Break me, Mr. Malton

"You bitch, I swear I will reap out your heart and feed it to the vultures." The male voice on the end of the phone was screeching. Jose must be used to it, having dealt with ruthless creditors for years, but there was something about the venom in the caller's voice that sent a shiver down her spine.

She gripped her phone tightly, her mind racing with the implications of her situation.

"Look, I know I'm owing you and I'm doing everything within my power to pay you off," Jose said, struggling to keep her voice steady. "Just give me some time."

The anger in the man's voice intensified when she asked for an extension of the date. He probably thought she was trying to outrun the responsibility. All this while, Jose tried to keep her cool. She was so tired of having to listen to the cold, mirthless sound calling her names every day.

Suddenly, the line went dead and Jose found herself staring at her phone. Fear and confusion overwhelmed her at the same time.

"This is it for me. I lost my job, with debts hanging on my neck, now I can't even pay mortgage on my house. Everything has been piling on top of me over the year." Jose didn't care to be inaudible. She was on autopilot, and she kept blabbing her predicament with frustration. This made her wince in pain. She looked around the farm to see if anyone could hear her.

She leaned on a moulded pillar on a rice farm owned by Mrs Laverne, an old citizen in Nordfriesland, the north Frisia.

Mrs. Laverne, worked as a botanist in Forschungszentrum küste (FZK); a costal research center in Bushum. And retired in her early 50s. She is in her late 60s with an ocean of life experience.

Besides rice farming, she's an expert in herbalism, traditional craft and cooking.

She's a witty woman who has a strong connection with her brother and his daughter, the only family member she has, or maybe talks about.

Mrs Laverne matched towards her direction. carrying a few tools in her hands.

"Good afternoon Mrs Laverne, you said you wanted to see me, and I'm not sure why." So impatiently, she flooded Mrs. Laverne with questions as her attention descended on the space.

"There's only one way to find out!" Mrs Laverne looked up at Jose's flushed cheeks with a whiff of curiosity swimming over her face.

"Dang!" Jose stiffened in a spot and clap her hand against the other.

"I talked to my brother about the job you requested, and I'm really sorry nothing's coming out of it." She shook her head, running a hand through her hair as she paced across the farm.

"Whoa! You should've started with that. That's some bad news you got," Jose responded flaccidly.

"But there's something else. My brother asked a few questions about your looks. His company's CEO, where he works as the CFO, you know he's the Minister-president candidate, yet unmarried." Jose caught her breath and cuts in immediately.

"Yeah, how does this relate to me?" Her eyes were young and fresh, with a hint of innocence lingering around her face.

"If you're saying that, he wants some contracted marriage with someone, I'm not interested! They don't end well." She shifted her eyeballs, shaking her head in disapproval.

She was about to leave when her phone ranged.

Her eyes went sore, which wiped the soft cheer on her face. After she saw the name of the caller, which turned out to be a person she owes. She rejected the call. The phone beeped intermittently.

She raised her eyebrow and faced Mrs Laverne, who was waiting patiently to walk her out of her farm.

"You know what, Mrs Laverne? Call your brother." Mrs Laverne followed her statement with a self-assured smile. She knew she was eventually going to change her mind.

"Sure," Mrs. Laverne smirked and obeyed immediately by jerking out her outdated Gionee.

She dialed the number, and a heard ring followed.

The call recipient answered the call. They talked for a while before Mrs Laverne dropped the call and faced Jose.

"I think you've got a fortune on this one. There's a fat pay."

"You're welcome, cause I already signed you up for it." She exalted herself and gently place down the tools she's been carrying on her hand since she was coming. Preparing to state the rules ascribed to the contract.

"First rule, you have to agree with the terms of the contract without posits to qualify or amend it." Mrs Laverne said while glancing into Jose's eyes.

"Easy, any other one?" Jose asked, her hands drumming against her hips restlessly as her chin tilted slightly as she awaited response.

"Yeah, there's always a rule two which is don't catch feelings," she whispered, playing innocently on her curiosity.

"As if I can control that!" Her face widened with a light chuckle, which deemed her overall expression.

"Yes, you can. Believe in yourself. There is paperwork which would be forwarded to you as quick and you're allowed to request the payment upfront."

Mrs Laverne whimsically uttered after she caught Jose still contemplating. "Yeah, here is Emmerich's photo, just in case you're curious." She handed over her phone to her quickly and seamlessly.

Mrs Laverne's voice was low-pitched. "Then you can catch feelings."

She reached for the phone and looked at the phone.

Admittedly, this stroked surprise.

"This man!" She intensified her voice, and stretches her eyes muscle in a way that juggled Mrs Laverne's mental alertness.

"You know him?" She questioned

"No, do you?" Jose inflated her body and releases it to transform into laughter.

Mrs Laverne had always appreciated her lively and fizzy spirit. Jose is the one who underscored her conviction that it's the people with most problems that create laughs the most, making everyone laugh a little more.

"I'm about to know him!" Mrs Laverne nod positively to her statement implying, "yes, you are!"

"You should get ready." Mrs Laverne shits on the mood immediately. As if she knew what would happen next.

Three cars zoomed in almost immediately, Jose was a bit terrified by the unexpected surprise.

A tall, hefty and breath-taking guy descends from the car in the company of three men who were well suited in a sleek all-black SS uniform with silver trim and insignia. Their high-polished black leather booth was obvious and their appearance was slightly intimidating. They walked behind the esteemed individual.

This individual is dressed in a suit and a button-up shirt. His demeanor speaks wealth and dignifies his status and profile.

Emmerich John Malton, CEO of Malton industries, exudes confidence and authority. However, beneath that exterior, he struggles with family legacy and political pressure.

As the leader of the parliament. Emmerich aims to become Minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein.

Almost on the verge of fulfilling his long dream, his past mistakes threaten to undermine him.

Also, to Germans being married is seen as a positive aspect of human character and often this affects candidates electability.

Jose froze in a spot. As she sees the almighty and influential Emmerich John Malton approaching. He Carried an oppressive personality that Jose can't help but feel intimidated.

Few seconds in her thought, Emmerich was already before her and Mrs Laverne. He stared intensely at Jose. His intention was undecipherable.

"You!" Emmerich sprang back whilst adjusting his glasses to judge his sight

Same with Jose, who was wonder-struck. She firmed her eyes on his face to be sure she's not mistaken him for someone else.

There is Mrs Laverne, who is lost on what's going on and felt the need to interfere.

"You two know each other?"

"This has to be some prank," Jose sneered, leaving a clue of sheer disgust looking at Emmerich.

"Is it possible that I rescind the contract? I Should have known it's you." Jose was disconsolate. She joined two hands in motion for a plea and she tapped continuously on the floor with her feet.

"Jose, what's going on?" Mrs Laverne looked faintly at both Emmerich and Jose.

"Here in front of us is my ex-boss." She glanced at Mrs Laverne, whose face was adorned with a deceptive share of surprise.

"I'm surprised too," Jose added, confirming the relevance of the obvious emotion on Mrs Laverne's face.

"Whatever happened then, I believe it's strictly formal." Emmerich's first utterance made Jose nod her head passively.

"What a defense, is it not?" Jose was acting irritably difficult. "You accepted this contract, meaning you'll have to abide by my rules. You'd have it spread out for you." Emmerich was vetting Jose's mood, who obviously hasn't let go of the fact that he was the one who got her fired in her last job.

"I don't care. You wanna keep up with me? You better climb the fuck up, you are fired, Miss Jose." Emmerich's voice from that day resounded in her head, leaving her eyes half-filled with unshed tears.

"See, you need me and I need you too, you're not burying the past and God knows I don't need you to, you just need to act the part, can't spare a minute for your drama. Here is not where you should act. You only need to display all the dramas at your disposal publicly," Emmerich chided unapologetically. Standing straight with his head held high. His voice is firm but hints at vulnerability, revealing a glimmer of the complex person beneath.

"Wow, rude!" Jose said almost to herself.

Emmerich's statement already sets her straight."

"It's pretty urgent miss, your duty starts now." Emmerich titled his head. One of his bodyguards walked in Jose's direction, they then lead her to where the car was facing.

"I'd willingly stay in captivity if one of the kidnappers looks half as good as Emmerich." As she gazed at Emmerich, her eyes softened and her thoughts drifted away from her dire situation and finding solace in Emmerich's physique.

The bodyguard opened the door of the Maybach GLS and let her in. The three cars zoomed off after they had settled in.

As the Maybach GLS sped away, Jose's phone buzzed again. She hesitated, wondering if she should answer. The screen flashed with an unknown number, but the text message made her heart skip a beat.

"Emmerich's secrets are darker than you think. It'll be nice to finally meet you."

Jose's eyes locked onto Emmerich's reflection in the window, a mixture of curiosity and trepidation brewing inside her. What secrets was she getting herself into?