Ximena’s workplace was quite a distance from Oconnor Group, so Callie spent over an hour on the bus to get there. By the time she arrived, it was dark, and the neon lights and street lamps outside the office building were already lit. Many people were heading to restaurants for dinner.
Ximena and Joaquin had graduated from the same community college. Her educational backgrounds weren’t impressive, and her job was not particularly well-paid. Ximena currently worked as an agent at a real estate company.
Callie waited for an hour at a cafe downstairs from Ximena’s company. The coffee in her hand had gone from hot to cold by the time Ximena finally arrived, carrying her bag.
“Callie, I’m so sorry. I was supposed to come visit you, but I was so busy showing a house to a client,” Ximena apologized.
She was pretty, but her long working hours had exhausted her, looking not in high spirits.
“It’s fine. I work late often too, so I understand it,” Callie said, motioning for her to sit.
“What do you need to talk to me about?” Ximena asked, a bit nervous.
“I heard you and Joaquin are getting married soon,” Callie began.
“Yes. That’s why I’ve been working so hard,” Ximena said, blushing slightly.
Callie could see that Ximena was a sincere and diligent person. “You might not know this, but Joaquin and I are not biological siblings. I hope you don’t mind if I’m a bit direct.”
Ximena quickly nodded. “I know. Joaquin told me.”
“Then I’ll be blunt. His mother Yamilet is trying to gather money for your wedding, even to the point of cutting off her husband’s medical expenses. If it weren’t necessary, I wouldn’t have come to find you,” Callie explained.
“Since my father’s illness, I’ve been paying for his medical bills. Joaquin and Yamilet haven’t contributed a cent. In this situation, Yamilet can’t afford to get you two married. Frankly, if they were diligent people, they would have saved some money over the years, right? I don’t think it should come to the point of cutting off medical expenses.”
Callie made her point clear: the Marsh family was a trap, and Ximena shouldn’t get involved. She trusted that Ximena would understand.
Ximena pressed her lips together, looking troubled. “Callie, I know a bit about this, but I’m limited in what I can do. However, I believe that after Joaquin and I get married, the situation will improve if we both work hard.”
Callie understood that Ximena had feelings for Joaquin. She frowned and decided to reveal the harsh truth. “Miss Spence, do you know that Joaquin is currently in heavy debt?”
Ximena was stunned, clearly unaware.
“He only told me that his family didn’t have much money and that we’d need to start from scratch,” she said.
Callie laughed bitterly and pulled a credit report from her bag, handing it to Ximena.
“This shows Joaquin’s current financial situation. He’s been gambling for years and hasn’t been working. He relies on small loans to get by, losing a lot and unable to repay the loans. Now he’s been blacklisted, which directly affects his employment opportunities, and he couldn’t even rent a place or lease a car. You didn’t know this?”
Callie had once wondered why Joaquin, as the biological son of Reuben, was willing to cut off his father’s medical expenses. Then one day, she accidentally saw Joaquin’s phone and discovered he owed a lot of money. Only a gambler would disregard everything, including familial bonds.
Ximena’s hands trembled as she held the paper, clearly unaware of this situation, so it was easy to imagine how much it had crushed her.
Callie continued, “Roughly estimated, Joaquin owes tens of thousands of dollars. Miss Spence, I guess your monthly salary is at most a thousand dollars. If you marry him, have you calculated how many years it will take to pay off his debt?”