The office was almost completely dark now, as the lamps were left off and the outside world quiet. Only faint starlight slipped through the tall windows, silver and thin, spreading across the floor and reaching Roswell's desk.
The vast amounts of paper work that once filled it had shrunk greatly, but alot of it was still there. Eyeing it cautiously, he could only make out the giant red text labeling all kinds of bills and profit losses he'd incurred in the last month.
The man himself laid rocked back in his chair, his feet carelessly kicked up against the table. In one hand, he fiddled with a small jet black card. Holding it in place for a second, he read the text written in gold once more.
[L. H Loans]
[Thomas Wesker]
[XXX-XXX-XXX]
He had read it several times now.. but still, he couldn't quite believe it.
"Seriously.. that guy suggested I take a loan? Is he mad?"
It was true that his company had been doing poorly as of late, but was he desperate enough to take on a loan? He was an Awakened, so even if he went bankrupt, earning alot of that money back was something he could do easily. Although it would take a while.
In fact, taking out a loan wasn't a bad thing in the first place. He had done it a few times before, and many other businesses did it yearly. For him to be able to pay workers, purchase inventory, pay repairs on damaged ships or sometimes even rent out new ones, using a loan as a safety net was essential.
Very few businesses could actually run without being able to take out a loan, and he even used to rely on one too, so in a way he would actually be returning back to his roots.
'The only reason I stopped using them was because I had a falling out with my old loaner.. finding a new one sith the same rates is annoying.. the investors give me more than enough trouble.'
But after thinking all of that for a long while, and going through the scenarios in his head, he quickly threw that plan away.
'A safety net is all that it is. A safety net. It's pointless if someone grabbed a knife and then just tore it in two.'
If he took out a loan, not only would he need to pay it back, but it would also accumulate an interest that would make it cost even more.
To be able to get through this crisis, he needed to be able to stall, or atleast stop his profits from dipping until the seas finally calmed back down. If he could load and transport more inventory all at once, he'd be able to make up for the delayed shipping times.
'But still.. all of that would still cost even more money then I currently have... Convincing the investors to give me more won't work..'
But a loan was even more risky. Since he was a business owner, he would be allowed to take out much more than an ordinary person, but that didn't mean it was free money. The interest would be that much deadlier.
If the seas didn't settle down in time, and things were to escalate instead..
He shuddered just thinking about it. The amount of debt would be crippling.
Sighing heavily, he glanced at the small picture staring at him from his desk. He felt a hint of melancholy, seeing her frozen still.
'I started this business in the first place because you forbade me from sailing. Now look at that... It's biting me in the ass.'
The reason he did all of this.. was all because of that promise. He had to protect Clea, but at the same time, he wasn't allowed to risk his life to do it. If he died, Clea would be left all alone, and so who would protect her then?
He only pondered that question for a short moment, before a sharp realization flashed through his mind, pulling the fatigue out of his posture.
There was.. someone else.
'Drewey...'
Already, he could feel a very faint anger welling up from inside him.
And at the same time, he recalled what Ryder had said this morning..
"Perhaps she's just growing up? Any other girl would start being interested in boys at that age. Maybe it's just her time."
He almost lashed out at him back then for saying such a thing. Whether it was out of drunken anger, or if he genuinely felt anguish that Clea didn't need him anymore.
That promise he made with Yelena, it was all that he had left of her now. If he couldn't fulfill it anymore, then what purpose did he have?
But after what happened this morning, one thing was obvious to him right now.
"I can't make her happy anymore."
He had tried so hard to make her smile again.. and yet, some other boy was able to accomplish something that he'd been struggling to do for the last 7 years.
He should've been happy that Clea was able to smile. And yet, it somehow pained him. It should've been a good thing, but all he felt was anguish.
'What do I do? What do I do??'
Everything was too disorienting. It was as if the very world had thrown him into a labyrinth, and his entire life seemed to become one giant puzzle. There wasn't any order to it, just a daily struggle that would never come to fruition.
Somberly, he extended out his hand to the small photo. Picking it up, and then bringing it closer towards him as he caressed it's frame.
"I miss you.. I miss you so much."
The last seven years had been hard for him too.
But he couldn't allow his grief to weigh him down. He didn't have the time to sit around feeling dejected, while Clea was suffering too.
Both for the promise he made, and as his duty as a father, he had to keep working regardless of how he felt.
"I have to stick around to the day she gets married at the very least."
And so, brushing away all of his doubts regardless of how unclear they may have been, he pressed onward. With renewed determination and resolve, he declared,
"I will do it. I have too. I can't give up now."
**
And so, the days passed by in a flash. It took a while, as well as a few arguments with other investors, but after finally getting into contact with the loaner Ryder recommended things started to improve quickly.
The steady stream of loses slowly began to reduce, and before he knew it he had started to make a comeback. But still, the shadow of a looming debt seemed to crawl closer with everyday passing day.
All that was left now, was for the seas to calm down and for peace to return. As long as the Navy did their job and the war empire fortresses were eradicated, things would go back to normal. Only then, would he truly be in the green.
And so a week went by..
And then a month..
And then a year..
And then two...
And then..
**
"Where is Ryder??!"
The bar doors burst inward with a single violent crash as they were kicked wide open, slamming the walls hard enough to rattle their hinges. Roswell stormed through, his clothes ragged and dirty, his facial hair seemingly out of control and his eyes red from many sleepless nights.
His angered voice rang out once more,
"Where is he!?"
Everyone looked at his depressing appearance for just a moment, before quickly brushing him off. However, there was one that kept his eyes locked onto him. It was a familiar face that he hadn't seen in a long while...
Marching over to him, Roswell grabbed the chubby old man by the collar before lifting him up into the air.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
Despite how rough he was being treated though, there was no hatred in his eyes. Only understanding and patience.
His voice low, he asked,
"Friend... Calm down."
Sharply noticing what he was doing, Roswell's grip on the man's collar slowly loosened, his fingers relaxing until the fabric slipped free from his hand. The frustration hadn't vanished, but it dulled just enough for him to listen.
"I haven't seen him again ever since he gave you that card. He used to disappear for large periods of time.. but this is the longest it's been yet. Either way, I haven't seen him since then."
The strength seemed to drain out of him all at once, as if something inside of him had finally given way. His shoulders sagged and his breath caught his throat, the anger that he briefly escaped collapsed into heavy despair instead. The weight of it heavy enough to force him down to both knees.
'Was this his goal from the beginning?? Did he intentionally screw me over??'
That black card.. he should've known that there was something suspicious about it. But he was so desperate for a way out that he didn't even care.
He was hoping, praying that things would get better.
But.. they never did.
Things got even worse.
In the beginning when Roswell took that loan, there were barely 2 War Empire fortresses blocking the trade routes used by his company and many others. The number was small, almost laughable, but it was still quite annoying yet critical.
However, that was back then.
Now there was a staggering 16.
This change wasn't without reason either. While it was true that the war empire had been disadvantaged for the longest time, there was a reason why out of the 4 conquerable divine realms, and hundreds of minor mortal realms, the storm gods had been held off till one of the last.
That was due to the strange laws that governed it here, and the special skills and characteristics needed to travel across it. It was because of this, that they struggled to create a proper foothold.
However, the war empire had always been adaptable, and the monarch that ruled them was especially cunning. The solution to this problem had long since been devised, and it was initiated from their very first battle.
Of course, Roswell had no clue as to what that secret was. If it were that easy to figure out, then people like him wouldn't be suffering right now.
Either way, he was screwed.
One moment ago, he was still inside the bar.
But all he did was blink, and then he found himself outside. Not in the middle of the towns streets, but somewhere else entirely. It was like the world had shifted without warning, and now he found himself kneeling on cold stone floor.
Rain fell steadily from the dark sky, soaking through his clothes as water ran down his face and dropped from his hair. But he barely seemed to notice.
Instead, he noticed that his hand was clenched tightly around a sheet of paper, the damp edges begining to curl in the rain.
He had no memory of picking it up, yet somehow he could not bring himself to let it go either.
'I've tried.. I've tried so hard..'
But it was all for nothing. The debt held now, two years later was immeasurable.
Although he had already filed for bankruptcy, it was not enough. They wanted everything. Very soon, he would loose the manor, the place where he had raised his only daughter, and all the memories along with it.
But even that wouldn't be enough.
He thought he had hit the lowest point in his life when she died.. but this might've been even worse. He was completely at a loss on what to do next.
Raising his head, he glared at the soaking young boy before him. After everything that has happened, he didn't quite know what to feel about him anymore
"Why.. why are you here?"
It was Drewey.