Frozen, I head back to the reception area. Anna is still not there. And there is still an unpleasant confusion in my soul. I sit at my desk and pull out those six folders. I flip through them and find the file with the name I saw.
Nervously swallowing. But it would be a sin not to take advantage of the absence of Bianca and her secretary. I quickly find the employer’s number and decide to start with him.
The company is Belgian, but my English is fairly good, so when they finally answered on the fifth ring, we even managed to have a normal conversation. As I suspected earlier, they were called from our office and informed that the employee is refusing.
My suspicions are confirmed. I decided to clarify from which office they were called: from Wrocław or Kraków. Turns out, it was Kraków. I thank them and end the call.
I dial this employee's contact number, but the subscriber is out of reach. No longer holding back"I enter some sort of furious rage: from everything I’ve seen and found in that damned office, and from Andriy’s veiled explanations.
I call other employee contacts. But all of them are inactive. Except for one…
On the other end, the mother of the woman who was about to go to work answers. During the conversation, I surprisingly found out that the woman has been working in Europe for over a month without a contract.
" Ms. Yevheniia, did you call the office that handled the documentation? " I decided to clarify. Yet, I can’t understand why they aren’t raising the alarm.
" Of course," I hear the saddened voice. " But the manager says that our Kateryna refused the job already in Poland and also created a lot of problems for the company. But she didn’t refuse, I know for sure - I talked to her when she switched to the next bus organized by the company in Krakow.
" What? " I am completely disheartened, and the despair in the woman's voice simply breaks my heart. " This is utterly nonsensical… Who is lying?
I ponder this question in my thoughts and realize that neither this woman nor the employer has a reason to lie. So, someone at our firm is lying.
I thank Ms. Yevheniia for the call and ask her to keep her spirits up. Meanwhile, I open a basic search and type in the names of all the employees from the six files in front of me. And I freeze…
Because four of them are listed as missing… No information about the others. Uncertain and terrible suspicions are already creeping into my mind… Then Anna returns.
I force myself not to show what I’ve discovered. But truthfully, it’s hard to do because this news shakes me even worse than what I found in that damned drawer. When Bianca returns later with a pleased and triumphant look, anger crawls inside me.
I don't know how I managed not to go to her office, not to explode because of jealousy combined with what I learned. Finally, at the end of the day, Anna asks to leave and goes quickly. So I am left alone in the reception area.
Five minutes before the workday ends, Bianca comes out of the office and, glancing around the room, approaches Anna's desk, leans her hips against the tabletop, and crosses her arms over her chest. The disdain in her gaze is just too much.
I straighten up and tilt my chin up. I know why she came to mock. Bitch. But she picked the wrong one. Although I am emotionally shaken and confused, I am not inclined to bow my head to her. Especially not to her!
" You're screwing him, then?" " she gives me a contemptuous look.
I tightly press my lips together, then words fly out of my mouth faster than I can catch myself and push back:
" No, we are together. "It’s clear who 'he' is.
" Relationship?" she spits out. " Keep dreaming. You warm his bed in my absence, but as you see, he keeps coming back to me. Always, " she lifts her head.
“What does she mean?" I nervously think, "He comes back?".
" Don't talk nonsense, " I feel a furious rush of adrenaline mixed with anger shaking me, my pulse skyrocketing. What would make him come back to you now after such a pause?
"Yes, I know, dear," I think sarcastically and ignore the voice of logic warning that I’m already revealing too much.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, the thought flickers that I am simply being led by emotions. And all my experience shouting that this is dangerous and spells trouble for me now goes to hell… when I hear the next words:
" He's still in love with me. You understand that, dear. As I love him, " she drags on sweetly.
And that's it. Inside me, there’s such a tumultuous explosion that I lose all composure. I rise to my feet and bitterly throw in her face:
"YOU love him?
" Yes, I do! In a way you never could! " she hisses. She doesn't hide that the feelings are there. But hearing it aloud, I am still not ready.
" Really? So you love that you impoverished him, dragging his name through criminal muck?
" I don't understand what you’re..., " her eyes start to deceitfully dart around.
" You understand! I’m talking about the forgery and the whole scheme of human trafficking, " I slice with words and the terrible, shocking, nauseating truth. " How could you?!
" What? What human trafficking?" her astonishment seems damn sincere." "What are you talking about?”
" So you've heard about document forgery before?" I immediately seized on the words she didn't say.
She is silent. Just biting her lip, and I cling to this moment of uncertainty and her hesitation, pressing on:
" I have irrefutable evidence, Bianca. And it would be better for you to comply now, I say sternly. I'm bluffing, of course, but there’s no turning back now.
She is silent, then angrily throws out as if she doesn't see the serious problem.
" It was an accident, and happened only once! " she blurts out angrily.
I remember that I indeed saw only one surname in her drawer. Maybe she really doesn't know?
" Not once, Bianca. Just in this branch, six cases… Only in February. I haven't had time to check everything yet.
Her eyes widen in surprise and the bitch freezes.
" No," she breathes out." This can't be happening.
And I realize that she definitely didn’t do this alone. Who then?
" Who is your accomplice? " I say harshly.
" There are no accomplices. What are you even talking about?
But my patience is wearing thin.
"Enough, Bianca! You got caught and dragged Andriy into this mess! The only thing left to do now is to go to the police as soon as possible and cooperate. And to get Andriy out with the least losses, you have to help. Tell me: who pulled this off?
I see how she gets nervous.
" Milana, I really only know about one forgery. We couldn’t get the work permit in time… And then it all piled up. The employer demanded to organize the worker be organized urgently. I panicked… And called Lukash. He said that we'll handle this situation once and forget it, and close the matter. But it didn’t come to that. Because the employee refused the vacancy.
"A-ha, panicked," I skeptically think. "Who are you trying to fool, dear? After so many years working in this field, she panicked..."
Shock. And a new understanding.
"WHO did you call? I ask in silent stupor because I remember the words of the employer I spoke with today. After all, he also said that the refusal came from the Kraków office. Then I throw out:" We need to inform Andriy immediately. Let’s go.
" He’s not here. They went with Lukash to discuss some matters, " she began to stutter.
"With Lukash? Where did he come from? "I drilled her with an evil look, the horror reaching my fingertips.
The bitch is silent. Just nervously biting her lips.
" Milana, you don’t think…
" Bianca, how is Lukash here? " I say menacingly, and my gaze cuts her without a knife.
" I called…
" Idiot. What an idiot you are! " I hiss and dash towards the exit." Where are they?