CHAPTER FOUR
1152 Words
RITA’S POV
‘This man said he would be here at ten. It’s almost eleven.’
I am not one to pace around an office, but waiting for a man for almost one hour is driving me crazy. I’ve got to get back to the office. Maya will be looking for me any moment now.
‘s**t! I said it.’ Maya was calling me.
‘Where are you at?’
‘I am still at the bank. The manager hasn’t seen me yet. I am sorry I am not back yet.’
‘No, it's fine. You need this. I was calling to check in on you. Is he going to be in today?’
‘His secretary isn’t saying anything positive. But I will wait till eleven and leave.’
‘Alright. See you soon.’
I used the phone and put it back in my purse.
‘Excuse me, ma’am, the manager can see you now.’ It was the secretary. She was at the door asking me to come in.
Finally! I muttered under my breath and walked into the office.
The office was well-lit and small. There was the manager’s chair and two chairs on the opposite sides of the table. A plant stood on a stool near the window. The man in front of me was young and had white teeth. He offered me a seat.
‘I am sorry for keeping you waiting. My secretary told me that you have been waiting for a long time now. So, I would love to offer to take you to lunch just to make up for making you wait.’
Wow. That is a nice way to ask someone out, but I am not here for that. There are more pressing matters than going on a lunch date, more so, with a stranger.
‘Thank you very much, sir, but I would have to pass up on your offer.’ I put my purse on the table and sat down.
The man smiled, nodded, and sat down.
‘Mr. Braun, I called your bank earlier for a loan, and I was told to meet you in person, which is why I am here.’
‘I am sorry I'm not the man you are looking for.’
I was confused. Did the secretary not just tell me that the manager could see me just now?
‘I am sorry. Am I in the wrong office?’ I was embarrassed.
‘No, you’re not. You are speaking to the new owner. I am David Arkland. My company just purchased this bank, and I am here to look over some financial records. I like to do this myself. The manager resigned this morning and I decided to come here to see how things are done and how we can make it better. So you can talk to me.’
‘Is there some problem with the bank?’
‘On the contrary, no. It’s just that, sometimes, banks don’t meet up to their financial obligations.’
Wow. That was a lot to take in at once. I always thought banks had some kind of insurance to guard against this kind of takeover.
‘OK, sir. I am here for a loan to the tune of two thousand dollars. I have good financial standing with the bank and I hope to qualify for the loan.’
The man sat back in his chair and eyed me while smiling. Then he leaned forward and said,
‘Go to lunch with me and I will give you way more than that.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean nothing bad. Just come out with me and I will give you five thousand dollars.’
‘You must think I am cheap, right?’ I stood and grabbed my purse.
I was more pissed off that he was smiling as I told him off and walked away than that he made that offer.
‘Have a good day.’ I banged the door on my way out.
MAYA’S POV
I was still going over what had happened last night when I saw Rita walk in. She was looking worried; she had been that way for a long time now. The Rita I met didn’t worry about her life. Though she was not from New York and not used to life in the city, she managed to pull herself together and get into the media space after she shared a video of a hostage takeover, documenting it from start to finish. She did other stories and each time, they were better than the last.
I love her like a sister. When I was assigned as her editor, I knew we would make a great team and that’s what we are going to do now. We have to do this interview. I can’t let that brat, who just happened to have a lot of money, insult women for coming close to them.
‘What’s wrong? You look worried.’
‘I didn’t know City Bank had a new owner and guess what, he just treated me like I was a whore.’
Rita has been a passionate fellow for as long as I have known her, but not like this. She was angry.
‘Did he touch you?’
‘He didn’t have to. I was there to ask him for a loan, and he said I should go out with him in exchange for the money.’
‘What?! That is wrong.’
‘Braun will never act like that. What is wrong with him today?’
It wasn’t Braun. It is a new guy. David Arkland.’
‘I have heard that name before, but I can’t remember exactly or put a face to the name..’
‘I don’t care, but I need to hunt this gut and give him a piece of what he gave to me today.’
‘That is why we need to do this interview with Andy Solomon. I heard he is related to David Arkland.’
‘Right. I almost forgot. Mr. Solomon asked me to call him at three today to fix the interview.’
‘Good. He must pay for what he did to me, for what he did to Jennifer.’
‘You knew Andy? What did he do to you?’
‘He called me a slut last night. Now I see how these rich people see us. They think that we are all w****s, coming to beg for scraps from their table.’
‘Yes, that’s true, privileged children looking down on the rest of us. I agree with what you said. They must be taught they do not own us and cannot control us.’
At first, I thought it was my phone that was ringing. Rita reached for her purse and excused herself from her office.
RITA’S POV
‘Hello, Ms Rita, I want you to come over to the hospital. Your father went into a shock, and we need you immediately.’
My hands couldn’t hold my phone anymore. It can’t be the end.
- Writer
