Bankruptcy

 "I sent the picture to you! Why did you leak it? Why did you want to ruin my reputation? Why?" June's voice bloomed, her eyes disgustingly scanned the man in front of her.

 "Is that why you're here so late at night?" Drex Oregon, June's boyfriend, asked.

 He took a seat by the side of his bed and there wasn't a single bit of remorse in his eyes.

 "I asked you if that is why you're here? If that's the reason you're here then you've made a very useless trip because you're not going to get a single useful word from me" he smiled.

 " You know what? I don't need you to explain, I don't need you to tell me why you leaked it. Everything is starting to add up now, Mirabel stole my book manuscript from her mother and published it yesterday. And today, you leaked my nudes. Isn't it adding up already?" 

 June took a few steps closer to him, "My instincts have been alerting me about you two for a while but I always shove it aside. Mirabel is the lady you love, right? She told you to destroy me and you did without hesitation even though we've been together for two good years" 

 " What exactly is your problem, June? I am no longer interested so please don't force yourself on me! What if I love Mirabel? I betrayed you for Mirabel, isn't that what you want to hear?" he looked into her eyes and spat those cold words.

 " Common, you and I both know just how perfect Mirabel is. That long, wine-colored hair, her slender but curvy figure and that perfect round face. Which man won't be interested?" Drex smirked.

 "So that is the reason why you left me? Mirabel is the reason you were willing to drag me through the mud? Mirabel is the reason why you destroyed both my career and my reputation, at home and in school?" June felt betrayed.

 Her heart somersaulted in her chest, and tears lined her eyelids as she fixed her gaze on Drex. She licked her lips and closed her eyes, forcing back the unshed tears– Drex must not see her cry.

 "I am tired of being called a pedophile by my friends. You are a minor, June while I am 20 years old already. You're just 17, man and Mirabel is 19. Can't you see the difference?" he laughed with ridicule dripping from his voice.

 June couldn't believe her ears, Drex said these to her. She remembered back when they were about to start dating….

 …"Drex, I'm a minor, and you know it. I'm just 15" 

 "Does it matter? I'm just 17 too, I'm still a minor. Everything is going to be fine, cutie. It's not like we're committing a crime" He had told her back then.

 And now, it's that same guy that just called her a minor when he persuaded her into the relationship.

 "Fine, if it's Mirabel that you love then it's fine but let me ask you something, do you think Mirabel will take care of you the way I did?" June uttered and her eyes watered.

 "I made you, Drex! I turned you into who you are today! I gave you the first payment I got from my first book ever. I sponsored your music career, I sponsored your clothing business even though it failed woefully!" 

 " I used my everything to lift you up from the abyss you were stuck in. Is this how you repay me?" June cried bitterly, her eyes were red and swollen. 

 "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but you're wrong about Mirabel, she's willing to take care of me more than you ever did. I'm going to the States to feature in songs with the most popular artists in the world, she made it possible, man!" Drex laughed in victory.

 Even though he apologized, the mockery lying beneath his pretentious eyes couldn't be hidden.

 June turned around, dragging her feet on the ground. She sobbed, her hands trembling as she headed out of Drex's apartment. She didn't need to wait to hear more of his insults.

 June went home. She didn't pass the window this time, she passed through the main door. 

 When she entered, her father was pacing up and down in the living room. Her mother sat on the sofa, her head hung backward. 

 "Mama…Papa" she called.

The moment they heard her voice, they sprang up like springs waiting to be disturbed.

 "Where the hell were you? Did you know how worried we are? Your father even called the police!" Mrs Arthur yelled when she saw June enter.

 "Mama…" June called again as more tears rushed down her cheeks. She hurried her feet and ran toward her mother.

 She pulled her mother into a deep hug as she sobbed even more. " What happened? Did someone bully you?" Mrs Arthur's voice automatically went calm.

 " He doesn't love me anymore, he calls me a minor. Mom, he said he loves my editor's daughter. My editor's daughter was the one who told him to leak my pictures. It hurts, mom. It hurts" June held her mother even tighter.

 "I just knew it's a guy she sent the picture to," Mr Arthur sighed. "You even broke my window to go meet a guy! How did you even jump down from that window, it's so high!" Mr Arthur pointed his fingers at her.

 "Stop Dave! Stop it already" Mrs Arthur quipped.

 While Mrs Arthur was still patting June, Mr Arthur suddenly received a call from work. He excused himself and stepped into a corner to answer the call.

 When he returned to the living room, his mood was grim. His eyes looked hollow, and his expression darkened.

 " What happened?" Mrs Arthur caught note of his face.

 "I think I'll have to resign from office" Mr Arthur's voice was very inaudible.

 "Speak louder, would you? Why would you suddenly resign from office? Did the governor complain about you?" Mrs Arthur pressed further.

 "I told you about Mr Leo, right?" 

Mrs Arthur nodded her head.

"He embezzled the state's hospital construction money and…I'm the one that granted him the access to oversee the construction" Mr Arthur lowered his head.

 " Then this is a corruption scandal, you're only unlucky to be caught in it. You can ask to be investigated so as to vindicate yourself, you don't have to resign" Mrs Arthur became nervous.

 " If I don't resign now, I might be caught in something even bigger than corruption" Mr Arthur continued.

 " But ... .you know that your company is depending on your salary this month. If you resign now, won't we go bankrupt?" Mrs Arthur uttered and everyone became tense immediately.