Chapter 16: Debt Acquisition
1397words
The rays of morning sunlight and the chirping of birds pulled me out of sleep. I found myself on the cold floor, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. My bones cracked as I stretched, and I scrambled to my feet, heading to the bathroom.
When I returned to the bedroom in a white robe, I was met with a persistent knock on the door.
'What do you want?" I snapped.
'Can we talk, please?" Gabriel asked.
I ignored him and began rummaging through my clothes in the closet.
'Come on, ma'am. You can't lock yourself inside forever. I need to talk to you."
'I wish to be left alone, Gabriel. It's Saturday, go home," I said, moving into the changing room.
'Argh!" I gasped, startled to find Gabriel near the door in my room.
'How far can you hide, ma'am?"
'How did you get in?" I asked.
'We need to talk," he said, sitting on the couch.
Without further argument, I moved to sit beside him.
'Look, ma'am, I know how you feel. I also know how hard Razi is trying to adjust to being around you. You shouldn't have taken out your anger on her like that. She's still a child, and you have to understand her." He held my hand gently.
'From what you have told me, Razi grew up knowing Miss Bernard as her only family. It's not easy for her to suddenly discover she has a biological mother she has to live with. The truth is, you don't spend enough time with your daughter. You are consumed by work every day. You need to make her love you. She needs her mother, not some business-minded woman she's forced to live with."
I took a deep breath. 'I understand your point, Gabriel, but she needs to know that everything I did was for her sake. I wanted to protect her."
'She's just a child. She doesn't understand that. That's why you have to win her over."
'Miss Scarlett?" Razi called, drawing our attention. She walked closer.
'I'm sorry for what I did yesterday. It was wrong of me to leave school. Please don't be mad at me anymore," she apologized, hanging her head.
I lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. 'I'm not mad at you anymore. I'm sorry for yelling at you."
'I don't want to go back to Mexico anymore. I want to stay here with you."
'Really? I'm glad to hear that. Come here," I said, pulling her into my arms. 'I love you so much, okay? I will try to be the best mother I can be for you."
'Thank you, Miss Scarlett," she said.
I pulled away from the hug and lifted her onto my lap.
'So, since today is the weekend, why don't we go for a picnic at the beach or any place you would like?" Gabriel suggested.
'Would you like that, baby?" I asked Razi. She nodded eagerly.
'Okay, then go get ready. I will come to get you," I said, setting her down. She dashed off.
I turned to Gabriel. 'Thank you so much, Gabriel."
'You are always welcome," he smiled.
'Um, tomorrow is Sunday. Do you mind if we go to church together?" he asked.
'To do what?"
'What do people do in churches?"
'To pray, fast, give tithe, and get nothing in return."
'Come on, don't be so negative. There's always something to gain in the Lord's presence. We need to praise Him always. He sees through us. He knows every bit of our pain, even the ones we hide from the world. He knows our secrets. God can take away our pain and restore our joy."
'Enough of the preaching, Gabriel. I will go get ready for the picnic," I said, standing up.
'As you wish," he replied, leaving my room.
The cool, tranquil ambiance of Bay City Bar felt like a warm blanket that enshrouded my very being. The hot vodka burned down my throat, searing away the excruciating heartache. I emptied the bottle and requested more.
'I will take it from here," someone said, taking the bottle from the waitress, leaving my hand hanging.
I wiped my face with my hand and blinked twice to see Nathan's blurry figure. My stomach fluttered with butterflies as I gazed into his captivating eyes. I withdrew my hand and averted my gaze. He sat beside me, and I shifted on the couch.
'What are you doing to yourself, Scarlett? I should be the one getting punished, not you," he said.
'For real?" I smiled, resting my chin in the palm of my hand. 'And who says you will be spared? The sky is clouded, Nathan. Prepare your best umbrella because it's going to pour nonstop. Maybe, just maybe, I will be kind enough to offer you a shoulder to cry on," I said, gulping down the remaining drink in my glass.
'You have had too much to drink. I will take you home," he offered, taking the glass from me.
'Don't touch me!" I swatted his hand away. 'Even if you were the last man on Earth, I would never accept your offer. Hand over my drink and get lost."
'I can't believe you are still hurting over what happened nine years ago. I thought I was the only one suffering. I never realized you hadn't gotten over it," he said.
'Believe me, Scarlett, if I could turn back time, I would have done things differently. Just give me a chance to mend what I broke."
His words brought tears to my eyes. I chuckled and blinked them away.
'I'm so touched, Nathan. I feel like sleeping with you right now," I mocked in a childish voice, staggering to my feet. 'I haven't even started yet, and you are already regretting," I laughed, heading out.
I stumbled into a table and almost fell when someone's arms wrapped around my waist.
'Are you okay, ma'am?" Gabriel asked.
I glanced at Nathan, who was already on his feet. 'Just take me home, Gabriel. This place is toxic," I said, leaning against his firm chest.
'I'm here for you, okay?" Gabriel said. I nodded, and he swept me off my feet, making me gasp.
'Let's go home," he said.
I nodded, and he carried me out.
The following day, I was in my office, in a meeting with a credit officer from Sulong Financial Solutions (SFS).
'I'm honored to have you here, Mr. Richard," I said, trying to be polite.
'It's a pleasure, Miss Guzman. May I know why you called for an urgent meeting?" he asked.
'Sure, Mr. Richard. I'm interested in acquiring the debt of Reyes Legacy Jewels, one of your clients," I said, reclining in my chair.
'Ah, yes. Reyes Legacy Jewels is one of our top clients. I must say, that's an interesting move. What makes you want to acquire their debt?"
'Let's just say we have a competitive interest in their business. Acquiring their debt will give us a certain… leverage," I lied.
'I see. Well, I wouldn't say Reyes Legacy Jewels is currently in default on their loan. They have been paying off their debts, and we aren't considering foreclosure anytime soon," he explained.
'To put it bluntly, Mr. Richard, I don't care if they are up to date on their payments. I want to acquire their debt, and that's exactly what's going to happen. What is the total amount of debt outstanding? Is there any collateral?"
'Let me check." He placed his laptop on my desk and quickly ran through it.
'It's approximately five million dollars," he replied after a moment.
'What's the current interest rate? Is there any collateral?"
'The interest rate is 13 percent per annum. The collateral is the Reyes family mansion," he stated.
I made an offer to acquire the debt. He promised to get back to me within a week after discussing it with his team, then he left.
Gabriel entered at that moment. 'Who was that, ma'am?" he asked.
'Mr. Richard, a loan officer."
'What did you do now?"
'Do you think it's fair to assume that every little meeting I have is bad news?"
'I never said that."
'It's pretty obvious. Anyway, I'm acquiring Reyes Legacy Jewels' debt."
'No, you are not doing that."
'I already did, Gabriel. Just watch as I turn the tables," I said with a grin.
