Chapter 38 – A Banker’s Dilemma

  The morning tram rattled softly along it’s rails, weaving through Marilon’s business district as Lucien, Dorian, and Theo stood together near the center pole. Sunlight filtered through the glass panels, casting shifting patterns over the passengers.

  Theo glanced sideways at Dorian.

  “You… don’t look like you got much sleep,” he said carefully. “You look kind of… haggard.”

  Dorian didn’t answer.

  Instead, he slowly turned his head and stared straight at Lucien, his expression blank, eyes half-dead, as if silently declaring: Ask him. He’s the reason.

  Lucien let out a guilty laugh.

  “Well… he’s been busy with the registration of the subsidiary,” Lucien admitted, scratching his cheek. “I, uh… suddenly dumped all that on him yesterday. If we want the loan process to go smoothly, the paperwork needs to be clean and ready. So, he had to work hard.”

  Dorian just sighed.

  Theo, completely sympathetic, gave Dorian a solid thumbs-up.

  “You work really hard. I really need to learn from you.”

  Lucien burst out laughing.

  Dorian fought a smile, shaking his head.

  For a brief moment, the tension lifted from all three of them.

  After a short silence, Dorian shifted the conversation.

  “Theo,” he said, “who do you know at the bank? Anyone who can make our visit smoother?”

  Theo nodded. “Well, I know the loan officer who sanctioned our existing loan. He was our direct point of contact for everything.”

  Dorian raised a brow. “And how’s your relationship with him?”

  Theo hesitated.

  “Well…” He scratched the back of his head. “I can only say… it’s not that bad.”

  Dorian gave Theo a suspicious squint.

  Theo looked away, whistling innocently.

  The tram eased to a stop, and the three stepped off, walking toward the tall glass doors of Lunecrest Bank. The morning crowd flowed in and out, the building alive with polished shoes and formal chatter.

  Just as they reached the entrance, Theo suddenly brightened.

  “Oh! That’s him, the loan officer I mentioned.”

  He raised his hand enthusiastically. “Mr. Polvin! Good morning!”

  The man in his mid-forties, neat hair, crisp suit, turned at the sound of someone calling him.

  His smile froze, then it visibly darkened and his expression shifted from smiling to irritated in under two seconds.

  He didn’t respond and didn’t even acknowledge Theo’s existence. He simply turned on his heel and walked briskly into the bank without a word.

  Theo remained frozen mid-wave.

  Lucien placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Theo… you can stop waving now. He’s already gone.”

  Theo lowered his hand slowly.

  Dorian stared at him, incredulous.

  “That’s what you meant when you said your relationship with him is ‘not that bad?’”

  Theo puffed his cheeks, defensive.

  “I didn’t say it was good! I only said it wasn’t that bad!”

  Lucien and Dorian exchanged a look of utter speechlessness.

  Theo shrugged helplessly.

  With that, the three of them walked through the front doors of Lunecrest Bank.

  Lucien crossed his arms as they walked deeper into the bank. “Theo… what’s his name?”

  Theo swallowed, still embarrassed. “He’s Polvin Sarett. He handled our loan.”

  Dorian raised an eyebrow. “Handled… or suffered because of it?”

  Theo stared straight ahead and pretended not to hear that.

  They followed the direction Polvin had gone, weaving through rows of cubicles until they spotted him settling stiffly into his cabin. The moment Polvin noticed them approaching, his expression tightened again, but he still forced a professional smile.

  Theo attempted a cheerful wave.

  “Good morning, Mr. Polvin.”

  Polvin didn’t return the wave.

  But he inhaled deeply, forcing what must have been the most strained polite smile in the entire building.

  “Please,” he said tightly, gesturing to the chairs opposite him, “have a seat.”

  Even if he was annoyed, customers were customers—and Lunecrest Bank demanded strict courtesy from it’s staff.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  The moment the three of them sat down, however…

  Polvin’s patience snapped like a brittle stick.

  He folded his arms, leaned forward, and launched straight into a rant.

  “If you’re wondering why I’m upset,” he began, voice clipped, “it’s because of your loan that I personally approved ended up wrecking my performance review for the year.”

  Theo shrank in his chair.

  Polvin continued, now warming up.

  “My supervisors downgraded my risk assessment rating. My quarterly bonus was slashed. And to top it all off, I had to sit through two internal audits just to justify why I approved the loan in the first place.”

  Lucien and Dorian exchanged a knowing look.

  Oh, so that’s why he walked away earlier.

  Polvin let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing his forehead.

  “Anyway,” he said, his voice returning to strained professionalism, “Mr. Theo… what can I do for you today?”

  Theo straightened, clearing his throat with forced confidence.

  “Well, Mr. Polvin… we’re here about our loan. And a refinancing request.”

  For a split second, Polvin Sarett simply stared at Theo.

  Then visibly his mood brightened.

  In fact, it brightened too much.

  So, they finally found someone, he thought with immediate relief. Someone foolish enough to take this mess off my hands.

  He glanced at Lucien and Dorian again, properly this time. Two unfamiliar faces. Young looking, calm and confident.

  Buying the press, maybe, he reasoned internally. Why else would anyone touch that disaster? Broken machines, bleeding cash, debt stacked on debt… and still they want to take it over?

  He didn’t understand why anyone would do something so irrational.

  But Polvin was not foolish enough to question good fortune.

  If they want to shoulder that burden, he decided, why should I stop them?

  His expression shifted instantly to professional, radiant and polished smile of a banker who had just seen his year-end bonus crawl back into existence.

  “Well,” Polvin said smoothly, folding his hands on the desk, “Mr. Theo… it seems you’ve finally found a patron willing to take over your esteemed press. One with, I imagine, a great deal of sentimental value to your family.”

  Dumping it on these poor souls, he added silently, almost amused.

  He tilted his head slightly, voice softening just enough to sound courteous.

  “How is your father doing these days, Mr. Theo?” Polvin added. “He must finally have some peace of mind now with him no longer having to carry that stress day after day.”

  He turned his attention fully to Lucien and Dorian, smile widening.

  “These must be the distinguished gentlemen assisting you and taking over the loan?”

  Theo nodded, opening his mouth to explain.

  “Yes, Mr—”

  “Excellent,” Polvin cut in cheerfully. “I noticed immediately when you walked in, despite their youth, they carry themselves like seasoned entrepreneurs. Very successful-looking individuals.”

  Theo tried again.

  “Actually, what we’re here to—”

  Polvin steamrolled right over him.

  “Well then, of course Lunecrest Bank will support this refinancing,” he said warmly. “We value our customers’ well-being. Given your… difficult circumstances, we’ll expedite the process. I can have the documents prepared within the hour.”

  All three of them remained still.

  Polvin beamed.

  “I’ll personally ensure we secure the lowest possible interest rate. I’ll even speak with senior management to push for the most favorable conditions.”

  Lucien needed a second, Dorian kept staring and Theo looked vaguely terrified.

  The speed of the man’s emotional pivot was… alarming.

  They exchanged glances, silently agreeing on one thing:

  He has absolutely no idea what we’re about to show him.

  Polvin was already reaching for his wristlink.

  “Let me quickly inform the processing department,” he added, fingers hovering over the interface. “Once they’re prepared, we can move this forward without any delays.”

  No reason to waste even a minute, he thought. Better to pass this hot potato along while it’s still warm, repackage it neatly, and get it off my desk as fast as possible.

  His thumb was just about to tap the call icon—

  “Oh—and forgive me,” Polvin added casually. “I nearly forgot to ask. What is the financial guarantee or backing you’ll be submitting to take over Mr. Theo’s loan?”

  There was a pause, then a second one and an awkward, brittle laugh escaped Theo’s throat.

  Lucien smiled weakly.

  Dorian cleared his throat.

  “If I may,” Dorian said calmly, sliding a slate across the desk. “These are the supporting documents.”

  Polvin accepted the slate without suspicion, still riding the high of imagined relief. He leaned back slightly and began scrolling.

  Five seconds passed.

  Then ten.

  His smile twitched.

  The brightness drained from his face slowly and visibly like color bleeding out of fabric.

  His brows drew together.

  He scrolled back up.

  Read again.

  And then—

  He slammed the slate down on the desk.

  “Are you joking with me?” Polvin snapped.

  The sudden outburst made Theo flinch.

  “Because all I see here,” Polvin continued angrily, “is a joke.”

  He stabbed a finger at the screen.

  “A small, barely functional café on Lanternreach Street—one of the poorest commercial stretches in Marilon—and future book sales from an unknown, no-name author whose work launched very recently?”

  He scoffed harshly.

  “I have never seen something this unreliable presented as collateral in my entire career.”

  He leaned back, breathing heavily, grabbed the glass of water Theo instinctively handed him, and drained it in one go.

  Silence filled the cubicle.

  Polvin set the glass down with a dull thud and looked straight at Theo, exhaustion in his eyes.

  “Mr. Theo,” he said strained, “why me?”

  Theo swallowed.

  “What have I ever done to harm you,” Polvin continued, his voice pulling thin, “that you would do this to me?”

  Theo looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor.

  Lucien raised a hand gently.

  “Mr. Polvin… please take a breath. Calm down for a moment,” he said evenly. “Let’s not rush this. Please continue reading further. Then we can talk it through step by step.”

  Dorian nodded in agreement. “Yes. Please continue.”

  Polvin hesitated, then let out a long, weary sigh. He picked up the slate again, this time more carefully, scrolling further down the documents.

  As he read on, the sharp edge of irritation in his face gradually dulled. His shoulders relaxed a fraction. When he finally finished, he placed the slate back on the desk slowly and gently before leaning back in his chair.

  “I apologize,” he said quietly. “That outburst was… unprofessional.”

  Lucien shook his head. “It’s alright. It happens to all of us.”

  Theo nodded quickly. “Yes, sir. Completely understandable.”

  Lucien met Polvin’s eyes.

  “So… what do you think?”

  Polvin folded his hands together, choosing his words carefully.

  “Well,” he said, “the digital sales figures for the book are actually quite strong. And your university sales are impressive as well. The growth curve in Marilon is still trending upward.”

  Hearing that, all three of them felt a small wave of relief.

  Good, they thought. He’s seeing the positives.

  But Polvin’s expression tightened again and not angry this time, but conflicted.

  “That said,” he continued cautiously, “this is still a very risky proposal.”

  He tapped the slate lightly.

  “University demand tends to saturate quickly. What happens if sales drop sharply once that market is exhausted? You’ve had excellent early momentum due to timing and circumstances but early success doesn’t always translate into long-term stability. There’s too much uncertainty.”

  Dorian leaned forward slightly.

  “We’re confident it will continue to perform well,” he said calmly. “In fact, we believe this is only the beginning. The book is currently sold only in Marilon. We haven’t even started distribution in other cities across Calvessan yet.”

  Polvin nodded. “I understand your confidence. I truly do.”

  Then he sighed, a helpless smile tugging at his lips.

  “But from my side of the desk,” he said, “confidence alone isn’t enough. If this goes wrong again…” He shrugged faintly. “I won’t just lose a bonus. I could be demoted or worse lose my position.”

  His voice softened, the bravado gone.

  “Lunecrest Bank is extremely competitive. People are always watching for mistakes. I don’t want to come in one morning and find someone else sitting at my desk.”

  He leaned back, rubbing his temples.

  “Give me a moment,” Polvin said quietly. “Let me think.”

  Silence settled over the cubicle as Polvin stared at the slate, weighing risk against opportunity while Lucien, Dorian, and Theo waited, knowing that whatever he decided next would shape everything that followed.