Chapter 6 - The Final Phone Call
As they were unceremoniously herded toward the front door with nothing but a single duffel bag between them, my phone began to vibrate on the kitchen counter.
The caller ID flashed: David (International).
It was 4:45 PM in the Maldives. Sunset was approaching.
I picked up the phone, swiped answer, and pressed the speaker button, turning the volume all the way up so it echoed through the foyer.
“Eleanor!” David’s voice exploded from the speaker. He sounded completely unhinged. The smooth, confident executive was gone. He sounded breathless, frantic, and panicked. Background noise filtered through—the crashing of ocean waves, and a woman crying.
Teresa stopped at the doorway, turning back, desperately listening to her golden boy.
“David? Is everything okay? You’re calling outside your normal Tokyo window,” I said, my voice the picture of innocent concern.
“Eleanor, something is wrong with the bank! Something is horribly wrong!” he shouted, the panic elevating to hysteria. “I’m trying to pay the… the hotel bill for my… my corporate retreat, and every single card is declining! The platinum, the black cards, even the corporate emergency accounts! The bank is saying everything is frozen! They’re saying my assets have been seized by a court order!”
“That is strange,” I murmured, running a finger along the rim of my glass.
“Eleanor, you need to call premium services right now! You need to wire money to my location immediately. They won’t let me leave the property! The police here are threatening to arrest me for defrauding a hospitality vendor!”
I looked up at Teresa, who was watching the phone as if it were a bomb about to detonate.
“Where exactly are you, David?” I asked smoothly.
There was a long pause on the line. I could hear Chloe in the background, her voice shrill and terrified. “David, what do you mean the cards are dead? What about the ring? The jeweler is here asking for the remaining balance!”
“I’m… I’m in Tokyo, El! Where else would I be?” he lied, his voice cracking with desperation. “Just call the bank! Please!”
“I can’t do that, David.”
“Why not?!” he screamed.
“Because,” I said, letting the icy venom finally bleed into my voice, “I’m the one who froze them.”
The silence on the line was profound. It was the sound of a man plummeting from a great height, realizing there was no parachute.
“What?” he breathed.
“The Conrad in the Maldives is lovely this time of year, isn’t it?” I asked casually. “Though I imagine the Muraka villa is a bit pricey when you don’t have a single cent to your name. Oh, and your business partners found out about the Cayman accounts. The FBI raided your office about an hour ago.”
“Eleanor… El… wait, please—”
“I filed for divorce this morning, David. On the grounds of infidelity, financial abuse, and fraud. You have nothing. No money, no company, no home.” I paused, looking directly into Teresa’s horrified, tear-streaked face. “And no parents. They’re being evicted as we speak because you defaulted on your loan. They’re homeless.”
“No!” Teresa wailed, lunging toward the phone, but the police officer firmly held her back. “David! Help us!”
“Mom?!” David yelled, sheer terror gripping his vocal cords. “Mom, what is going on?!”
Before he could continue, I heard a sharp scuffle on the other end of the line.
“Chloe, wait! Put that down!” David shouted.
“You’re broke?!” Chloe’s voice screamed into the receiver. “You dragged me out here, you lied to me, and you’re broke?! The FBI is looking for you?!”
“Chloe, give me the ring back! It’s all I have left!”
“Screw you, David! Watch me walk away!”
The sound of a heavy door slamming echoed through the speaker, followed by the muffled, pathetic sound of David weeping. His mistress had realized the ATM was empty, and she had vanished, taking the $15,000 diamond with her. He was stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean, millions of dollars in debt, facing international fraud charges, completely alone.
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“Enjoy your four-year anniversary, David,” I whispered into the microphone.
I didn’t wait for him to respond. I reached out and tapped the red ‘End Call’ button.
