“What? ‘Course I does!”
“Dere’s so many people lookin’ for cash so badly they doesn’t care who it’s from! I still get plenty o’ clients!” Although, not as many as before the trial…
“People are finally realizing that your whole business is a scam then, huh?”
“Took them long enough.”
Phoenix wondered if that chef had stopped doing business with Tigre.
“What about that chef guy? Has he learned his lesson?”
“Don’t youse go callin’ Tender Lender a scam! We got some very loyal customers, y’know!” If loyal was counted by how much they owed back, then they had the most loyal customers humanly possible.
“An’ ‘dat chef guy’ ain’t gettin’ off da hook so easy! I atta beat him down so he’ll freakin’ pay up!”
“O’ course! I ain’t no liar! Ain’t ever told a lie in my life!”
(That’s a lie right there…)
Dahlia smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him.
“Oh, you seem like such a nice man…”
“I sure is!”
“…So, youse interested in a loan? Since youse been so nice ta’ me, I’ll get youse a real special deal!” Viola wouldn’t be too happy ‘bout it, though…
“Hm.”
In his timeline, Viola had left Tender Lender after Furio tricked her. It seemed like that wasn’t the case here.
“Do you get clients?”
How could anyone fall for this scam?
(Well… there was that chef guy… what was his name again?)
“What? ‘Course I does!”
“Dere’s so many people lookin’ for cash so badly they doesn’t care who it’s from! I still get plenty o’ clients!” Although, not as many as before the trial…
“You promise?”
“O’ course! I ain’t no liar! Ain’t ever told a lie in my life!”
“Oh…”
She put a hand to her mouth and looked down, turning the innocence up a notch.
“How do I know if you’re being truthful, sir…?”
“I’ve been… lied and betrayed to in the past…”
“W-What? ‘Course I’m bein’ truthful!”
“I-I’d never lie to a pretty lady like youse!”
(You did go to jail…)
Maybe this was an alternate universe where things hadn’t gone quite how they had went in his… timeline. That was really unfortunate.
“Whatever you say, Tigre.”
He looked around the place, noticing that a certain other person wasn’t there.
“Where’s your little coffee assistant? …Viola, I believe?”
“Violetta? I ‘unno. She’s off doin’ paperwork or somet’in’.”
“I usually jus’ see her when I got clients comin’ in or when we’s closed.”
Dahlia smiled sweetly, figuring that he was the type who liked the whole pretty and innocent thing. She really wasn’t looking for any money but she wondered if he could be of use to her.
“What’s the fee?”
“It ain’t much more den a little cash back, y’know? Little bit o’ gratitude.”
“You mean the day you pretended to be me?”
Phoenix smirked, figuring that maybe he had met an alternate universe Tigre. It wouldn’t have been the first time he had met someone like that.
“Am I really that awesome?” he said in reference to Furio imitating him.
(I bet he had no idea that I’m from 8 years in the future…)
“Course not! Dat day youse really did lose in court. Y’know, da one when youse t’ought youse’d be sendin’ me ta’ jail.”
“Awesome?” He scoffed. “T’ere ain’t nuddin’ more opposite t’an dat word an’ youse, Wright. I did what I had ta’ do ta’ make sure I din’t land myself in prison. It wasn’t some act o’ admiration, y’hear?”
Phoenix raised an eyebrow, not at all intimidated by the other man. He used to be back when he first met him but over the years he had changed. These days he wasn’t easily scared.
“No. I was wondering what you were doing out of jail.”
“Outta jail? Hah! Youse funnier now, Wright.”
“I ain’t been ta jail. Youse screwed up in court an’ sent off dat cute little Maggey girl. I would’a t’ought youse’d remember a day like dat.”
His gaze made her feel a bit uncomfortable but she tried to ignore it.
(Ugh. Don’t call me ‘Dollie’.)
She didn’t say that out loud figuring that she wouldn’t be here for long anyway. The redhead looked around the office.
“C-Cash? You sell cash?”
She knew exactly what this place was but thought she’d play up the “innocent and naive village girl” angle.
“Well, missy, sell ain’t da right word for what I does. I just let ‘em borrow it, and dey gives it back wit’ a little… fee. If youse lookin’ for a loan I can getcha’ a good deal, just ‘cause youse so pretty.”
