A helping hand

Silas was temporarily speechless. "Where did the money go if you already paid him?" he stammered. The question tumbled out of his mouth in a rush.

Bruno sighed in defeat. "I entrusted my brother-in-law, who works as my assistant, to deliver the payment to Mr. Ross," he explained. "But he never met him. He spent the money on paying his debts."

"What the fuck!" Silas cursed, fuming about the incompetence around him. If his own assistant wasn't loyal, how could he ever hope to run a successful business? 

"This is a business deal, Bruno, not a charity handout!" he snapped. "How could you be so naive to trust someone like that and let such people work with you?" 

Bruno spread his hands helplessly. "He's family," he pleaded. "He's been struggling ever since he lost his job. I had no reason to suspect him. I believed in him."

"Yeah…" Silas rolled his eyes in exasperation.