at Moritz's place, remember?" It feels like thunder stroke me. 

I take my phone out right away and call him but he doesn't answer. What the fuck Dani?! Don't do this right now.

After a few seconds, I get a text from him. It's a selfie of him and Vitali. The caption says 'Just to make sure you don't do me dirty too. Get the fifty thousand and I let him go. Do me dirty and I do him dirty.'

I drop the phone and start screaming. 

"Son of a bitch," mutters Kary.

The whole night I kept crying and shaking until Kary forced me to take a pill to calm my nerves.

The next morning I call in sick and go to all the banks I can find. It seems like the only way but rather rocky and desolated altogether. 

"So, miss, you want two loans, one of fifty thousand and one of one million Euros?" asks the back employee rather politely. 

"Yes."

"The fifty thousand we can grant you most probably. The funds will be eligible in two weeks if everything goes smoothly. Here is the list of documents we need. Regarding the million it will be a longer process since we need to verify your eligibility and your credit score. Chances are fifty-fifty. We will let you know in three or four weeks if it is accepted or not."

"No! I can't wait that long. I need fifty thousand by the end of the week and a million by the end of this month. I can't wait any longer! It's a life-or-death matter. Your advertising says you are the fastest." I grab his arm, shaking like a mad woman. 

"We are. This is the fastest we can do."

"Please, I beg you," I tell the clerk, and can't hold back my tears.

"We are sorry, miss. Here is a list of the documents we need. You can call us at any time to check the status and..."

Snatching the folder out of his hands I walk outside where Kary is waiting for me.

"There is another bank two hundred meters away," she says almost apologetically. 

"It is futile. They all say the same thing. I am sorry, Kary, I am desperate. Can you maybe ask Sayid?"

"I did already."

I look at her astonished.

"Yes. Dad froze all his assets for the time being until he 'learns to behave' and threatened to disown him too if he kept talking to me. I am sorry. I can ask my boss for a loan and maybe we can pawn stuff from the house..."

"It won't be enough. Can you drive me to my old office, please?"

"You don't plant to...?"

"I do."

I most certainly do. As I wait for Christian in his office, my eyes slide over the photos with his family. He likely loves them a lot but so do I.

"Oh Roxi, how long has it been? A month and a half? I really thought you would last longer. But to hire you back this time we need to negotiate a bit better than last time," says Christian smiling nonchalantly.

He closes the door and walks over to his desk. I don't answer, just look at him with my arms folded over my chest.

"No. I came because I need a million euros."

"Sure, I most definitely need that too, and maybe a massage on Hawaii but here I am in this office listening to you talking nonsense."

"I am serious. You can take a loan for the company quite easily, and if not, I am sure you have enough rich friends to give you the money. I would not make those sassy remarks until you let me finish. If you don't give me that money, I am going to tell your wife that you kissed me and that hmm, taking a wild guess, you most probably slept at least once with Lisa, and if that is not convincing enough I am going to go to the press and tell them how you coerced me into offering sexual favors to your client. So? What do you say?"

I have never sunken so low in my life. I used to love this man but now the only thing I think while looking at him is what else to say to try to transform him into means to my purpose.

Too desperate to be ashamed, I just pray it is working.  Tehre is a shadow going over his face while I talk and the color slowly draining from it.

Please, please God! It has to work.

He breathes in heavily.

Please. It has to!

But then he exhales and gives me that brilliant smile I used to love.

"Not sure what's wrong with you but apparently you lost it. You see, Roxane, I feel like laughing when I hear you. One million euros... Sure. The whole company knows that you are in love with me. They saw how you were following me around like a lovesick puppy and as far as I am concerned you kissed me in Italy, not the other way around, and you most probably slept with Stefano Messina by your own will. I mean, he is a rich and handsome man that I and Lisa saw you flirting with on various occasions. Nice try. Now please get out of my office. One million... what a joke."

I... am unprepared and speechless. Was he expecting this to happen? It seems he was. And what now, Roxi? Fucking come up with something?

My knuckles are white and my lower lip is trembling.

"Please. Christian. I beg you. I really need that money and there is nobody that can help. Please! I would do anything!"

He looks at me and walks over putting a hand on my face to lift my chin.

"Get out of my office. You are pathetic," he says undisturbed, and walks away smirking.

I am not sure how I walked out without screaming, crying, or destroying something but I did all of this after entering Kary's car.

"Let me guess; it didn't work."

"Drive me to that bank again," I gasp.

"Why?"

"To apply for the fifty thousand loan. And after that, we go to the airport."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes. As if one humiliation is not enough I am going to ask Marco for money. Because yes, what can be more of a turn-off than the girl you only briefly date to ask you for a loan? But. If he is Stefano's brother it's not impossible that he has fifty thousand to spare. Yes, I am that desperate."

"Fine. Wanna maybe shower and put a dress on or so?"

"No. I don't think he cares about such things and I don't want to waste time."

"Yeah well, tell him I say hi."

I just frown at her.

"Sorry. I am just frustrated and helpless too."

Two hours later I am on the first flight to Sicily which costs a little fortune and, other two hours later, I am walking from the bus stop to the gates of the estate. It is sunny and I am sweaty. I should have showered and worn a dress as Kary suggested. Now I regret not doing that but every minute I waste is a minute my brother keeps spending with that monster. He must be so frightened.

The guy at the gate is slightly familiar but I don't know his name. He opens the gate for me without asking anything, probably thinking I am just back at work.

Hmm, at least it's not a bad start. I walk first to the garden and notice astonished that the workers are not the same anymore. The guys are also working for Christian's company but none of my friends is among them. What happened here? I should have called Damian but that has to wait for the time being.

"Wer aus dem Büro is hier mit euch?/ Who from the office is here with you?" I ask one of the guys.

"Frau Lange./ Miss Lange."

"Und wo ist sie?/ And where is she?"

"In einer Besprechung mit dem Eigentümer./ In a meeting with the owner in his office."

Okay. What are the possibilities that Marco is with them? Low I would say.

Undisturbed I march towards the vila.

"I have to talk to Tomaso," I tell the guy at the entrance and he lets me pass unaffected.

Taking a deep breath I knock on the door of Tomaso's office. I hear muffled sounds from inside so he must be there. Come on, man, why aren't you answering? After the second knock, I decide to open the door, thinking nothing catastrophically could happen, but boy have I miscalculated this one.

I stare at a fucking cataclysm: Lisa and Stefano half-naked screwing on Tomaso's desk. God take me now!

Stefano blinks and an ambiguous expression appears on his face.

"Sorry. I am so sorry!" I blur out and close the door.

My goodness, that was bad and is getting worse when the door opens immediately and Stefano steps outside.

"Now who do we have here? This is what I call a surprise. How can I help you, little clumsy Swiss girl?"

"I...I.." Lack words.

"Yes? You?" he says and turns his head to Lisa " And you. Don't move. Apparently, it helps if you stay put for a while after fucking. As mentioned, if you bear me a son you will not have to work a day in your life."

This is beyond weird but I have to get my shit together.

"I came to see Marco. Where is he?"

Stefano looks at me for an instant raising his eyebrows.

"Not here. Hopefully dead by now," he answers in the end.

"Seriously now."

"I am always deadly serious. Marco misused my trust terribly and he got... fired."

The pause before 'fired' makes me think that the 'hopefully dead' might not be a joke after all. Can it be? Kary said that he has at least some links to the underworld. But if they are brothers, can he just send him away? Well, Marco never acted like the boss so who knows what their relationship is like. And this is a damn long monologue that I am having under dangerously devouring eyes.

"Now tell me. What business do you have with... Marco?"

I am unsure what to answer.

"And how about we talk in my office," he says leading me there. "Tell me, I am waiting," he continues after closing the door.

"I want to ask him to lend me money."

"Aha. Interesting. And how much money do you need, tesoro? he says, playing with a strand of my hair.

"One million," I answer, exhaling heavily. This situation is ambiguous, to say the least.

"One million. That's a lot of money."

"It is."

"But you know, I am a very rich man."

Hmm, can it be? Would it be viable?

"You are, sir."

"But I cannot just give you one million. So, what can you offer in return, clumsy Swiss girl?"

"I would do anything," I blur out with shiny eyes.

I know it's a bad deal, but it's my only goddamn option.

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Ok, it was expected for this to happen in one way or another, now let's see what follows. :D

Speculations about the current situation?