— An email from the supplier?
— Sophie…
— Hotel orders?
— That’s enough!
Her cry echoed through the room.
I didn’t move.
— You have €14,000 in debt?
Claire opened her mouth.
No sound came out.
Then she whispered:
— You have no idea what I’m going through.
— Then explain it to me.
— I don’t have to justify myself to you.
— You’re asking me for €14,000.
Yes, Claire.
This time, you have to justify yourself.
She showed me the door.
— Pars.
– All right.
I put the papers away.
Before I left, she said:
— If I lose my apartment, it will be because of you too.
I turned around.
Old Sophie would have run to take her in her arms.
Old Sophie would have asked how much she really owed.
Old Sophie would have opened her banking app.
I simply replied:
— Your debts existed before I walked through that door.
Then I left.
Three days later, an unknown number called me.
— Madame Sophie Lambert ?
– Yes.
— We are trying to contact Ms. Claire Besson regarding several unpaid monthly installments.
She designated you as a contact person.
I stopped in the middle of the corridor outside my office.
— I never gave my consent.
— She gave us your contact details.
— I am neither a guarantor nor a co-borrower.
— We know that, but…
I cut in calmly:
— Then remove my number from your file.
As I hung up, I realized that I had only uncovered the first layer of the lie.
PART 3:
That same evening, I called Claire.
She answered after 6 rings.
– Hold.
Madam Banker.
— I was called about your unpaid bills.
Silence.
— I told you not to dramatize.
— You gave out my number.
— As a contact.
— Without asking me.
— Sophie, everyone does that.
— Non.
— Are you going to file a complaint against me now?
— I want the truth.
She sighed loudly.
— Your interrogation again.
— Does the stock exist?
– Yes.
— Did you reserve it?
— Not exactly.
— Did you pay a deposit?
— Non.
— Do you have any signed orders?
– Not yet.
I closed my eyes.
— So why did you want my €14,000?
— I just told you.
— Non.
You told me a story.
His voice became dry.
— Because if I had told you the truth, you would never have helped me.
The sentence crossed my mind slowly.
— What truth?
Claire remained silent.
Then his voice broke.
— I have €14,000 in debt.
Exactly €14,000.
Not 13,000.
Not 15,000.
The exact amount she had asked me for.
She explained to me that a year earlier, she had borrowed €6,000 to launch an online store.
Sales never followed.
To continue paying her rent and suppliers, she had used her credit cards.
Then she took out another loan to cover the first one.
Then a payment in installments.
Then an overdraft.
Each hole had been used to plug another.
— How much do you owe?
— I just told you.
— To whom?
She listed them.
Personal loan: approximately €7,500.
Cards and revolving credit: a little over €4,000.
Overdraft and late bills: nearly €2,500.
14 000 €.
I sat on the edge of the sofa.
Marc was in the kitchen.
He understood from my face that he shouldn’t speak.
— And if I had given you the money, how would you have paid me back in 45 days?
Claire did not reply.
— I’m waiting.
— I would have found a solution.
– Which ?
– I don’t know !
— So you knew your promise was false.
— I was desperate!
— That’s not what I’m asking you.
– What do you want ?
Should I humiliate myself?
— I want to understand why you were willing to put my family in difficulty to get yours out of the water.
She burst out:
— Your family wouldn’t be in trouble!
— €14,000 is almost all we’ve put aside for the renovations at my mother’s house.
— Marc is working!
— So what?
— You would have rebuilt the savings.
That sentence hurt more than the lie.
— So that’s what you thought.
— Does not distort.
— You were thinking: “Sophie will lose €14,000, but it doesn’t matter, her husband is working.”
— That’s not what I said.
— That’s exactly what you just said.
She started crying again.
— After everything I’ve done for you…
I felt the old reflex return.
The one who always prompted me to answer, “You’re right.”
But this time, I asked:
— What have you done for me that entitles you to my savings?
Silence.
“You see?” she said finally.
