"How on earth is Dimitri going to settle his debt with Big Ben and get out of this mess?" I mumbled to myself.

My mind was constantly on this thought the whole morning.

Dimitri and I sat in the small diner. I shifted on the long red seat attached to the wall and brought the table slightly forward to me. I scanned the menu, and I was hungry for something greasy and delicious. I decided on eggs, bacon, and hash browns.

We decided to enjoy the morning and have brunch after Dimitri dealt with his assault charges with his lawyer. It was true, Arthur pressed the charges, but it would most likely be dismissed, since Dimitri didn't start the fight. It wasn't his fault Arthur took on a seasoned fighter and fell at the hand of a man who's trained thousands of rounds dodging and punching.

I giggled at the thought. What a stupid move on Arthur's part.

"I'm glad Arthur won't be having a winning case." I said, smiling.

Dimitri looked down, playing with his coffee mug handle. "Yeah... but the damage is done. UFC probably wants nothing to do with me now. I'm just glad it didn't hurt my parole too much. I had a shitload to explain to my parole officer, too." He sighed, as he rubbed his tired eyes.

My smile faded as I sipped my black coffee.

Last night was great, and being with Dimitri fulfilled me. But this dark cloud was dragging us both down, and his initials were 'B.B.' I so badly wanted to make it better.

"Fuck this!" I blurted out, surprising myself.

The elderly waitress placed our hot meals on the table, lifted both eyebrows in disapproval in my direction as she left. But I didn't care!

Dimitri's eyes snapped to me, surprise present in them. He raised an eyebrow, not used to me speaking such language.

But hell, I was angry. I was irritated. I was tired of it all.

"Something needs to be done Dimitri!" I said firmly, smacking the table with my hands balled into fists.

Dimitri frowned. "What needs to be done?"

I gave a pointed stare at him. "Big Ben and this damn money you owe him. We need to sort it out and I don't want any reason why I can't help our situation." I said seriously.

Dimitri closed his eyes and sighed. "Lillie, I thought we discussed this, I don't want you to get involved-"

"No! I don't want to hear it. I'm already involved Dimitri, and I don't mind being involved because we're involved together." Damn, I was confusing myself with all these involvements.

Dimitri looked confused and gave a side smirk.

"The point is..." I began, composing myself. "I might have the money that could help you settle this damn debt once and for all, dammit!" I said, exasperated. It felt like months and months of words clogged up in me set free.

I took a deep breath.

Dimitri shook his head. But I pointed my finger at him in disapproval.

"Rather be in debt to me than Big Ben." I said.

Dimitri opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He looked at me searchingly and looked deep in thought, his face twitching every so now and then. I waited with bated breath. Hoping he'll finally agree with me.

"I still owe about $30 000." Dimitri finally said the amount he owed hesitantly, his eyes fixed on his plate of food that he left untouched.

My breath hitched slightly at the sizeable amount of money, but I quickly recovered.

I nodded. "Okay... that can be handled." I said confidently.

Dimitri's eyes returned to mine in astonishment. "You got that kind of cash on hand?" he asked, shocked.

I nodded slowly. "Remember, I said my dad left my mom and I a sum of money each. And when he passed on, the town house in Ashfield was left to me in his will, too."

Dimitri listened.

"He left me $50 000, which mostly came from his retirement and investment funds. I haven't spent that much on it, since I didn't need to, and kept it more for a rainy day in an investment account of my own. So, you see, I can help you settle."

Dimitri blew out a deep breath, and rubbed his hand over his head, thinking again.

"I don't know about this Lillie?" he said thoughtfully.

"C'mon Dimitri, I got the cash to help settle this to get you out. Why would you turn my offer down?" I said.

Dimitri looked at me. "Are you sure?" He asked nervously.

I nodded earnestly.

Dimitri moved forward. "I'm not happy about this... but okay, I'll take you up on your offer." he said reluctantly, taking my hand. "But I'll promise to pay every cent back to you Lillie."

I nodded, squeezing his hand in return.

"Can we eat now? Our food is probably already cold." I said teasingly.

Dimitri smiled, and we ate our brunch with a lighter and hopeful mood.

***

In the midday sun, the roads shimmered. The sunlit glass building reflected the hot blue sky. The name Arcadia Bank Corp. blinked in the sunlight.

We stepped into the air-conditioned bank. It was packed this afternoon, with many people queuing in lines. We walked up to reception and the well-uniformed lady pointed to the investment offices.

"Just step inside and take a seat in the waiting section." She said coolly, with a plastered smile.

Dimitri and I walked in the direction pointed and found the investment department. We sat on the hard seats. Luckily, this part of the bank was empty. I sighed in relief.

I looked at Dimitri, who looked pensive.

Dimitri suggested we get the money as soon as possible and give it to Big Ben in cash. Since he dealt with most of his business that way. I agreed we had to get this done before I returned to Ashfield. It would be an instant transaction, with no bother from Big Ben. He gets his cash and leaves us alone. It should be simple as that. I hoped.

"Don't worry." I reassured him. "I know it's not your ideal situation, but this is the best we can do to get Big Ben off your back. We can start a fresh and put this all behind us."

He smiled and hugged my shoulders. "Your right. It should be a happy day. We finally found a solution." He said and kissed me on the top of my head.

I smiled contently.

"Thank you, Lillie. This means more to me than you know. I'm indebted to you forever." Dimitri said, his voice tender.

"Next!" A man in a black tie and white shirt, with thick black-rimmed glasses, called out, breaking our moment.

We both got up and walked into the investor's office.

After forty five minutes, we walked out of the bank with a lot of paperwork in my hand. We returned to Dimitri's apartment, with two business suitcases filled with packed hundred-dollar bill stacks.

Now, we had to figure out his next move.