52. Ariyan #2
“Really?” He pretended to be surprised. “Well. I’ll tell you why he’s here regardless. He offered to pay five hundred thousand dollars for just one night with my hotel manager.”
My heart sank to my stomach, my body covered with cold sweat as I stared at him.
“What do you say, Ariyan, what should we tell the ambassador?”
“That I am not for sale,” I answered flatly, my chin held high.
Eduardo’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
“You hear that, Ambassador?” Still sitting in his chair, Eduardo spoke, his eyes locked on me the entire time. “My hotel manager is not for sale.”
I could feel a drop of sweat sliding down my nape.
“But that reminds me of something else… what was it?” He hummed, snapping his fingers together. “Oh, that’s right. Alejandro—”
“Yes, sir?”
“How much does Ariyan owe me for saving his life?”
“Ten million dollars.” The scum grinned.
He cracked his knuckles. “And how much did he pay us already?”
“Nine million and five hundred thousand dollars, sir.”
“Nine million and five hundred thousand dollars?” He pursed his lips, his brows rising. “That’s quite the number.”
I held my guard, not allowing my expression to betray me, and instead kept still.
“I’m beyond impressed with you, Ariyan.” Eduardo smiled. “In fact, how about I help with that final push? What would you say if I offered a deal of my own? You sleep with the ambassador for me, and in exchange, you’ll be debt-free.”
My eyes widened at his offer, moving from Eduardo to the ambassador and back. Was he being serious? Would sleeping with that piece of filth truly be my final ticket out of this hell, or was this just a test? Either way, my answer didn’t change.
“As I said, I am not for sale.”
I’d rather kill myself trying to earn the last dime than allow another pig to hover on top of me.
“You heard him, Ambassador.” Eduardo turned his head to face the other men. “I tried changing his mind, but clearly, Ariyan here is very firm about his rules; therefore, there’s nothing I can do, and I’m afraid our time here is done.”
Ignoring the ambassador’s grunts and whines about how he wasted his time coming here, I kept my eyes focused on Eduardo until his nephew led the ambassador out of the room. And while I was glad not to breathe the same air as that filth anymore, I couldn’t breathe just yet.
Now, with the others out of the room, it was just the two of us.
“I know seeing me must have stressed you, but truly, I was just curious to check on my hotel. I hope you’re okay,” he said.
“I’m perfectly fine, thank you.”
“Are you sure? You seem on edge.”
I bit on my tongue, forcing my lips to form a smile. “Just work.”
The door of the room once again opened, and Alejandro returned.
“The car’s downstairs waiting for you, Uncle,” he said after stopping by his side.
Thanking his nephew with a smile, Eduardo returned his eyes to me.
“I guess we’re finished here.”
“Sir.” I bowed my head and watched as he grabbed the chair’s armrest for support while he tried to get up.
Alejandro moved to assist him, but refusing the help, Eduardo grabbed his walking cane for support. I focused on his wrinkled fingers clutching the golden handle until he coughed to clear his throat.
“Well then, we’ll speak again soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned around and began limping toward the door. That crippled old man could hardly walk, and yet he had my life in his hands. On paper, killing him should be easier than breaking a toothpick, only the consequences were more than I could afford.
“Oh, there is this one thing I forgot.” Stopping at once, he turned to face me. “How did you earn all this money?”
“Sir?”
“In the last year alone, you’ve paid back almost your entire debt, and with interest. Therefore, I can’t help but wonder, how? Especially when you struggled so much in the past.”
A chill prickled along my spine, and I crossed my hands behind my back, my nails digging into my flesh.
“Good investments on the market, sir.”
His brows rose, his chapped lips forming a thick smile.
“You, trading stocks?” He huffed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I know, right?” A nervous laugh escaped me. “Turns out, the US economy came in handy for a change.”
“The economy?” Eduardo’s eyes glinted with amusement, and he burst out laughing, his voice filling the room.
I shifted in my place, trying to hide my growing discomfort until he calmed down.
“You mean to tell me all this money is from good investments?”
“Yes.”
“And here I thought it had something to do with your wagers in that French fucker’s clubs.”
In seconds, the laughter died, replaced with the heavy silence of being caught. If until now, I held on to some sort of hope it would all be over soon, it was all gone now. My mouth dried, and I quickly swallowed down my fears to speak.
“Sir, I—”
“What? You’re going to deny it now?”
Knowing better, I stayed silent when he fully turned to face me, both his hands clenching the walking cane’s handle.
“I always thought you were a smart one, Ariyan. Turns out, you were the dumbest of them all.” He was no longer smiling. “Making bets on enemy territory? Seriously… Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”
I buried my stare at the floor.
“I-I just wanted to pay my debt.”
“Then you should have done it properly, without betraying the hands that feed you.”
I tensed on the spot, rage filling my guts to the point it was hard to breathe.
“I tried,” I hissed in spite. “For almost ten years now, that’s all I’ve been doing.”
Trying and trying and trying until it turned me into their empty vessel.
“Should I feel sorry for you?”
Gritting my jaw, I shook my head, holding this wretch of a man’s stare. No words could ever sufficiently express the depth of my hatred for him, nor could any amount of holy water save him from the fate I wished upon him.
“No.”
“That’s right, Ariyan. Because deep down, you know, the only one you should blame for dragging you this low is yourself. Only this time, you didn’t do it alone, did you?”