As the sun was setting after a long day of work, all I could hear were soothing “cha-ching” sounds. I had the same daily routine. I woke up, jogged for an hour, drove the kids to school, answered emails, ran my online fashion business, got $100,000 dollars a day, told the kids “good night,” and fell asleep on the couch while watching late night game shows. Life was beautiful, and I thought that I would remain on the top of the world forever. The cash was pouring in and I was buying Ferraris and Lamborghinis left and right, even though my wife constantly warned me of going bankrupt. I was told, “Robert, the last thing you want is to go the bank and empty out your pockets,” but I thought my wife was as foolish and innocent as a baby.

Yet, it turned out later that I was the baby. At age 67, I went bankrupt. It all started in my office in New York. I received the worst phone call of my life. “Robert, get your best lawyers; we’re getting sued for 10 million dollars.” I took a pause for a second. At the moment, the office seemed to get darker and the blinds finally worked for the first time. My head was spinning out of control. I knew what this could possibly mean: a five to ten year period of constant misery and tears. I screamed at Manuel, “I thought everything was under control!” I felt as though my daily routine would change forever, and I would probably visit the courtroom more than my wife and children.

“It turns out that your website was using a copyrighted design. Who ever knew that using orange stripes on a blue background was not allowed?” Once I heard this explanation, my veins started slowly popping. I was about to possibly lose millions over a set of colors. I drove to Manuel’s office as quickly as possible. Luckily, my assistant manager and my best friend only lived two minutes away from my own place. He lived in a contemporary apartment in New York City, filled with all the modern amenities anyone could ever imagine. From a movie theater to a tennis court, he had it all-- just like me. And just like me, he could possibly lose it all.

As I entered his apartment, I noticed that he wore white boxers and his hair was spiking in different directions. I didn’t care for it, because I’ve known Manuel since I was a baby. I sat down on the red leather sofa, and he told me to relax. He said, “why don’t you get a massage today and I’ll take care of everything.” I laughed at his suggestion and responded, “why don’t you go get me a cup of coffee so I can concentrate and help you not lose your apartment.” Manuel was always generous, but I never took advantage of this unique trait. I picked up the phone and made a call to my accuser. Deep inside, I wished I could scream at him and curse him for a straight hour. However, I needed to remain calm in case he was recording the call. “Hello, why are you calling me right now? I’m at work.” This man sounded like a duck, and I almost started cracking up over his squeaky voice. “You’re going down, asshole! Do you actually think you can sue me and get away with it? Well, you might as well give up right now.” The line turned silent for ten seconds as Manuel and I were staring at each other anxiously.

I failed to keep calm after hearing that horrific voice. The high-pitched voice hurt my eardrums for the second time: “let me make it clear for you, mister. If I don’t win this case, your wife and children are in big danger. The Italian mafia always wins, and don’t you ever call me an asshole ever again!” I freaked out and felt my heart beating uncontrollably. “boom boom, boom boom.” I asked Manuel in a chaotic tone, “since when do Italian mafia members sue online fashion businesses?” Manuel joked, “apparently, since August 2010.”

I was not sure if the accuser was serious or not, but I decided to take his words lightly, because any coward can say anything he wants over the phone without fearing a knockout punch in the face. Before I knew it, the dreaded court date arrived, and my worst nightmare became a reality. The mysterious guy had a round, black hat on, which went nicely with an “I love Italy” shirt. He raised his hands and demonstrated a choking movement. Manuel stared at me silently with a sympathetic look. I had to choose between my family and 10 million dollars. “Order in court!” The judge’s eyes were concentrated on the accuser’s shirt, and perhaps the judge was simply hungry for some pizza.

After a long and tiresome three-hour battle in court, the verdict was settled. I was the winner, and the 10 million dollars stayed safe in the bank, but my family was in immediate danger. The big, high-pitched Italian guy made a quick phone call and showed me an imaginary gun shot with his fingers. Manuel told me with a furious look, “I thought you were a better person than that, but I guess I was wrong about you all along. How could you betray your family simply to get some extra cash?” Some people would call me greedy, but I truly think that money comes before everything, even your loved ones. I was sure that my family would thank me eventually, since I planned to save them anyways. They were located at my mother’s house in Hong Kong, so there was no way for Mister duck voice and his gang to locate them.

….
The engine was loud and clear as ever. My mouth was tied up and I was sweating like a donkey. The only positive thing was the fact that I was inside of a nice looking, yellow mustang. As my breath was fading away and I prayed to God, I finally saw some light. Sadly, two tough looking guys with leather black jackets and a cigar were taking me into a dark cell in the middle of nowhere. Then, the moment I dreaded most happened.


“You should have listened to me from the beginning, Mr. Greedy. Your family is gone like the wind.” I answered with disbelief, “stop playing games with me. I know that you are just bluffing.” I heard the squeaky voice again: “has it ever occurred to you that your wife’s cell phone has a GPS tracker in it?” “Boom,” I felt my life nearing an end; Luckily, the last words I heard from the mafia member greatly soothed me: “at least your children are safe! Don’t worry, by children, I mean at least your dollars are safe in the bank.”