Rejected Once Again

Vernon, his face pale and drawn, sat across from the CEO of Thompson Group, Theo Thompson, in the latter's expansive, impeccably decorated office. The air was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioning. Vernon's hands, clammy and trembling, gripped the edge of the polished mahogany desk.

He had come to Theo, an old acquaintance, a man he had known since their childhood, with a desperate plea. He needed a substantial sum of money, and he needed it quickly. Rico, was breathing down his neck, and the consequences of failing to pay were too gruesome to contemplate.

"Theo, you have to help me," Vernon pleaded, his voice hoarse and strained. "I need a loan. A significant one, and quickly."

Theo Thompson, a man of shrewd eyes and a stern demeanor, leaned back in his leather chair, his gaze fixed on Vernon. He had heard whispers, rumors of Vernon's financial troubles, of his reckless gambling and mounting debts.