Chapter 6 Money and a stained sheet

Bianca was serving a customer when she heard the store door open, but as there were several other salespeople she kept her focus on the customer, until she heard a thick, jocular voice:

"I want to be seen by that one over there"

Bianca looked in the direction of the voice, and her legs almost gave way when she saw Thomas accompanied by three security guards.

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Karina, the only person Bianca considered a friend there, and with a yellow smile asked:

"Would you mind continuing to work here?"

"No, of course not," says Karina.

Bianca went over to where Thomas sat and analyzed the situation in her mind. She couldn't run away because she needed that job so badly, she couldn't run the risk of Thomas making a scandal there either, or she'd lose her job, she could only try to convince him to have this conversation somewhere else.

"Sir, how can I help you?" she said, smiling because the other people were still watching the scene, and lowering her voice, she continued, "How did you find me here?"

"If you wanted to run away, sweetie, you shouldn't leave this behind," says Bruce, holding up his store ID badge.

"We can't have this conversation here, this is my workplace and I can't afford to lose my job."

"Think about that before you take my money and run"

"I didn't take your money, if that's what you want, you need to go after Jef"

"I don't want the money sweetie, I want what I bought"

Bianca begins to struggle for breath, and panics when each of her arms is grabbed by one of Thomas's henchmen.

At that moment, a low, hoarse, dangerous voice sounds behind Bianca, and she doesn't need to turn around to know that it's the Greek God from last night, because every hair on her body stands on end:

"I would advise your men to keep their hands off my girl Thomas"

Thomas isn't scared and doesn't back down:

"Your girl, huh?" he says, scratching his beard in a nonchalant gesture, "well, I'm sorry to inform you, Carlos, but your girl sold me something that she hasn't delivered yet, and business is business."

Bianca looked in surprise at the man she now knew to be Carlos, and she had the impression that she had seen him before last night, but with her nervousness she couldn't remember, and it was also very difficult to think of anything else after he had called her his girl.

"I'm aware of the deal you closed with her brother and father," Carlos continued, "but she can't hand over the sale."

"Well, well Carlos, you're a businessman too, and you know that if she couldn't, she shouldn't have taken my money"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't take your damn money, I'd never sell myself like that, what happened is that I fell for another one of those two scumbags' tricks"

"Sweetie, that's your problem and your family's problem, a, I want what I bought" says Thomas, looking Bianca up and down.

Carlos approaches, wrapping his arms around Bianca's waist and pulling her towards him. The henchmen, taken by surprise, let go of her arm and Carlos stands in front of her, protecting her with his body and says:

"Of course, as a businessman, I know you can't afford to lose out, I know you paid the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars", saying this he extends his hand to Pedro who hands him the briefcase, which he immediately places on the table in front of Thomas, "And before you say you don't want the money but what you bought", Marcos extends his hand again to Pedro who embarrassed hands him the bloodstained sheet, When Bianca saw what it was about, she instinctively hid her face behind Carlos' back, who tensed at the unexpected touch, but relaxed when he realized that it was the little bear who was clinging to him like baby bears cling to their mothers, and that apparently she hadn't lost the habit of clinging to him. With a look of triumph, he threw the sheet beside the suitcase and continued:

"As I said, she's my girl, and she can't hand over what her brother sold, because she handed it over to me, and in the suitcase there are two hundred thousand dollars, a little extra change to make up for your waste of time." Saying this, he turns and takes Bianca's hands and pulls her away from Thomas, but before they leave Thomas says:

"Is she worth all that?"

"She's worth more to me," Carlos replies without even thinking and Bianca loses her breath at hearing that.

"Is she even worth a war with me?" insists Thomas

"She's priceless to me, and if you're really going to start a war with me, know that I never play to lose," he says and drags Bianca towards the exit.

"Wait, I'm working, I can't just go like that," says Bianca, who seems to have come to her senses.

"Of course you can," says Carlos and turning to the manager he says, "she's dismissed, let's say for three days."

Before the manager could reply, Bianca said:

"I can't afford to have three days deducted from my payroll, you ATM"

Carlos is already losing patience with Bianca, and without any difficulty he lifts her off the ground and throws her on his shoulders, and says to the manager:

"Three days' pay"

The manager, who seemed to have seen a ghost, stammered:

"Yes, sir, as you wish".

"Satisfied," he said, slapping Bianca on the ass and leaving the store.

Bianca could only ask herself one question: "Who the hell is that man?"