"Mr. Albert, I hope you find success in your business."
Sitting across Gustavo was Albert, the owner of the clothes store. He gently accepted the money for the loan from Gustavo and nodded.
"Worry not, Mr. Misk. All is going to be perfect."
Gustavo knew that wasn't the case. He could tell just from seeing the sleaze bag of an owner that nothing was going to be fine in this store. Just how many losses had he borne to handle this? Too many to count.
Gustavo left the place with a relieved heart and returned to his bank.
All was going to be good. But not for Albert, for him.
***
The second day came around as no cash came his way. It was still fine, though. Gustavo knew the war was to enter its final phase. Things would be fine.
***
The third day came.
Today he was to receive back some of the smaller loans.
But…
"What do you mean?"
"It was all a demon! Our people just started dying as if they were cursed. You have to understand, Mr. Gustavo, human life is…"
"A small extension is all we ask for, we don't want anything else—"
***
The fourth day came.
Gustavo was panicking.
No money and no repayments.
Almost magically, all of the ones that used to pay him back before had their businesses being crushed. What should have made him happy not long ago now sounded like the laughter of the devil.
***
The fifth day came.
"Mr. SOHN! RETURN MY MONEY GOD DAMN IT!"
"My business was thwarted again! You have to understand, I am already not asking for more from you—"
"I DON'T CARE! SELL YOUR KIDNEYS—"
"KNIGHTS! Take him away! Take him away!"
***
Sixth day.
Miganta failed too.
No cash.
***
Finally.
The seventh day was here.
Gustavo was unable to sleep. No matter what he did, the fear of that masked man consumed him. He couldn't drink water without trembling, nor could he down the air without shaking.
It was the day he was supposed to make the first repayment to the man, but he had nothing.
Not a thing to his name.
Locked in his house, Gustavo held his knees and trembled. Pitting hope against hope, he prayed the man would let him go today.
And his hope seemed to have worked.
For the entire day, no word of the masked man came.
"Haha!" Gustavo laughed as the clock in his room hit 12 in the night.
"HAHA!"
The day was over.
"Hahahaaha! I live! I live I live I live!"
—thud thud.
Two knocks resounded on his door.
Gustavo stopped in his tracks as the sound spread through his room.
His hands trembled and his mustache drooped. He slowly made his way ahead toward his door and reached for the handle.
He slowly opened the door.
And there stood the man donning glasses that he had seen before.
"Gustavo Misk," the man called, the rain outside pattered against the umbrella in his hands. "Our boss awaits you."
Through the rain deep into the night. A lamp as the only source of light. Gustavo, like a sinner being taken away, was dragged by the men, from road to road, street to street, alley to alley.
Until he found himself in front of that door again.
"Hmph," the men grunted as they pushed him into the office of the masked man.
Falling on his knees, the door closed behind Gustavo. Behind the desk was the chair turned away from him.
"Gustavo Misk…"
"Sir! SIR! Forgive me, forgive me once," Gustavo smacked his head on the ground. Survive, he only had to survive here and then, once the war ended today, he could enlist the Fonias' aid! For now, no matter what methods he had to use, he needed to survive.
"One day. Just one day sir. I will repay you for everything! With the interest aaaah, please, spare me once sir. Just one more chance—"
"What did I tell you," the man's voice cut through the room, stabbing into Gustavo's chest and muffling his words. "Gustavo Misk?"
Gustavo slowly looked up, tears streaming down his eyes. He pissed his pants and gasped for air as the pressure in the room increased by the second.
A creak resounded.
And the chair turned. Slow, steady, it moved and moved until the man was in front of him.
Gustavo's breath was stuck in his throat.
The masked man did not don a mask. His face was unmistakable.
"Al…bert?" Gustavo muttered.
Shock. Disbelief. Betrayal. All kinds of emotions ran through him all at once. He couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't think.
Everything, all at once, came crashing down on his head.
Time that seemed to have been stopped—
"Haha…"
—Resumed with a laugh.
"Ah… that face," Albert muttered. "I really, really wanted to see that face."
"What do you…?"
Albert stood up and pressed his foot on Gustavo's head.
"Just imagine how hard it was not to laugh, when you came and loaned me the money you had taken from me! All of it, right back in my hand, ahahahaha!" Albert covered his face and laughed. "Oh, fucking idiot. From the money that suddenly brought your good days to the problems that brought the bad ones."
Realization dawned on Gustavo.
The amount that had shot up into the skies.
The problems that the customers he wanted faced.
The amount of money that he had to loan.
How it all stopped.
How no one could make any repayment.
"All of it…?" He muttered.
"Yes," With his teeth spread in a wide grin, Albert looked down at Gustavo with the happiest face he had made in a long time. "All of it, was done by me."
"W… why…?"
"Why?" Albert asked. "Hahahaha! To fuck with you, why else? I was quite bored, you see."
He slowly stepped away from Gustavo and leaned against the table.
"Now I am satisfied. So I guess I'll do what I need to."
The money lending business of the Fonias Family.
Was crushed.
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